Chapter 167: So You're the So-Called Steam Ninja
Han's fist, wrapped in white steam, blasted toward Uchiha Taiga like a cannonball.
The speed of the punch was astonishing. It tore through the air with a sharp shriek, the sheer force of the wind blowing Taiga's hair back.
In that instant, it seemed no one present had anticipated this.
Standing nearby, Rasa's eyelid twitched violently.
He had expected Onoki to say something first, or at least have his men tighten the encirclement, or perhaps demand to know what exactly Uchiha Taiga wanted.
But none of that happened. Han simply attacked.
When Onoki reacted, he was also somewhat surprised. His eyes widened slightly as he subconsciously shouted.
"Han!"
His tone carried obvious surprise, seemingly not expecting Han to strike directly without a word of warning.
Han was the name of the man in the red armor. In Iwagakure, he was their most famous ninja, known as the Steam Ninja, a title that carried considerable weight throughout the entire ninja world.
An ordinary person would absolutely be unable to block such a punch.
But Uchiha Taiga was absolutely not an ordinary person.
Facing this strike, Taiga's expression remained entirely unchanged. He simply pulled his right hand from his pocket and raised it.
The hand was not large, with slender fingers that looked devoid of strength.
But the moment Han's fist smashed into his face, that hand closed.
The palm clamped around the fist.
Bang!!
A muffled thud rang out, and the air vibrated.
Han's figure, trailing white steam and propelled like a rocket, was frozen in place right in front of Uchiha Taiga.
His fist was caught by that small hand, unable to advance even an inch. His body maintained its punching posture, center of gravity leaning forward, his other arm still swung back, but his entire being was halted in mid-air as if nailed in place.
White steam billowed from Han's body, churning between the two of them before dissipating into the air.
Han's eyes, exposed outside his face mask, widened in that instant.
He looked down at his trapped fist, then up at the youth before him, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The hand gripping his fist did not budge a single millimeter.
Han's fist was still wrapped in steam, the temperature so high it could scald an ordinary person's skin.
Yet, there was not a single red mark on Uchiha Taiga's hand. It was as if he were holding a cold stone rather than a boiling hot fist.
Han's pupils shrank violently.
At this moment, the others finally recovered from the sudden turn of events.
Standing next to Onoki, Kitsuchi had already turned his body to face Uchiha Taiga. His two thick arms hung by his sides, his fingers slightly curling and straightening.
The Iwagakure Jonin were also prepared to strike, stepping forward to tighten their encirclement.
Standing to the side, Rasa watched the scene unfold. He shifted his gaze from Uchiha Taiga to Onoki, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint, mocking smile.
Onoki noticed Rasa's gaze. His expression grew even uglier, but he remained silent.
The expressions of the others present varied.
Maki stood behind Rasa, his mouth slightly agape, staring unblinkingly at Uchiha Taiga in the center of the standoff.
He had seen that Wood Style jutsu and knew Uchiha Taiga possessed the power to alter landscapes, but that was an entirely different concept from the raw physical strength required to catch an opponent's punch head-on.
Chiyo's expression remained calm, but her hand had unknowingly moved to rest beside her ninja tool pouch.
Ebizo finally finished his yawn. His eyes fully opened as he looked at Uchiha Taiga. His lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately, he said nothing.
Yugito Nii stood behind a pillar on the side of the street. Her expression hadn't changed much, but the corners of her mouth also curled up slightly.
She understood Uchiha Taiga too well.
An attack of this level couldn't even be considered a warm-up for him.
In the center of the street, the contrast in size between Uchiha Taiga and Han was incredibly stark.
Han was over two meters tall, with shoulders as wide as a door and arms as thick as an ordinary person's thighs. Standing there, he looked like a small mountain. The red armor he wore made his already massive frame look even bulkier, resembling an armored colossus.
In contrast, Uchiha Taiga was only fourteen or fifteen years old, still in his growing phase. He was just over 1.7 meters tall, and his weight was significantly lighter than Han's.
Standing in front of Han, it was like a child facing an adult; the sheer difference in their physiques was visible to the naked eye.
Yet, it was this seemingly slender youth, Uchiha Taiga, who held Han's fist with one hand, completely unmoving.
Han's arm strained with effort. His muscles bulged beneath the red armor, and white steam hissed as it vented from the gaps in his shoulder and arm plating.
He pushed forward with all his might, trying to break his fist free from Uchiha Taiga's grip, wanting to send this person flying with a single punch.
But that hand was like an iron vise, clamping down on his fist with a death grip, refusing to budge.
Then, Uchiha Taiga's hand tightened.
Crack!
A crisp sound echoed.
The thick red gauntlet on Han's right hand was crushed.
Cracks spread outward from where Uchiha Taiga's fingers made contact, covering the entire surface of the gauntlet like a spiderweb.
Fragments broke off from Han's hand and fell to the ground with a clattering sound. It revealed Han's bare hand underneath—rough skin, thick fingers, and an old scar on the back of his hand.
