Chapter 38 of 100

Chapter 38

11 min read2,791 words

Inside the Hokage's office.

"Old man, everyone in our group passed the test. Standard Ino-Shika-Cho tactics. Although each of them has many flaws, their potential isn't bad," Asama said casually.

A half-burned cigarette hung from the corner of his mouth, complementing the smoke constantly billowing from the Third Hokage's pipe. No wonder they were father and son.

Next to Asama stood a woman with slightly curly black hair and a beautiful face. Her especially striking red eyes were clear and bright, like two gems.

"Third, Team 8 also passed the test," said Yuki, her voice trembling slightly but sounding particularly pleasant.

"Hmm. Not bad. I watched your test process; they are the future of Konoha. There will be many troubles, are you prepared?" The Third Hokage smiled at the two in front of him.

They were his subordinates, but in reality, one was his son, and the other was soon to be his daughter-in-law. They were not outsiders.

Asama's face turned grim: "Shikamaru is too lazy, Choji is too timid, and Ino is too... Well, nowadays, kids are all focused on falling in love..."

The Third Hokage chuckled, listening to Asama's complaints.

"Third, how about Kakashi's team?" Yuki asked.

"They are also being tested. Let's watch together." The Third Hokage said, forming hand seals.

The crystal ball on the desk glowed, showing an image. It was the test scene of Team 7.

"Is that Naruto? He's really full of spirit." Asama said, watching Naruto's shadow clones being destroyed one by one, without a care.

"Hehe, his fighting spirit is good," the Third Hokage chuckled, thinking of the brilliant Fourth Hokage.

"Hey! Sasuke is so strong?! His taijutsu is so unique. Could it be the Uchiha clan's secret taijutsu?" As soon as Sasuke moved, his mysterious taijutsu immediately caught Asama's attention.

"I haven't seen it before. It's fast and specifically targets vital points. It's a specialized killing taijutsu. Indeed, the Uchiha clan is impressive. The light of the Sharingan has overshadowed many truths," Yuki said, frowning.

"Good. If this taijutsu is used proficiently and thoroughly explored, it could become a taijutsu style, like Gai. Unfortunately," Asama said with a sigh.

"The Uchiha clan's focus is on those eyes, not taijutsu," Yuki added.

"Who is that?" Asama pointed to Su Zhong, who was standing under a tree in a black shirt and short hair.

"Uchiha Shu," the Third Hokage said solemnly.

Having been Hokage for so long, his understanding of the Uchiha clan surpassed anyone else's.

But in any records about the Uchiha clan, there was no mention of this special taijutsu.

He could see the potential of this killing taijutsu. Could it be that Sasuke created it? No, for the past two years, Sasuke has been under surveillance most of the time.

If he had developed it, the Anbu would have recorded it.

When he saw Su Zhong stand up from under the tree, the Third Hokage's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"How fast!" Asama exclaimed suddenly.

The Third Hokage refocused his attention. In the crystal ball, Su Zhong burst into an incredibly fast speed, making him almost invisible.

Su Zhong's movements were like he was teleporting through space.

The Third Hokage's face turned extremely grim.

"Doesn't he lack chakra?" Asama suddenly asked.

The Third Hokage's face turned even grimmer upon hearing this.

Seeing Su Zhong's fighting style, the source of Sasuke's taijutsu became clear. The person everyone in the village considered a waste suddenly showed such great strength. The Third Hokage felt that things were slipping out of control.

Thinking of the Anbu whose heart was dug out two years ago, the Third Hokage's heart sank.

Could this really be another Itachi?

...

"Shun!"

Su Zhong firmly locked onto Kakashi, relentlessly chasing him.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed, and he drew a kunai from his waist. He assumed a battle stance, using all his strength.

Suddenly facing Su Zhong in direct combat, Kakashi was very uncomfortable. But he had no choice but to give it his all.

He saw a mix of fanaticism and calm in Su Zhong's eyes. Was he a madman or a genius?

Kakashi understood that if he didn't take this seriously, he might be killed. The boy in front of him would not hold back just because they were from the same village!

The kunai spun rapidly on his index finger, and he threw it: "Go!"

Clang!

A black kunai was deflected from his chest, leaving Su Zhong unharmed. The collision with his body produced a metallic sound.

The kunai was attached to a thin wire, and after the failed attack, it flew back to Kakashi's hand.

Kakashi looked at Su Zhong in shock. Under the torn black robe, Su Zhong's chest was exposed. Kakashi could see clearly that Su Zhong wasn't wearing any armor.

In other words, Su Zhong had used his body to block the kunai attack.

Kakashi's face changed dramatically. What kind of jutsu was this!

A faint electric light flashed under his feet. Whoosh! Kakashi disappeared from his spot, his speed also not slow!

Hmph!

With a cold snort, Su Zhong lunged forward, instantly vanishing from his spot.

Clang, clang, clang...

His hands moved rapidly, and Su Zhong's fists left a trail of afterimages. Kakashi's cunning kunai attacks were all blocked by Su Zhong's bare hands.

The black gloves on his hands were unscathed. These gloves were special Uchiha clan gloves, soft yet durable.

