CHAPTER 100
Ebisu and Genma were only stunned for a brief moment before immediately choosing to trust Might Guy.
This trust had been forged on the battlefield of Mount Kikyo through countless battles fought side by side and through repeated brushes with death.
It was an almost instinctive trust.
They understood Guy too well.
This guy, who never joked around and could even be described as stubborn at times, always possessed judgment during critical moments that was often more reliable than their own eyes and instincts.
Although the Hozuki Clan youth carrying the strange double-bladed weapon looked troublesome at first glance, the fact that Guy had voluntarily chosen the red-haired girl as his opponent could only mean one thing.
In Guy's eyes, this seemingly younger and more harmless-looking girl was far more dangerous than the sword-bearing Hozuki youth.
There was no need for communication.
There was no need for questions.
Ebisu immediately formed hand seals.
Genma already had senbon prepared between his fingers and clenched between his teeth.
The two instantly shifted their focus toward the silver-haired Hozuki youth, who had just stepped onto the ship's railing with a playful smile still hanging from his face.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Ebisu moved first.
Several fireballs burst forth and scattered through the air.
The attack was not intended to score a direct hit.
Instead, it was designed to block the Hozuki youth's possible movement routes and create opportunities for Genma's follow-up attacks.
This was Ebisu's most familiar opening tactic.
Genma's cooperation was seamless.
The senbon in his hands transformed into cold flashes of light.
They shot out silently and swiftly toward the opponent's joints and hands, targeting areas that could be used to form hand seals.
One attacked.
One harassed.
Their teamwork was flawless.
Their objective was equally clear.
Tie him down.
Prevent him from interfering elsewhere.
Prevent him from supporting Ao.
Hyuga Yukian observed everything through the Byakugan.
The moment he saw the division of labor between the three youths, his expression instantly became grave.
Unlike Ebisu and Genma, he had not experienced the life-and-death bond forged within Team 9.
From his perspective, Guy's actions seemed almost foolish.
He had ignored the youth who clearly possessed a powerful Ninja Blade and was obviously an elite member of the Hozuki Clan.
Instead, he had sent two weaker teammates to deal with him.
Meanwhile, he personally moved to stop the seemingly harmless girl.
From a conventional tactical standpoint, this was a complete misjudgment.
If Ebisu and Genma were quickly defeated, the entire battle situation could collapse immediately.
Unfortunately, Hyuga Yukian's own circumstances were equally dire.
He had no spare attention to devote elsewhere.
Ao's strength was absolutely no weaker than his own.
In terms of combat experience and cunning, Ao even held an advantage.
What shocked Hyuga Yukian most was that Ao appeared unusually familiar with the attack patterns of the Gentle Fist and the pathways used to strike Chakra points.
Time and time again, he could predict the most effective methods of evasion or counterattack.
The effectiveness of the Gentle Fist was being significantly reduced.
Adding to the pressure was the Hidden Mist Chunin, who continuously harassed him from blind spots and vulnerable angles.
Faced with their coordinated assault, Hyuga Yukian was forced into a defensive struggle.
The effective range of his Gentle Fist was gradually compressed.
He could only barely maintain his defenses while buying time for his teammates.
On the other side of the battlefield, Mei Terumī was firmly intercepted by Might Guy.
She tilted her head slightly.
Her reddish-brown hair swayed gently with the movement.
An expression of natural curiosity appeared on her beautiful face.
At that moment, she looked no different from an innocent young girl who had somehow wandered onto a battlefield.
"You... know me?"
Her voice was clear and pleasant, carrying a trace of confusion.
Guy tightened his grip on the nunchaku.
Lowering his center of gravity, he fixed his gaze firmly upon her and slowly shook his head.
The puzzled look on Mei's face deepened.
Her tone now carried a trace of grievance and innocence.
"So you think... I'm easier to bully?"
She blinked innocently, as though genuinely asking a simple question.
Young Mei Terumī.
Guy shook his head once more.
His breathing remained steady.
However, every muscle in his body was already tense and prepared for battle.
