Chapter 74
Once Hōka and his two unlucky teammates had scrambled into the bushes and fled,
the Ōmba—having lost its original prey—visibly paused for a moment.
Then its blood-red pupils locked dead onto the three small figures standing in a row before it: Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata.
Three reckless little brats who didn't know the meaning of death.
"Ombu—!!"
A low, guttural roar erupted from its throat.
Its already exaggerated muscles swelled further, as though inflating.
The thick white fur all over its body stood on end, making it look like a gigantic white porcupine.
"Looks like we've really pissed it off… though it seemed angry from the start."
"One thick coat of fur—its hide is terrifyingly tough."
Staring at the charging Ōmba, Naruto quickly warned his two teammates on either side: "Sasuke, Hinata—don't clash with it head-on. This big guy's strength isn't a joke."
Sasuke gave a cold snort: "You don't need to tell me something that obvious."
Hinata said nothing. The veins around her eyes bulged—Byakugan already active.
In her vision, the monster's chakra flow was wildly violent, like a raging wildfire.
"Careful! It's coming!"
The moment Naruto spoke, the Ōmba's massive body lunged.
No fancy techniques—just pure, straight-line charging.
The waist-high bushes in its path were crushed like paper under its enormous paws.
"Scatter!"
The three moved in perfect sync, springing to opposite sides.
BOOM!
The instant they left their original position, the Ōmba's colossal body slammed through.
Having missed, it crashed into the trees behind them.
The unlucky tree that blocked its path naturally took the full brunt.
A trunk thicker than Naruto's waist snapped cleanly in two.
The Ōmba turned around. Its beastly instincts told it:
These three little things were far more troublesome than the three screaming prey from before.
It roared in frustration, swinging its arm wildly and casually grabbing the snapped tree.
With a casual flick—like throwing a stick—it hurled the massive trunk toward Sasuke's dodging path.
"Hmph. Mindless brute. Watch me burn all that fur off with Fire Release."
Sasuke had already activated his Sharingan, perfectly tracking the flying trunk's trajectory.
Both hands formed seals in an instant. He inhaled deeply, chest expanding as chakra gathered in his throat.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
A massive fireball five meters in diameter erupted from his mouth, intercepting the incoming trunk head-on.
The intense heat instantly devoured the wood; the impact force canceled out its momentum.
The trunk—now charred black—fell powerlessly to the ground, broken into several pieces.
But the Ōmba didn't care about the remaining sparks. It charged straight through the orange-red flames.
The thick white fur only curled slightly and singed in the fire—it didn't ignite as Sasuke had expected.
"Damn it—tougher than I thought!"
Sasuke cursed under his breath and decisively cut off the chakra supply to the jutsu.
He leaped backward repeatedly, creating distance while sliding away.
At the same time, both hands reached into his pouch and drew several shuriken.
Since fire couldn't penetrate, he'd aim for weak points.
The shuriken traced cunning arcs through the air, precisely targeting the Ōmba's eyes and nostrils.
But the Ōmba wasn't blind. Facing shuriken flying toward its eyes,
it halted its charge and swung a claw to swat them away.
After all, these were Sasuke's throws—perfectly aimed to force it to twist its head or block, disrupting its momentum.
This was the opening.
Against a human, Hinata might hesitate due to psychological burden.
But against a monster, her reservations were far fewer.
And thinking of fighting alongside Naruto gave her courage that surged from deep within.
The Byakugan's 360-degree vision let her track the Ōmba's every movement and chakra flow in real time.
Gentle Fist!
Hinata's soft shout rang out from behind the Ōmba.
She had silently circled into its blind spot.
Her body leaped high and struck toward the Ōmba's knee.
Pale blue chakra wrapped her palm as she slammed it into the back of the Ōmba's right knee joint.
Gentle Fist focused on driving chakra into the enemy's body to damage them from the inside.
Puff!
Hinata's attack had some effect. The Ōmba's thick leg muscle twitched slightly.
It was as though she'd struck a nerve—its stance became momentarily unbalanced.
The Gentle Fist's penetrating force passed through the fur.
Though the Ōmba's powerful physique prevented a full shutdown of its movement, it still felt sharp pain.
It roared in fury and swept its arm horizontally. But Hinata—using footwork she had learned from Naruto—had already prepared to retreat.
"Nice one, Hinata!"
Naruto laughed loudly and stepped forward proactively, taking on the role of the most dangerous bait: "Hey big guy! Over here!"
Though the three hadn't trained together for long, their coordination at this moment was astonishing.
Naruto drew aggro and absorbed pressure from the front.
Sasuke circled around, delivering precise strikes and harassment.
Hinata used the Byakugan's insight to find openings and attack weak points.
For a moment, this raging giant beast
was being held in place—forced to roar in powerless fury—by three academy students who hadn't even graduated.
Xuanming floated nearby, quietly observing their battle.
His nine fluffy tails swayed gently behind him, looking utterly relaxed.
Dangerous? Yes, it was dangerous.
Worried? Not at all.
"Not bad. They know how to coordinate and aren't blindly relying on brute strength."
Xuanming gave a slight nod, a faint smile on his lips.
He generally wouldn't lend Naruto the Nine-Tails' power directly.
A crisis of this level was the perfect whetstone to sharpen Naruto.
As long as it didn't cross into life-threatening territory or involve overwhelming danger, he preferred to remain a spectator.
After all—no matter what happened—he would always be here.
…
Inside the training ground.
Several black shadows set off from different locations, all rushing toward the source of the Ōmba's commotion at top speed.
"It's up ahead!"
Iruka's face was ashen; he had already pushed his speed to the limit.
Those earlier roars definitely weren't sounds that should exist in this exercise.
Soon he linked up with the other two chūnin teachers on the way; they too were covered in cold sweat.
"How could a monster of this level get into the training ground?"
"The students are still inside—what if they've already run into it?"
Before long, the forest ahead opened up.
When Iruka and the others burst through the bushes and saw the scene before them, they all sucked in a sharp breath.
A white-furred giant beast over four meters tall was rampaging wildly.
Trees lay toppled all around; the ground was pockmarked with craters.
Clearly, a fierce battle had just taken place here—and it still wasn't over.
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