"So you're the so-called Steam Ninja?" Uchiha Taiga grinned.
Han's eyes widened sharply.
Before he could even react, Uchiha Taiga moved. Twisting his body violently, Taiga channeled power into his arm. Like a tightly coiled rope suddenly snapping loose, he hoisted Han's massive body off the ground.
Han's two-meter-tall frame, along with his heavy red armor, was slammed into the ground by Uchiha Taiga like a discarded sack.
Boom!!
The ground shook violently.
Han's back crashed heavily onto the stone-paved street. The stone slabs were pulverized, sending fragments flying in all directions.
A shallow crater was smashed into the ground, its edges lined with dense cracks that spread outward like a giant spiderweb.
Han lay in the crater, his eyes still open, but filled with absolute bewilderment.
He hadn't even processed what happened. A burning pain radiated from his back, and his head buzzed from the impact with the ground.
Han blinked, slowly turning his head to look at the youth standing beside him.
The youth was looking down at him, that same smile still hanging on the corners of his mouth.
Han's pupils trembled.
The surrounding Iwagakure shinobi no longer had time to be shocked.
Without needing Onoki to give the order, every single one of them charged at Uchiha Taiga.
The closest Iwagakure Jonin rushed in from the right. He gripped a ninja blade—its body wasn't long, but the edge was incredibly bright, gleaming with a cold light under the sun.
He moved fast, tapping the ground twice before arriving at Uchiha Taiga's flank, slashing the blade straight toward Taiga's neck.
At the same time, another Iwagakure Jonin across the street formed hand signs, chakra surging beneath his feet.
He slammed his hands onto the ground. Instantly, a row of sharp stone spikes erupted from the earth, thrusting toward Uchiha Taiga's legs.
Each stone spike was as thick as an arm, their tips as sharp as spearheads. They were densely packed, sealing off all of Uchiha Taiga's escape routes.
The Iwagakure Jonin on the rooftops also made their move. Gripping kunai and shuriken, they flicked their arms, sending a barrage of projectiles flying toward Uchiha Taiga's head and chest.
The rest of the shinobi unleashed their own techniques. Every Iwagakure ninja struck at that exact moment.
Their goal was clear: defeat, or even subdue, this youth.
Rasa and his group immediately backed away. He waved a hand at the people behind him, signaling everyone to retreat. The Sunagakure Jonin followed him, stepping back over a dozen paces and leaving the entire street clear.
Only Uchiha Taiga and the Iwagakure shinobi remained in the center of the battlefield.
Standing beside Han, Uchiha Taiga watched the people charging at him from all directions.
The first to arrive was the ninja blade.
The Iwagakure Jonin's blade had already slashed right next to Uchiha Taiga's neck, the edge less than an inch from his skin.
Uchiha Taiga twisted his head, opened his mouth, and clamped his teeth down on the blade.
The ninja blade stopped dead in his mouth. The Iwagakure Jonin's arm jerked to a halt along with the blade, causing him to stumble forward. Uchiha Taiga snorted and snapped his jaws shut. With a crisp crack, the blade snapped in half.
The broken half of the blade bounced away from Uchiha Taiga's mouth, flipping through the air a few times before hitting the ground with a clink.
The Iwagakure Jonin stared at the severed blade in his hand, completely stunned.
Uchiha Taiga didn't give him time to react. Bending down, he grabbed Han's ankle with one hand and hoisted his massive body off the ground.
Han's body was still stiff, offering no resistance.
Using Han's body as a weapon, Uchiha Taiga swung him violently.
Han's two-meter-tall frame traced a massive circle in the air, sweeping out in all directions like a giant club.
The incoming kunai and shuriken were swatted away by Han's body, clattering uselessly to the ground.
The stone spikes erupting from the ground were smashed to pieces by Han's body, sending rubble flying.
The Iwagakure Jonin who was still forming hand signs was struck by Han's body. He was sent flying, crashing into the wall across the street and leaving a human-shaped crater in the stone.
Another Iwagakure Jonin who had just closed in was smashed in the shoulder by Han's body, spinning twice in the air before collapsing to the ground.
In just a few short seconds, the attacks of seven or eight Iwagakure Jonin were completely neutralized.
Han's body spun through the air several times before Uchiha Taiga finally let go. Han went flying, crashing into another wall at the end of the street. The wall collapsed, burying him beneath the bricks and rubble.
Uchiha Taiga stood in place, dusting off his hands.
The Iwagakure shinobi stared at him, all of them freezing in their tracks, no longer daring to charge forward.
Even now, Han still hadn't regained his senses.
He slowly sat up from the broken bricks and dust. The red armor on his head was askew, exposing half of his face. His face was covered in dirt, and a small cut on his lip was seeping blood.
His eyes still held that same bewildered look as he stared at the youth in the distance, his mouth slightly agape.
He still hadn't recovered from that brutal slam.