Chapter 70: Ninjutsu Prodigy vs. Taijutsu Prodigy – Chidori Stream vs. Eight Gates Formation

Chapter 70: Ninjutsu Prodigy vs. Taijutsu Prodigy – Chidori Stream vs. Eight Gates Formation

"He's really strong!"

Rock Lee, blown back by a gust of wind, clung to the wall with his feet. His eyes blazed with excitement as he stared at Izayoi's calm, composed face.

When the air currents weakened, Lee vanished again—but this time, he didn’t reappear directly in front of Izayoi.

Instead, he became a black afterimage, spinning rapidly around Izayoi.

The sheer speed created multiple residual shadows, stirring up dust that formed a swirling white vortex, enclosing Izayoi inside.

The next second, Rock Lee materialized before Izayoi, throwing a punch.

Izayoi didn’t move.

As the fist neared his face, it suddenly froze.

Looking closer, both the punch and Rock Lee himself were revealed to be mere illusions.

"Hidden Leaf Hurricane!"

A voice roared. A whirlwind erupted to Izayoi’s right, solidifying into Rock Lee’s form.

A 360-degree spinning kick, charged with immense force, lashed toward Izayoi.

Among this generation of prodigies, only Shino Aburame—with his insect clone technique—could avoid such a strike. For others, this kick would’ve ended the fight instantly.

But as before…

Lee’s speed was incredible, yet Izayoi’s was faster.

Just like the previous Hidden Leaf Hurricane, the kick never reached Izayoi before being blocked.

This time, it wasn’t a Wind Release technique—it was Izayoi’s forearm.

A shockwave erupted where Izayoi’s forearm met Rock Lee’s leg, the force audible as a sharp crack.

The kick, powerful enough to launch objects weighing hundreds of pounds, met no resistance—yet Izayoi’s arm remained utterly unmoved, as solid as steel.

No one could see why, hidden beneath his sleeve.

As Lee’s eyes widened in shock, Izayoi shifted from defense to offense, seizing Lee’s ankle. With a twist of his body, he hurled Lee toward the ground, aiming to slam him into the floor.

Lee countered by slamming his hands down, halting the impact. Using the momentum, he twisted free and executed a flawless front flip to land on his feet.

Izayoi didn’t press the attack. He simply withdrew his hand, watching Lee in silence.

He hadn’t moved an inch since the fight began.

The other genin were stunned.

"Can he use Earth Release: Nature Transformation too?" Hatake Kakashi’s Sharingan spun rapidly, one of the few who noticed Izayoi’s defensive technique.

To the others, Izayoi’s taijutsu was astonishing—completely overpowering Lee, even with his weighted gear.

But to Kakashi, Izayoi was undeniably a ninjutsu genius.

The lightning nature transformation taught to Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuga, the fire tornado in the Forest of Death, the Wind Release just now, and this Earth Release… Izayoi had mastered four nature transformations.

Could this kid be… a dual-natured user?

Kakashi mused internally. Even dual natures required relentless training to achieve such mastery.

No wonder the Hyuga Clan didn’t oppose their heir dating him. They must’ve recognized his potential early.

"Truly exceptional. Such chakra, such ninjutsu talent… He must be a bloodline inheritor. A Senju… or perhaps a Uzumaki?"

Orochimaru’s lips curled into a sinister smile, his thoughts mirroring Kakashi’s. Both suspected Izayoi was a dual-natured user, speculating about his lineage.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

The battle raged on. Despite being overwhelmed, Rock Lee showed no frustration, his excitement growing as he launched relentless attacks, growing stronger with each strike.

Izayoi stopped using ninjutsu to block. Instead, he activated Kagura Shingan’s perception, enhanced his speed with Lightning Release: Chakra Cellular Stimulation, and engaged Lee in a fierce taijutsu duel.

In the arena, two blurs spun like high-speed tops, colliding repeatedly.

Each impact revealed their forms briefly before they shifted positions, clashing again.

With every punch and kick, invisible shockwaves erupted—not just from physical force, but chakra itself.

Gradually, their speed escalated. They no longer confined themselves to the ground, leaping into the air, creating a dizzying spectacle.

Sasuke Uchiha’s eyes could barely track them, but Naruto Uzumaki and the others looked utterly lost.

Even some special jonin, lacking sensory skills, wore expressions of shock.

They never imagined this generation of genin would produce two such monsters.

Jōnin-level all-rounders and elite combat specialists watched Izayoi—who wasn’t even a taijutsu specialist—match Lee’s speed, murmuring, "Incredible nature transformation… and such precise chakra control!"

