After both sides retreated, the scene suddenly quieted down.
Guy’s face was solemn, covered with more than ten cuts of various sizes. Although the wounds were shallow, some barely breaking the skin, he was still injured nonetheless.
Zabuza Momochi, on the other hand, held his sword horizontally, his expression ferocious as he gasped for breath.
He had taken a solid kick from Guy to his ribs, possibly breaking a few, making it difficult for him to stand straight and causing him pain with each breath.
Standing on a tree, Hyuga Kyo saw an opportunity and immediately said, “Guy, step back.”
Guy did not argue and silently stepped aside.
Despite the brief exchange, Guy had gauged Zabuza’s strength. He knew that without using his forbidden techniques, it would be challenging to defeat his opponent.
Lightly landing on the ground from the branch, Hyuga Kyo walked towards Zabuza in front of everyone and said, “Unlike Guy, I don’t need to take you mist ninja trash seriously.”
His tone was flat, his expression contemptuous, as if he were facing mere nobodies.
Zabuza, who had never been so belittled, was furious, “How dare you call me trash, you…”
Shing…
In a flash, Hyuga Kyo lunged.
This was the moment he had been waiting for!
Though Zabuza was enraged, he was no novice. Realizing he had been baited, he immediately shut up and swung his sword horizontally at the approaching Hyuga Kyo.
Swish…
The wind from the sword emitted a sharp sound.
But Hyuga Kyo showed no fear. No one noticed that at this moment, his Tenseigan beneath his protective goggles was shimmering brilliantly.
Through the unparalleled insight of the Tenseigan, he had already observed that Zabuza’s chakra was flowing to his hands, and simultaneously, Zabuza’s legs showed no signs of chakra concentration or muscle contraction.
These details revealed Zabuza’s tactical intentions.
This horizontal slash was meant to force Hyuga Kyo back. The lack of muscle contraction in Zabuza’s legs indicated no follow-up slashes were intended.
Additionally, the concentration of chakra in his arms indicated Zabuza intended to abandon his sword and form hand seals for a jutsu after forcing Hyuga Kyo back.
In this brief moment, Hyuga Kyo had already predicted all of Zabuza’s next tactical moves through the flow of chakra and the minute changes in muscle groups.
So…
He stopped!
He leaned back!
Hyuga Kyo’s actions were almost seamless. He easily avoided Zabuza’s horizontal slash while maintaining his proximity to Zabuza.
“How is that possible…”
Seeing Hyuga Kyo narrowly avoid his horizontal slash, seemingly unconcerned about a follow-up attack, Zabuza’s heart sank.
At this moment, Zabuza realized Hyuga Kyo had seen through his tactics, but it was too late to change his move.
Taking advantage of Zabuza’s inability to adjust after his swing, Hyuga Kyo lowered himself, advanced towards Zabuza, and executed a series of Gentle Fist strikes.
Fixating on Hyuga Kyo’s chakra-infused palms, Zabuza’s heart sank even further.
At this point, whether he swung his sword again or abandoned it to form hand seals, it was too late.
Thud, thud, thud…
The muffled sound of palm strikes hitting flesh echoed around.
Amid these sounds, Zabuza’s body trembled before collapsing to the ground like a deflated balloon!
Hiss…
Both the three members of the Kirigakure assassination squad and the Konoha Anbu members were stunned.
Not because of anything else, but because Hyuga Kyo’s victory was too swift and too easy!
Even skilled fighters like Zabuza would be difficult for someone like Kakashi or the senior Anbu member to defeat with certainty.
Yet Hyuga Kyo had dispatched Zabuza with a simple exchange, making the whole process seem effortless as if his opponent were a mere novice Genin.
Standing in the middle, Hyuga Kyo still had an expression of calm indifference.
He glanced at the three remaining Kirigakure ninjas and then kicked the unconscious Zabuza toward them, “Take him and get lost!”
Two of the Kirigakure ninjas caught the unconscious Zabuza, while another said, “We’re on a mission to hunt down defectors!”
Hyuga Kyo slightly raised his head, looking down on the Kirigakure ninjas with contempt, “Those defectors are my mission targets. If you dare interfere, I won’t mind dealing with you all too.”
Seeing Zabuza unconscious and noticing the two vigilant Konoha Anbu members, the Kirigakure group exchanged glances and then hurriedly retreated with Zabuza in tow.
After the Kirigakure ninjas left, Hyuga Kyo did not greet the two Anbu members but instead called Guy, who had already bandaged his wounds, to continue tracking the rogue ninjas.
At this point, the two Anbu members looked at each other.
The older Anbu member muttered, “Hey, that kid used the Gentle Fist, right? Is he from the Hyuga clan?”
The Anbu with the fox mask, Kakashi, nodded, “Yes, I know both of them. They’re my former classmates. One is Might Guy, the other is Hyuga Kyo.”
The older Anbu was surprised, “I remember in your batch, besides you, there weren’t many standout talents, right? So how…”
In Kakashi’s batch, most of their classmates had died in the war, and those who survived were generally Chunin, with only Kakashi achieving Jonin status at a young age. To the older Anbu, Kakashi was the best ninja of that generation, without question.
Kakashi himself was also puzzled.
He didn’t have a deep impression of Hyuga Kyo, feeling he was quite mediocre with nothing particularly noteworthy. But today’s performance by Hyuga Kyo had greatly surprised him, especially the self-confidence he exuded in facing the reputed Kirigakure assassination squad, which reminded him of his mentor, the Fourth Hokage.
The older Anbu continued, “We should record this and report to the Hokage. A talent like this should be prioritized for recruitment into Anbu.”
Meanwhile, Hyuga Kyo and Guy continued.
As they ran, Guy couldn’t help but ask, “Kyo, why didn’t we ask the Anbu for information about the rogue ninjas?”
Hyuga Kyo smiled, “No need. The presence of the Kirigakure assassination squad confirms that the rogue ninjas are indeed defectors from Kirigakure. The Anbu must have been monitoring the Kirigakure squad. If they had more information, they would have acted already.”
Without much thought, Hyuga Kyo had deduced the situation accurately.
Kirigakure sent the assassination squad likely to clean up their defectors and retrieve the bodies. This also suggested there might be Kekkei Genkai users among the defectors.
Kakashi and the other Anbu were likely there to monitor the Kirigakure squad. This was evident from the fact they had only been in a standoff without engaging in combat.
Guy found the reasoning sound.
If the Anbu were merely there to monitor the Kirigakure assassination squad, they probably didn’t have much information about the rogue ninjas. Given they had already tracked the rogues’ trail, there was no need to waste time.
Guy then said, “Kyo, you were amazing back there. That guy seemed pretty tough, but he couldn’t even withstand a single move from you.”
Hyuga Kyo’s lips curled into a modest smile…
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