An empty, boundless desert.
A fierce wind howled and swept through, kicking up a sky full of flying yellow sand, like a group of frantic wild horses galloping endlessly.
The tiny grains of sand, carried by the wind, swirled freely in the air, forming vast yellow curtains that obscured the sky.
They mercilessly struck Satoru and the others.
But no one paid attention to the small amount of yellow sand.
It wasn't a sandstorm.
Even if it were a sandstorm, there were experts in sand control here who could withstand it.
At worst, everyone's strength was sufficient; they had nothing to fear.
"In a Taijutsu battle, even if he's Captain Satoru, he'll still lose to Shion."
Kankuro had great confidence in Shion's Taijutsu.
Currently, no Ninja in Hidden Sand Village had ever defeated Shion in Taijutsu.
Even some Taijutsu Ninja from foreign lands came to challenge this One-Star Taijutsu Ninja, a Ninja who created his own style and Taijutsu foundation.
That was Shion.
All of them were defeated by Shion.
This once again proved the authority of the Ninja Association's Star Ninja titles.
Within the same framework, no one could defeat the current Shion in Taijutsu.
Perhaps those two guys in green jumpsuits from Konoha would have a chance.
Kankuro recalled the Chunin Exams back then, the man who pushed Gaara into a disadvantage.
And the man who later punched Gaara's sand away.
As for Satoru, although legends spoke of his powerful Taijutsu, in Kankuro's impression, Satoru was famous for his Genjutsu.
Especially the Genjutsu he displayed during the Fourth Shinobi World War.
And the five sound-based Genjutsu Ninja tools he wielded.
"Beat him, beat him, beat him—" Kankuro remembered the One-Star Puppet Ninja assessment he hadn't yet passed, and couldn't help but draw circles to curse him in his mind.
Gaara looked at Shion, whose face was being struck by the wind and sand: "Don't underestimate him. He is, after all, a hero of the Ninja World. Although his Taijutsu is only powerful, as a Jonin, he wouldn't be weak. Not to mention, his purpose in coming here is to gain some inspiration from Hidden Sand Village's Taijutsu Ninja."
Jonin are never bad at Taijutsu.
Especially a legendary hero.
Genjutsu-type Ninja are also not bad at Taijutsu.
The Genjutsu suggestions Satoru once cast subtly influenced everyone in the world.
Everyone focused their attention on Satoru's Genjutsu.
And on his current status.
Kankuro: "I won't underestimate him, but Taijutsu is Shion's specialty; there's absolutely no problem."
He had confidence in Shion.
Boom!
Just as they were discussing, the two below began to move.
In an instant, they clashed.
"Not bad. It's been a while since I've fought. Show me what you've got. As long as you don't die, I can save you."
Satoru felt the power in Shion's hand and spoke to him.
In their clash, Satoru didn't use his full strength.
His current Taijutsu foundation already surpassed Might Guy's.
Unless Might Guy opened the Eight Gates.
As for Shion, although he was also a Taijutsu genius like Might Guy, even capable of developing his own exclusive Taijutsu, he was still much younger.
Shion was only 20 years old now, not yet in his prime.
Moreover, Hidden Sand Village's development of Taijutsu Ninja was not as extensive as Konoha's.
They only seemed to have just started systematic training, now seemingly just beginning to refer to Konoha for cultivating Taijutsu Ninja.
Many secret medicines and other things were also not as abundant as in Konoha, which resulted in Shion's physical foundation currently being inferior to Lee's.
Shion's veins bulged.
His feet pressed into the ground, leaving deep imprints in the sand.
His gaze was exceptionally focused.
"This is the Taijutsu of a legendary Ninja; so strong."
As a Taijutsu expert, Shion felt the pressure from Satoru with just a simple touch.
It wasn't as rumored, that this was a Genjutsu-type Ninja.
Instead, his Taijutsu was unexpectedly strong.
Bang, bang, bang!
As the clashes became more frequent, Shion's developed Taijutsu unfolded one by one; his Silent Palm technique and other moves began to be used.
The more he fought, the more startled he became.
His Silent Palm technique was useless.
It eliminated sound, but not Chakra. Genjutsu-type Ninja are mostly sensory-type, so it had little effect.
His physical strength was even more completely overwhelmed by his opponent.
This gave Shion a sense of powerlessness.
"Seven Heavens Breathing Technique, First Activation."
"Second Activation—Third Activation—Fifth—"
Boom!
In terms of pure Taijutsu fighting skills, Shion quickly couldn't keep up.
And it was obvious that Satoru was holding back, just wanting to see his Taijutsu abilities.
So he stopped pretending, and a yellow light emanated from his body.
Chakra flowed within his body.
A large amount of air was drawn into his body.
Under the effect of the Seven Heavens Breathing Technique, his body's cells began to activate.
His skin, muscles, face, and other areas also began to redden.
"I'm coming, Senior Satoru."
Then he politely said.
Satoru nodded at his words.
This was what he wanted to see.
Truly excellent.
This method of activation was very different from the Raikage's.
Bang!
Shion instantly vanished from his spot, and a path immediately appeared in the yellow sand.
He charged directly towards Satoru.
"It's here, Shion's Seven Heavens Breathing Technique, and he's even activated the Fifth Activation."
Kankuro looked at Shion, who was glowing yellow, and spoke.
"That's it, beat him."
He had been worried for Shion just now.
He hadn't expected Satoru's Taijutsu to be so strong.
Wasn't he a Genjutsu-type Ninja? He had been careless.
He always overlooked the Taijutsu that could kick away the Ten-Tails' shell.
"Hmm, I really want to see Captain Satoru's full strength."
Gaara regretted that he had been caught in the Infinite Tsukuyomi at the time and hadn't witnessed Satoru's full strength.
"He's definitely strong, but I'm confident I can defeat him," Kankuro said confidently.
He was a Puppet Master; as long as he prevented the opponent's sensory Ninjutsu and hid himself inside a puppet.
Let the puppets completely surround him, and then the opponent wouldn't be his match.
Especially his newly developed mech puppet.
Unrivaled in the world.
He was about to become a One-Star Puppet Ninja.
Perhaps he might even become a Two-Star.
Gaara was a little speechless at his words: "Brother, we might already be caught in his Genjutsu right now. Are you sure you can defeat him?"
"Genjutsu? When did we get caught in Genjutsu?" Kankuro was startled and quickly performed the Genjutsu release technique.
He found that he wasn't caught in Genjutsu.
He looked left and right, but found nothing.
Gaara rubbed his forehead: "Didn't you notice? Look at his Taijutsu now, and think about before; we always overlook his Taijutsu and focus our attention on his Genjutsu, as if the presence of his Ninjutsu and Taijutsu information has weakened, and our attention can only focus on his Genjutsu."
And there was no way to dispel it.
It was as if what they were caught in wasn't Genjutsu.
As soon as they thought about it, their minds would immediately stray.
It was only because their conversation was on this topic; otherwise, their attention on Satoru would quickly shift back to his Genjutsu.
Or to his political or business abilities.
Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and other aspects would all have their presence diminished.