n't even see.
But he flew back even faster than he had charged forward.
White smoke rose from Asuka's right hand.
He had struck Shinnō with a single heavy punch, the tremendous force causing Shinnō's chest to cave in instantly.
Shinnō's body crashed into the ground and carved a deep trench across the earth.
Asuka had intentionally held back a large portion of his strength.
He didn't want to accidentally kill Shinnō.
Even so, his power had become so terrifying that he still pulled his punch at the last moment to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Sure enough, Shinnō slowly rose from the ground.
The muscles on his shriveled body suddenly swelled and twisted. In the blink of an eye, he transformed from a frail old man into a massive, muscular figure.
His collapsed chest rapidly regenerated.
This was a forbidden medical technique he had learned from Konoha's Forbidden Jutsu Scroll—Body Activation and Body Regeneration.
These techniques consumed the user's lifespan to fully activate every cell in the body, greatly enhancing physical strength and regenerative ability.
Even severe injuries, such as severed limbs, could heal quickly.
After standing up again, Shinnō realized immediately that the man before him was not someone he could defeat.
Without hesitation, he turned and fled.
But before he could run far, he found Asuka standing directly in front of him.
Unwilling to accept it, Shinnō changed direction and ran again.
Yet no matter where he ran, Asuka would appear in front of him.
After several attempts, Shinnō finally gave up.
He stopped moving.
"Why did you stop running?" Asuka asked calmly.
"What exactly do you want?" Shinnō demanded.
Asuka chuckled.
"Didn't I already say? I just want to see the legendary Reibi."
Realizing that escape was impossible, Shinnō finally made up his mind.
He quickly formed a series of hand seals.
The next moment, a pitch-black beast resembling a giant serpent appeared in the center of the field.
The Reibi had arrived.
However, its size was far smaller than it appeared in the original story, making it look somewhat underfed.
This was the reason Shinnō had hesitated earlier.
He had not yet gathered enough Dark Chakra to support the Reibi in a prolonged battle.
Looking at the creature before him, Asuka tilted his head with interest.
"So this is the Reibi? It doesn't look very impressive."
Shinnō's voice echoed from within the creature's mouth.
"Hmph. Arrogant fool. Prepare to experience the true power of the Reibi!"
With that, Shinnō controlled the Reibi and lunged toward Asuka…