Chapter 154: Another One Down
Years of tempering his body through relentless training had made Han's physical strength and speed among the best in the entire ninja world.
With the added power of the Boil Release Bloodline Limit, his attacks, defense, and speed were drastically enhanced by the steam, pushing his strength to a whole new level.
At this moment, as he launched a ferocious assault, he appeared before Uchiha Dali in the blink of an eye.
His entire body was enveloped in scalding steam. Not only did it deliver powerful physical blows, it also came with searing heat—like a magic attack—that pierced the target's body and caused real, tangible damage.
It was clear just how threatening that punch was.
Strangely enough, however, Uchiha Dali didn't dodge or evade. He let the attack land squarely on him.
Bang!
Han's confident punch landed cleanly on Uchiha Dali's cheek.
But the next second, his expression froze.
From the sensation that came back through his fist, it didn't feel like he hit flesh—it felt like he had punched a steel plate.
Looking at Uchiha Dali again, not only was he completely unscathed, he even had a mocking smile on his face.
What the hell?!
Han quickly pulled his fist back, feeling a bit shaken.
That punch wasn't a probing jab—it was meant to send the opponent flying right from the start.
At the very least, it should've knocked the target flat on his back, right?
Yet the guy hadn't taken a single scratch. Not even a flinch!
"Is that all you've got?"
Uchiha Dali crooked a finger at him, signaling for him to bring it on.
On the sidelines, Rōshi could only shake his head in resignation.
Cold sweat and stress lines crept across his face.
Well, maybe Han deserved a bit of a lesson.
He'd soon find out that in front of this man, all his moves were nothing but fancy tricks.
Of course, Han wasn't going to take this lying down.
He launched another attack at Uchiha Dali.
Bang!
Another punch slammed into him.
This time, Han clearly saw it: the moment his fist struck, a layer of black aura appeared on Uchiha Dali's skin.
It looked like chakra, but Han had never seen anyone with black chakra before.
"He's using some kind of special chakra to form armor on his body... That must be how he completely shrugged off my punch."
"I've only ever heard of the Lightning Release Armor used by the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village... Who would've thought someone from Konoha had such terrifying taijutsu..."
After two full-powered punches, Han was beginning to understand the gap between them.
Even when going all out, he couldn't break through his opponent's defense—proof that the man's strength was on another level entirely.
No wonder he had the guts to barge into the heart of the Land of Earth alone.
"Try this one on for size!"
Boil Release: Unrivalled Strength!!
Han channeled all his strength into his right leg, infusing it with chakra to bring his attack power to its peak.
Everyone knew that, under normal circumstances, leg strength far surpassed arm strength.
This kick was at least ten times stronger than the punches he threw earlier.
Seeing how serious Han had become, a flicker of seriousness appeared in Uchiha Dali's eyes as well.
He braced himself.
The opponent vanished from sight, and in the next instant, a red-hot foot shrouded in high-temperature steam suddenly appeared on his right side, aiming straight for his head.
This time, Uchiha Dali chose not to take it head-on.
He knew this kick might be too much even for his Armament Haki to absorb.
But that wasn't the only trick up his sleeve.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Uchiha Dali chanted silently in his heart.
Though his power was similar to the Rinnegan techniques used by Uzumaki Nagato, his repulsive force technique was far more potent.
The name was just a casual homage—nothing more.
The moment he unleashed Shinra Tensei, the air around him visibly distorted.
Rōshi's pupils shrank sharply as he stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
He thought he was seeing things.
But once he confirmed with his own eyes that the air had indeed twisted, he knew—the fight was over.
Sure enough...
Before even a second passed, Han was sent flying.
His full-powered attack, filled with pride and confidence, didn't just fail to harm Uchiha Dali—it was even less effective than his previous two punches.
He didn't even manage to lay a finger on him.
"Too strong..."
"So he was holding back when we fought earlier."
Rōshi couldn't help but be awestruck.
Meanwhile, Han—blasted away—was already scrambling back like a raging bull after being flung several kilometers.
Clearly, the Five-Tails inside him had begun offering support.
Otherwise, with a hit like that, who wouldn't be on the ground?
"Four-Tails, can you talk to the Five-Tails inside him? Tell it to stop resisting?"
"If this drags on and the commotion draws in the Iwagakure forces, we'll be in trouble."
Rōshi began conversing with the Four-Tails in his mind.
He wasn't worried about Uchiha Dali—but about the other Iwagakure shinobi.
If they really showed up, that's when things would get complicated.
The Four-Tails replied, "I can, but you'll need to use my chakra to make contact with his."
"I see..."
Rōshi looked toward Han, who was still getting thrashed, yet showing no signs of surrender.
"In that case—let's go!"
With that, he cloaked himself in the Four-Tails' Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak and charged toward Han.
Uchiha Dali sensed the movement behind him and stopped attacking. With great interest, he turned his head to look at Rōshi charging forward.
"Don't tell me you're joining him to gang up on me?"
"My target is him!" Rōshi shouted, leaping forward to land right in front of Han.
The latter was already dazed by the beating. Though he was still conscious, his whole body ached and moved sluggishly.
With a single motion, Rōshi grabbed him using a large hand formed from his Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak.
At that moment, the Four-Tails' chakra made contact with the Five-Tails' chakra, establishing a communication link between them.
Soon after, the Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak on Han faded away.
He also started to calm down, no longer nearly as wild and aggressive as before.
After a while, Han looked up at Uchiha Dali. Though his eyes still held caution, most of the hostility had faded.
He walked toward him.
It seemed the Four-Tails and the Five-Tails had reached an understanding—enough to persuade the Iwagakure Jinchuriki to stand down.