Tap, tap, tap~
With light, unhurried steps, Tatsuya walked forward. Gazing at Tatsuya's relaxed, almost casual demeanor, Hiruko's eyes suddenly narrowed. The appearance of this individual before him instilled an inexplicable, profound pressure. This feeling was strange, almost primal; it wasn't due to an overwhelming chakra fluctuation, nor was it the result of a surging, powerful physical aura. It was more akin to a pure, instinctual bloodline suppression.
A natural enemy! An intense sense of unease washed over Hiruko's heart.
Tatsuya's gaze swept past Hiruko, then quickly flickered over his three subordinates standing beside him, finally lingering for a moment on the voluptuous woman among them. Hiruko's three subordinates were indeed a bizarre trio; not only could they fuse with beasts, but the three of them and their respective beasts could also combine their powers in unique ways. One rode a bird, one kept a dog, and one fed a snake. This beautiful woman before him was the dog keeper. Tatsuya was quite curious as to how Hiruko had managed to cultivate these three unique underlings. Although in Tatsuya's eyes they weren't particularly formidable, in the broader ninja world, they had all undoubtedly reached the level of powerful individuals, at least equivalent to Jonin.
"Who are you? Are you also a Konoha ninja?" Hiruko demanded, his voice low and serious as he looked at Tatsuya, who seemed to completely disregard the presence of himself and his three subordinates. Tatsuya currently wasn't wearing a forehead protector bearing the Konoha symbol.
Hearing Hiruko's question, Tatsuya shifted his gaze from the woman back to Hiruko and said indifferently, "I am Tatsuya Akimichi."
Upon hearing the name, Hiruko's eyes flickered, but he said nothing further. Tatsuya Akimichi, the secret technique user of Konoha Village. Even Hiruko, who had been living in seclusion in the Land of Earth for many years, had heard of this renowned name. This man was rumored to be Konoha Village's current strongest ninja. Now that he had personally appeared, there was no possibility that he would simply let them go.
Thinking this, Hiruko clasped his hands together and let out a low cry, "Swift Release!" With that, Hiruko's figure vanished from his spot in a blur, reappearing instantaneously in front of Tatsuya. He threw a powerful punch, aiming straight for Tatsuya's chest.
THWACK!
Tatsuya raised his hand to block, and a dull, heavy sound of fists colliding echoed.
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
Immediately following this, Hiruko's figure transformed into a black afterimage in mid-air, continuously circling Tatsuya's body at incredible speed. A relentless barrage of punches and kicks rained down, the sounds of impact echoing continuously.
Behind Tatsuya, Naruto and Sasuke, watching Hiruko move like a flickering black shadow, their faces showed a mixture of shock and excitement. They were shocked that Hiruko possessed such inhuman speed; even Sasuke, with his Sharingan activated, couldn't keep up with Hiruko's movements. Their excitement, however, stemmed from Tatsuya's performance. In their eyes, Tatsuya simply stood there calmly, yet Hiruko's relentless attacks couldn't force him back even a single step. They couldn't even see Tatsuya's movements as he blocked Hiruko's blows. Such a display of effortless defense was even more shocking than Hiruko's incredible speed.
At the spot where Hiruko had been standing moments before, his three subordinates now all wore expressions of utter disbelief. Faced with their master, who had activated his Swift Release, their opponent was actually able to defend himself with such ease. This level of strength completely overturned their understanding of what a ninja was capable of.
BANG!
After another heavy, muffled impact, Hiruko retreated, reappearing in his original position. He was panting slightly, and his eyes, as he looked at Tatsuya, were filled with a mixture of despair and bitter unwillingness. To achieve his current level of strength, he had expended countless efforts and an immense amount of time, all for the sake of overcoming the limitations of his natural aptitude and becoming the strongest, most perfect ninja. But now, this young man, Tatsuya, made him feel an overwhelming sense of hopelessness.
