Chapter 34 — Fighting to the Point of Madness
Everyone in the field had been beaten down. The only thing to be thankful for was that no one had died.
At this moment—
Only Kinoshita Hikaru remained standing. His gaze was ice-cold and piercing, yet a blazing fire burned in his eyes.
Iruwa was shocked. After taking so many of his heavy blows, how was this guy still able to get back up?
Not only that, he could hear the sound of Kinoshita Hikaru's bones cracking. He had clearly broken every bone in his body, so why was he still standing here now?
"Kid, how are you not dead yet?"
Kinoshita Hikaru did not answer. He shifted his left leg to the side, lowered his center of gravity, and placed both hands on his knees. Red steam rose from his entire body, wisps of mist curling around him.
But in his mind, he was recalling what had just happened. At that time, his consciousness had been fading, and every bone in his body had been shattered.
In that hazy state, he only felt a jade-white arm being brought to his mouth. Acting on instinct, he bit down. Chakra immediately flooded into his body, and the injuries all over him rapidly recovered. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a weakened Kushina.
"You..."
"I absolutely, absolutely will not let Hikaru-kun die."
Kushina had forgotten her mother's warning—that under no circumstances, no matter what, must this ability ever be exposed.
But for the sake of her companion, for the light that had illuminated her bleak life, even if she were to fall into hell the next second, she would not fear it.
So she used this ability without hesitation.
This was also Karin Uzumaki's ability in the original story. As the princess of the Land of Whirlpools, how could Kushina possibly not know it?
But this ability was far too heaven-defying. It would invite the covetous eyes of enemies. That was why the Uzumaki clan strictly forbade their members from using it.
Yet how could she just stand there and watch a companion die? She had already made up her mind. She was prepared to bear any consequences.
"Hikaru, do you know?"
"I'm very afraid of being alone, because whenever I'm by myself, I always hear the screams and wails of my clansmen.
Deep in my heart, their shadows keep drawing closer to me, telling me never to trust anyone again.
That only by hiding myself can I continue living. Every time I close my eyes,
they remind me. They keep warning me, over and over again. And every warning
makes me lose a little more faith in this world. I even wanted to die.
They torment me every moment of every day. But... it was you. It was everyone. It was all of you who made me believe...
that this world is not made of darkness alone.
There is still light...
So... so even if I die in the next moment, I will still save you... because... because I believe in all of you, I need all of you, and I'm even more afraid of losing all of you."
Kinoshita Hikaru's gaze grew complicated. In the original story, Uzumaki Kushina had never used this ability until the day she died, and yet now she had used it.
"Thank you. I absolutely will not betray your trust. Anyone who wants to hurt my companions will have to step over my corpse first."
Kushina's tear-streaked little face bloomed with a radiant smile as she nodded heavily. "Hikaru-kun, I believe in you."
...…
Kinoshita Hikaru stared fixedly at Iruwa Yoshi and said, "Carrying the trust of my companions, how could I possibly fail? Come, let's settle this once and for all! Today, even if I die, I'll drag you down with me."
"Gum-Gum... Jet Pistol!"
In his Second Gear state, Kinoshita Hikaru's speed surged several times over. His fist tore through the air and slammed forward.
Its speed broke the sound barrier, producing a sonic boom as he turned into a blur. With a thunderous crash, one punch sent Iruwa flying.
At this moment, Kinoshita Hikaru's speed had already caught up to Iruwa's.
He stomped his foot and appeared in an instant, raising his right leg high.
"Gum-Gum Jet Axe!"
As Iruwa was sent flying backward, he curled his body and spun rapidly, then kicked off the ground and narrowly dodged the attack at the last possible moment.
"Boom!"
The ground split open and shattered stone flew everywhere. At this point, every move Kinoshita Hikaru made carried terrifying power. But not only did Iruwa refuse to retreat, he charged straight in instead. Chakra erupted beneath his feet, propelling him forward at a hundred meters per second. In the brief opening after Hikaru retracted his leg,
his right leg swept across.
Lightning glowed around his shin, suddenly illuminating the dark sky as it smashed viciously into Kinoshita Hikaru's abdomen.
"Wah—!"
Kinoshita Hikaru bent like a cooked shrimp and spat out blood. His legs rooted deep into the ground as he violently snapped his waist forward. Iruwa's rhythm was disrupted, and Hikaru drove his right fist upward, smashing hard into Iruwa's jaw.
