Chapter 33.2: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Make sure to hit that Heart button. đ©¶ --> â€ïžOn the other side, Uchiha Souta was indeed having some trouble.
The tall, burly masked samurai facing him was absurdly powerful. Every swing of his blade carried tremendous force, skill, and technique, which forced Souta to constantly be on edge.
Clang!
Their weapons collided again, and Souta was pushed back.
But even though he was disadvantaged and was getting pressed back, he grinned wildly instead of panicking.
âHahaha!â he laughed loudly. âWell, well⊠if it isnât everyoneâs favorite Cuck... I mean Fugaku himself. Fancy meeting you here.â
Thatâs right... the face hidden beneath the mask was Fugaku, and Souta recognized the man quite easily. After all, the man had been his Sensei/Patriarchâs enemy... and a major hurdle, how could Souta not have learned many things about Fugaku?
He had observed the man even before he was exiled... and now, seeing the masked Samurai, Souta was able to easily recognize him.
The masked manâs killing intent instantly surged. Just not at the fact that he was recognized, but also at the fact that he was called a cuck!
That word brought up bad memories and reminded him of the betrayal that he experienced.
âSo after getting exiled from the Uchiha Clan by the Patriarch,â Souta continued mockingly, âthis is what youâve become? Before, you used to suck on that old coward DĆmaâs milk⊠and now youâre sucking that incompetent monkeyâs milk instead? You really know how to suck, huh?â
The veins on Fugakuâs forehead bulged violently beneath the mask.
His already hateful expression twisted even further as rage exploded from him. âToday is the day all of you bastards die!â Fugaku roared furiously.
âDie?â Souta sneered. âA pathetic bastard like you who only knows how to kneel and suck thinks he can kill me?â His grin widened arrogantly. âWhoever may kill me, Iâm not dying by your hand.â
Clang! Clang!
Their blades smashed against each other again, creating.
Fugaku pressed forward relentlessly, each attack heavier and fiercer than the last. Even though Souta managed to keep up, the difference in raw combat maturity was obvious. Fugakuâs strikes were sharper, cleaner, and packed with killing intent.
âItâs time to accept reality, Souta,â Fugaku said coldly while forcing him backward across the shattered ground. âYouâre talented. Iâll admit that much. At your age, youâre already far better than I ever wasâŠâ
Tightening his grip around his sword, he added, âBut youâre still young. Youâre still weaker than me.â
For the briefest moment, Fugaku wondered whether he should try to bring Souta over to his side.
The boyâs talent was undeniable.
Currently, Fugaku lacks followers for his cause of reclaiming the Uchiha Clan. If Souta were to join him then not only would he have a talented subordinate on his side, but Kanzou would also lose one.
âIf someone like him could indeed be separated from Kanzouâs influence, thenââ
But the thought vanished almost instantly.
The memories of his beat down, public humiliation, and betrayal resurfaced. The things Kanzou and his followers had forced him to endure. The mockery. The shame. The rage boiling inside him twisted violently, drowning out every other thought.
Had Uchiha Souta not been one of the people who actively put him through that, Fugaku might have gone on and tried to subdue Souta, but that wasnât the case. If Uchiha Kanzou, Uchiha Mikoto, Uchiha Tadayoshi, and Uchiha Suzume were the main object of his hatred... then Uchiha Shin and Uchiha Souta not far from it. He hates Souta just as much as he hates that old elder that betrayed him.
âNo... he wonât live... I wonât allow it!â
His killing intent surged explosively.
âEven if you beg for mercy,â Fugaku roared, his attacks growing even more savage, âyouâre dying today! And after you⊠Itâll be othersâ turn... including that bastard Kanzou!â
âKill Kanzou-sama? You?â Souta burst into loud laughter despite being pushed back. âHahahaha! Fugaku⊠did you develop a sense of humor too?â
Clang!!
Their swords collided once more.
âA pathetic man like you is incapable of kill Kanzou-sama. Not just you, but there isnât a single person in Konoha capable of killing the Patriarch!â
Slash!
Fugakuâs blade suddenly cut across Soutaâs arm, leaving behind a deep wound as blood splattered across the dirt.
Yet Souta barely reacted.
Instead, he laughed even harder, âYeah⊠for being a pathetic cuck, youâre strong, alright,â he admitted mockingly while wiping blood from his arm. âDefinitely stronger than me right nowâŠâ
Then his grin widened into something arrogant and vicious.
