As several ANBU shinobi looked on in awe, Yuya himself was equally stunned by Hatake Sakumo's effortless slash.
There was nothing flashy about it.
Yet it felt as though all momentum, intent, and power had been condensed into that single strike.
The blade's edge was so sharp it seemed almost tangible.
So this is Konoha's White Fang… a Kage-level shinobi.
Up until now, Yuya had always relied on his fists to smash through everything.
Now, facing someone who could cut through everything with the White Fang chakra blade, the contrast felt strangely jarring.
A stubborn spark of unwillingness to lose rose in his heart.
Even if he couldn't win—
He would not stop.
If one punch wasn't enough, then he'd throw another.
He would push himself to the very best he could do.
After his right fist's Monstrous Strength had been severed, Yuya clenched his left fist—
And smashed it forward once again.
Buzz!!
The air exploded violently.
Shock Release chakra surged forward, roaring like a dragon bursting from the abyss, carrying a momentum that felt capable of shaking everything.
Using Monstrous Strength consecutively—
Right fist followed immediately by left—
Was an enormous burden even for Yuya.
But in the end…
He succeeded.
"Hmm?!"
Even Sakumo hadn't expected Yuya to unleash a second uninterrupted strike at this moment.
The White Fang had barely finished its descent when the second wave of shock-force came crashing in.
Because Sakumo hesitated for just an instant, the attack reached his body.
Even Konoha's White Fang couldn't tank Yuya's shock-force head-on without any defense.
Without hesitation, Sakumo gripped the White Fang with one hand.
Chakra surged violently, flooding into the blade—
And he slashed again.
Shing!!
The second wave of shock-force was cut apart.
However, during that exchange, the remaining impact still affected him.
Sakumo was forced to step back several paces to disperse the force.
His footing staggered—just slightly.
The surrounding ANBU were completely dumbfounded.
Hatake Sakumo… was pushed back head-on?!
Even though everyone knew he wasn't fighting seriously and was merely testing Yuya—
The fact remained that after drawing the White Fang, he had still been forced back.
That alone was enough to be shocking.
Sakumo himself was momentarily surprised.
After regaining his balance, he shook his head and laughed softly.
"You little monster…"
"Ahem—got a bit carried away," Yuya said, scratching his head awkwardly.
"It's fine," Sakumo replied calmly.
"This was exactly what I wanted—to see where your limits lie. Now I more or less understand."
He sheathed the White Fang and stepped toward Yuya, his expression becoming composed and serious.
"Your power is impressive. The path you've chosen is actually quite similar to mine."
"You use a **bloodline ability—shock-force chakra—to shatter everything with a punch."
"And I use chakra-flow–enhanced swordsmanship to cut through everything."
"But your power has a problem."
Sakumo paused briefly, recalling the earlier exchange.
"…It lacks flexibility."
Yuya was momentarily startled—
Then suddenly realized.
Rigidity.
He was absolutely right.
As expected of Konoha's White Fang.
A single sentence had hit the mark.
Yuya's Shock Release chakra was somewhat similar to Might Guy's Evening Elephant—
One used chakra vibrations through the fist; the other used compressed air shockwaves.
But there was a crucial difference.
Setting aside the difference between vibration and air pressure—
And ignoring raw power—
The key difference was this:
After Yuya threw a punch, there was a brief moment of stiffness.
During that moment, he couldn't move.
Unlike Evening Elephant, Yuya couldn't rely on extreme mobility to strike from multiple angles in rapid succession.
Simply put—
When Yuya released shock-force chakra, he had to maintain the punching posture until the energy fully detonated.
Only then could he withdraw his fist.
He couldn't strike and instantly reposition.
Because of this, Yuya was unable to perform techniques like Evening Elephant—
Using speed to attack from multiple directions and crush the enemy in between.
"This flaw…" Sakumo said after a moment of thought.
"If your shock-force were stronger, it wouldn't be very fatal."
"But at your current stage—"
"If an enemy uses a high-level, single-point breakthrough ninjutsu to forcibly pierce your shock-force—"
"Then that brief moment of rigidity becomes deadly."
Yuya nodded heavily.
The stronger his shock-force became, the smaller this flaw would be.
If he could shatter S-rank ninjutsu, or even Susanoo, with a single punch—
Then no one would be able to break through head-on.
And this weakness would cease to exist.
But right now—
Yuya could only reliably break B-rank ninjutsu.
This created a highly polarized situation.
Against opponents who lacked A-rank ninjutsu, Yuya completely suppressed them—
Even jōnin would lose if they lacked such techniques.
But once he faced someone who did possess A-rank or higher ninjutsu—
Yuya was instead at a disadvantage.
Invincible at the same level… yet unable to fight above it.
That was Yuya's current dilemma.
He had ignored this issue for a long time.
After all, shinobi capable of A-rank or S-rank ninjutsu were rare.
But now—
Yuya had grown to the point where he was about to encounter such opponents.
This problem could no longer be avoided.
"So," Sakumo asked calmly, "what do you plan to do?"
Yuya fell into deep thought.
After a long moment, he took a deep breath and answered seriously:
"Before my raw power improves further, I need to develop more flexible techniques—to deal with stronger enemies."
"Mm."
Sakumo nodded and patted Yuya on the shoulder.
"This bloodline ability belongs to you alone. I can't offer much guidance—you'll have to comprehend it yourself."
"And if new techniques prove difficult to create, don't obsess over it."
"You haven't chosen the wrong path. If you continue forward, you'll still become an absolute powerhouse."
After saying a few final words, Sakumo turned and left with the ANBU.
Yuya remained standing there alone.
He didn't remember how he left the underground base.
Nor how he returned home.
He only knew that he lay flat on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
His thoughts sank completely into his own abilities—
Endlessly analyzing.
Endlessly pondering.
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