Chapter 402: Seven Heavenly Breaths
The vast, boundless desert.
Violent winds howled as they swept across the landscape, kicking up yellow sand that filled the sky like a herd of stampeding wild horses. Tiny grains of sand, caught in the wind's embrace, swirled recklessly in the air to form curtains of yellow that blotted out the sun. They struck mercilessly against Tobitake Tonbo and the others.
However, no one paid much mind to this light dusting of sand. It wasn't a full-blown sandstorm. Even if it were, they had a master of sand manipulation right there to block it. Furthermore, given everyone's strength, they had nothing to fear.
"When it comes to Taijutsu combat, even if he is Captain Tonbo, he's bound to lose against Shira."
Kankuro held absolute confidence in Shira's physical techniques. Currently, no ninja in the Hidden Sand had been able to defeat Shira in Taijutsu. Some Taijutsu practitioners from foreign lands had even come to challenge this One-Star Taijutsu Ninja—a man who had created his own style and foundational theories. That man was Shira.
They had all fallen at Shira's hands, one after another. This once again proved the authority of the Ninja Association's star-ranking titles. Within the same framework, no one could best the current Shira in Taijutsu.
Maybe those two guys in the green spandex from Konoha have a chance. Kankuro recalled the man who had pushed Gaara into a corner during the Chunin Exams years ago, and the one who later punched away Gaara's sand with ease. As for Tobitake Tonbo, while legends spoke of his powerful Taijutsu, Kankuro's primary impression of him was still his Genjutsu—especially the techniques he displayed during the Fourth War and the five sound-based Genjutsu tools he carried.
Punch him, punch him, punch him... Kankuro thought of his own failed One-Star Puppet Ninja exams and couldn't help but draw mental circles to curse the man.
Gaara watched Shira, whose face was being pelted by the wind and sand. "Do not underestimate him. He is a hero of the Shinobi world. While his Taijutsu is only a matter of legend, as a Jonin, he won't be lacking. Not to mention, his purpose for coming here is to gain inspiration from our village's Taijutsu practitioners."
No Jonin was weak in Taijutsu, let alone a legendary hero. A Genjutsu-type ninja's Taijutsu wouldn't be lacking either.
In the past, a Genjutsu suggestion applied by Tobitake Tonbo had silently influenced everyone in the world. It caused them to focus their attention primarily on Tonbo's Genjutsu and his current political status.
Kankuro replied, "I won't underestimate him, but Taijutsu is Shira's specialty. There won't be any problem." He had faith in Shira.
Boom!
As they discussed, the two below finally made their move. In an instant, they collided.
"Not bad. It's been a long time since I've had a fight. Show me what you've got. As long as you don't die, I can bring you back," Tonbo said as he felt the power in Shira's strikes.
During their initial exchange, Tonbo didn't use his full strength. Currently, his Taijutsu foundations already exceeded Guy's—unless Guy opened the Eight Inner Gates. As for Shira, while he was a Taijutsu genius on par with Guy and had even developed his own exclusive style, he was still quite young. At twenty, Shira had yet to reach his prime.
Furthermore, the Hidden Sand's development of Taijutsu ninja wasn't as advanced as Konoha's. They had only recently begun systematic training, largely modeled after Konoha. They lacked the abundance of secret medicinal ointments and supplements available in Konoha, which meant Shira's physical foundation currently lagged behind even Rock Lee's.
Veins bulged on Shira's forehead. His feet pressed into the ground, leaving deep imprints in the sand. His gaze was exceptionally focused.
So this is a legendary ninja's Taijutsu... so strong.
As an expert, Shira could feel the immense pressure emanating from Tonbo after just a simple contact. Contrary to the legends of him being purely a Genjutsu-type ninja, his Taijutsu was unexpectedly formidable.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As the collisions intensified, Shira began deploying his developed techniques, such as his Silent Fist. He grew more alarmed the longer they fought. His Silent Fist was useless. He could eliminate sound, but he couldn't eliminate chakra. Against a Genjutsu-type ninja—who are mostly sensory types—it did nothing. Moreover, his physical strength was being completely suppressed by Tonbo.
Shira felt a growing sense of powerlessness.
"Seven Heavenly Breaths: First Activation."
"Second Activation... Third Activation... Fifth..."
Boom!
Shira quickly found he couldn't keep up using pure combat technique. It was obvious that Tonbo was holding back, merely wanting to observe his abilities. Thus, Shira stopped hiding his trump card. His body erupted with a yellow glow as chakra surged through his system.
A massive amount of air was sucked into his lungs. Under the effect of the Seven Heavenly Breaths, his cells began to activate. His skin, muscles, and face turned a deep red.
"I'm coming, Tonbo-senpai!" he called out politely.
Tonbo nodded. This was exactly what he wanted to see. Truly impressive. This method of activation is quite different from the Raikage's.
Pow!
Shira vanished instantly. A tunnel was carved through the yellow sand as he charged straight at Tobitake Tonbo.
"There it is—Shira's Seven Heavenly Breaths. And he jumped straight to the Fifth Activation," Kankuro noted, watching the glowing Shira. That's it, punch him!
He had been sweating for Shira just a moment ago. He hadn't expected Tonbo's Taijutsu to be this powerful. Wasn't he a Genjutsu type? He had been careless, constantly overlooking the fact that Tonbo's Taijutsu was strong enough to kick back the Ten-Tails' shell.
"Mm. I really want to see Captain Tonbo's full strength," Gaara lamented. He had been caught in the Infinite Tsukuyomi back then and hadn't witnessed Tonbo's full power.
"He's definitely strong, but I'm confident I could beat him," Kankuro said boldly. "I'm a puppeteer. As long as I can block his sensory ninjutsu and hide inside a puppet, surrounding myself with layers of defenses, he wouldn't be my match. Especially with my new 'Mecha' puppet. It's peerless. I'll be a One-Star Puppet Ninja soon—maybe even Two-Star."
Gaara looked at him, somewhat speechless. "Brother, for all we know, we might already be caught in his Genjutsu. Are you sure you can beat him?"
"Genjutsu? When did we get caught?" Kankuro jumped, immediately performing a Genjutsu-release manual sign. He found no trace of a technique. He looked left and right, finding nothing unusual.
Gaara sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Haven't you noticed? Look at his Taijutsu now, and think back to before. We always tend to overlook his physical skills and focus solely on his Genjutsu. It's as if the 'presence' of his ninjutsu and Taijutsu data has been weakened, forcing our attention to center only on his Genjutsu."
And there was no way to release it. It was as if what they were under wasn't Genjutsu at all. Even if their minds wandered, they immediately veered back. If they weren't specifically talking about it now, their focus on Tobitake Tonbo would quickly shift back to his Genjutsu, his politics, or his business acumen. His Ninjutsu and Taijutsu would simply fade into the background.
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