"Not bad, Kazuku."
Batsu couldn't help but marvel. Kazuku was strong.
His attacks were clean, his defense impeccable.
Almost no openings.
Compared to yesterday, today's Kazuku was several times stronger.
Batsu met Kazuku fist for fist, leg for leg.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Shockwaves rippled, echoing loudly.
With Kazuku's muscle strength, he couldn't match Batsu.
But he found his way.
Monstrous strength!
Each strike concentrated chakra in his fists or feet, boosting power!
But…
Batsu's assault was relentless.
In less than a breath, he threw three punches, giving Kazuku no time to gather enough chakra.
"Though I can't muster enough for Cherry Blossom Impact or Painful Sky Leg, it's enough to counter Batsu's muscle strength."
Kazuku's gaze sharpened, locked on the clash.
The fight stretched past two minutes, Kazuku holding his own against Batsu.
"Impressive, Kazuku. In one day, you've grown this much. Looks like… I need to get more serious!"
Batsu roared, breaking away, landing on a wooden post, his mind racing.
"Unlike Kazuku, I don't have Lord Hashirama's Seal-less Healing. A prolonged fight puts me at a disadvantage."
Batsu mused.
The Gate of Life, though the last safe gate, didn't harm muscles.
But it drained energy exponentially.
"Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain, open!"
"Fifth Gate, Gate of Limit, open!"
Batsu opened up to the Gate of Limit, his skin reddening further, veins bulging on his forehead.
His features twisted, beast-like.
"Here it comes," Kazuku frowned, clenching his fists, channeling chakra to break deeper restrictions.
He knew.
The earlier clash was just a warm-up.
Now, the real fight began.
Bang!
Kazuku's chakra broke the Fourth Gate, then surged toward the Fifth.
Bang!
As the Gate of Limit opened, Kazuku exuded a powerful aura, unbelievable for a seven-year-old.
"D-Du… Gate of Limit?!" Hashirama's eyes widened, his mind blank.
Kazuku was…
Seven, right?
Seven and opening the Gate of Limit?
This had to be a joke!
But…
Hashirama saw clearly—Kazuku had indeed opened the Gate of Limit.
Tobirama noticed Hashirama's jaw-dropped expression and froze.
He'd known Kazuku mastered the Gate of Limit.
And could use Seal-less Healing to negate its muscle damage.
So this development didn't surprise Tobirama.
What baffled him was Hashirama's shock—it seemed genuine.
Flawless!
He was truly stunned.
But that raised a question.
Wasn't Hashirama the one who taught Kazuku the Eight Gates?
"Even Big Brother's acting couldn't…"
Tobirama swallowed hard. Denial was one thing, shock another.
The light in Hashirama's eyes couldn't be faked.
Maybe…
No one in the ninja world could act this well, least of all his brother.
"Big Brother's actually shocked?!"
That was what stunned Tobirama.
It meant Hashirama hadn't taught Kazuku the Eight Gates!
"Did Kazuku really learn the Eight Gates just by watching Batsu's demonstration?"
But was that possible?
The thought made Tobirama gasp.
He was shocked yet again!
On the battlefield…
Kazuku and Batsu moved simultaneously, charging with giant strides.
The air they stirred cracked the earth.
"Here I come, Kazuku!" Batsu roared, throwing a straight punch at Kazuku's face.
At this point, Batsu held nothing back, abandoning restraint.
In his heart, he'd acknowledged Kazuku.
Saw him as a taijutsu master who could fight to the last move!
"Come on, Batsu!" Kazuku matched his volume, palm meeting Batsu's fist.
BOOM!
A fierce shockwave erupted from their clash, radiating outward.
The intense wind forced Hiruzen and the others to retreat.
A chill settled over them.
"He… he blocked it? Kazuku blocked Batsu's attack!" Koharu gasped.
To her, Batsu having such power was no surprise.
He was Konoha's top taijutsu master.
But Kazuku was only seven!
Seven and matching Batsu?
This had to be a joke!
" Kazuku's not losing ground," Uchiha Kagami observed with his Sharingan. He'd expected Kazuku to be overwhelmed by Batsu's steel fist, sent flying.
Never imagined he'd block it!
"A seven-year-old tying with Batsu? How's he doing this…"
"Danzo, you didn't lose unfairly," Hiruzen said, staring at the battlefield.
If they hadn't seen it themselves, none would believe it.
A seven-year-old with such strength.
But…
Their shock paled compared to Batsu's.
As Kazuku's opponent, he didn't just see his power—he felt it.
This punch could shatter a three-meter boulder.
Yet against Kazuku's palm, it was like hitting an iron wall, unable to budge.
He looked up at Kazuku's expression.
Expected strain, but saw calm.
Unbelievable!
Of course, Kazuku's ease came from monstrous strength.
Without it, he couldn't have blocked.
"If I didn't have Hashirama's chakra for monstrous strength, my Eight Gates wouldn't match Batsu now."
In other words, Kazuku needed both monstrous strength and the Eight Gates to equal Batsu's muscle power.
While Batsu marveled at Kazuku's strength…
Kazuku was equally stunned by Batsu's.
But…
This wasn't his full strength.
"Sixth Gate, Gate of View, open!"
Kazuku channeled his chakra again, breaking a deeper restriction!
Batsu: "!!!"
(End of Chapter)