âBut if you seriously think this pathetic level of strength gives you the right to even touch Kanzou-samaâŠâ
Boom!!
He blocked another slash before suddenly driving a kick toward Fugakuâs ribs, forcing the older man backward.
ââŠthen that shit only happens in your wildest wet dreams. Never in reality.â
Fugakuâs eyes burned with fury beneath the mask, âYou insolent little bastard!â
He lunged again, swinging downward violently.
Clang!!
Souta caught the strike with his blade while weaving one-handed hand signs that was taught to him by Kanzou.
âFire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!â
Whoooooosh!!
A massive fireball erupted from his mouth at point-blank range, engulfing the battlefield in blazing heat.
At the same time, Soutaâs Sharingan spun coldly as he sneered.
âInstead of worrying about Kanzou-sama⊠you should start worrying about yourself,â Fugakuâs voice echoed from the Fireball as his killing intent became even sharper, âBecause youâre not leaving this mission alive.â
âThatâs what you think,â Souta replied with a smirk.
Then his expression turned mocking. âBy the way, Fugaku⊠arenât you curious about something?â he asked. âWhy neither of us is bothering to attack the representative even when we have the perfect chance to kill him and finish the mission?â
Fugakuâs eyes narrowed beneath the mask.
Soutaâs grin widened further.
âItâs because we already knew this was a trap,â he said bluntly. âIâll tell you something interesting... The Patriarch predicted that the old monkey was planning something like this against us, and this attack was completely expected.â
âThat bastard... expected this?â Fugaku was takenaback.
âYahahaha... of course, he did... Patriarch knows the four fuckers of Konoha quite well and can predict what theyâd do,â Souta nodded.
The fact that Kanzou had predicted the situation this accurately disturbed Fugaku far more than he wanted to admit. This entire operation should have been impossible to foresee. Yet somehow⊠Kanzou had seen straight through it.
Even so, Fugaku forcibly suppressed the unease building inside him.
âSo what?â he growled coldly. âYouâre all still going to die here.â
Souta laughed loudly and shook his head. âThis is exactly why youâre the incompetent cuck who got exiled from the clan.â
âYou littleâ!!â Fugaku snarled furiously.
But Souta ignored him and continued, âIf the Patriarch already predicted all this⊠then did you seriously think he wouldnât prepare for it too? Did you think heâd just send us here without a backup plan to die?â
The moment those words left Soutaâs mouth, Fugakuâs heartbeat suddenly quickened.
Souta added, âDid you really think you could cause a landslide to stop the real representatives farther away, impersonate them, lure us in, and then catch us off guard?â
Fugakuâs eyes widened. âThey even know about the landslide?â
Their group had deliberately triggered several landslides to delay the actual representatives. While the real entourage struggled to clear the blocked paths, they had planned to eliminate the Uchihas here and finish everything before anyone noticed.
Even the carriage had been part of the trap.
It was packed with explosive tags. The moment someone tried to open it and kill the supposed representative of the peace delegation, the entire thing would explode.
That was how it was supposed to happen, which was why they had left the carriage alone.
But these Uchihas had never even approached the carriage. They had ignored it completely, as if it were meaningless, as if they had already known that the carriage was a trap.
Still, that wasnât what truly bothered Fugaku.
What disturbed him was the fact that they knew about the landslides with such precision, âHowâŠ?â
âYahahaha⊠curious?â Souta laughed mockingly. âWant to know how I know that? Iâll let you know that I even know whatâs happening with the real entourage?â
Then he waved it off. âEh, I guess that part isnât that important. Itâs not hard to figure out anyway.â His grin widened viciously. âWhatâs more important is talking about the one and only Cuckgaku standing right here. Patriarch-sama already expected that a dog like you, someone who crawled over to suck on that old monkeyâs saggy balls, might get deployed here. Thatâs exactly why he sent us with enough preparation.â
âPreparation?â Fugaku had a bad feeling... but this feeling is very bad.
At that moment, Souta suddenly leapt backward and shouted at the top of his lungs, âItâs your turn now, Might Duy! Donât disappoint the Patriarch!â
âThe flames of my youth burn brighter than ever!!!â Duy roared as he clenched his fists tightly. âAnd these flames were lit by Kanzou-sama... whatever these flames may do, they will never disappoint him!!!â
Boom!!
âGate of Opening⊠Release!â
Boom!!
âGate of Healing⊠Release!â
Boom!!
âGate of Life⊠Gate of Pain⊠Gate of Limit⊠Release! Release! Release!â
Each release caused another violent explosion of pressure as the surrounding battlefield trembled.
