"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
"Two palms, four palms, eight palms, sixteen palms..."
This was an abandoned training field.
The ground, trees, flowers, even the sky and clouds had all become like a glitchy, low-frame-rate picture.
In this world of illusion, a little girl in a kimono was launching a fierce attack against a boy who was more than thirty centimeters taller than her.
Her small hands and slender fingers created afterimages as they lashed out, producing sharp, piercing sounds in the air, with traces of blue chakra trailing behind.
With such power, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that if a wooden training post were hit, it would instantly shatter.
For a human, being hit could cause anything from vomiting blood to internal organ damage.
Yet, despite the little girl's powerful attacks, they were effortlessly countered by the boy—using just two fingers.
Each of Hanabi's strikes was caught by Yagyu between two fingers.
Not only was the force of her blows instantly neutralized, but if Yagyu wasn't holding back, she wouldn't even be able to pull her fingers back.
The usual effect of Byakugan, which would leave opponents immobilized by exposing their weaknesses, didn't appear to work on Yagyu at all.
It was as if Yagyu had no weaknesses.
This level of overwhelming power was something neither her father, cousin, nor even her older sister had ever shown Hanabi.
But Hanabi wasn't discouraged; in fact, she enjoyed training with Yagyu even more.
The weaker she felt, the more she realized how much room she had to grow.
Boom!
After finishing her combo, Yagyu shifted from holding back and, with a speed visible to Hanabi's Byakugan but too fast for her body to react, kicked her in the chest—though she had just begun developing, it was still quite flat—sending her flying.
Hanabi, now airborne, winced in pain but stayed silent.
A green vine shot up from the ground like an octopus tentacle, catching her mid-flight, though it wasn't Yagyu who summoned it.
In the distance, Kurama Yakumo sat on a chair, rapidly painting with a shovel-like brush on a canvas.
Yagyu casually threw a kunai, but it passed straight through Yakumo's body.
Clearly, this wasn't the real Kurama Yakumo.
Rumble...
With Hanabi's turn over, it was now Kurama Yakumo's.
Vines, flames, floods, and lightning materialized out of thin air, wreaking havoc on the glitchy illusionary world, all aimed at Yagyu.
However, none of these natural disasters harmed Yagyu in the slightest.
Watching the two of them—one creating calamities, the other unfazed by them—Hanabi couldn't help but feel a deep sense of admiration, even though it wasn't her first time witnessing this. She was full of longing.
When would she become this strong?
The calamities didn't last forever; their range wasn't immense, and their power grew weaker over time.
Yagyu used elemental techniques and brute force to block every disaster.
From start to finish, he hadn't moved a single step.
Before long, the glitchy world around them began to distort.
The scene shifted from an outdoor training field to a courtyard, which was the backyard of Kurama Yakumo's mansion.
"Huff... huff..."
The sound of rapid, labored breathing reached Yagyu's ears.
Kurama Yakumo, sitting in the chair, was drenched in sweat, panting heavily—she had clearly overexerted herself and was low on chakra.
Yagyu didn't immediately heal her. Instead, he took out a Grell Stone and gestured to Hanabi.
"Big brother..."
Hanabi beamed and ran over, calling out sweetly. She expertly opened her mouth and bit down on Yagyu's outstretched arm, applying just the right amount of pressure to absorb the chakra and life force he transferred to her.
Her injuries healed instantly, and her vitality surged.
Once this life force merged into her cells, the physical and mental energy Hanabi would extract from them would surpass her previous levels.
Though she still had more than three months before entering her sixth year of academy, Hanabi's chakra reserves were already greater than many adult genin.
"Thank you, big brother."
After absorbing the life force, Hanabi sweetly thanked Yagyu.
"Go on home. I'll train with you again next break."
Yagyu smiled, patting Hanabi on the head before walking over to Kurama Yakumo, who was flushed, and picking her up to carry her inside.
Watching them leave, Hanabi seemed to remember something. Her face turned slightly red before her eyes sparkled mischievously. She quietly slipped out of Kurama Yakumo's home, pressed against a wall, and began sneaking back toward the mansion.
Time: January 3rd, Konoha Year 64, 15:28.
——————
"Roar..."
In a certain part of the ninja world, a massive turtle-like creature with spikes all over its body and three tails suddenly emerged from a lake connected to the sea, letting out a deafening roar that echoed to the heavens.
The nearby forest burst into chaos as all the animals and birds fled in terror.
"That's loud!"
Zetsu, standing on a treetop, commented. White Zetsu added with a teasing tone, "Poor thing, trapped inside a jinchuriki for so many years. It's just been revived, and soon it will be sealed again."
"Once it returns to its origin, it will no longer suffer," Black Zetsu said coldly. "The most important piece is in place. We can begin the plan."
"Let's deliver this good news to 'Madara-sama' and Pain."
With that, Black and White Zetsu sank into the tree, traveling quickly underground through the plant roots and water systems toward Amegakure.
A few hours later...
Swish!
In the pitch-black darkness, nine colorful lights suddenly lit up.
The nine lights quickly formed into human figures.
"The Three-Tails has been revived!"
For the first time in two years, the Akatsuki members had gathered again, and Pain wasted no time in speaking, not giving Sasori and the others a chance to complain or banter.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the other members changed slightly.
"We've been waiting for years, and it's finally revived!"
"So, the plan can begin now? Which team will be assigned to capture which tailed beast and jinchuriki?"
"I heard the Nine-Tails is the strongest. Let me and Brother Sasori handle it... hmm!"
"As expected of Deidara-senpai, you're amazing!"
"Hahaha... Tobi, you've got such good taste as always!"
"..."
Ignoring the chatter, Pain coldly stated, "The tailed beasts must be sealed in order, from One-Tail to Nine-Tails. So the first target is the One-Tail."
"The One-Tail is currently sealed in the body of the Fifth Kazekage. Sasori, since you were once from the Hidden Sand, you and Deidara will handle this mission."
"Understood," Sasori's deep voice responded from within his puppet.
"The Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails also have jinchuriki, both from the Hidden Cloud."
Pain's gaze turned to Hundred Faces and Tobi. "Hundred Faces, Tobi, you will take care of them."
"Understood," Hundred Faces nodded.
"Yes, leader!" Tobi saluted in a goofy manner, loudly replying, "I'll get the job done!"
Pain then turned his attention to Itachi and Kisame, saying, "The Four-Tails and the Five-Tails jinchuriki are from the Hidden Stone. You two will handle them."
Itachi nodded silently.
Kisame grinned, saying, "I know them—one has Lava Style, and the other has Boil Style. They're just the opponents I've been looking for. Leave it to us."
"Good," Pain said, satisfied. "Complete your tasks first. Zetsu will monitor the remaining tailed beasts and jinchuriki, and we'll assign the rest based on your locations later."
"Meeting adjourned."
With that, the nine figures vanished one by one.
Soon, the details of the meeting flooded into Yagyu's mind.
"It's finally happening."
Receiving real-time intel from Hundred Faces, Yagyu's lips curled into a smile as he murmured, "It's been nearly ten years... I was getting impatient."
It had been almost a decade since the system awakened and Yagyu had obtained Asura's chakra.
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