Chapter 463: The Proof of Youth
The skeletal frame of the purple chakra giant violently materialized, echoing Sasuke's frantic, blood-curdling roar.
Every time the Susanoo swung its massive arm, the sheer force of the blow carried a suffocating, world-destroying hatred that shattered the earth beneath it.
"I'll kill you!!"
This heart-wrenching scream tore through the battlefield, causing Naruto's chest to tighten in the distance.
"Sasuke!"
Naruto dug his heels into the ruined ground. His golden chakra cloak flared wildly, whipping the air around him into a frenzy as he prepared to launch himself into the fray. No matter the cost, he had to back Sasuke up. He had to tear that enemy down first.
[Idiot, stop.]
Just as Naruto's muscles coiled to spring forward, Kurama's deep, rumbling voice echoed within the confines of his mind.
Deep within the seal space, the massive fox lay lazily on his paws. Kurama narrowed his slitted red eyes, staring directly through Naruto's vision at the fallen figure of Uchiha Fugaku lying motionless on the battlefield.
'Kurama? What is it?'
[That old man from the Uchiha Clan isn't dead yet.]
Kurama curled his upper lip, baring a row of razor-sharp teeth.
[I can feel it. The chakra in that old fellow's body is weak, but it flows steadily. He is playing dead.]
Naruto froze mid-step. His bright blue eyes blinked in total confusion, the surging golden chakra around him dimming slightly.
'Playing dead? Why?'
[Human thoughts are truly complicated.]
Kurama rolled over, his massive tails shifting like mountains.
[He is probably acting. Look at that brat Sasuke. The patterns in his eyes have already changed. That is an evolution triggered by extreme stimulation.]
Although Naruto usually carried a carefree and dense demeanor, his combat intuition was terrifyingly sharp. The moment Kurama dropped the hint, the pieces clicked together in his mind.
Could this be... a setup to force Sasuke into awakening his eyes?
"Gaara!"
Naruto snapped his head toward the red-haired Kazekage standing silently beside him.
"Get Uncle Fugaku over here!"
"Alright."
There was no hesitation, no wasted breath.
The yellow sand beneath their feet instantly surged to life, flattening out and transforming into a subtle, creeping hand that hugged the terrain. While Sasuke and Itachi clashed with world-shaking intensity, tearing the landscape apart, Gaara's sand silently slithered toward Uchiha Fugaku at the far edge of the battlefield.
Within moments, the sand wrapped around the fallen clan head and dragged him back to their position.
"Hey, Uncle Fugaku."
Naruto crouched down. He stared at the blood-covered man, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper.
"Stop pretending. I know you're fine."
The air grew heavy. Silence stretched for two agonizing seconds.
Uchiha Fugaku, who had been completely breathless with his eyes shut tight, slowly lifted his eyelids.
"Naruto... is it the Nine-Tails' perception?"
Fugaku's voice was a dry, raspy whisper, audible only to the blonde boy crouching over him.
"Why do this?" Naruto demanded, his brow pulling into a deep frown. "That guy Sasuke is really putting his life on the line right now! If he finds out you're lying to him..."
"It is necessary."
Fugaku cut Naruto off, his tone entirely devoid of warmth.
"In this cruel world, without power, you can protect nothing."
Fugaku shifted slightly, wincing as his real injuries flared. "Sasuke's talent is high. But without experiencing bone-deep, soul-crushing pain, the Sharingan cannot evolve to its absolute limit."
The older man turned his head, locking his dark gaze onto Naruto's bright blue eyes.
"Naruto, you are Sasuke's friend."
"You should be able to feel the desperate desire for power buried deep within his heart."
"This is the final understanding... between us three, father and sons."
"So, I am begging you."
This once-proud man, the feared Wicked Eye of the Uchiha, actually carried a heavy trace of pleading in his raspy voice.
"Do not expose this play."
"Let Sasuke hate."
"Hatred will become the wings that let him fly."
Naruto stared at Fugaku's face. He saw the deep lines of weariness, the exhaustion of a man who had carried the weight of a cursed clan for too long. Slowly, Naruto swallowed the bitter reprimand resting on the tip of his tongue.
"Tch..."
Naruto scratched his blonde hair irritably and dropped onto his rear, sitting cross-legged on the dirt.
"What a bunch of twisted, awkward guys."
He lifted his gaze back to the colossal purple giant raging in the distance.
"However, if Sasuke really loses control, I'll be the one responsible for beating him awake."
Shifting the focus back to the other side of the battlefield.
Although the commotion here lacked the exaggerated, devastating scale of the Susanoo clash, the sheer lethality of the exchange was not diminished in the slightest.
"Konoha Strong Fist: Whirlwind Kick!"
A vigorous, booming shout tore through the air.