They were said to be designed for Fire Release jutsu. The Uchiha clan was naturally skilled in Fire Release, so having such equipment was not surprising.

Su Zhong liked them as soon as he got them.

A look of shock flashed in Kakashi's eyes, and his heart sank.

Even with special gloves, using bare hands to block a sharp kunai was enough to shock anyone.

...

"Too amazing! Too amazing! Sasuke, is this your clan member? Too amazing!" Naruto shouted.

The three nearby, having discovered the battle, watched intently.

Seeing Su Zhong's speed, which was so fast that it was hard to see, the three newly graduated genin were stunned.

Sasuke was particularly surprised.

He knew Su Zhong was very strong, but he didn't expect him to be this strong.

For the past two years, he had helped Su Zhong train every night. He knew about Su Zhong's strong defense, so it wasn't surprising that he could block a kunai with his bare hands.

According to Su Zhong's explanation, this was called invulnerability.

But Su Zhong's speed shocked him. He also knew that Su Zhong's strength was astonishing. He had once seen Su Zhong bend an iron bar as thick as his arm with one punch!

Speed, defense, strength—when combined, they were incredibly powerful. Sasuke realized that although Su Zhong was only two years older than him, he had already far surpassed him.

Sasuke clenched his fists tightly, a strong desire flashing in his eyes.

He wasn't jealous. In the entire Konoha, only Sasuke knew the extent of Su Zhong's efforts.

What suits you best is the best, Su Zhong had advised. Thinking of his Sharingan, Sasuke felt a surge of anticipation.

"I want to become Shu's disciple, I want to become his disciple, Sasuke, Sasuke, help me introduce myself," Naruto said urgently to Sasuke.

Sasuke pursed his lips. Become a disciple? I haven't even become one yet, so what about you?

"What attitude is that! Ice face..." Naruto persisted.

...

Electric light suddenly flashed under Kakashi's feet, and his speed increased even more.

Su Zhong stood in place, cautiously observing his surroundings.

He realized that when Kakashi increased his speed, he could no longer keep up with his movements.

Su Zhong understood that his speed was not an advantage against a true jōnin. They all had their own techniques to increase their speed.

The full activation of his hard qi technique could withstand ordinary kunai attacks, which was a good result.

"Speed and defense tests complete," Su Zhong thought to himself. "Next, test combat skills."

Since practicing hard qi, he had never stopped thinking about combat techniques.

The internal skills from the martial arts world couldn't be used here, but the basic techniques for generating power were still applicable, determined by similar physical laws.

The 24 basic punches were the best offensive techniques he could use.

Over the past two years, Su Zhong had continuously studied and expanded the 24 basic punches to 49.

Then, he continuously simplified and traced back to the roots, eventually condensing them into two stances—forward stance and lateral stance!

As long as he assumed these two stances, he could adapt and attack in any direction with the 49 basic punches.

These two stances were the foundation of the 49 basic punches.

The two stances were simple yet inclusive, far surpassing the small techniques like silent killing.

Kakashi rushed to Su Zhong, holding the kunai in reverse, and suddenly slashed at Su Zhong's arm.

Swoosh!

Su Zhong's clothes were instantly cut open. His right hand reflexively swung outward.

Lateral stance!

Bang!

Kakashi was immediately hit in the back by Su Zhong and stumbled forward.

After regaining his balance, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his back. Kakashi straightened up and reached back to scratch.

Su Zhong wouldn't let him off, stomping his foot. His fist shot out like a venomous dragon, creating a hissing sound as it tore through the air, piercing and unpleasant.

Forward stance!

Bang!

Kakashi hastily jumped away, and the ground was punched into a circular depression by Su Zhong.

His face turned pale, and the pain in his back made him blink continuously. He thought that if he had been hit by that ground-shattering punch, it would have been very painful.

He immediately put away his kunai, realizing he had made a fatal mistake.

Since Su Zhong lacked chakra, he couldn't use jutsu, so his taijutsu must be very strong.

Kakashi thought that even Gai, without opening the Eight Gates, might not be able to defeat Su Zhong. This conclusion shocked even himself.

But he was a ninja, and his specialty was jutsu. Kakashi's face turned serious, and he decided to use jutsu to end this battle!

"Indeed, Kakashi is as famous as they say, a renowned Konoha technician. Impressive, you won't waste Sasuke's talent. The Hokage's decision was wise," Su Zhong suddenly dropped his stance and smiled.

Kakashi's face froze.

Su Zhong was crazy but not arrogant. For mysterious jutsu, he wouldn't confront them head-on without sufficient power. When facing these natural forces, he would avoid them if possible. This was his principle.

Although today's strength test was not entirely satisfying, it had achieved its goal. He now had a sufficient understanding of himself.

Dealing with chūnin was no problem, but dealing with jōnin, especially those proficient in jutsu, was beyond his capabilities.

Kakashi casually released his hand seals: "Uchiha Shu, I didn't expect your strength to be so great. It seems I need to apply to the Hokage for a special jōnin status for you."

Su Zhong chuckled: "Have you ever seen a ninja without chakra?"

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