Finally, he spoke.
His voice was low and serious.
"On the contrary."
"I think... you're very strong."
The corners of Mei Terumī's lips curved upward.
A soft laugh escaped her mouth.
Although she appeared to be only eleven or twelve years old, traces of the breathtaking beauty she would possess in the future were already visible.
She gently raised one hand and covered her lips.
Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled.
Then, with the most innocent expression imaginable, she spoke words that were cold and cruel.
"You have good taste, big brother."
"As a reward..."
"You'll be the first person to experience my new technique."
Before her sentence was even finished, the hand covering her mouth had already completed a dazzling sequence of hand seals in front of her chest.
The speed was so astonishing that afterimages seemed to linger in the air.
"Lava Release: Lava Monster Technique!"
There were no blazing flames.
There were no raging torrents.
What poured from Mei's lips was a massive stream of thick, dark-red lava mud that emitted a pungent sulfurous odor and an overwhelming acidic stench.
The viscous mud surged forward like a living creature.
It carried terrifying heat and astonishing corrosive properties.
The attack instantly covered the area where Guy stood.
Its range was enormous.
It practically sealed off every conventional route of evasion.
Guy's pupils instantly contracted into pinpoints.
This Bloodline Limit technique completely surpassed the framework of ordinary elemental Ninjutsu.
Chakra exploded beneath his feet.
Without hesitation, he unleashed his maximum speed and retreated backward.
His body crashed heavily into a wooden barrel near the ship's railing.
Sizzle!!!!
A piercing corrosive sound erupted.
The section of deck where Guy had been standing moments earlier was completely engulfed by the dark-red lava mud.
The wooden planks rapidly blackened and softened.
Thick smoke and bubbling acid rose into the air.
Within moments, a huge hole over one meter wide had been burned through the deck.
The dark cargo hold below became visible.
Even the edges of the hole continued producing sizzling sounds as the corrosion spread outward.
Ebisu, who was fully engaged in battle against the Hozuki youth, caught sight of the horrifying scene from the corner of his eye.
The shock nearly made him bite his own tongue.
Even the flow of Chakra within his Fire Release almost became unstable.
While awkwardly dodging a Water Release blade attack from his opponent, he instinctively glanced toward the hole again.
The corrosive lava was still eating through the deck.
His voice changed completely.
It was filled with disbelief and horror.
"W-what the hell is that?!"
"Lava Release?!"
"A Bloodline Limit?!"
Genma saw it as well.
The senbon clenched between his teeth nearly fell out.
The two exchanged a shocked glance.
Then both immediately shut their mouths.
They forcefully suppressed the urge to gasp.
However, when they looked back toward the Hozuki youth, their eyes contained unprecedented relief.
Thankfully...
Their opponent was this swordsman.
Not that monster capable of spitting corrosive lava.
That girl was terrifying beyond imagination.
Ebisu could not help recalling how he had repeatedly bragged about letting the enemy experience the power of his magnificent Fire Release.
Thinking about it now, if he had actually been facing Mei Terumī...
He suspected that both his Fire Release and his entire body would have been melted away in a single exchange.
A chill immediately ran from his tailbone all the way to the top of his head.
Hyuga Yukian also witnessed everything through the edge of his Byakugan's vision.
All of his previous doubts shattered instantly.
In their place came deep shock and lingering fear.
At that moment, he finally understood the reason behind Guy's seemingly irrational decision.
If Ebisu and Genma had truly been matched against this girl without any prior warning or preparation, they might not even have understood how they died.
Guy had chosen to shoulder the greatest danger himself.
He was protecting his teammates in his own way.
However, despite that realization, Ebisu and Genma's current situation remained extremely dangerous.
In fact, it could be described as perilous.
Because the youth standing before them was no ordinary opponent.
He was a genius of the Hozuki Clan.
A prodigy who, in the future, would become famous for mastering all seven of Kirigakure's legendary Ninja Swords.
A shinobi hailed as the Reincarnation of the Demon.
His name was Hozuki Mangetsu.
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