The standoff didn't last for a long time.

They stared at each other for only a few seconds before Sarutobi Yuto formed a few hand seals in the blink of an eye and puffed his chest.

Fire Release: Great Flame Technique

Yuto expelled a large stream of flame from his mouth, which began to widen as it covered more distance to reach Seimei. From the side, it looked like a blazing comet of orange flame was rushing at Seimei.

However, Seimei didn't flinch at all.

He only stared at Yuto's eyes and disappeared from the spot while leaving a trail of lightning, causing the flaming comet to miss its target.

Boooom!!

While the Great Flame Technique exploded with a loud boom, scorched the ground, and left a crater behind, Seimei hid in the dark and puffed his mouth to gather Wind Release chakra.

Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet

Seimei instantly released ten powerful vacuum bullets that rocketed toward Haneda and Yuto silently.

However, Haneda, who was always vigilant, spotted them quickly and shouted, "Incoming. Let's disperse."

Hearing Haneda's warning, Yuto turned his head toward the incoming vacuum bullets and activated the Body Flicker Technique to escape. Haneda did the same.

As a result, the vacuum bullets could only hit the tree and the branches they were standing on, leaving glaring football-sized holes in the tree as they passed through it without resistance.

Meanwhile, Haneda and Yuto landed on the ground and tried to look for Seimei.

Yuto said, "That guy is getting more and more outrageous. Those vacuum bullets made no sound at all."

Haneda nodded, "His mastery over the Wind nature transformation and his chakra control must have improved greatly."

Yuto added, "Yeah. Just look at those bloody holes on the tree trunks. If that thing touches a human body, it's game over."

"Fortunately, we know his tricks."

At that time, a familiar voice echoed from behind their back.

"Oh? You know my tricks?"

Haneda's and Yuto's pupils contracted sharply as both of them turned around.

There, they saw Seimei, who was casually standing with his arms crossed and a leisurely smile, looking at them with amusement.

Both Haneda and Yuto screamed in their minds: When did Seimei get behind my back? And with no sound this time either.

Haneda stayed silent for a while before commenting, "You must have progressed a lot in the last half a year."

Seimei responded, "Of course. It's only natural to progress. Didn't we just enter the phase of explosive growth?"

It's not natural at all, you bastard.

We have also entered the phase of explosive growth. We are the same age as you.

But look at us.

Even with the strength of a full-fledged Jonin, we still can't see through you at all.

In the past, I could still guess the limit of your strength.

But now?

Nothing, zero, nada.

Haneda grumbled in his mind.

Yuto was also grumbling secretly on the other side.

Now, I understand why those schemers from the Shimura clan always curse their fate for not having any bloodline.

I already knew the bloodline of the Senju clan was outrageous.

But who knew it would be this insane?

He was already a prodigy.

But now that we have entered the phase of explosive growth, his bloodline's unique traits and his already insane talent made Seimei's strength soar by leaps and bounds.

Monstrous physique, overwhelming amount of chakra, ultra-precise chakra control, and refined mastery over the elemental Ninjutsu—these are the traits of the Senju clan's bloodline.

I have to say…

Even I am a little envious now.

Of course, Seimei had no idea what was going through his friends' minds.

Even if he knew, it wouldn't matter.

He was already cheating with a system. Plus, he had a cheat-tier bloodline.

Fortunately, this was an alternative Narutoverse.

His friends who didn't have any special bloodline, such as Yuto and Haneda, still had enough opportunities to improve their strength to Kage-level.

And if they could find the right resources or natural treasures, they would have a chance to go beyond Kage-level.

Still, special bloodlines made reaching a high level of power easier. Having a special bloodline or Kekkei Genkai meant fewer limitations when it came to reaching a higher power level as a Shinobi.

Even without rare natural treasures or special resources, a ninja with a good bloodline could still break through their limitations to reach a higher ceiling of power with enough time, talent, and training as long as they worked hard enough.

And as the wielder of the Otsutsuki bloodline, Seimei would fully utilize it to grow as quickly as possible while keeping his foundation solid.

With such hardware and software configurations, it would be an absolute disgrace if he couldn't reach the Six Paths level before Otsutsuki Momoshiki arrived in the Shinobi world.

Back to the scene…

Haneda had a lot on his mind, but he didn't say anything.

