A cold gleam flashed along the frost-white blade as it pierced through the air.
Blue chakra flowed over the clear, water-like edge of the sword, carrying the fiery glow of the setting sun as it carved an arc through the air.
In an instant, a killing intent strong enough to make one’s hair stand on end spread through the surroundings.
Sword light flickered.
Cold radiance shimmered like silver frost.
Where the fierce wind howled, the sword force shifted like traces left by a wild goose on melting snow—graceful, fleeting, ever-changing, and impossible to grasp.
The sword aura swept like wind.
Its momentum surged like a rainbow.
Silver light flashed.
In that single instant, in the blink of an eye, Nohara Haruto had already returned to where he had been standing.
It was as if he had never moved at all.
Even the sword at his waist had returned to its sheath.
As though that silver light roaring through the air just now had only been an illusion.
An illusion…
Right.
A genjutsu!
As a qualified genin, and even an elite among genin, Inuzuka Hirono’s first reaction was to suspect that he had fallen under a genjutsu.
What should someone do after being caught in a genjutsu?
Of course, form a hand seal and release it.
He immediately tried to bring his hands together.
And yet…
He discovered that his hands had not risen before his chest the way he had imagined.
Inuzuka Hirono stared at his hands in disbelief.
Pshh—!
Blood.
Fresh blood.
Blood sprayed from his hands like a fountain, splattering out as though it cost nothing.
No.
Not only his hands.
Countless places all over Inuzuka Hirono’s body were spraying blood.
It was as if dozens of wounds had appeared across his body out of nowhere, each one piercing straight through him.
Blood quickly dyed his clothes red, turning him into a blood-soaked figure.
The sight was horrifying.
Inuzuka Hirono was terrified beyond words.
In the next second, intense pain surged from his brain through his entire body, so severe that his expression twisted into a spasm.
“Ahhh—!!!”
Muffled, unclear sounds spilled from his mouth.
No one could tell what Inuzuka Hirono wanted to say or what he wanted to express.
But anyone who saw his expression now would understand his mental state.
His eyes were wide open.
His pupils had shrunk to the size of grains of rice.
His face had turned deathly pale from excessive blood loss and fear.
Shock.
Terror.
Of course Inuzuka Hirono was terrified.
In the blink of an eye, so many wounds had appeared on his body.
And worse, he had not felt pain at the moment he was cut.
Only when he realized his hands were no longer obeying him did he discover those wounds.
Then came the endless pain.
Silver light.
A single instant.
A body covered in wounds.
Although Inuzuka Hirono was only a short-sighted genin, he had at least heard one famous name.
Konoha’s White Fang.
During the Second Shinobi World War, Hatake Sakumo had relied on his unbeatable swordsmanship to charge across the battlefield again and again, earning tremendous achievements and fame.
The pale-white blade light he wielded had given him the title Konoha’s White Fang.
It was said that in the later stages of the Second Shinobi World War, enemy village commanders had even issued orders: if they encountered Konoha’s White Fang, they were to abandon their current mission and retreat.
And now…
In the instant silver light flashed, Hirono’s entire body had been covered in sword wounds.
This was practically another version of Konoha’s White Fang!
How could Inuzuka Hirono not be afraid after provoking a shinobi of this level?
How could he not be terrified after challenging someone like this?
“You… who exactly are you…”
Only fear remained in Inuzuka Hirono’s eyes.
His entire body went stiff, as if he had lost control of himself.
Before he could even finish speaking, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
With a thud, both knees hit the ground, and he knelt before Nohara Haruto.
“Me?”
Nohara Haruto held his sword and stepped forward.
He tapped the flat of the blade lightly against Inuzuka Hirono’s head, still speaking in that same unchanging, gentle tone.
“I’m Rin’s brother.”
Then he smiled.
“You idiot.
You cheap little trash.
You brain-dead dog.
You blind mutt.
You absolute moron.
A toad lusting after swan meat.
Her proper boyfriend?
Pah!
You actually dared bully my sister?
Do you have a death wish?
Now do you understand who you can’t afford to provoke?
A dog like you should crawl back into a cesspit and eat filth like you deserve.”
Inuzuka Hirono lay on the ground with difficulty.
He could not even crawl up.
Even more, he did not dare talk back.
Because he knew that if he said one wrong word, the killing god in front of him would make sure not even his bones remained.
“Brother…”
Rin had learned quite a bit of medical ninjutsu from her brother, so seeing blood would not make her panic.
However, the brutality of the scene had still far exceeded her expectations.
While she felt a little relieved inside, she could not help becoming worried as well.
“Do you need to treat him a little?
This is still inside the village.
I hate him too, but if Lord Hokage punishes you because of him, I don’t want that…”
Rin’s face was conflicted.
She hugged Haruto’s arm, afraid that anger might make him lose control.
Nohara Haruto smiled.
He was not so weak-minded that a brat like this could make him lose his reason.
“It’s fine.
I stabbed him twenty-eight times in total.
Every strike pierced through his body, but not a single one struck any of his organs.
I didn’t even damage his major arteries.”
He smiled gently.
Nohara Rin froze on the spot, completely dumbfounded.
“In other words, although he looks badly injured right now… in reality, these are only minor injuries.
Any medical-nin would give the same diagnosis.
He just needs to lie in bed and recover properly.”
Nohara Haruto blinked mischievously.
Eek—!
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
Nohara Rin swallowed.
She still had not recovered from her earlier daze.
She was so shocked that her mouth would not close.
Brother was saying…
He stabbed Inuzuka Hirono twenty-eight times, and the result was still only a minor injury?
Wasn’t that too terrifying?
This was even more frightening than seeing her brother’s strength.
How had he done it?
He understood the human body to such an extent that even while controlling a flying sword with chakra, he could accurately avoid every vital organ and important tissue, only causing “minor injuries” that pierced through the body.
Her brother was simply the greatest idol in her heart.
At this moment, Rin’s admiration for him had already reached its peak.
Even Minato-sensei could not compare to him in the slightest!
Seeing the worshipful look on Nohara Rin’s face, Nohara Haruto could not help starting to nag again.
“I told you before that you should learn more medical ninjutsu from me, but you kept slacking off.
Now you understand what the things I teach you are useful for, right?”
“I’m telling you, those are things other people would rack their brains to learn, and I still wouldn’t teach them.”
Nohara Rin pouted in grievance and put on a pitiful expression.
This could not really be blamed on her!
After all, who could have imagined that learning medical ninjutsu was not only useful for saving people, but could also have this kind of effect at critical moments?
As expected, just like Brother said…
Knowledge truly was power.