Using fire to counteract water.
The flames formed by high-density fire-nature chakra, when infused into his fist, further elevated the little life of the strike.
In addition to making Hanyue's water body turn into boiling water, it also inflicted real damage, without being completely nullified by the hydration technique.
With water pouring from his back, Hanyue disappeared in front of Gen, transforming into a stream of water that moved away.
And under Gen's cold gaze, the water condensed again and regained human form.
However, after reappearing, Hanyue's appearance was even more pitiful than before.
His teeth ground together constantly due to the intense pain coursing through his body.
Not only did he have more blisters from the burns on his body, but his skin was reddened in a strange way, like the shell of a shrimp.
Moreover, the area most affected by the strike he received—his abdomen—was sunken and had a blackened, charcoal-like color.
"Ah…! AAAHHHHH!"
For a few seconds, he clung desperately to the hope of resisting the pain. But it was useless.
Suddenly, strength abandoned his legs, and he collapsed to his knees on the ground, feeling the blood gush from his mouth in a thick, dark pool.
Then came the scream—a harrowing wail that erupted from the depths of his being, an echo of all the accumulated wounds throughout the brief battle.
His state was so wretched that he seemed to have undergone cruel torture, as if fire and red-hot iron had pierced his flesh. Even someone with the firmest will and the most indomitable spirit would have found it nearly impossible to endure such agony. And yet, there was Hanyue, struggling to breathe, his body trembling and his eyes wide with torment.
Swish
At the precise moment he collapsed to his knees, his vision blurred and the bitter taste of blood in his mouth, Gen moved. In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of him.
Bang
Without the slightest trace of mercy, without the smallest hint of compassion or hesitation in his eyes, Gen delivered a kick that lifted him off the ground and sent him flying several meters.
Then, before Hanyue could even recover from the blow, Gen moved his hands, launching four kunai.
The sharp tips pierced Hanyue's limbs, stabbing through both his arms and legs, pinning him to the ground.
The cold metal tore through flesh mercilessly, and the screams that erupted from his throat became even more desperate.
Trapped by the kunai that impaled his hands and feet, Hanyue was rendered completely defenseless. He couldn't move or find any relief from his horrific suffering.
'Monster, this guy is an ABSOLUTE MONSTER!'
Among the nearby bushes, a Sunagakure ninja, who had been hiding his presence, clenched his teeth tightly, struggling to control his trembling body.
Through the foliage, he gazed at Gen under the firelight, his eyes filled with fear and terror.
Not just anyone can be the last hunter.
After fully witnessing the battle between Gen Uchiha and Hanyue Hōzuki, this ninja from the Sand had completely abandoned the idea of hunting either of them.
Hanyue's strength was not weak; in fact, he should be considered a very difficult opponent.
As one of Kirigakure's top participants in this exam, he had the level of a Tokubetsu Jōnin.
Even compared to all the participants in the exam, he ranked within the first or second category of the strongest.
However, in this fight, Hanyue was completely at a disadvantage from start to finish, utterly crushed by Gen's overwhelming strength.
Such a massive power gap only made Gen Uchiha seem even more terrifying.
This ninja from the Sand already knew of Hanyue's strength from the information his village had provided, so witnessing how Gen defeated him effortlessly filled him with terror.
Gripped by fear, he quickly began retreating, slowly crawling backward, and once he had distanced himself enough, he turned and fled in haste.
And he was not the only one in this situation.
In the shadows, several more figures did the same, fleeing frantically.
The fire from the campfire lit by Gen had attracted more than just one observer besides Hanyue.
But after seeing how Gen Uchiha defeated him with absolute strength, they were all so terrified that they didn't even dare to attempt an attack. In fact, they already felt lucky for not having been detected by him.
"I see that you're quite smart..."
With his right foot on Hanyue's chest, pinning him in place, Gen sensed the movements around him and murmured.
If he had detected Hanyue, there was no way he would overlook the others, who were even weaker.
However, he had no interest in pursuing them, as he had more important matters to attend to.
Still feeling a presence watching him, he intertwined his fingers, forming a seal with both hands. At the same time, he began releasing chakra through an unusual circulation pattern.
In an instant, the chakra wave he emitted spread out as if it were wind sweeping away sand, directly cutting off the sensation of being watched.
!
"WHAT HAPPENED?! Why did the screen go dark...?"
"Was the sensory technique neutralized?"
"It seems that the monitoring in this area was discovered by that Gen Uchiha... but why did he cut off the detection?"
In the monitoring room outside the forest, one of the screens suddenly went black. That screen was the one displaying the fight between Gen Uchiha and Hanyue Hōzuki.
All the surveillance footage was managed by sensor ninjas from Kumogakure. If a fight between participants was detected, monitoring in that area would immediately focus on the combat zone.
The battle between Gen and Hanyue was no exception. From the moment the confrontation began, perception in the area centered on them, and the fight was recorded on the monitors.
That's why, when the screen suddenly went dark, many of the village representatives watching showed surprise.
One of them even frowned grimly.
It was none other than Yagura Karatachi, from Kirigakure.
The fact that his village's genius had been so miserably defeated had already infuriated him, and now, on top of that, something abnormal was happening…
The situation was becoming even more suspicious.
The Cloud ninja in charge of operating the monitoring room quickly tried to restore the image after the interruption. After a moment of work, the image reappeared.
However, the figures of Gen and Hanyue were no longer visible on the screen. To be precise, the image now showed a completely different location.
"Quick, transfer the image back to the original location!"
"We can't, Captain. There are interferences at the previous location; our perception cannot get close, or the image will cut off again."
"?"
The Kumogakure captain in charge of surveillance, upon noticing that the image had shifted, immediately ordered his subordinates to return it to the original point. However, the response he received was that it was impossible.
This outcome left him in a state of confusion and uncertainty, but he had no choice but to let his subordinates keep trying.
Thus, time passed little by little. Finally, after a quarter of an hour, the force interfering with the Cloud ninjas' perception disappeared.
________
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