"Swoosh—!"
Before Madam Gao could fully process what she had just heard, Mikey moved.
He didn't hesitate. He didn't hold back. Like a tiger released from its cage, he exploded forward, the ground beneath his feet cracking from the force of his charge. His movements were fast, direct, and overwhelming, the result of relentless training and a body that had been pushed far beyond ordinary limits.
After undergoing Konoha-style taijutsu training, his physique had transformed completely. His muscles had hardened like forged steel, his endurance reaching a level where even bullets could be caught barehanded without flinching. Strength and durability were no longer traits— they were his foundation.
But just as he closed in—
Something stopped him.
An invisible pressure slammed into his body, halting his advance mid-step. It felt like a massive hand had wrapped around him, squeezing from all directions, locking his limbs in place.
He couldn't move.
It wasn't physical. It wasn't visible. But it was undeniably real.
"…Qi," Madam Gao said calmly.
She raised a hand and pushed forward with effortless grace. The air itself seemed to shift with her motion, invisible force tightening around Mikey's body.
As one of the Five Fingers of the Hand, her power wasn't borrowed—it was cultivated. Unlike the energy granted to the Iron Fist through external means, her Qi had been refined over centuries. Every breath, every year, had strengthened it to an overwhelming degree.
Now, unleashed without restraint, it crushed down on Mikey like a vice.
She slowly brought her hands together.
The pressure increased.
It was like squeezing an apple—simple, inevitable. Bruises began to form across Mikey's body, the force digging into his muscles, threatening to crush bone and tear flesh.
It wasn't just pain.
It was suffocation.
"Where did this little brat come from?" Madam Gao muttered, her voice carrying faint irritation. "Running wild in my territory…"
She coughed lightly, her tone shifting as she continued, "Still, I'll show you mercy. Tell me who's behind you, and I might let you live."
Her voice carried a strange, unsettling quality—soft, yet sharp, like something ancient wearing a mask. It was impossible to tell anything about her from it, not even her true intentions.
Four hundred years.
That was how long she had survived, sustained by dragon bone and hidden methods. Over time, she had perfected deception itself—pretending ignorance, feigning weakness, luring enemies into lowering their guard.
Anyone foolish enough to believe her words rarely lived long enough to regret it.
"Crack… crack…"
Mikey lifted his head slowly.
His body trembled under the pressure, but his eyes were still clear. Still burning.
"It looks like…" he said, his voice strained but steady, "you picked the wrong move…"
Madam Gao sighed, almost theatrically, then clenched her fist.
Under that tightening force, even steel would collapse.
But something changed.
Instead of breaking, Mikey began to move.
Slowly at first.
Then stronger.
The invisible grip around him trembled as his muscles pushed back, resisting the pressure inch by inch. The expected scene—of flesh crushed and bones shattered—never came.
"Cough…!"
Mikey sucked in a breath, then shouted—
"Eight Gates Formation—First Gate: Opening!"
In an instant, something inside him snapped open.
Power surged through his body like a flood, his muscles expanding, his veins standing out as energy exploded outward. The pressure binding him shattered, fragments of invisible force dispersing into the air.
"Front Lotus!"
He vanished.
One moment he was restrained—next, he was behind her.
Before Madam Gao could react, a powerful kick slammed into her back, launching her into the air. Mikey followed immediately, catching her mid-flight and driving her downward with brutal force.
"Boom!"
Her body smashed into the ground.
This wasn't a simple strike. It was lethal. If her head had taken the full impact, her spine would have snapped instantly.
Madam Gao's expression changed drastically.
She hadn't expected this.
Not the speed. Not the strength. Not the sudden reversal of control.
Everything flipped in an instant.
She had no choice.
Qi surged through her body, forming a protective layer just as the impact hit. The force still shattered through her defenses partially, but it wasn't enough to kill her.
"Crack."
The sound of bone breaking echoed.
Her arm fractured, splintering under the impact.
But she endured.
Mikey staggered slightly as well, his body showing signs of strain. Bruises spread across his skin, and his breathing grew heavier. Yet his eyes—those eyes were still fierce, still burning with relentless energy.
"Eight Gates Formation—Second Gate: Rest!"
"Eight Gates Formation—Third Gate: Life!"
One gate after another opened.
A pale green aura erupted around his body, swirling violently as his blood and energy surged to their limits. The air itself seemed to ripple around him, distorted by the intensity of his power.
Madam Gao stared, stunned.
Even with her centuries of experience, she had never seen anything like this. Not even the Iron Fist of Kunlun had displayed such raw, explosive physical force.
This wasn't human.
It was like a beast.
No—something worse.
It was as if a dragon had been sealed inside him, now clawing its way out.
All this…
For a mission?
For the first time in a very long time, Madam Gao felt something unfamiliar.
Jealousy.
She had spent centuries cultivating power, building influence, yet she had never gathered subordinates like this. Compared to the force backing this boy, her own empire suddenly felt… lacking.
"Inner Lotus."
Mikey moved again.
He vanished from sight entirely.
By the time Madam Gao reacted, it was already too late.
A kick struck her from below, launching her upward. Before she could stabilize herself, another hit came—from behind. Then another. And another.
Six strikes in the blink of an eye.
Her body was sent spinning through the air, unable to resist, unable to counter.
"How… is this possible…?" she gasped.
She had underestimated him.
Even after trying not to.
If not for the Qi still protecting her, she would have been shattered completely from the very first strike.
"I've always been a coward," Mikey shouted, his voice carrying raw emotion. "Whenever things got hard, I hid behind my brothers!"
"It was Master who showed me the ninja way!"
"It was Lord Li Xuan who gave me a second chance!"
"I'll spend my whole life repaying that!"
"AHHH—!!!"
His roar echoed as he unleashed the final blow.
A devastating kick sent Madam Gao flying across the city.
She crashed through one building.
Then another.
Then another.
Seven structures in total were torn apart by her trajectory before she finally hit the ground, rolling violently across the street before coming to a stop near a public restroom.
The stench hit her instantly.
Her head spun.
Her body convulsed as nausea surged upward.
She opened her mouth and vomited blood, dark clots spilling onto the ground. Her internal organs felt twisted, damaged beyond anything she had experienced in centuries.
This was the worst injury she had suffered in over two hundred years.
And yet—
She didn't dare stay.
Forcing herself to move, she staggered toward the nearby restroom, disappearing inside. The foul smell would mask the scent of blood, buying her time.
"…Those 'lords'…" she muttered weakly. "Their subordinates are a nightmare…"
—
Flames rose into the sky.
Madam Gao's factory—once a place of silent suffering—was now engulfed in fire. The blaze was massive, visible from blocks away, yet no sirens sounded. No firefighters came.
It was as if the city had chosen to look the other way.
Inside a quiet courtyard, far removed from the chaos, Li Xuan lay asleep.
His expression was calm, almost peaceful, but his body shimmered faintly, like glass catching the light. Beneath his skin, something was changing.
Evolving.
The bloodline of the Divine Tree within him was awakening, feeding into a continuous process of transformation. Power flowed silently, building, refining, reshaping him from within.
And deep within that transformation—
His Rinnegan was nearing its awakening.
Like a butterfly waiting to emerge from its cocoon.
All he had to do… was lie there.
And grow stronger.
.....
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