Gritting his teeth, Hiruko clasped his hands together again, preparing to form another set of seals. However, this time, Tatsuya didn't give him the chance. Almost at the exact instant Hiruko raised his hands, Tatsuya's figure appeared directly in front of him. They stood face to face, the distance between them less than twenty centimeters.
Hiruko froze, completely stunned.
Tatsuya reached out with his left hand, his fingers closing around Hiruko's throat, a vital point. Simultaneously, his right hand pressed against Hiruko's chest. In an instant, a dark, ink-like sealing formula spread rapidly across Hiruko's body.
Nearby, Ran and the other two subordinates all jolted violently; they felt the connection between themselves and their master abruptly severed. Tatsuya had used a Contract Seal to cut the link between Hiruko and his three underlings.
With Tatsuya's left hand gently but firmly gripping his throat, Hiruko's breathing became slightly ragged. He glanced down at a special mark that had appeared on his right hand and a look of dawning, horrified realization crossed his face. The Flying Thunder God Technique! His opponent had actually, during their brief exchange of blows, secretly inscribed the special seal formula of the Flying Thunder God Technique onto his hand!
All of this had happened in just two or three seconds. By the time everyone else had fully processed what had occurred, Hiruko was already completely under Tatsuya's control.
"Master!" Ran and the other two, snapping out of their shock, immediately tried to rush forward to rescue Hiruko.
"Get lost!" At that moment, Tatsuya suddenly turned his head and roared at them, his voice low and menacing. Simultaneously, an immense surge of natural energy erupted from his body. As the vast natural energy billowed out from Tatsuya, it formed a towering pillar of dark green light above him. The distinctive orange pigmentation of Sage Mode had already formed around Tatsuya's eyes.
The pillar of dark green light shot towards the heavens, and a terrifying, oppressive wave of energy swept across the entire area. This display of power was more than ten times stronger, more awe-inspiring, than the Storm Release: Demon Storm Dragon technique Hiruko had unleashed earlier.
Looking at Tatsuya, now wreathed in the pillar of dark green light, the three subordinates didn't dare to move another inch. The difference in their strength was simply too vast, too absolute.
Watching the incredibly domineering Tatsuya, both Sasuke and Naruto couldn't help but gulp, their mouths suddenly dry. When would they ever be able to possess such overwhelming strength?
Hiruko, still held by Tatsuya's left hand, felt the terrifying power erupting from Tatsuya's body most directly. In just a few short moments, the raging natural energy surged into Hiruko's body, completely destroying his artificially fused form from the inside out. His arms and internal organs showed clear signs of petrification, turning to stone.
At this moment, Hiruko's heart turned completely to ash. Faced with this kind of power, even if he had successfully fused five Kekkei Genkai and become the "perfect ninja" he had always dreamed of being, he likely still wouldn't have been able to contend with it. Perhaps only a power on the level of a natural cataclysm, a force of heaven and earth, could compare.
Hiruko gave up. The power he had so painstakingly pursued for his entire life was nothing but a joke in front of this young man. This shattering of his lifelong conviction, this utter collapse of his beliefs, was a despair far deeper than any physical defeat.
Casually tossing the now completely incapacitated Hiruko to the ground like a discarded doll, Tatsuya gently clapped his hands together, dusting them off.
It was over.
Tatsuya turned his head, his gaze sweeping towards a specific direction to the north. Behind a large boulder not far away in that direction, an Iwagakure ninja, sensing Tatsuya's gaze lock onto him, immediately jolted in terror. Then, using the boulder as cover, he quickly turned and fled northwards with all his might. The power that Konoha ninja had just displayed was simply too terrifying; this Iwagakure scout had absolutely no courage to even attempt to engage him in battle.
However, his escape was ultimately futile. As the fleeing Iwagakure ninja leaped through the air, he suddenly felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck, and then, darkness. He had been knocked unconscious in mid-flight.