Both Sasuke and Hinata used lightning chakra to boost speed, yet neither could rival Izayoi.

It wasn’t just about speed.

After a surge, they either struggled to control their bodies or needed time to adapt before increasing speed, with limited endurance.

But Izayoi, using Lightning Release: Chakra Cellular Stimulation, mastered the state instantly, accelerating to peak velocity immediately.

This required not only advanced nature transformation but extraordinary chakra control—the latter being the key.

At his age, such control explained how he’d already mastered two… no, four nature transformations.

The jonin envisioned a future where the Hidden Leaf would gain another all-rounder jōnin.

But soon, the jonin realized they’d underestimated Izayoi.

After countless exchanges, the two blurs finally halted.

Rock Lee, breathing heavily with sweat on his brow, faced Izayoi.

Izayoi remained calm, smiling. "Your taijutsu is impressive. But if that’s all, this fight will end soon. Do you have a stronger technique?"

Lee instinctively glanced toward Might Guy.

Seeing his sensei’s toothy grin and thumbs-up, Lee’s face lit up.

He began unwrapping the bandages on his hands, staring at Izayoi. "I have a stronger move—but it’s a forbidden technique, forbidden against allies. Last time I fought Sasuke Uchiha, I was punished for nearly breaking that rule."

"But against you, Izayoi… I believe you can withstand the power of the Lotus."

The bandages fell to the ground. Lee’s gaze hardened. "I’ll prove to you now—hard work can defeat genius!"

The genin leaned in, captivated.

Even the jonin watched intently.

Kakashi, who knew Guy best, had a daring thought.

"Did Guy actually teach him… the Eight Gates?"

The next second, Kakashi’s suspicion was confirmed.

Through Byakugan and Sharingan, they saw Lee’s chakra surge in his brain, flooding his chakra network as if breaking a seal.

His aura shifted dramatically.

Many jonin felt an oppressive force from Lee—a power capable of defeating superiors.

Izayoi noticed too, his expression finally turning serious.

Without using Rinnegan’s power, he was curious about the true might of the Eight Gates Formation—one of the three legendary techniques of the Shippuden era.

Then, Lee vanished from several meters away, reappearing instantly before Izayoi with a straight punch.

Izayoi reacted swiftly, raising his hand to strike the wrist.

But the next moment, Lee repeated the maneuver, disappearing without even a residual image, reappearing behind Izayoi. His fist became a claw, aiming to grapple and bind Izayoi with bandages.

Crackle… crackle…

A sound like serpentine lightning filled the air.

Blue-white arcs materialized around Izayoi’s body.

Lee’s hand hadn’t even touched him before recoiling from the electric shock. He hastily retreated.

"Is that… Kumogakure’s Lightning Release Chakra Mode?"

"No, it’s just… Shape Transformation!"

"Incredible! Not only nature transformation, but Shape Transformation too?"

"With lightning talent like this, he’s just like Kakashi-senpai!"

Murmurs erupted from the second-floor balcony.

The jonin’s voices were sharp in Kurenai Yuhi’s ears.

She couldn’t help a bitter smile, thinking the Hokage had misplaced Izayoi.

With such talent, Izayoi should’ve been Kakashi’s student.

If he were, he might’ve already mastered multiple chakra natures, even Kakashi’s S-rank fusion technique—Chidori, combining nature and shape transformation.

As for the genin, most barely understood nature transformation, let alone shape transformation.

Only Sasuke Uchiha’s eyes lit up. "So lightning chakra can be used this way!"

Unbeknownst to him, this was the very technique he’d later develop—Chidori Stream.

Crash!

Using Chidori Stream, Izayoi’s speed surged. He vanished, reappearing before Lee with a punch.

Lee instinctively blocked with both arms, his eyes bulging in pain the next second.

A kick struck his abdomen, sending him flying backward. He slammed into the wall, leaving a deep dent, cracks spiderwebbing outward.

Izayoi didn’t pursue. Surrounded by crackling blue-white arcs, he smiled. "Just a 20% speed boost—hardly forbidden. You can go further, can’t you? Show me your true trump card!"

Lee slid down the wall, head bowed, silent.

But the observers with dōjutsu and sensory skills—those on the balcony—suddenly tensed, their pupils contracting in shock.

"Eight Gates Formation, Third Gate… Gate of Life… Open!"

Lee crossed his arms. The air around him twisted upward, churning violently.

When he lifted his head, his eyes were pure white, pupils gone.

His face flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead, white steam rising from his body.

With a thunderous roar, green energy erupted around him.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end