Boom!
Crack!
The entire sparring arena—several hundred square meters wide—was now half-destroyed, not a single corner left intact.
Where Leo stood, a massive crater three to four zhang wide had formed. He hovered at its center, the air around him rippling faintly from the residual shockwave.
"Monster Strength? So Tsunade taught you her Monster Strength Technique?"
Hatake Sakumo's sharp eyes immediately discerned the essence of Leo's power.
Leo nodded lightly. "Mm."
"This level of destructive force is already on par with a B-rank jutsu," Sakumo commented.
"Yeah, seriously! To produce that kind of damage just from raw strength—it's insane!"
"Even the Captain had to dodge just now!"
The watching ANBU murmured among themselves, their eyes glimmering beneath their masks. Leo's display of sheer physical might had left them all stunned.
Leo smiled faintly. "Captain's skill is extraordinary—his Body Flicker is as fast as lightning. This was the only way I could force him into a corner."
Sakumo chuckled. "And how many times can you use that level of attack?"
"Whenever I want," Leo replied confidently.
"Oh? Then let's continue."
Sakumo's expression suddenly hardened, his entire presence shifting in an instant.
Leo vanished with a thunderous bang—
Shave!
He appeared right in front of Sakumo, and this time, the latter didn't move to evade.
Leo's eyes lit up. This is my chance!
Even if he lost, he wanted to lose gloriously.
"Armament Haki—Hardening!"
His fist turned jet-black like polished steel as it drove forward, aimed straight at Sakumo's face!
But before the punch even reached him, Sakumo's sharp intuition flared—something felt off.
He noticed the faint smirk curling Leo's lips.
Acting purely on instinct, Sakumo tilted his head—
A gust of invisible force roared past his ear, slicing off a few strands of his white hair, which fluttered gently to the ground.
The entire arena fell silent.
The ANBU Captain—Konoha's White Fang—had just had his hair sliced by an ANBU trainee.
"…An invisible strike?" Sakumo murmured, immediately realizing what had happened. His eyes widened slightly with genuine surprise—and a touch of admiration.
Leo clicked his tongue in mild disappointment. Damn, I thought I could land that one.
At Level 3, his Armament Haki could already produce ranged shock strikes—but its power was still limited. Still, it was worth the surprise attempt.
"Not bad," Sakumo praised softly.
Shing!
The clear ring of steel echoed through the arena.
Sakumo had finally drawn his blade.
Almost no one could even see the moment he drew it—one instant his hands were empty, and the next, his chakra-coated short sword, White Fang, had appeared as if from nothing.
In a single fluid motion, he slashed toward Leo.
The surrounding ANBU gasped.
"He's facing the Captain's blade head-on!?"
"That's the White Fang! The blade said to cut through darkness itself—nothing can withstand it!"
Indeed—when Hatake Sakumo drew his sword, it was said that the outcome was always the same: death or serious injury.
Only a fool would try to block it directly.
And right now, Leo was exactly that kind of fool.
But he didn't flinch. His fist, cloaked in Armament Haki, was as hard as iron—and his spirit burned with reckless courage.
Clang!
A blinding flash erupted as fist met blade. The air rippled outward violently, chakra and haki colliding in an ear-splitting explosion of force.
The chakra flowing along Sakumo's blade gleamed like liquid light—refined, sharp, impossibly pure. This was Hatake Kenjutsu—the art of Chakra Flow.
One clean slash could cut through anything—even ninjutsu itself.
The impact seemed to silence the world. For an instant, even sound ceased to exist.
In the face of that strike, heaven and earth dimmed, colors drained away.
But Leo didn't back down. His heart and spirit synchronized completely, his blood boiling, adrenaline spiking—his Haki flared beyond its usual limit, surging past Level 3 for a brief, blazing moment.
Their clash detonated in a ring of invisible force. Ripples of raw energy tore through the ground; cracks spiderwebbed outward, the arena trembling violently.
Dark red lightning flickered across Leo's arm—each spark striking the ground and blasting it apart, forcing the surrounding ANBU to retreat.
The pressure of their combined aura warped the air itself—the world dimmed, and every observer felt a suffocating weight crush down upon their chests.
Sakumo's brows knit slightly. He could feel Leo's strength suddenly spike.
A Bloodline Limit? he wondered.
Boom!
But no matter how much Leo pushed his power, the gulf between him and a Kage-level shinobi was simply too vast. His body was flung backward, his Armament Haki fading, steam rising from his trembling arm.
It would be a while before he could use that technique again.
Sakumo calmly slid White Fang back into its sheath. The faint echo of steel settling home rang like a closing statement.
The power of Hatake's kenjutsu—the White Fang of Konoha—was truly worthy of its reputation.
"I lost, Captain," Leo said with a rueful smile.
"Haha," Sakumo chuckled. "You've exceeded my expectations. And tell me—did you really think you could win against me?"
"Of course not. If you hadn't held back, my arm would probably be gone by now," Leo admitted wryly.
Sakumo nodded, his eyes warm with approval.
"Your strength has already reached the level of an elite Chūnin," he said. "And with that unique Monster Strength—enhanced by your special lineage—you can go toe-to-toe with most upper-level Chūnin. Your combat technique is polished, your instincts solid. Honestly, there's not much I can teach you."
He paused, then smiled knowingly. "But… during our fight, I did notice one thing—a small flaw, though not exactly a weakness."
"What flaw, Captain?" Leo asked.
"Your fighting style is too straightforward. Almost all your attacks rely purely on brute force," Sakumo explained. "At higher levels—among jonin and above—shinobi often use wide-area ninjutsu. Against those kinds of techniques, raw strength alone won't be enough."
He placed a firm hand on Leo's shoulder. "My advice? Try to develop a few personal secret techniques that blend with your Monster Strength. You'll find it will greatly expand your potential."
With that, Sakumo turned and walked away, leaving Leo standing in the shattered arena—lost in thought, but burning with renewed determination.
(End of Chapter)
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