Whether it was the Uchihas or the so-called ninjas from the other side. All of them instinctively slowed their fighting and turned toward the monstrous chakra suddenly surging into the sky.
Duy didnât stop with just five Gates. His muscles swelled violently while blood vessels strained beneath his skin under the overwhelming force tearing through his body.
âGate of View⊠Release!â
BOOM!!!
The air itself seemed to rupture from the pressure as the dust particles rose into the air around him.
And thenâ
âSeventh Gate⊠Gate of Wonder⊠OPEN!!!â
BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!
A massive explosion erupted from Might Duyâs position as an overwhelming torrent of chakra burst out of his body. It felt endless. The pressure alone distorted the surrounding air and shook the entire battlefield. Trees bent violently under the force, stones cracked apart, and the earth beneath Duyâs feet collapsed continuously as blue chakra surged around him like a raging beast unleashed from its cage.
Every single expression on the battlefield also felt the danger.
Souta, Satoru, and Kurumi stared at Duy with widened eyes. The disguised ANBU operatives posing as shinobi from the Land of That instinctively stiffened.
Even Fugakuâs eyes widened in alarm. âWhat theâ?!â
An intense sense of danger exploded inside him.
The so-called Eternal Genin, the pathetic joke of Konoha whom nobody had ever taken seriously, was now releasing chakra so monstrous that it felt comparable to a Kage... no perhaps even superior!
Their hearts involuntarily tightened.
âGet readyâŠâ Duy declared that every muscle and bone in his body throbbed under the tremendous Chakra that was difficult for him to bear. But he just gritted his teeth like a CHAD that he is and smiled, âBecause⊠I am about to start burning!!!â
Boom!
And then he vanished.
No, that wasnât even the right word. He moved so fast that most of the battlefield couldnât process his movement at all. He was faster than the speed of sound, and only the Uchihas barely managed to follow the blur through their Sharingan.
And the first person Duy targeted was, without a doubt, Fugaku.
The instant Duy moved, Fugakuâs instincts exploded with warnings.
Dodge! Dodge! Dodge! Dodge!
His entire body screamed in terror.
His body roared at him that if he didnât move, if he didnât dodge that, then he might as well be dead!
Without hesitation, Fugaku forced chakra into his legs and threw himself sideways with every ounce of speed he possessed.
BOOOOM!!!
The place where he had been standing exploded instantly. A terrifying shockwave erupted outward, blasting apart the ground and uprooting nearby trees. Dust and debris were scattered violently through the battlefield.
And the most horrifying part was that the attack had only been the pressure from a single punch.
No ninjutsu.
No weapon.
Just a fucking punch!
Let that sink in.
Fugakuâs pupils shrank violently beneath the mask, âWhat kind of monster is thisâ?!â
But he didnât even have time to think because another fist was already coming toward him.
And another.
And another.
And then another one!
Boom!! Boom!! BOOM!!!
Each strike generated enough pressure to resemble a high-ranking ninjutsu. The shockwaves alone shattered rock and forced nearby shinobi to retreat in panic. Even those who werenât being targeted directly felt their hearts sink while watching the monstrous assault that Fugaku was dealing with.
The only ones enjoying the sight were the Uchihas... Souta and Satoru, who laughed and cheered for him. âYahahahaha... thatâs it, Might Duy... fuck him up!!â
Kurumi rolled her eyes at the two... but then gulped nervously, looking at Duy, feeling that this guy is really some kind of crouching tiger, hidden dragon whose strength is as great as the great Mount Tai. She also understood that people who always mocked Duy were simply courting their death; it was only Duyâs magnanimity that they were alive, otherwise the grass on their graves would have been six feet tall already.
âFortunately, Patriarch tamed this monster... otherwise...â
Anywayâ
Fugaku pushed his Sharingan to its limits as he desperately evaded. Sweat poured down his body beneath the mask while his heartbeat thundered wildly in his ears.
âThis is badâŠâ he thought as another punch narrowly missed his face, the pressure tearing apart the trees behind him. âThis is really badâŠ!â
For the first time since the battle had begun, Fugaku genuinely felt death breathing down his neck.
Read advance Chapters on P a t r e o n including exclusive Lemons: Knockturn_AlleyCheck out the Character illustrations (AI Generated) on Pixiv.
Please add it to your reading list and make sure to fill that grey, emotionless heart with some color and turn it red. đ©¶ --> â€ïž
