Chapter 12: When I Say I'll Kill You, I Really Will
"What?"
Disbelief appeared in Hyuga Masamune's pure white eyes.
A storm had already risen in his mind. He couldn't stop speculating—how did Ritsu master Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists? Was Ritsu's talent truly so high it exceeded his comprehension, allowing him to learn Twin Lion Fists after just one glance?
Or was what Shunsuke said earlier not nonsense? Had this Ritsu brat truly learned the Main Family's numerous secret techniques by spying long ago?
Of course, his mental fortitude was solid.
Though shocked internally, his hand movements maintained their standard without any deviation. His palms wreathed in azure lion heads struck firmly toward Ritsu's chest, then were intercepted by Ritsu's own palms similarly wrapped in high-density chakra shaped like azure lion heads.
Four palms collided.
An explosive sound erupted like detonating explosive tags. The vicious wind generated by the collision rolled in all directions.
Masamune staggered back seven or eight steps before barely stabilizing. The azure lion heads wreathing his palms had dimmed in color and become damaged in form. His hands also trembled uncontrollably, as though afflicted by epilepsy.
Immediately after, Shunsuke and Hyuga Taiga—who had coordinated to pincer Ritsu—were similarly repelled by him. Moreover, compared to Masamune, they looked even worse. One had limited talent, the other was young—neither had mastered secret techniques like Twin Lion Fists.
The result was that after taking Ritsu's astonishingly powerful Twin Lion Fists, Shunsuke had three finger bones in his right hand broken, his fingers twisted into an extremely bizarre shape, while Taiga's right arm was fractured.
Both were drenched in cold sweat from pain.
Yet they dared not groan aloud. Too many Branch Family members were watching. If they cried out in pain now, they'd lose not just their own face but damage the Main Family's dignity.
"This move is quite useful!"
Ritsu wore a smile, relaxed and carefree, not pursuing the three Main Family members he'd repelled.
He shook both hands. The lifelike lion heads actually displayed vivid expressions of roaring. He spoke: "Compared to the basic Gentle Fist we've trained since childhood, this Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists differs in greatly increasing chakra output from both hands while adding chakra shape transformation to expand attack range."
"This technique has two difficulties. First, how to increase chakra output from both hands—this involves which pressure points to use. Without predecessors' experience, reckless attempts could easily injure oneself. Second, how to maintain stable shape transformation while maintaining massive chakra output—this requires very high chakra control."
Ritsu thus revealed the secrets of Twin Lion Fists before numerous Branch Family members.
Then he sighed. "If our Branch Family jonin could all learn this move, it would greatly increase everyone's survival rate in battle formations. Unfortunately, these Main Family fools are short-sighted. They'd rather watch us Branch Family members die on battlefields than open up secret techniques for everyone to learn and increase battlefield survival rates."
These words reached the surrounding Branch Family members' ears.
Chunin and genin felt little—these advanced secret techniques the Main Family held were currently too distant for them.
However, the jonin were touched internally.
All had been on battlefields fighting desperately for their lives—survivors all. They couldn't help wondering: if they'd learned Main Family secret techniques like Twin Lion Fists, could they have performed better on the battlefield?
True, these Main Family secret techniques couldn't be mastered just by wanting to train them. But having the opportunity to try was better than not even being able to touch them, right?
Thoughts quietly shifted.
However, Branch Family members loyal to the Main Family truly couldn't endure any longer.
They didn't understand why the Main Family elders hadn't ordered them to surround and attack Ritsu. They'd tried hard to restrain themselves, waiting for orders. But now Main Family superiors were humiliated, injured by this subordinate-attacking-superior beast Ritsu—this truly couldn't be endured!
"Hyuga Ritsu! This traitor deserves death!"
A Branch Family jonin's face turned iron-blue, his voice like thunder.
The next instant, he leaped out like a large bird, pouncing toward Ritsu.
Not just him alone—with a first bird taking flight, numerous Branch Family members loyal to the Main Family couldn't help surging forward, adopting a posture of joining hands to strangle this rebellious traitor Ritsu.
Behind, Arima and Akiba's expressions changed. They moved to assist.
But Takuma extended his hand to stop them. "Don't go. Don't forget Ritsu can now control the Caged Bird Seal too."
Those Branch Family members who'd witnessed the story at Shunsuke's residence earlier were now rapidly sharing their observations with nearby relatives and friends.
Then—
"All of you, fall!"
Ritsu formed a one-handed seal.
The charging Branch Family members' expressions changed. Severe pain from their heads made them stumble uniformly. Clutching their heads, they rolled on the ground, their mouths releasing miserable, anguished wails.
Ritsu seized the opportunity to point at these twenty-plus utterly wretched Branch Family members on the ground, proclaiming loudly: "Everyone, do you see? Setting yourselves aside—do you want your children's foreheads to also bear this damned slave brand?"
Just this one sentence caused many to change expression.
"Hyuga Ritsu!"
Masamune—having just caught his breath, his hands no longer trembling—flew into a rage. "How dare you spread such lies—"
"You shut up! If you keep yapping, I'll kill you right now!"
Ritsu turned and roared violently, his gaze fierce.
"You dare?"
Masamune was also stubborn. Moreover, before so many Branch Family members, he absolutely couldn't allow himself the slightest cowardice or retreat.
However—
Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm
Ritsu struck decisively. A pressure cannon mixing chakra and air whistled forth.
Masamune wasn't just talking tough without preparation. He'd already assumed a defensive stance. As a formidable Main Family figure, he'd mastered not only the offensive secret technique Twin Lion Fists, but also Revolving Heaven—the so-called absolute defense!
Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven
Just like Ritsu's earlier action, Masamune also used his right leg as an axis, rapidly rotating his body. Chakra released from every pressure point throughout his body formed a hemispherical chakra barrier. But the next second, the barrier shattered.
Masamune coughed blood and flew backward.
"Did you think mastering Revolving Heaven could block my Vacuum Palm? Haven't you used your Byakugan to properly observe the chakra difference between us? The same Vacuum Palm is completely different in different people's hands!"
Ritsu sneered coldly.
The earlier Twin Lion Fists collision—Masamune's defeat—had the same cause. Their chakra had a gap. After using the Chimera Technique to steal the Shikotsumyaku bloodline, Ritsu's Byakugan's ocular power had been completed and strengthened. Not only had his chakra quantity increased tenfold, but its quality had also dramatically improved.
This change resulted in the same techniques having doubled power in Ritsu's hands.
"Also, when I say I'll kill you, I really will!"
Ritsu raised his hand.
With lightning speed, he fired another Vacuum Palm. The pressure cannon whistled forth, striking the chest of Masamune lying on the ground. Accompanied by the sound of breaking bones, his chest caved in. The man instantly lost all breath of life.