CHAPTER 22
c22 - Chakra Can Do Anything
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Two months later…
"There's something a hundred meters ahead. Judging from its chakra signature, it seems to be a summoned creature. Its summoner is twenty meters to the left."
"Understood."
"Burn your youth!"
Accompanied by a spirited roar, Yuuji and the others, who had just endured another intense battle, finally found a moment to rest.
In two months, the three had grown at an astonishing rate. Each of them was a prodigy with immense potential, pushing their limits in the crucible of war.
Guy had mastered the ability to open the Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain with stability. If necessary, he could push himself to the Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit, but doing so risked severe injury.
Kazue's Sharingan had evolved further—although she still had two tomoe, her mastery over genjutsu and predictive movements had reached an extraordinary level. Despite not yet awakening the three-tomoe Sharingan, her control over her visual prowess made her a formidable fighter.
As for Yuuji…
His progress was the most terrifying.
"With a massive chakra reserve, I really can do whatever I want…" Yuuji muttered, swallowing an unpalatable military ration pill to replenish his energy. A faint smile lingered on his lips.
During these two months, he had continued refining his chakra, extending control to nearly all of his cells.
As a result, he had officially reached the Jōnin-level in chakra reserves.
"Has Shibi-sensei gone to deal with an enemy Jōnin again? He really likes to act alone…"
Guy, unbothered by the bitter taste of the ration pill, devoured it eagerly. To him, taste mattered little—what mattered was power. As long as Yuuji-san didn't complain, it meant the food was fine.
"This is the first time I've seen a Jōnin who prefers solo combat… Having an army of insects sure is convenient," Kazue remarked with amusement.
No one knew exactly how many kikaichū Shibi had spread across the battlefield. His Bug Clone Technique allowed him to be in multiple places at once, acting with eerie efficiency.
With a Jōnin-level perception network, Shibi's awareness extended across the entire area.
Suddenly…
"Oh? Another enemy approaches… Be careful. This one is strong."
Yuuji's gaze sharpened.
He had sensed the presence of a shinobi whose body was rapidly absorbing radiation—evidence of his remarkable chakra control.
Soon, the enemy revealed himself.
"Finally found you… Konoha's 'genius team'."
"…Iwagakure again?" Kazue scoffed. "Most of the people we've killed lately are from your village."
Over the past two months, their missions had kept them constantly engaged. Apart from occasional returns to Konoha to resupply—and for Yuuji to maintain his secret shadow clone—most of their time had been spent on the Western Front, engaged in frequent but low-intensity skirmishes.
They had encountered and defeated both Iwagakure and Sunagakure shinobi multiple times.
"The three of you have killed far too many of my comrades… I, Jibachi, will personally take your heads."
With a cold expression, Jibachi made his move.
Earth Release: Rending Palm!
Jibachi slammed his palm into the ground. The terrain cracked open violently, shockwaves ripping through the battlefield toward Yuuji's team.
"This one's stronger than a typical Genin… at least a Tokubetsu Jōnin," Yuuji assessed. "We need to end this quickly. More enemies could be coming."
Immediately, the three leaped into action, surrounding Jibachi from different angles.
Earth Release: Earth Needle Barrage!
A rain of sharp earth spikes shot toward them. If not dealt with properly, even a minor hit could be fatal.
Yuuji countered instantly—
Nuclear Release: Oscillation Wave!
A concussive pulse of chakra erupted from his body, shattering the incoming projectiles mid-air.
Jibachi's eyes narrowed.
"So this is your strange Wind Release technique? Just like the reports said…"
Suddenly—
Jibachi turned and ran.
At that moment, Yuuji signaled to his teammates.
Without hesitation, all three turned and ran as well.
Jibachi hesitated.
"Damn brats… so cautious."
But he had no choice.
Gritting his teeth, he resumed pursuit—only for a shadow to silently emerge from the terrain behind Yuuji, kunai aimed at his throat.
A second enemy.
Guy reacted instantly.
Third Gate: Gate of Life—Open!
With a burst of speed, he intercepted the attacker with a devastating punch.
"You finally show yourself…" Yuuji muttered. "You're Iwagakure's Black Ops, aren't you?"
A kunai-wielding shinobi, clad in dark Iwa armor, glared at them.
"You know my name? That means you were expecting me," Kurobachi sneered.
Yuuji smirked.
Jibachi and Kurobachi…
Two Iwa shinobi who were defeated by Jiraiya in the original timeline.
This meant only one thing—
Iwagakure had officially placed their squad on their kill list.
Genin like them weren't supposed to be prioritized targets, yet the combination of their rapid growth and unusual abilities had drawn too much attention.
If left unchecked, they would become unstoppable.
Kurobachi's face darkened. "I want to kill you even more now…"
Kazue activated her Sharingan, instantly disrupting Jibachi's movements with subtle genjutsu interference.
She and Guy focused their attacks on Jibachi.
Meanwhile, Yuuji faced Kurobachi alone.
This was the first time he had fought a Jōnin-level opponent single-handedly.
His response?
He calmly formed hand seals.
Nuclear Release: Oscillation Wave!
Kurobachi scoffed.
"Hah, you think I wasn't prepared? I swallowed over a dozen antidotes before this fight!"
He charged forward, his short blade flashing toward Yuuji's throat.
But in the next moment—
Yuuji's hands blurred.
Faster.
And faster.
Oscillation Wave! Oscillation Wave! Oscillation Wave!
Kurobachi's expression twisted in horror.
"…?"
BOOM.
The battlefield exploded.
The ground was torn apart layer by layer—uprooting trees, smashing boulders, and reducing the terrain to rubble.
The sheer force of consecutive shockwaves sent Kurobachi flying, his body battered and bloodied.
When the dust settled, half the battlefield had been obliterated.
Kurobachi lay in the debris— motionless.
Yuuji exhaled.
"Now then…" He turned to his teammates.
"You two done over there?"
Kazue flicked the blood off her kunai.
Jibachi was crumpled at her feet, unconscious.
Guy grinned, wiping his brow.
"Of course! Our flames of youth won't lose to anyone!"
Yuuji smirked.
This was just the beginning.