Chapter 4: Feasibility Report on One-Hit-KO-ing a Taijutsu Ninja (Part One)
Inside the training field, Kurenai Yuhi eventually gave up trying to decipher what Hagoromo had been rambling on about. "What you're saying might be true—or it might just be a distraction," she said through gritted teeth. "But none of that matters. Since you want to see my genjutsu for yourself, I'll oblige you—with my strongest technique."
She didn't bother with shuriken, taijutsu, or weaker illusions. Kurenai knew she was outclassed in those areas against this opponent. So instead, she focused on her true specialty: genjutsu.
Her hands flew into motion, forming seals at lightning speed.
"Ninja Art: Demonic Illusion – Tree Binding Death!"
A B-rank genjutsu—and the most advanced one Kurenai could currently use.
Her body began to fade like mist, and behind Hagoromo , a massive tree silently burst from the ground. Its branches reached out to ensnare his limbs. Once entangled, Kurenai would emerge from the tree to deliver a decisive, illusionary "kill."
This technique was far beyond anything a typical student could counter. Even a trained chunin could fall victim if caught off guard.
"This is bad!"
Instructor Aizawa's face twisted in alarm. It was already too late to intervene.
Though powerful, genjutsu requires one essential thing: the enemy has to actually fall for it.
Kurenai cautiously approached Hagoromo . When he didn't react at all, she assumed the illusion had taken hold. A victorious smile began to form on her lips—
And that's when Hagoromo moved.
Just as he had expected, the illusion hadn't worked.
His head flickered with blue arcs of lightning, like a faulty computer monitor, the visual side-effect of his chakra flow resisting the illusion. That chakra—lightning release—had shielded his senses and blocked the genjutsu's effects.
He shot out his right hand and clamped down hard on Kurenai's wrist, stopping her kunai in mid-swing. His grip was like a steel vice, and pain forced the weapon to clatter from her hand.
Then, raising his left hand, he formed a knife-hand and tapped her gently on the back of the neck.
Kurenai dropped like a stone—unconscious before she hit the ground.
"Battle over! The winner is Kamishiraishi Hagoromo !"
Instructor Aizawa called out loudly. Truth be told, he'd thought Hagoromo was done for the moment Kurenai activated a B-rank illusion. He never expected the genjutsu to have absolutely no effect.
As a chunin instructor, even he would've had trouble resisting that technique if taken by surprise. And yet, Hagoromo had nullified it entirely.
Kurenai's limp form slumped against Hagoromo 's chest. As the match ended, two medical-nin swiftly arrived and carried her away.
Though the victory wasn't hard-won, Hagoromo felt satisfied. If he could defend against that level of genjutsu, standard illusions were hardly a concern anymore.
Once Kurenai was taken away, Hagoromo exited the field as well. To be honest, whenever he looked into Kurenai's red eyes, what he thought of wasn't the Uchiha's Sharingan… but Kurapika, forever Kurapika.
Outside the field, the buzz of conversation hadn't died down. Most of the students were still stunned—Hagoromo had defeated the top student, Kurenai, with just a few moves. And it had looked almost effortless.
By the time he returned to the spectator area, the next match had already begun:
Uchiha Obito vs. Anko Mitarashi.
To be blunt, there wasn't much to see. As expected, Obito didn't last three seconds before Anko knocked him out cold.
After the first round of matches, apart from the predictable early elimination of Obito—the class's long-time dead-last—the ones who advanced into the top fifteen were Kamishiraishi Hagoromo , Might Guy, and Rin Nohara.
Unlike Obito, Might Guy's low academic rank was mostly due to his poor performance in everything except physical training. But in terms of taijutsu and actual combat, he was undoubtedly among the elite.
"Now, the second round begins. I will now announce the match-ups," the instructor called out.
"First up: Might Guy versus... Kamishiraishi Hagoromo !"
"Awesome! Hagoromo ! Let's settle this once and for all!"
The moment he heard his name—even before knowing who his opponent was—Might Guy dashed into the center of the field. When he finally realized who he was facing, he shouted even louder in excitement.
Hagoromo followed him in with a sigh. If he didn't, Guy would've kept yelling forever.
Still, Hagoromo wasn't exactly hyped about this match. Despite Guy's wild training methods, his taijutsu was still immature due to his age. There was no way he could use the Eight Gates yet—heck, he couldn't even perform the Lotus.
"Begin!"
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
As soon as the signal was given, Guy lunged at Hagoromo with a flying roundhouse kick aimed at his head.
But without superior speed or power, such an attack was poorly timed. Before his leg even reached Hagoromo , his ankle was caught midair—gripped with one hand.
Hagoromo took a step back, twisted his hips, and used Guy's own momentum to throw him across the field.
"Damn it! Again!"
Guy sprang up like nothing happened and charged again—only to be sent tumbling with a sweep to the legs.
Then came a third charge, and a third takedown.
Fourth. Fifth. Sixth…
Despite his goofy appearance, Might Guy's relentless drive and refusal to give up made him impossible to hate.
That's why Hagoromo decided it was time to end this—seriously.
"Guy, watch out. I'm going all out now."
"Perfect! That's what I want!" Guy shouted, eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
Hagoromo slowly closed his eyes—then snapped them open again, no hand seals, no theatrics. Lightning Release chakra surged through his body, blue sparks crackling along his skin.
Guy rushed in once more.
This time, Hagoromo didn't throw him.
He tilted his head, dodging the punch, and struck upward with a brutal uppercut to Guy's chin. Before Guy could recover, Hagoromo's knee rocketed up into his gut.
Guy's body arched in the air, launched by the sheer force of the blow.
But it wasn't over.
In the split-second Guy hung in the air, Hagoromo coiled his body, leapt up, and slammed a kick into Guy's midsection, sending him flying even higher.
Now both were airborne—but only Hagoromo had control.
He spun midair. His left leg, still unused, came around in a brutal strike—third hit!
Hagoromo landed using the momentum to stabilize, while Guy soared six meters upward, totally defenseless.
Lightning chakra surged through Hagoromo 's legs. He jumped again—this time soaring past Guy's height in a single motion.
From above, he brought his right leg down in a crushing axe kick.
"Lion Combo!!!"
BOOM!
Guy hit the ground like a meteor, smashing into the earth with bone-shaking force.
When the dust finally cleared, a shallow crater had formed in the training field. In its center lay Guy—unconscious.
For three minutes, no one made a sound.
Kurenai, having just regained consciousness, saw Guy in that state and quietly thanked her luck that she didn't have to face Hagoromo in a taijutsu match…