"Have I been discovered..."
"In that case, I can't let you live any longer!"
Instantly killing a group of Rock Ninjas rushing towards him, Gari, who seemed to have already exposed the secret of the human puppets, saw Yu's mouth curve up like a devil.
Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!!
With Yu's words, the burly Tyrant beside him soared into the sky. In the blink of an eye, three orbs of yellow-hot flames condensed in the air, instantly striking towards Gari in front of them!
"What is this?!"
Seeing the scorching fireballs hurled by Tyrant in front of him, and feeling the temperature surpassing ordinary Fire Release Ninjutsu, Gari's heart tightened.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
Three consecutive muffled explosions sounded as Gari, with extraordinary Taijutsu skills, used the Body Flicker Jutsu, transforming into a nimble shadow to evade the three yellow fireballs.
However, the nearby Rock Ninjas caught in the aftermath were not as fortunate. Without a chance to scream, they were directly evaporated, their body's moisture turning into shriveled mummies.
"This is not ordinary Fire Release... it's Scorch Release?!"
"This guy actually turned Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai into human puppets?!"
Seeing Tyrant's extremely cruel Ninjutsu, Gari, rapidly moving with Body Flicker, immediately narrowed his pupils.
Magnet Release combined with Scorch Release – if this Konoha youth creates more Kekkei Genkai human puppets, who in the entire shinobi world could balance against him?
No... I must kill this kid and not let him grow any further!
After making up his mind, Gari, who had already used Body Flicker Jutsu, appeared in front of Yu in the blink of an eye, launching a powerful punch with Explosion Release!
With extensive experience battling Hidden Sand individuals multiple times, Gari knew very well that Taijutsu and defense were the biggest weaknesses of all puppet users. The best way to deal with puppet users was to engage in close-quarters combat or use powerful Taijutsu to destroy their puppets.
"A wise tactic..."
"But did you forget about Michael's presence?"
Faced with Gari's close-range and powerful punch of Explosion Release, Yu remained calm, standing leisurely with his hands in his pockets.
"Boom!"
The intense explosion instantly destroyed the ground beneath Yu's feet. However, as expected, the massive Protective Barrier released by Michael beside him instantly blocked Gari's lethal strike.
"What a troublesome ability... Does this move have no weaknesses at all?!"
The fist of Explosion Release, capable of pulverizing even the toughest rocks, surprisingly couldn't shake the enormous glass-like barrier in front of Yu. A deep sense of powerlessness flashed in Gari's eyes.
Pressure Cannon!!
Meanwhile, Tyrant on the other side wasn't idle. He directly clapped his bear paw in the air. All the air was completely pushed away, and the terrifying bear-paw-shaped shockwave instantly pierced through Gari's body in front of Yu, sending him flying.
"You fell for it, little brat!!"
However, the sound from behind made Yu furrow his brow. Looking back, sure enough, Gari, who was sent flying by Tyrant's paw, had already turned into a shattered lump of clay.
At the same time, under Yu's Observation Haki perception, Gari's original body had silently appeared behind him, launching a forceful punch of Explosion Release.
Another Earth Clone...
Seeing Gari escape his fatal strike twice in a row using Earth Clones, Yu felt a bit helpless. As known, in the original work, various schools of Clone Jutsu always shone brightly, being essential skills for ninjas in both daily life and survival.
One of the most memorable instances was the battle between Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara in the Valley of the End. Hashirama's Wood Release-generated wood clones were so formidable that even Uchiha Madara with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan couldn't see through them.
"Die!!"
Finally managing to deceive Michael's damn Protective Barrier, Gari, looking at Yu who had lost all protection, revealed a fierce expression with a clear intent to kill.
"Boom!"
The sound of an explosion echoed, but it didn't achieve the effect Gari had anticipated.
"My Landmine Fist... was actually blocked?!"
Looking at the enormous, seemingly conjured defensive net before him, Gari wore an expression of disbelief.
"Anything struck by your Explosion Release will explode..."
"But with such thin threads, I think even if it explodes, it won't come close to the effect you're expecting, right?"
With his palm open, Yu released an immensely huge Cobweb Wall to block Gari's inevitable punch of Explosion Release. Yu smirked, "Puppet users indeed aren't adept at close combat..."
"But unfortunately, I happen to be the one in a million exception!"
As Yu spoke, in Gari's suddenly contracted pupils, Yu's body began to spin before him like a whirlwind. Not only that, but Yu's hands and legs were all covered with a layer of pitch-black Armament Haki, enhancing his physical strength to the utmost!
Konoha Whirlwind!!
Clearly not expecting that Yu, as a puppet user, could reach such an astonishing level of Taijutsu, Gari, caught off guard, only managed to lift his arms before being instantly kicked away by Yu.
"Damn... the power of this brat?!"
Flying through the air, Gari felt a searing pain in his arms as if they were breaking from the blocking. Sensing Yu's extraordinary Taijutsu and incredible strength, Gari couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.
Thread Bind!!
However, Yu's assault didn't stop there. In Gari's astonished widened eyes, even before his body touched the ground, countless swirling threads appeared in the surrounding air.
Under Yu's control, they wrapped around Gari's body like ethereal serpents, forming layer upon layer of bindings, tightly entangling and restricting him as if with silk threads.
"It's over..."
Watching the prey now bound by his own hands, Yu sighed softly.
Without noticing when he formed the seals, the palm covered in pitch-black Armament Haki erupted into a dazzling and ear-piercing electric current.
Lightning Release: Chidori!!
With a gentle pull of his left hand, Gari, who had been entangled by Thread Bind, flew back towards Yu.
"This Lightning Release? Oh no!!"
Entirely bound by the unyielding threads, Gari's body was involuntarily pulled toward Yu.
Witnessing the wild lightning blossoming on Yu's pitch-black palm, a layer of despair shrouded Gari's eyes.
"Gari!!"
Noticing this scene, Kitsuchi, who was currently battling Akimichi Doto and Inuzuka Gaku on the nearby battlefield, screamed in fury.
Not just him, evidently, all the ninjas present couldn't anticipate that Gari, the renowned expert of Iwagakure's Explosion Corps, would fall so quickly at the hands of an eight or nine-year-old Konoha youth.
"Crackle!"
A dazzling electric light flashed through, and upon witnessing this astonishing scene, the entire battlefield seemed to fall silent.
Without any chance of luck, the power of Armament Haki combined with the electrical surge of Chidori allowed Yu's palm to instantly pierce through Gari's heart!
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