"What!" Uchiha Zhiruo exclaimed, his voice barely above a whisper, as he struggled to suppress the pain surging through his arm. He staggered back involuntarily.
With that punch, it was as if he had struck solid iron, and an overwhelming force bore down on him, threatening to crush him.
Was this the level of skill one would expect from a ninja academy student?
Ye Chen retracted his fist. Three months ago, a single strike with Armament Haki had been enough to negate C-rank ninjutsu.
Though Uchiha Zhiruo was a Chūnin, could he possibly withstand C-rank ninjutsu with his physical strength alone?
Furthermore, Ye Chen's Conqueror's Haki had leveled up since then, making his current power unmatched. If it were Uchiha Shiro in his place, one punch could have spelled his doom.
However, it was evident that Chūnin outmatched Genin, at least in terms of physical prowess, which was currently an advantage for Uchiha Zhiruo.
Of course, Ye Chen had only utilized six layers of power in that last exchange, which meant he still had power to spare.
"That damned brat and his strange strength. How dare he challenge a member of the Uchiha clan!" Uchiha Zhiruo raged inwardly.
Awareness of their confrontation had gradually attracted the attention of onlookers in the area. While this street was somewhat secluded, Konoha, as a prominent ninja village, had no truly remote locations within its borders.
Now, Uchiha Shiro's face flushed with embarrassment. He was a Chūnin, after all, and being pushed back by Ye Chen, a student who hadn't even graduated from the ninja academy, was a major blow to his pride.
"I'm going to kill you!" Uchiha Zhiruo seethed in his heart as he launched another Taijutsu attack. Given that they were on a public street, he refrained from using Fire Style ninjutsu to avoid harming civilians.
Ye Chen welcomed the challenge without hesitation.
Three months of grueling training, marked by countless drops of sweat and rivulets of blood, had utterly transformed his physique.
"Boom!"
The two combatants clashed once more, their strikes producing explosive sounds that reverberated through the air.
Uchiha Zhiruo frowned. Despite encasing his arm in Chakra, he felt as though he was striking something far harder than flesh—a solid piece of iron, perhaps.
The intense counterforce left him on the brink of vomiting blood, and his mental composure began to unravel.
Their battle continued, with each exchange leaving Uchiha's arm throbbing with pain. It was as if he were fighting not a person, but a piece of unyielding metal.
"Why is this kid so resilient, and his physical abilities aren't to be underestimated!" Uchiha lamented as the fight wore on. His inability to utilize ninjutsu only exacerbated his frustration.
What was more infuriating was that, despite seeing through Ye Chen's physical techniques with his Sharingan, Uchiha was continually thwarted by Ye Chen's uncanny evasive maneuvers that seemed almost coincidental.
This was the power of Observation Haki—anticipating attacks and movements before they occurred.
Sharingan, on the other hand, could only identify physical flaws, but only before a fight began.
Ye Chen's punches held not just force, but a precision that rivaled the strikes he practiced on training dummies.
His movements grew increasingly fluid as the battle wore on, and with a mighty cry of "Erupt!" he delivered a full-powered punch. His body arched like a bow at full draw, while Armament Haki shrouded his fist.
The impact was tremendous, and Uchiha Zhiruo had no choice but to defend himself by crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Boom!"
Uchiha Zhiruo felt a colossal force crash against his defenses, and all he saw in that moment was a gleaming black iron fist.
Steam seemed to emanate from the fist's surface, carrying an overwhelming power that was mesmerizing.
He dared not meet it head-on, so he used his arm as a shield.
"Boom!"
Like a puppet with severed strings, Uchiha Zhiruo was sent tumbling backward, blood gushing from his mouth as he crumpled to the ground.
A high-ranking Chūnin had been defeated by a mere ninja academy student, leaving the bystanders in shock.
Ye Chen, the one who emerged victorious, displayed no arrogance. Instead, his expression remained solemn. He understood that his triumph had largely relied on his physical prowess.
"Experience +20!"
"Experience +10!"
"Experience +40!"
As the crowd buzzed with amazement, experience points flooded into Ye Chen's mind, increasing his total from 300/1000 to 450/1000 in an instant. It appeared that dueling with stronger ninjas rewarded more experience.
However, Uchiha Zhiruo was far from finished. He stood up with a fierce resolve, his gaze like that of a ravenous wolf selecting its prey.
Swiftly forming hand seals, he muttered, "Zi-Ugly-Xu-Wu-Shen-Hai-Yin!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Though also a C-rank ninjutsu, it far surpassed Uchiha Shiro's abilities.
The entire street was soon engulfed in the flames of the Great Fireball Technique, and the villagers who had been watching turned pale with fear.
Never did they expect the Uchiha clan to use such powerful ninjutsu on the streets of Konoha. This was not in line with the village's principles.
Ninjutsu was the true power of a ninja; Taijutsu, such as the one Ye Chen specialized in, was secondary.
A massive fireball surged toward Ye Chen, its fiery glow illuminating his young yet composed face.
Regardless of the type of ninjutsu employed, he had only one response—a single punch to obliterate it.
Ye Chen made a move that surprised Uchiha Zhiruo. He didn't dodge or evade; instead, he stood his ground.
"You may know how skilled I am, but it's too late. Prepare to meet your end in the flames!" Uchiha Zhiruo laughed wildly, envisioning Ye Chen's fiery demise.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bomb!"
Just then, a voice rang out from thin air. Water rippled across the ground, coalescing into a roaring water dragon that shattered the Great Fireball Technique.
Water and fire clashed, filling the street with vapor in an instant.
In the midst of the mist, a figure in Anbu attire emerged, wearing a white ceremonial mask.
Ye Chen remained unsurprised. His Observation Haki had detected Anbu