The Breath Before the Storm (4/5)

"Hey, hey, hey! That Sound Ninja’s punches are way too fast!"

"Yeah! I couldn’t even see them clearly!"

"Is that really something taijutsu can achieve?"

Though the two below had exchanged blows for only an instant, everyone present began crying out in alarm.

As Team 7’s jonin leader, Kakashi had long since lifted his forehead protector to reveal the Sharingan that belonged to Obito, his expression utterly grave. "Is this guy really a genin?"

"His situation is like Rock Lee’s. He can only train in taijutsu, so he probably hasn’t been promoted all this time. And that ultimate speed achieved entirely through muscle means a body honed countless times beyond human limits. Kakashi, your student is in trouble," Might Guy explained meaningfully.

"Yeah, I know. If necessary, I’ll step in and bring Sasuke back. Still, I never expected a small village like the Sound Ninja to produce such an outstanding ninja." Kakashi sighed softly.

After all, in the eyes of the surrounding great nations, the Sound Ninja was merely a newly established small ninja village—poor and isolated.

This was even their first time participating in an event like the Chunin Exam.

Yet who could have imagined that such an unremarkable place would send out genin who made everyone’s eyes light up?

On the other side, Ino, who had briefly spoken with Allen before, asked nervously, "Shikamaru! Do you think Sasuke can win?"

"Not likely. You know how strong those three Sound Ninja are. Sasuke’s strong too, but there’s still a gap between him and them." Leaning over the railing, Shikamaru gave his judgment in an extremely lazy tone.

"Mm! Mm! And they’re especially good at cooking too!" Choji hurriedly nodded in agreement.

"You know these three Sound Ninja?" Asuma asked with intense curiosity.

"That’s right. During the second exam, we ambushed them, but we failed and got captured. But that guy down there not only didn’t kill us, he even treated us to a pretty good breakfast."

At the mention of this, Shikamaru wore an unusually embarrassed expression.

After all, for a high-IQ genius like him, this was absolutely Dark History. He had misjudged his opponent’s strength from the very beginning.

"He treated you to breakfast? Hahahaha! Then those Sound Ninja seem like a pretty decent bunch." Asuma could not help laughing.

Though ninja from different villages were often hostile toward one another, constantly fighting and killing for missions and their own interests, that was precisely why people willing to coexist peacefully were so rare and precious.

"Yeah, aside from the weird ideas in their heads." Shikamaru nodded in agreement.

"Oh? How weird?" Asuma continued asking as he stroked his thick beard.

"That guy said that ninja shouldn’t only create slaughter and hatred, but should spread love and justice. He also said that when the Sage of Six Paths founded the Ninja Sect and spread Chakra, it was so people could understand one another and permanently eliminate conflict and war. But we ninja use that power to destroy. It’s the greatest irony."

Before Shikamaru could organize his thoughts, Ino rushed to say everything she knew.

Hearing this, Asuma froze. Several times, he seemed like he wanted to laugh, yet for some reason, he ultimately could not. Instead, he fell into deep thought.

Only after a long while did he say with a bitter smile, "He’s directly denying the value of the great nations and ninja villages’ existence? What an incredible guy. It may be a little naive, but such bearing and vision are indeed worthy of respect."

"Teacher, you think what he said makes sense too?" Ino blinked in surprise.

"Well, how should I put it? The logic is like that, but reality is much more complicated. The adult world isn’t simply black and white like a child’s." Asuma lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, his gaze turning toward the elimination match below.

By now, Sasuke Uchiha had abandoned any thought of defeating his opponent with taijutsu. Dazzling white electric light flickered in his hand as terrifying Lightning Release Chakra gathered together, producing a piercing chirp.

Chidori!

The ninjutsu Kakashi had invented in his youth!

To defeat the strong enemy before him, he finally had no choice but to reveal this trump card ahead of time.

Moreover, as his Chakra rapidly drained away, the Curse Mark of Heaven seemed to activate as well. Vast black markings rapidly spread over half his body, making him look both savage and terrifying.

"Go to hell! You trash!"

With a mad, bloodthirsty roar, Sasuke, affected by the curse mark, began sprinting forward at tremendous speed, intending to use Chidori to pierce his enemy’s chest.

The arena inside the tower was not very large to begin with, so in the blink of an eye, he had reached his target.

Just as the silver electric light in his hand was about to touch skin, another hand firmly seized the wrist wrapped in Chidori, preventing it from advancing even a millimeter.

"I told you before, your movements are too slow, and you lack enough strength. It seems the famous Uchiha are nothing special after all. No wonder a single traitor wiped out the entire clan." Allen deliberately sneered with extreme contempt.

Clearly, he was intentionally provoking him to see whether this Sasuke’s Sharingan would evolve.

"Ahhhhhh!!! I’ll kill you! I’ll slaughter you!"

Driven by extreme fury, Sasuke’s Sharingan did not evolve. Instead, the Curse Mark of Heaven did.

In only a few seconds, black markings covered every corner of his body, while his physical structure and appearance began changing drastically.

"Not good!"

Kakashi finally could not remain seated after seeing this. In a flash, he appeared in the arena.

But before he could take any action, Allen gathered a massive amount of Chakra in his fist and violently slammed it into Sasuke’s lower abdomen.

Boom!

The terrifying destructive power instantly scattered the Nature Energy the Curse Mark of Heaven had drawn in from the surroundings. Sasuke was sent flying straight into the wall, smashing out a huge crater before his eyes rolled back and he passed out.

As he lost consciousness, the curse mark’s power rapidly receded, and he gradually returned to normal.

Kakashi briefly checked his student’s injuries. Once he confirmed there was nothing seriously wrong, he turned around, said thank you, then hoisted him over his shoulder and left.

He did not recognize that the boy standing before him was the one who had once lived with him for a time.

But Neji Hyuga recognized Allen from that punch.

Because he had never seen such precise control over Chakra in anyone else.

Yet Neji did not rush forward to acknowledge him. Instead, as though nothing had happened, he quietly sat where he was and waited for Gekko Hayate to call him down.

But beneath his calm exterior, waves churned within his heart like a raging sea, and he could clearly sense the breath before the storm’s arrival.