He just had to find a way to subdue Seimei, and he had to do it fast. He was well aware that even teaming up with Yuto wouldn't be enough if Seimei went all out.

So, he acted.

He immediately formed a few hand seals in less than half a second before stretching all the fingers of both hands toward Seimei.

Lightning Release: Chain Lightning

Crack! Crackle!

Blue lightning cracked around Haneda's fingers, which suddenly intensified. Ten bolts of blue lightning arc were released from Haneda's fingers. Each lightning bolt then separated into two or more branches before rushing toward Seimei at a blinding speed.

To most people, escaping this Jutsu would be troublesome.

It was quick, efficient, and deadly.

But not to Seimei, who now possessed super reflexes.

Using the Thunder Body Flicker, Seimei once again escaped while leaving a trail of lightning before the lightning bolts from the Chain Lightning Jutsu could hit him.

Next, Seimei unsheathed his ninjato, went straight to Yuto, and slashed at him.

Yuto, who was already alert, also unsheathed his sword to block Seimei's blade.

Clang!

Sparks flew in the air as Seimei's blade met Yuto's. However, the sheer force behind Seimei's attack sent a jolt through Yuto's arms and caused him to stagger a few steps back.

Clearly, all the chakra infusion training Seimei did finally paid off. Yuto didn't expect Seimei's raw physical strength to grow this much in a few months, causing him to almost lose his balance after a single clash of blades.

And Seimei wouldn't miss this chance.

He stepped forward, reinforced his legs with chakra, and attacked the left side of Yuto's torso with a devastating roundhouse kick.

Bang!

A shockwave erupted as soon as Seimei's kick hit Yuto's left torso, which sent Yuto flying.

At the next moment, he violently landed on the ground and rolled a few times. He grimaced with pain. His entire left side felt like it was burning because of the intense pain that was coursing through his entire body.

He knew that he wouldn't be able to get up for at least a minute or so. Even if he did get up, he probably wouldn't be able to fight well enough.

As he was thinking these things, the figure of Seimei suddenly appeared beside him and crouched down.

Seeing him, Yuto was about to say something, but Seimei stopped him and said, "Don't move. Your muscle tissue in the hit zone has almost been ruptured. I will use medical Ninjutsu to treat you right now to prevent you from being hospitalized for at least three days."

"Of course, that means you have been eliminated from this battle royale. Now, be a good boy and let me treat you."

Yuto, still in pain, said with some difficulty, "If you're here, what about your battle with Haneda?"

Seimei smiled and said, "That fight is still going on. I am just a shadow clone."

Yuto chuckled, "Wow, bastard. I was almost moved thinking you guys have abandoned your battle to check up on me."

Seimei responded, "Well, my original job was to sneak attack on you guys. Who knew you would be down in one hit?"

Yuto's face darkened immediately. He looked like he would fight Seimei right then and there if he weren't injured.

Meanwhile, just as Seimei's original body sent Yuto flying with a kick, Haneda also launched his assault on Seimei.

He quickly formed the hand seals for the Lightning Release: False Darkness to launch a powerful spear of lightning at Seimei.

And Seimei countered it with another one of his newly invented Ninjutsu.

Wind Release: Rising Wind Wall

Gusts of wind gathered around Seimei before creating a powerful wall of soaring wind in front of him. The wall was actually created by countless sharp blades of wind hidden within the wind wall itself.

And the wind itself flowed from below to above, pushing all attacks toward Seimei upward while slicing them into pieces with sharp wind blades contained within the wall.

Unsurprisingly, as soon as the spear of lightning hit the wind wall, the overpowering wind disintegrated the lightning spear before dispersing the remaining lightning upwards.

Seimei was completely unharmed.

And before Haneda could move or use another of his tricks, Seimei formed a hand seal to release his next technique.

Genjutsu: Bringer of Darkness

As soon as the Genjutsu was released, Haneda's vision was instantly covered with pitch black darkness. He couldn't see anything, not even his own body or hands.

He attempted to dispel the Genjutsu with a standard dispelling seal, but it was ineffective. He tried to disrupt his chakra, but the Genjutsu remained, shrouding his vision in darkness.

However, before he could retreat or release any protective Ninjutsu, he felt a cold, sharp edge resting against the skin of his throat.

Then, he heard a voice coming from in front of him.

"It's over. You lost."

Haneda raised his hands and accepted the defeat, "Yes, I lost."

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