Both were blasted away by each other's attacks. Kinoshita Hikaru stretched out both legs, braced them against the ground, and kicked off hard, charging straight at him again.
Iruwa refused to yield. The lightning around his feet grew heavier and denser, leaving streaks of afterimages behind. He was like a cannonball, and every clash of lightning chakra exploded on impact.
Kinoshita Hikaru's resolve was firm. He would not retreat even in death, vowing to defeat him. And Iruwa, having only a short time left after taking the secret drug, cast all caution aside.
The two sides began trading blows head-on, fist against leg, each collision producing booming explosions.
At this moment, the rain grew even fiercer. Lightning gives rise to water, and the environment was highly favorable to Iruwa, yet there was not the slightest joy in his eyes. After exchanging blows for so long, the paralysis effect inherent to Lightning Release chakra still could not numb Kinoshita Hikaru.
Another direct clash followed. With a bang, the two separated.
"Kid, why are you still able to move? My lightning chakra should already have seeped into your bones."
"Because... because I'm rubber."
Kinoshita Hikaru's stamina had been heavily depleted, and he knew there was not much time left.
He could not drag this out any longer. He had to finish it with one decisive strike.
Iruwa had the same thought. The medicinal drug only lasted for five minutes, and by now, that time was nearly up.
Even if he had to descend into hell, he would drag Kinoshita Hikaru down with him.
Iruwa gathered all the chakra in his body into his right leg without holding anything back. This attack was his finishing blow, and also his final blow.
"Thunder Dragon!"
He leaped into the air, flipped, and spun, his right leg wrapped in boundless raging lightning.
At that very moment—
The sky let out an explosive roar, and a bolt of lightning shot from the dark clouds, striking Iruwa's right leg. With the aid of nature's might, its power increased by another three parts.
It split the sky, severed the curtain of rain, and carried with it everything he had.
Kinoshita Hikaru's eyes remained steady, without the slightest fear. In his mind flashed scene after scene of Tsunade teaching him the Super Strength Technique.
The movement of his bones flowed like waves, his blood circulation accelerated once more, and chakra burst forth with exquisite control.
He stomped his foot, and both fists unleashed a merciless barrage like a violent storm.
"Gum-Gum Jet Super Strength Gatling!"
"Crack..."
A peal of thunder rang through the sky, as though it were cheering the two of them on.
The next moment—
The two attacks collided. The sky trembled, and the violent air currents even created a brief vacuum zone, causing the torrential rain to stop for an instant.
"Boom!"
The sky exploded, and the heavy rain came crashing down again—but the two of their attacks had only just begun.
With brute force enough to shatter all techniques, Iruwa's leg was like an unmatched divine sword, cutting through everything in its path, unstoppable and invincible.
"Muda muda!"
Kinoshita Hikaru was wreathed in red vapor, his blood and vitality surging like smoke from a beacon fire as they erupted into endless strength. His fists were like a perpetual engine, striking rapidly without rest.
The fierce winds howled so hard that people could barely keep their eyes open. The others lying on the ground stared at this scene in utter shock.
"Amazing!"
Everyone had known Kinoshita Hikaru was strong, but no one had ever imagined that at only seven years old, he could fight a jōnin head-on.
This scene was simply too shocking, leaving them speechless, as if they had fallen into a dream.
They could not help but ask in their hearts: they were all roughly the same age, and some of them were even two years older than him, so why was the gap so enormous?
...
Iruwa Yoshi could not believe it. His full-powered final strike had actually been blocked.
"Damn it!"
He could clearly feel cracks forming in the bones of his right leg. His body was already reaching its limit.
Was it really going to end like this?
He was unwilling.
"Ahhh!" Iruwa roared, refusing to believe that he could actually lose to a mere child.
Kinoshita Hikaru clenched his teeth and swung his fists with all his strength. This was a contest of power, but also a contest of endurance. It all depended on who gave out first.
He kept cheering himself on in his heart.
I can do it. I definitely can. I cannot lose.
At this moment,
Kinoshita Hikaru had nowhere left to retreat. All of his companions were already gravely wounded. If he failed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Thinking of that, another surge of strength rose from his exhausted body.
But human strength has its limits.
"Crack!"
Kinoshita Hikaru's arm could no longer withstand the strain and snapped apart.
***
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