Chen-sensei brushed the dust off his body and stood up. Having practiced Taijutsu for half his life, his body was much tougher than an average Ninja's, so this level of damage wouldn't affect his upcoming battle.
After the recent fight, Chen's impression of Mutsuki had completely changed.
Mutsuki's Taijutsu was even stronger than his Ninjutsu and included Taijutsu techniques that he couldn't understand.
"It's a pity. If he had been born ten or twenty years earlier, my Taijutsu would be even stronger," Chen-sensei thought to himself.
If a Taijutsu Ninja like Mutsuki had existed over a decade ago, Chen would have challenged him every day, and his Taijutsu would definitely be stronger than it is now.
But now it's not possible; his body is already at its peak and frequent battles will only bring about a decline in his abilities sooner.
"But it's not bad to encounter such an opponent at the peak of one's career," Chen-sensei said with a smile.
He spoke of Taijutsu being the strongest merely as a boast, but he also had his own pride. He claimed that his Taijutsu couldn't defeat the Third Hokage mainly because the Third Hokage had Enma; if it were a hand-to-hand fight, he might not lose.
"Konoha Dragon God!"
Chen-sensei used his self-created advanced Taijutsu without hesitation. Facing such a powerful opponent, he naturally fought with all his strength.
Chen-sensei concentrated a large amount of Chakra in his lower body, then released it all at once, kicking out a Whirlwind Kick with incredible speed.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!
In an instant, a dragon-shaped tornado over thirty meters high appeared. The powerful cutting force immediately sliced all the trees around Chen-sensei into wooden stumps. Not only the trees, but everything near the tornado was torn to shreds, with wood chips and yellow sand flying everywhere.
"That's so exaggerated. It turns out Chen-sensei didn't use his full strength last time," Genma said, instinctively moving his butt back. He felt there was a risk of being affected even while watching from a distance.
"How will Yumi-sensei respond to this move?" Guy's eyes were fixed on the blue tornado on the field, curious about what kind of Taijutsu Mutsuki would use to counter Chen-sensei's Konoha Dragon God.
"How will Yumi-sensei handle such an attack?" After the previous clash, Ebisu couldn't guarantee that Mutsuki's strength was inferior to Chen-sensei's.
"Is this Taijutsu or Ninjutsu? It looks so cool," Obito remarked, admiring the destructive power of the giant green dragon.
Obito even wanted to ask Mutsuki if he knew this technique because he wanted to learn it.
"As for this Taijutsu…" Mutsuki showed a thoughtful expression. As the master of the Konoha Dragon God at the Mastery level and having seen the anime, he knew the weakness of the Konoha Dragon God.
Because it is essentially a tornado, the eye of the tornado is the Konoha Dragon God's weakness. By finding the right opportunity to enter the eye of the tornado, one could break the Konoha Dragon God.
Mutsuki thought for a moment and decided to face the Konoha Dragon God head-on with Taijutsu. This wasn't a battle with an enemy, so there was no need to use minimal force for maximum results.
"Eight Inner Gates, Gate of Life, Open!"
Mutsuki directly opened the third gate of the Eight Inner Gates, greatly enhancing his already powerful body.
He planned to use the Daytime Tiger he had previously obtained to counter Chen-sensei's Konoha Dragon God.
However, with his current physical strength, even using the Mark wouldn't meet the conditions for activating Daytime Tiger. To use the Daytime Tiger's power, he would need to open the Eight Inner Gates.
Mutsuki concentrated a large amount of Chakra in his fist and executed an incredibly fast straight punch at the air, compressing it continuously with his rapid punches.
"Daytime Tiger!"
After Mutsuki delivered the final punch, the compressed air exploded violently, forming a gigantic transparent tiger that charged towards the Konoha Dragon God like an Air Cannon.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!!
The moment the tiger-shaped Air Cannon appeared, an enormous shockwave was created. Trees close by were immediately knocked over, and those further away had their leaves rustling from the shockwave.
Unprepared, Ebisu was directly blown backward by the powerful shockwave, while Guy quickly entered Stone Breathing state to stabilize himself and then rapidly pulled Ebisu back.
Genma fared no better than Ebisu, but he reacted a little faster and managed to hold onto a nearby tree, preventing himself from being blown away like Ebisu.
Obito entered Flame Breathing Total Concentration state to withstand the powerful shockwave.
"What a terrifying technique. Even from this far away, there's such a strong aftershock," Genma complained.
When the Konoha Dragon God appeared, he could still instinctively move back a bit, but with the Daytime Tiger, it was as if they were being blown away and couldn't escape.
"So strong!" Guy stared in shock at Mutsuki, who had unleashed the tiger-shaped Air Cannon. He felt that Mutsuki's current power could kill him with a single punch; even the residual force of the technique was so formidable.
"Although it doesn't have the elegance of a dragon, this seems even stronger," Obito thought, looking at the giant tiger Air Cannon. The Konoha Dragon God hadn't made such a commotion when it appeared.
