Buzz!!
The moment Yoru clenched his fist, a terrifying white aura surged around his knuckles, then it violently struck in front of Hyūga Setsuna.
Crack!
In an instant, the air vibrated with a deafening hum, cracking like shattered glass, spreading tiny fissures in all directions.
A wave of terrifying shockwave energy enveloped Hyūga Setsuna entirely!
Just moments ago, Hyūga Setsuna, who had been calm and composed, immediately changed his expression. His eyes were filled with horror and disbelief.
How could this be so strong?!
The shockwave nearly suppressed him to the spot. Forget raising his arm to perform the gentle fist technique, he couldn't even move a muscle!
In shock, Hyūga Setsuna quickly began pouring chakra from his arm and hand, desperately trying to resist the shockwave unleashed by Yoru's punch.
Buzz!!
When Hyūga Setsuna's chakra surged, it did manage to momentarily block some of the shockwave.
However, in the next instant, it was ruthlessly shattered!
The shockwave nearly destroyed him as if it were sweeping away a withered leaf. Even though Setsuna tried desperately, using all of his chakra, he couldn't withstand it!
Had it not been for him being from the Hyūga clan, releasing chakra from his palm and arm to resist, Yoru's punch would have likely shattered his bones!
Yoru, with his Shatter Release Kekkei Genkai, was practically the absolute nemesis of the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist!
He couldn't even get close enough to apply the technique, let alone strike a Gentle Fist blow!
Even if he used the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, before he could even start, Yoru's punch would obliterate him in one strike.
Even if he used Reversal, it wouldn't guarantee stopping the shockwave of the punch. It might still explode!
Boom!!
The next moment, Hyūga Setsuna could no longer hold on and was sent flying from the shockwave. He spat blood mid-air and crashed to the ground in the distance.
The entire arena fell silent.
In the stillness, every face showed an expression of disbelief, as if they were dreaming.
How could this be possible?!
From start to finish, Yoru had only thrown a single punch and had obliterated the so-called strongest martial artist of the famous Hyūga clan!
No dragon fights, no blood-soaked battles, nothing like that at all.
If it had been an ordinary student who was knocked out in one punch, it wouldn't have been surprising, but this was the strongest martial artist from the renowned Hyūga clan!
Being killed in one punch was truly a shocking and unbelievable event!
At this moment, Yoru, who had blasted Hyūga Setsuna away with a single punch, calmly retracted his fist and stood quietly in the middle of the arena.
As if he wasn't surprised by the outcome at all.
The next moment...
The entire arena finally erupted!
Shocked voices filled the air, creating a thunderous noise.
Not just the students, but even the Chūnin and Jōnin couldn't help but be stunned.
Yoru's punch had raised the intensity of the main event to a whole new level!
Even the examiner, slightly stunned, announced Yoru's victory.
"He's so strong!"
"Incredible!"
"The Hyūga clan kid didn't even manage to resist one punch!"
The more composed Jōnin and even elite Jōnin exchanged astonished glances.
At the highest point, even the normally composed Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo, both slightly flashed their eyes with surprise.
"Shatter Release Kekkei Genkai… Interesting. It seems to be quite a counter to the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist." Danzo commented, his gaze flashing.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded seriously and said, "It seems not only against the Gentle Fist but also all martial arts techniques. This is a Kekkei Genkai that doesn't require hand signs... very impressive."
At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen truly focused on Yoru. The talent Yoru displayed at this moment had even moved him!
On the other side, Jiraiya was still squatting on the railing.
But his expression was stiff and awkward.
Yoru had obliterated the famous Hyūga Setsuna with a single punch, and Jiraiya didn't know what to say anymore.
Finally, Jiraiya could only mutter to himself, "Watergate would have easily won too…"
Behind them, Orochimaru continued leaning against the wall, his eyelids flickering slightly, a faint curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Meanwhile, Tsunade, elegantly leaning against the railing, had a slight glimmer in her eyes, showing a trace of an unusual look.
Yoru's stunning punch had left her deeply shaken.
Because... it reminded her of her own style!
Her signature move was brute strength—using simple and violent fists to smash through any enemy's attacks!
"Yoru... huh?"
She couldn't help but murmur softly, admiration appearing in her beautiful eyes as she said, "This kind of approach, it really suits my taste."
...
The noise in the arena didn't stop for a long time. The amazed and shocked gazes remained fixed on Yoru.
Facing these eyes, Yoru remained completely calm, walking off the arena with an unfazed expression.
The other winners, including Minato, all looked at Yoru with astonished expressions.
They were all thinking, if they had been the ones facing Yoru's punch just now, how would the outcome have been?
Without a doubt, if they hadn't reacted properly, they wouldn't have fared better than Hyūga Setsuna!
Yoru was a dangerous opponent!
All eyes on him were filled with caution.
Even Minato, who was shocked, couldn't help but walk over to Yoru and said, "Yoru, you're really strong now. You've given me a lot of pressure."
These words carried a hint of seriousness. Minato had already placed Yoru as a real opponent to take seriously.
Hearing Minato's words, Yoru suddenly smiled slightly.
Is it just pressure?
If Minato knew that he had used less than half of his strength in that punch, what kind of expression would he have?
Without even opening the First Gate of the Eight Gates, he had sent Uchiha Han, a Chūnin, flying with a single punch.
Once he opened the first gate, even the Hyūga clan, able to release chakra from their body to resist the shockwave, would still be no match for Yoru's punch!
Had Yoru given his all, he could have potentially killed Hyūga Setsuna with a single punch!
Of course, there was no need for that. So Yoru had restrained his power, simply sending Setsuna flying out.
Similarly, in the other arena battles, the punches Yoru had thrown were less than a third of his full strength.
He had reduced his power to avoid possibly injuring his opponents too badly, which was something Yoru found a little regretful.