Chapter 222: Hyuga Fuji: "You Still Know Nothing About Chakra"
In the sky above the Land of Hot Water, the clash of godlike powers raged on. The people below could only catch glimpses of a swiftly moving red-haired figure as they struggled to keep their footing against the relentless winds.
Yet, Hyuga Fuji, the one orchestrating this storm, was far from satisfied.
Now that he fully understood the essence of Typhoon Release, it seemed wasteful to merely use it to control storms.
Unlike Earth Release and Water Release, which could harness external forces like the land and water, the manipulation of gases offered far greater versatility with Typhoon Release.
Creating ideal fluids or using gas manipulation to craft special combat domains were potential directions to explore.
However, the former remained purely theoretical for now.
An ideal fluid was a hypothetical substance that was incompressible and had no viscosity, meaning it wouldn't lose energy to internal friction during flow. It could theoretically achieve absolute physical defense and offense. But since it was purely imaginary, the chances of replicating it in reality were slim to none.
As for the latter...
Hyuga Fuji raised his hand slightly, his eyes narrowing as he observed Nagato glaring coldly at him through the storm.
A faint flush appeared on Nagato's face. He instinctively grabbed at his throat, his expression shifting dramatically as he felt the suffocating pressure. Knowing it was Hyuga Fuji's doing, he quickly descended to the ground.
Only when he landed and took in a deep breath of fresh air did Nagato regain his composure, glancing warily at the slowly descending Hyuga Fuji.
"What just happened? The air disappeared in the sky? What kind of bloodline limit is this?"
Landing softly, Hyuga Fuji looked up at the vacuum above, now refilled with air, and remarked with a hint of regret, "As expected, creating such a localized void doesn't achieve much."
Air was always in motion. Forcing it to form a hurricane and creating a vacuum in the process couldn't be sustained for long.
Moreover, with Nagato's durability and physical resilience, even if the pressure difference were extreme, it wouldn't cause his body to rupture. Given enough time to react, he could easily escape the affected area.
"The legendary Sage's eyes shouldn't be so disappointing, should they, Lord Nagato?"
As soon as Hyuga Fuji spoke, his figure vanished.
Noticing the kunai that had suddenly appeared near his feet, Nagato's expression turned grave.
"Shinra Tensei!"
An immense repulsive force radiated outward from Nagato, clearing the surrounding area of trees and debris.
Hyuga Fuji, who had appeared beside Nagato and reached out to grab his arm, was immediately thrown back by the sudden blast of force.
However, he remained unshaken.
Extending his hand toward Nagato, an invisible pulling force enveloped him.
"Bansho Ten'in?" Nagato's eyes widened in surprise.
Although he had witnessed Hyuga Fuji's use of Shinra Tensei earlier, facing the same ability as his own was still difficult to process.
This was the power of the Rinnegan, the power of the Sage of Six Paths. How could a member of the Hyuga clan possibly possess something so similar?
Before Nagato could figure it out, Hyuga Fuji closed in, speaking words that made Nagato's pupils constrict.
"Your Shinra Tensei has a five-second interval. That flaw is fatal in combat."
He noticed? From our earlier exchange in the sky?
Nagato's thoughts raced as Hyuga Fuji approached. Instinctively, he swung his fist, but Hyuga Fuji disappeared again, reappearing behind him. With a powerful palm strike, he slammed Nagato into the ground.
Nagato reacted quickly, slamming his hand against the ground to flip himself upright. A black chakra rod appeared in his hand, which he hurled forcefully at Hyuga Fuji.
Hyuga Fuji leaned slightly to the side, dodging the rod with minimal movement. His left hand, already charged with chakra, struck Nagato directly.
Boom!
A ten-meter-long blast of compressed air obliterated everything in its path.
Using the momentum to distance himself, Nagato coughed up blood, his expression growing darker.
He's too fast!
Nagato had believed that mastering the Rinnegan would place him at the pinnacle of the world. But now, it was clear he still had a long way to go.
"Lord Nagato, they're struggling to hold the line over there!"
Nagato's internal struggle was interrupted by White Zetsu's voice at his feet, prompting him to make a decision.
Forming a series of hand seals, Nagato pressed his hands together in front of his chest. "Summoning: Gedo Statue!"
With a burst of smoke, a massive, humanoid statue emerged. Its dry, wooden-like skin and ten protrusions on its back gave it an eerie and menacing appearance.
Hyuga Fuji observed the Gedo Statue but refrained from attacking Nagato with the black rods it carried. Instead, his eyes gleamed as he spoke words that left Nagato baffled.
"Even with the Rinnegan, you—and all of you—still know nothing about chakra."
…
"Where's your leader?"
In a dense forest, Sasori maneuvered his puppet to fly through the air, glancing toward another puppet controlled by White Zetsu.
"He was intercepted."
White Zetsu replied with an expressionless tone.
Meanwhile, Sasori was still fuming from his defeat.
Once again, he had lost.
And this time, the puppet he used had been stolen—again!
Turning his head to look at Hyuga Miyuki, who was relentlessly chasing him with dozens of puppets in tow, White Zetsu couldn't help but be astonished.
Sasori had to be the unluckiest man alive, constantly matched against a counter.
If his opponent had been anyone but a puppeteer as skilled as Hyuga Miyuki, things might have been different.
But every time Sasori brought out a puppet, Hyuga Miyuki would convert it into one of her own.
With every skirmish, the balance shifted further in her favor. What had once been an even battle had steadily turned against Sasori.
"All this because you made the first move. She's been chasing you for ten days straight... Don't you regret it?"
Recalling their initial encounter, White Zetsu's tone was laced with irony.
After this mission, when they returned to Hyuga Fuji, White Zetsu silently vowed never to cross Hyuga Miyuki. Grudge-holding women were terrifying.
"Regret?" Sasori scoffed as he sent two more puppets to slow down Hyuga Miyuki. "Do you really think she's chasing me because she wants my life?"
"Isn't that the case?"
"Look closer. Two puppets are enough to stall her, and she hasn't even used the Third Kazekage puppet for a long time."
Hearing Sasori's words, White Zetsu realized something strange.
If Hyuga Miyuki were truly desperate to kill Sasori, using the Third Kazekage puppet—the strongest one she'd taken from him—would have been the obvious choice.
Yet she hadn't deployed it, and...
White Zetsu's gaze shifted between Sasori and Hyuga Miyuki, who was 200 meters behind. Each time Sasori discarded a puppet to hinder her, she gleefully converted it into her own, slowing down momentarily.
This wasn't a pursuit; it was resource harvesting!
And Sasori was the renewable, endlessly reusable source.
Realizing this, White Zetsu finally understood the situation. Meanwhile, Sasori's expression grew colder.
He had suspected this for a while. Each time he managed to escape, it wasn't long before Hyuga Miyuki found him again—always after he'd managed to replenish his puppets.
This wasn't a pursuit—it was exploitation!
"Well done... treating me like your personal puppet craftsman."
Gritting his teeth, Sasori made a silent vow.
Once I escape, you'll never catch me again.
I'll hide so well you'll never find me—not in this lifetime!
(End of Chapter)
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