The four of them watched the battlefield with utmost seriousness, eagerly anticipating the clash between the dragon and the tiger and the outcome of the battle.
"What pure and powerful force!" After Mutsuki unleashed the Daytime Tiger, Chen-sensei within the tornado immediately sensed an incredibly powerful force coming at him.
Obito and the others observing could all feel the terror of the Daytime Tiger. Let alone Chen-sensei, who was facing it directly and sensed a level of power he had never encountered before.
Stimulated by this force, Chen-sensei was extremely excited. Such a Taijutsu battle was unprecedented for him.
In the end, under everyone's gaze, Mutsuki's tiger-shaped Air Cannon collided with Chen-sensei's green dragon.
Roar!!!
The green dragon and the white tiger began to clash, with the massive white tiger using its sharp teeth to tear at the dragon's body, while the green dragon retaliated by whipping the giant tiger with its body and unleashing strong cutting winds to attack the tiger.
Boom boom boom!!!
The collision of the tiger and dragon caused a massive explosion on the surrounding ground. The earth couldn't withstand the terrifying force and shattered, with dust swirling everywhere.
Shockwaves radiated outward, knocking down trees, blowing objects away, and leaving the area in ruins.
Between the roar of the tiger and the roar of the dragon, both the giant tiger and the giant dragon were left with numerous gaps before finally dissipating, revealing a disheveled Chen-sensei.
Mutsuki deactivated the Eight Inner Gates and Stone Breathing Mark State, walked over with a smile, and said:
"Sir, you truly are Konoha's strongest Taijutsu Ninja. Even with all my efforts, I could only barely counter your Konoha Dragon God."
Mutsuki wasn't planning to continue fighting. The state he just used was not only to unleash the Daytime Tiger; combined with the other techniques, any Taijutsu he used would have immense power. With the addition of Transparent World, it was practically a dimensional strike against Chen-sensei.
He made his point without pushing further. He wasn't here to defeat Chen-sensei.
Chen-sensei was slightly stunned, realizing the art of language. Although Mutsuki seemed more relaxed, it sounded in Mutsuki's words as though he had barely managed to counter Chen-sensei's Konoha Dragon God.
Chen-sensei laughed and said, "You sure know how to talk. But there's no need to mention being the strongest in Taijutsu. Your Taijutsu is not any weaker than mine."
He didn't know how Mutsuki managed to use such a powerful Taijutsu, capable of directly countering his Konoha Dragon God, but he was certain that his Taijutsu was inferior to Mutsuki's.
If it had been a real battle, Mutsuki could have seized the opportunity to attack while his Konoha Dragon God was being countered, making it difficult for him to defend.
"I was just taking advantage of the situation. My true Taijutsu level is still far from yours, Sir" Mutsuki replied with a gentle smile.
He was entirely using brute force to suppress Chen-sensei, relying on the absolute power of the Breathing Technique and Eight Inner Gates.
"You are truly formidable for your age. I can't imagine how powerful you'll be when you reach my age," Chen-sensei said with a sigh, ignoring Mutsuki's modesty. He believed that no matter the means, it was all part of Mutsuki's own strength.
"Teaching Guy to my level at a younger age should be about right," Mutsuki said with a smile.
He had only used Stone Breathing Mark and the third gate of Eight Inner Gates just now. By the time Guy turns eighteen, he might be able to use seven gates of the Eight Inner Gates along with Stone Breathing Mark, and might even master Armament Haki.
"There is indeed that possibility with Guy," Chen-sensei said with a thoughtful expression.
Guy is only nine years old now, and his Taijutsu strength is already impressive. If he continues training for another nine or ten years, combined with his diligence and having Taijutsu senseis like him and Mutsuki, his future is truly immeasurable.
"Aren't you going to continue?" Obito asked, running over with a puzzled look as he saw the two starting to chat without settling the outcome.
Smack!
Mutsuki struck with a knife-hand, delivering a precise transparent energy strike to Obito's forehead, and said, "This is what you call a high-level exchange; it's about making the point, not necessarily determining a winner."
Chen-sensei's eyes narrowed, realizing that this was a sophisticated Taijutsu that Mutsuki hadn't used in the fight.
"Alright, Yumi-sensei, can you do that technique that creates a giant dragon?" Obito rubbed the spot where he had been hit and looked at Mutsuki with anticipation.
"Konoha Dragon God? That's Chen-san's original creation. How could I possibly know it?" Mutsuki shook his head.
He had originally intended to pretend he had learned Konoha Dragon God during the fight, but now it seemed a bit harsh to Chen-sensei. Additionally, Guy could also learn from Chen-sensei, so he had no real need for Konoha Dragon God himself.
"If you want to learn, I'll just have to teach you," Chen-sensei said, patting his clothes.
Although Konoha Dragon God was something he had put a lot of effort into creating, he didn't intend to keep this Taijutsu a secret. Since he liked Mutsuki, he didn't mind sharing it.
"I was wrong; you're not a depressed old man, but the most energetic old man," Obito said with a grin, giving Chen-sensei a thumbs-up.
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