Hyūga Hizashi's brow furrowed. With the insight of the Byakugan, he instantly calculated the outcome: his tenketsu strike might severely wound the opponent's waist—but that terrifying, power-laden swinging punch would, at the same moment he succeeded, absolutely strike his own head and knock him unconscious.
In that split-second, he made a decision without hesitation. The right hand he had thrust out snapped back instantly; his entire upper body tilted sharply backward like drifting cotton, while chakra burst from his feet as he attempted to retreat at high speed.
And precisely in that delicate gap—when Hizashi, reacting to the dangerous counterattack, leaned back to evade, his old force slightly spent and new force not yet gathered—
Isshin's right side, which had appeared wide open due to the punch, suddenly changed!
The five fingers of his right hand holding the sword abruptly loosened.
Clang.
The light sound of the katana hitting the ground was almost ignored.
In the very next instant, in his now-free right palm, as if by magic, that grotesque, cold-metal gleaming short-barreled firearm reappeared!
The pitch-black muzzle, at less than five meters' distance, was already aimed at Hizashi, who was still leaning back mid-retreat, his movement momentarily stalled!
It was as if the hearts of everyone in the audience were clenched by an invisible hand!
Again?!
"Despicable!"
"Shameless! Again?!"
"No honor at all!"
"Be careful, Hizashi-jōnin!"
From the stands, a continuous explosion of shocked cries and angry shouts erupted.
Hizashi's Byakugan saw everything clearly—he even caught the subtle motion of the hammer being pulled back and the faint glimmer of gunpowder about to ignite within the barrel!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Blazing fire spat from the muzzle in rapid succession. Seven bullets tore through the air at speeds almost impossible to track with the naked eye, forming a deadly barrage that shot toward Hizashi!
And almost at the exact moment the shots were fired, the ground beneath Isshin's feet exploded again. Like a ferocious beast, he charged forward behind the barrage with even greater savagery!
What kind of firearm is that? The bullets are this fast?!
In that instant, the same thought that had crossed Kawano jōnin's mind the day before flashed through Hizashi's mind as well.
But he displayed the top-tier composure and decisiveness expected of a Hyūga jōnin. His backward-leaning body forcibly halted, and both hands turned into a blur too fast for the eye to follow!
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Seven soft yet distinct impacts overlapped into one!
Hizashi's palms danced before him, tracing dazzling pale-blue chakra arcs. Like the most dexterous catcher, he deflected, guided, grasped, and supported—
All seven incoming bullets were intercepted without a single one slipping through!
Some were pinched between his fingers, others caught in his palm, others steadily supported!
Catching bullets with bare hands!
The entire process was lightning-fast, yet carried out with effortless ease!
After catching them, he quickly flicked the bullets aside onto the ground, where they clinked sharply.
"He caught them! He caught them with his bare hands!"
"My god! That's incredible!"
"As expected of a Hyūga jōnin!"
The stands erupted into thunderous cheers and astonishment. This near-miraculous display even momentarily overshadowed the anger toward Isshin's repeated trick.
However, the true danger had only just begun.
No matter how fast Hizashi's actions were—catching and discarding the bullets—they still cost a fraction of time and a sliver of focus.
And Isshin's storm-like barrage of punches and kicks was already upon him!
Hizashi's expression turned solemn. His hands instantly shifted from catching bullets back into palms as the Gentle Fist rose again—blocking, deflecting, redirecting, shifting—receiving and dispersing Isshin's fierce punches, elbows, and knee strikes one by one.
The sound of fists and palms colliding rang out like a string of beads, their figures weaving at high speed across the center of the arena. The battle was intense beyond measure.
The longer they exchanged blows, the more stifled Hizashi felt. Every time he tried to use Gentle Fist to break the opponent's rhythm, he was forced back into defense or redirection by Isshin's completely reckless, injury-for-injury fighting style.
"This guy's taijutsu is this strong too?!"
The spectators were dazzled.
"His punches are so fast, so powerful—Hizashi-jōnin looks like he's avoiding the brunt of them?"
"So what? Hizashi-jōnin can even catch his bullets—Gentle Fist definitely—"
Before the confident spectator could finish—
"Ugh!"
A short, muffled groan of pain and shock suddenly sounded from the arena!
In the midst of another close exchange—when both had committed to their moves—
Isshin's right foot, like an iron pillar, suddenly moved without warning. With shocking naturalness—almost with a street-brawler's shameless flair—he viciously stomped down on Hizashi's slightly forward left foot, crushing his toes!
Stomping on toes?!
Such a lowly, almost childish move—like something out of a playground fight—appearing in a high-speed duel between two taijutsu experts, produced immediate results!
"Despicable!"
"How can he stomp on toes?!"
"Th-this is something kids do when they fight! Shameless!"
The stands exploded into uproar. Many villagers were stunned by the abrupt shift in tone, then erupted into even stronger contempt and anger.
But that single moment of opening—
That was exactly what Isshin wanted!
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Seizing the instant Hizashi's body stalled from the pain in his toes and his Gentle Fist rhythm broke, his right leg—having just stomped—did not even retract.
Instead, his knee shot forward like a cannonball, driving with unstoppable force toward Hizashi's chest and abdomen, which had dropped slightly and were now wide open due to the pain!
If this strike landed solidly, even if it didn't decide the match outright, the rhythm of the battle would completely fall into Isshin's hands!
At that critical moment, chakra within Hizashi's body erupted at unprecedented speed!
Gentle Fist: Rotation!
From every tenketsu in his body, dense, powerful pale-blue chakra burst forth. At the same time, his feet began rotating in place with minimal amplitude yet unbelievable speed!
The surging chakra, combined with the rapid rotation of his body, instantly formed an airtight, high-speed spinning spherical barrier of chakra, completely enveloping him!
Isshin's fierce knee strike slammed directly into this suddenly formed absolute defense!
Boom!!
A heavy impact rang out. Chakra at the point of collision surged violently! Rotation's high-speed spin—combining intense spiraling force and powerful rebound—fully manifested!
Isshin felt a powerful rotational recoil surge up through his leg!
His robust body was forced several steps backward by the force. His momentum was broken, and his body momentarily stiffened, leaving an opening.
"Great! It's the Hyūga clan's Rotation!"
"Hmph! This is absolute defense! No matter how strong he is, it won't matter!"
"As expected of a Hyūga jōnin!"
From the stands came waves of cheers and relieved applause.
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