Hizashi, endowed with the Byakugan and possessing exceptional perception, naturally would not let such a fleeting opening for a counterattack slip away!
At the very instant Isshin was forced back and his movement stalled for a fraction of a second, Hizashi had already ceased the rotation of Rotation. The moment the defensive barrier dissipated, chakra erupted beneath his feet, and his figure shot forward like an arrow released from the bow, rushing straight at Isshin!
While charging, he brought together the index and middle fingers of his right hand, forming a sword-like gesture. The vast chakra within his body surged toward his fingertips at an unprecedented density and speed, frantically gathering and compressing!
At the tip of his fingers, a dazzling, blinding pale-white light ignited—like a miniature chakra star—its emitted energy causing even the air itself to tremble faintly!
Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher!
A rarely used technique within the Gentle Fist system—yet the most concentrated offensive ultimate!
It condensed all the chakra in the body and the understanding of destructive force focused on a single "point" into one finger. Guided with the precision of the Byakugan, it released a piercing strike akin to an ultra-condensed chakra laser beam!
Its power was enough to pierce through the hardest rock and shatter the very core of a mountain!
That single strike was aimed directly at Isshin's shoulder—left completely exposed as he staggered backward!
All the perceptive shinobi held their breath, already foreseeing the terrifying, penetrating outcome.
And just as Hizashi's brilliant finger strike was about to touch Isshin's clothing—
A sudden change erupted!
Isshin's body, which appeared to be staggering from the recoil, suddenly contracted inward, as if every muscle, bone, and even his skin had undergone some strange tightening and transformation in an instant!
A cold, dense metallic sheen—like steel refined a hundred times—flashed across his exposed skin!
Adamant Guard!
A unique innate ability of Isshin's clone activated!
At the very moment the attack made contact, his entire body underwent high-intensity metallic transformation!
CLANG!!!
The dazzling pale-white finger strike landed squarely on that metallic body!
There was no dull sound of flesh being pierced—instead, what rang out was a loud, crisp, thunderous metallic clash, like a heavy hammer slamming into a massive bronze bell!
Hizashi felt an unimaginable hardness from his fingertips. In the next instant, a piercing, bone-deep pain shot up his arm—
His finger bones had shattered!
If not for chakra reinforcement, the recoil from that metallic body would likely have crippled his entire arm.
But beyond the pain, what shocked him even more was the overwhelming, mountain-crushing recoil force that followed!
Crack!
The faint sound of bone fracturing was drowned out by the subsequent explosion.
Boom!
The full force of his Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher—completely rebounded—rushed back through his arm!
The sleeve on Hizashi's right arm was the first to give way, shredding into countless fragments that fluttered like butterflies!
Then, his entire body was blasted backward as if struck head-on by an invisible giant hammer. He was sent flying uncontrollably, tracing a parabola through the air before crashing heavily onto the stone ground dozens of meters away, dust billowing everywhere.
"Pff—!"
A sweetness rose to Hizashi's throat as blood surged upward, only to be forcibly swallowed back down.
Struggling, he pushed himself up with his left arm. His right arm hung limply at his side—completely numb from fingertips to shoulder blade, wracked with burning pain and weakness from shattered bones and damaged chakra pathways.
Gritting his teeth, sweat beading across his forehead, Hizashi barely steadied himself on one knee and raised his blurred vision—
A cold touch suddenly pressed against his forehead.
It was the muzzle of a dark, rough metal barrel, still carrying the residual warmth of gunpowder.
At some unknown moment, Isshin had already closed the distance. In his left hand, he steadily held a firearm he had somehow produced again. The muzzle was pressed squarely against Hizashi's brow.
Lost.
Completely, utterly, undeniably lost.
On the stands—silence.
Countless spectators stared wide-eyed, mouths agape, yet unable to make a sound.
Many chūnin and jōnin had expressions filled with disbelief and shock.
What was that metallic sheen that appeared just now?
A ninjutsu?
A Kekkei Genkai?
Or some unknown secret technique?
It not only completely defended against Hizashi's Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher—it even reflected it back!
This completely overturned everything they knew about defensive techniques!
Wait—no! It was the same as before!
Many sharp-minded shinobi suddenly recalled the previous match.
Earlier, Yūhi Shinku's Genjutsu: Red Spider Lily had clearly taken effect. The samurai had indeed fallen into a momentary stiffness from the illusion. Yet just as Shinku was about to secure victory, he had inexplicably awakened and reversed the situation in an instant.
That feeling was exactly the same as just now!
In situations where victory seemed absolutely assured—even inevitable—it was suddenly overturned by a method beyond reason and comprehension!
This samurai from the Land of Iron—this Isshin of the Ashina style—
How many secrets was he hiding?
Where exactly was the limit of his strength?
In the shinobi clan viewing area, Hiashi also frowned deeply. He had seen it clearly—Hizashi's final Rotation defense had been flawless, the counterattack timing precise, and the power of the Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher unquestionable.
But how… how did it end like this?
What exactly was that technique the samurai used just now?
Steel Release?
That didn't seem quite right…
...
"What is that? Steel Release?"
On the high platform, advisor Utatane Koharu frowned, her expression even darker than before.
As a highly experienced and knowledgeable Konoha elder, she naturally knew of certain special Kekkei Genkai in the shinobi world—among them, one known as Steel Release, capable of hardening the body.
"How could a samurai from the Land of Iron possess such an ability?"
"From its appearance, it does resemble the rumored Steel Release—hardening the body to resist and even reflect physical attacks," Hiruzen slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "However… there's something subtly different about it. I can't quite pinpoint what."
But why does this feel so familiar…?
Hiruzen frowned inwardly.
Homura adjusted his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses extremely grave. "Whatever that is, Hiruzen, the current situation… is becoming difficult to control."
Hearing this, Hiruzen fell silent.
In the arena, Isshin held the firearm to Hizashi's forehead, his expression calm—no pride in victory, no deliberate mockery. Only a detached composure, as if he had merely completed a certain challenge.
He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet clearly carrying across the entire arena: "You've already lost, shinobi of the Hyūga clan."
Hizashi's face was pale. Feeling the cold metal at his brow and the agony in his right arm, he slowly closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he opened them again and said: "I concede."
Within the arena, as Hizashi's words of surrender fell, the spectator stands sank into a brief, near-vacuum silence.
But that silence was quickly swallowed by an even more turbulent and complex wave of discussion.
This time, anger still existed—but it was now mixed with an increasingly undeniable sense of shock… and wariness.
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