"What?!"
"Lightning… Lightning Style?!"
"How can this samurai use Lightning Style Ninjutsu?!"
"Isn't he a samurai from the Land of Iron?!"
The entire audience cried out in shock. A samurai from the Land of Iron using lightning nature chakra completely overturned their understanding!
"It's not over yet! Ninja of Konoha!"
Isshin burst into loud laughter. His feet stomped the ground fiercely, and he shot forward again!
The halberd in his hand, wrapped in boiling lightning, came crashing down toward Shinichi's head with a force that seemed capable of shattering everything!
Lightning Style · Chidori Blade!
This strike carried not only the terrifying brute strength from before, but also the unmatched penetration, speed, and paralysis effect of Lightning Style!
In that lightning-fast instant, Shinichi's eyes narrowed as he raised the iron staff horizontally above his head with both hands.
"Boom!!!"
The lightning-wreathed halberd and the iron staff collided again!
But this time, the sound was completely different! Along with the thunderous clash of metal came the explosive roar of lightning!
Blinding lightning exploded from the point where the halberd blade met the staff, wildly surging toward Shinichi's arms and entire body!
"Ugh!"
Shinichi groaned. His arms instantly went numb, and his body was pushed backward continuously by the immense force mixed with lightning from the halberd. His feet plowed two deep trenches into the ground as he slid back!
"Hah!"
A low roar came from Shinichi's throat. The muscles in his arms bulged to their limits as he suddenly burst with power, skillfully shifting and twisting in the direction the halberd blade pressed down!
Amid the ear-piercing sound of grinding metal, the heavy halberd wrapped in lightning was forcibly shifted slightly to the side by him!
However, at the instant when Shinichi had used all his strength to push the halberd aside, when his old force had faded and new force had yet to arise, and his body stiffened from the paralysis of the lightning, Isshin's left leg, swing like a battle axe, seizing that fleeting opening and kicked fiercely into Shinichi's abdomen, which had leaned forward due to exertion!
"Bang!"
A heavy, dull sound rang out.
Shinichi's entire body flew backward like a stone launched from a catapult, completely unable to resist. He traced a parabola through the air before his back slammed heavily into the hard stone wall at the edge of the arena, dozens of meters away!
"Boom!"
The stone wall was smashed inward by the impact, spreading with spiderweb-like cracks as dust filled the air.
"Cough, cough…"
Shinichi slid down along the wall, kneeling on one knee. He barely managed to support his body with the iron staff to keep from collapsing.
After coughing a few times lightly, he secretly thought in his heart: "That's about enough. What needed to be seen and felt should already be sufficient! Next…"
"So strong! This samurai's strength and methods are simply endless! He even used Lightning Style!"
"He's basically a ferocious beast wearing human skin!!"
"For Shinichi to reach this point is already unbelievable! How old is he? His body hasn't even fully grown yet!"
"Exactly. If he's given a few more years, he might… no! He definitely will!"
In the audience stands, waves of worried, regretful, and astonished discussion surged like a tide.
Many people had already realized that although Shinichi was extraordinarily talented and had shocked everyone with his skills, he had ultimately fallen behind when faced with the opponent's absolute strength, physique, and endless, strange abilities.
The difference in their bodies was especially obvious at this moment.
But this was not Shinichi's fault. It was simply that he was too young.
He was only ten years old and had not even reached puberty yet.
Boom!
Just as the spectators were still discussing, the samurai in the arena did not waste any words. He pushed off the ground again. His burly body was like a giant beast that had crossed over from a primitive era, charging toward Shinichi once more with suffocating pressure!
The heavy footsteps sounded like war drums beating against everyone's hearts, causing another round of shocked cries.
Facing the enemy charging violently once again, Shinichi took a deep breath. He raised his right hand, his fingers joined like a sword. At his fingertip, a crimson flame as red as blood suddenly ignited out of thin air!
The flame was not large, but it was terrifyingly condensed. Its center showed a deep, dark red color, radiating scorching heat that caused the air around his fingertip to distort slightly.
The next moment, Shinichi suddenly swung his hand toward Isshin, who was charging forward!
"Boom!"
The tiny point of crimson flame at his fingertips, the instant it left his hand, was like igniting an invisible sea of oil in the air. In a split second, it expanded and spread, transforming into a surging crimson wave of flames several meters high and more than thirty meters wide!
The flames were extremely solid, like a tide formed from molten lava, carrying scorching heat that could burn everything as it charged forward, sweeping across everything in its path!
"W-what is that? Fire Style?!"
"When did he form hand seals? Did any of you see it?"
"There were no hand seals! How did he release it?!"
"Instant cast? Sealless Fire Style?!"
"Impossible! His hand seal speed must just be too fast!"
"Hmph! Why is it impossible? Don't forget Shinichi is the genius who developed the Sealless Rasengan!"
The spectator in the stand instantly erupted into chaos. Countless people widened their eyes, staring in disbelief at this scene that violated common sense.
When ordinary ninjas release Ninjutsu, which one does not need hand seals to guide chakra before releasing it?
No matter how skilled they are, there is always at least a brief hand-sealing process!
But Shinichi Higashino merely rubbed his fingers together and swung his hand!
In the special viewing area, Fugaku Uchiha, who had been calmly watching the battle, suddenly straightened his body. His Sharingan had already reopened at some unknown moment. His eyes, with three tomoe, stared fixedly at the surging wave of flames and Shinichi's figure behind it, and for the first time, an undisguised look of shock appeared on his face.
"This instantaneous transformation of fire chakra and change in chakra form… how exactly did he do it?!"
"With this level of Fire Style mastery, are you the Uchiha or am I the Uchiha?"
On the high platform, Homura Mitokado pushed his glasses up, his gaze sharp as an eagle. He looked at the third Hokage beside him and asked, "Hiruzen, is this the result of the Fire Style Nintaijutsu Shinichi has been developing? Has it already reached the level where it can be instantly cast in this kind of battle?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. His eyes reflected the surging crimson flames in the arena as he nodded and said in a deep voice, "Yes. He calls this move Dark Sweep. He abandoned the difficulty of achieving extreme simultaneous shape and change in chakra nature, focusing instead on molding fire nature chakra into a highly stable form and throwing it, pursuing hand-sealless, speed, and practical execution."
Advisor Koharu Utatane looked at the blazing flames that were nearly swallowing half the field.
Even her cold and stern face could not help revealing a trace of amazement.
"This child… his talent and execution in Ninjutsu development are truly…"
For a moment, she could not find a suitable word, and it ultimately turned into a sigh of admiration.
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