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Chapter 53: Appreciate the Style of Ninjutsu, The Worst Enemy to Face
The Shichibukai looked back and forth at Garp. The old vice admiral didn't seem to be joking.
Crocodile narrowed his eyes. The Marines seem to have hidden a lot over the years. A monster who can compete with Garp's Haki has been concealed until now...
If not for the sudden outbreak of this World War, such a monster might never have appeared in the public eye. What exactly were the Marines planning?
Doflamingo grinned behind his glasses. Amazing swordsmanship capable of easily defeating Hawkeye, and possessing Haki that rivals Garp? He's a real monster!
Hawkeye remained stoic. Haki... I didn't even use Haki in our previous fight. I really want to see how strong this guy's Haki is.
The light curtain in the sky displayed a close-up of Yuichi.
Standing in the duel field, Yuichi remained perfectly still. He looked straight at the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
An inexplicable wind blew the Marine cloak from Yuichi's shoulders. A single cherry blossom petal danced gently across his chest. He wore a white suit, dotted with a hint of pink on the lapel. Compared to Hiruzen Sarutobi, his height of two meters was imposing.
Their gazes collided, and Sarutobi felt the pressure instantly.
He's really strong!
Sarutobi didn't dare to be careless. Might Guy had reacted to this person before; the opponent's swordsmanship was shockingly fast. If he lost focus for even a moment, he would be defeated.
An enemy like Yuichi was the last one Sarutobi wanted to face.
He sighed helplessly. He hated fighting speed-type enemies. However, there was no way to switch out now. All three of his apprentices had won. As their teacher and Konoha's Hokage, he absolutely could not lose.
Originally, he thought he would encounter an unknown enemy, but he didn't expect the opponent to choose Yuichi, who had already been revealed. Were they not afraid of Yuichi's information being leaked, or had they already taken precautions?
What were the people of that world thinking?
Whitebeard watched intently. "Admiral Candidate Yuichi... He looks very calm, not under any pressure at all. Is he that confident in his own strength? Or is it for another reason..."
"Pops, do you like this guy?" Ace asked. He didn't have any affection for anyone in the Marines.
Whitebeard heard the emotion in Ace's voice. "Don't be so easily swayed by emotions, brat! Your talent is no worse than that guy down there!"
At that moment, Big Mom was staring at Ace. "Fire Fist... Ace!" She muttered softly, observing Whitebeard's gaze toward the boy. Are you planning to train this kid as your heir?
Finding the thought boring, Big Mom turned her head to continue watching the situation in the arena.
[ Countdown Ends ]
[ Individual Battle Officially Begins ]
[ Winning Condition: Incapacitate the opponent. ]
The moment the light binding both Yuichi and Sarutobi disappeared, Sarutobi quickly flipped backward, performing several backflips in a row. As flexible as a monkey, he put tens of meters between himself and Yuichi.
Yuichi didn't move immediately. He stared silently at the Third Hokage.
Yuichi was well aware of how powerful Sarutobi was. If he got entangled by the old man's tricky ninjutsu, defeating him would become troublesome.
So!
He had to make it quick. Defeat this old guy as fast as possible.
[ Task Triggered ]
[ Appreciate the Style of Ninjutsu ]
[ Objective: Force the opponent to use ten different types of ninjutsu, then defeat them. ]
[ Task Reward: Unlock Kidō (Master a certain level of Kidō based on current Character Template awakening progress) ]
Hiss!
Yuichi leaned forward slightly, hesitating.
A new task had been triggered. And this task gave Yuichi a headache.
Although there was no voice of Byakuya Kuchiki speaking to him, Yuichi seemed to hear the sentiment radiating from Senbonzakura.
Humph! What kind of 'ninjutsu'? I would like to see how powerful it is compared to the power of a Soul Reaper! Scatter! Let me see this so-called ninjutsu!
The tsundere template of Byakuya Kuchiki wanted to witness what ninjutsu was all about.
Speechless.
Yuichi obviously wanted a quick fight, but it seemed Byakuya didn't agree.
Force the opponent to use ten different types of ninjutsu. And he still had to win.
For the "Professor of Ninjutsu," Sarutobi Hiruzen, using ten different types was trivial. But simultaneously, Yuichi's safety wasn't guaranteed during that process.
However, the reward was excellent.
Kidō!
If he mastered Kidō, Yuichi's fighting style would become significantly more versatile, especially when facing an enemy like a ninja.
Fine, let's get started!
Yuichi's gaze sharpened, and his aura changed drastically in an instant. Invisible waves spread from under his feet, sweeping across the entire duel field.
Feeling the intense Reiatsu radiating from Yuichi, Whitebeard's expression changed in the stands, and Big Mom showed a look of surprise.
"Such a terrifying aura... it's completely different from his previous state!" Whitebeard noted.
"After entering the battle, he adjusted his mindset instantly and devoted his full attention to the fight. Such strong concentration... very good, kid!" Big Mom praised.
Clang...
Suddenly, a bright silver sword light flashed in front of Yuichi.
Shaping into a crescent moon, it instantaneously appeared in Sarutobi Hiruzen's direction, tearing through the air at high speed.
Whoosh...
The flashing blade light flew directly out of the duel field, leaving a long gouge in the ground. Faint smoke drifted up from the arena floor.
Yuichi slowly sheathed Senbonzakura. He stared fixedly at Sarutobi, who had dodged the attack at the very last moment.
That move just now was Body Flicker Technique! It's a ninjutsu!
As soon as the attack was made, the eyes of the spectators from both worlds widened.
With that attack speed, this guy seemed even faster than Kizaru! They had only heard the sound of the blade unsheathing and cutting through the air. It was too late to actually see the slash coming from Yuichi. The light had vanished in the next second.
If not for the long trench left in the ground, they might have wondered if they had hallucinated.
Sarutobi Hiruzen swallowed hard.
What a fast attack... No wonder Guy opened the Sixth Gate and still couldn't deal with him... This guy doesn't seem to have a Devil Fruit power, but this pure swordsmanship combined with that Haki...
He actually feels stronger than a Logia user!
If he hadn't been prepared from the start, ready to launch the Body Flicker Technique at any moment, that blow would have been fatal.
Even though he was prepared, Sarutobi noticed a tear in his clothes near his shoulder. That astonishing slash had grazed his right arm.
═════ To Be Continued ═════
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