Might Guy, clad in his iconic green jumpsuit, launched a storm-like offensive against the enemy standing in his path. His leg whipped through the air, carrying the force of a hurricane.
His opponent was none other than Neji's father, Hyuga Hizashi.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
Hizashi's hands blurred into afterimages. At every critical moment, his pale fingers struck the exact side of Guy's leg muscles, skillfully deflecting the fierce, bone-breaking force away from his body.
Gentle Fist.
Hizashi spoke calmly, his breathing perfectly even despite the relentless assault.
"Pure Taijutsu has indeed been practiced to the absolute limit."
"However..."
Hizashi's gaze sharpened into daggers. The thick veins around his Byakugan bulged violently against his temples.
"Before the eyes of the Hyuga Clan, your meridians and your chakra flow hold no secrets!"
Before the final syllable even faded from the air, Hizashi's figure abruptly accelerated.
He abandoned his passive defense. Stepping forward, his feet slid perfectly into the geometric positions of the Eight Trigrams formation.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
Guy's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
This was not ordinary speed. This was an explosive, inescapable barrage executed within an extremely confined distance.
"Two Palms!"
"Four Palms!"
"Eight Palms!"
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa!
The dull, heavy sounds of chakra-infused strikes impacting flesh merged into one continuous echo.
Guy twisted, ducked, and weaved, pushing his physical reflexes to their absolute peak. But without opening the Eight Gates, he simply could not outpace the domain of the Gentle Fist. Hizashi's incredibly fast strikes slammed into several of Guy's vital acupuncture points.
"Sixteen Palms!"
"Thirty-Two Palms!"
"Sixty-Four Palms!!"
The final, devastating palm slammed squarely into the center of Guy's chest.
Guy let out a muffled groan. His boots tore deep trenches into the earth as he skidded backward for more than ten meters, finally dropping hard onto one knee.
"Cough, cough..."
"It is over."
Hizashi slowly lowered his hands and shook his head. A fleeting flash of pity crossed his pale eyes.
"Without a Bloodline Limit, to reach this level solely through hard work in Taijutsu... you already have enough to be proud of."
"But that is all."
"This is the impossible barrier between mortals and geniuses."
Hizashi looked down at his own hands, his voice dropping into a cold, detached rhythm. "Destiny is already set from the exact moment of birth."
Just as he was born into the Branch House, destined to live and die for the Main House.
This was an inescapable fate. A cage that could never be broken.
"Heh..."
A low, rumbling chuckle broke the silence.
Hizashi's brow furrowed slightly. He looked down at the green-clad figure kneeling in the dirt.
"What are you laughing at?"
Guy slowly raised his head.
On that thick-browed, bruised face, there was not a single trace of dejection or defeat. Instead, his lips pulled back to reveal his signature, gleaming white teeth.
"Destiny?"
Guy planted his hands firmly on the ground. The heavy muscles in his arms and legs began to tremble violently, vibrating with a terrifying internal pressure.
"How could such a boring thing possibly bind youth!"
"Do not waste your energy," Hizashi warned coldly, his Byakugan tracking the chaotic energy inside the man. "Your acupuncture points are sealed tight. Forcing them open will only cause your meridians to burst, resulting in a painful death."
"Is that so?"
The wild smile on Guy's face grew even wider.
BOOM!
A roaring storm of green energy suddenly erupted from deep within Guy's core.
The acupuncture points that Hizashi had so precisely sealed were instantly obliterated, violently forced open under the sheer, crushing impact of this explosive chakra.
Guy slowly stood up straight. His skin began to burn a deep, boiling red, and his dark hair stood entirely on end, whipping wildly in the updraft of his own power.
The suffocating pressure he emitted now belonged to a completely different entity.
For the first time, a look of genuine horror fractured Hizashi's calm expression.
'He actually... forcibly broke through the sealed points?'
Guy took a deep, steadying breath, the scorching air hissing through his teeth. He lowered his center of gravity, assuming a starting dash position.
"You said just now that a genius cannot be defeated?"
Guy's eyes locked onto Hizashi, burning with an unquenchable fire.
"Then let me show you."
"Nurtured by blood and sweat..."
"The absolute proof of youth!!"
"Eight Gates: Sixth Gate: Gate of View — OPEN!!!"
The very next second.
Guy's figure vanished from existence.
There was no blur, no afterimage. Within the supreme, omnidirectional vision of Hizashi's Byakugan, he only saw a massive, terrifying cluster of green flames instantly materializing right in front of him.
"Heavenly Spin!"
Operating purely on survival instinct, Hizashi released the Hyuga Clan's absolute defense.
A perfect, spinning dome of blue chakra instantly took shape, tearing up the earth around him.
However.
This time, the incoming attack was not a single, heavy punch. It was not a single, sweeping kick.
It was a descending sky of absolute, scorching flames.
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