Seeing Might Duy agree, Shinichi inhaled sharply. His chest expanded like a massive bellows. This wasn't a simple eruption of chakra, but rather the brewing and awakening of a far deeper, infinitely more violent power.
WHOOSH!
With him at the center, the loose sand, gravel, dust, and even the broken blades of grass on the ground were suddenly ripped into the air by an invisible, immense suction force! They spun frantically in mid-air, rapidly forming a constantly expanding vortex!
The air let out a deep, mournful howl, sounding as if a slumbering behemoth was struggling to wake up, violently churning everything in its vicinity.
In the next instant, the chakra flowing around his body ceased its gentle circulation. It exploded outward with the apocalyptic force of a bursting dam!
An azure flame of pure chakra erupted into the sky, illuminating his entire body until he looked like a blazing blue torch.
His physical strength and his sheer presence skyrocketed to an entirely new, terrifying level in a fraction of a second!
He slammed his left foot violently forward!
BOOM!
A massive crater blasted open in the solid rock floor. Using the intense recoil force, his body began to spin at high speeds like a gyroscope. He violently coiled the boundless chakra surrounding him, transforming into an aggressively spinning, azure hurricane that seemingly connected heaven and earth, charging straight toward Might Duy!
SCREEECH!
The ear-piercing shriek of the air being ripped apart assaulted everyone's eardrums. Wherever the hurricane passed, the invisible wind pressure radiating from its outer edges acted like countless razor-sharp blades, carving deep, crisscrossing trenches into the solid rock. The gravel and debris didn't even have a chance to fly away before being shredded into fine dust!
And during this terrifying charge, the boiling azure chakra surrounding him didn't dissipate in the slightest. Instead, it grew even more condensed, boiling, and massive!
As if possessing a life of its own, the chakra rapidly wove, intertwined, and assembled itself, sketching out a heart-stopping silhouette.
First, a dense pattern of scales, resembling heavy armor and flashing with a cold, metallic glint, surfaced on the outer layer of the hurricane.
Immediately following, two vicious, backward-curving dragon horns, looking as though they were forged from tempered black iron, pierced out from the front of the "eye of the storm."
Finally, a terrifying dragon's head completely materialized at the very front of the azure hurricane! It was covered in muscular folds, its invisible maw gaping wide enough to swallow the world whole, radiating an aura of pure, primal brutality!
In an instant, an awe-inspiring, ferocious azure dragon—condensed entirely from pure chakra and a roaring hurricane—descended upon the arena, carrying a momentum capable of destroying absolutely everything in its path!
Konoha Taijutsu Secret Technique: Dragon God!
Although Master Zenn had explicitly stated he would only teach this technique once Shinichi became a Chunin, during their month of intense special training prior to the finals, perhaps seeing that Shinichi's physique and sheer willpower were already more than capable of handling it, Master Zenn ultimately passed down his ultimate secret technique ahead of schedule.
And as an absolute, unrivaled genius, Shinichi naturally mastered this ultimate move within that single month!
"YES!!!"
Facing this earth-shattering, apocalyptic strike, Might Duy wasn't terrified in the slightest. Instead, he was overjoyed! The light erupting from his eyes burned even hotter than the roaring green flames surrounding his body!
He let out a thunderous roar, pushing his chakra and physical strength to the absolute maximum limit.
Facing the countless, razor-sharp wind blades sweeping toward him like a vanguard, his fists blurred into a complete mirage, throwing punches forward at a super-high speed that the naked eye couldn't even begin to track!
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!!!
The speed of his punches reached an absolute extreme. The violent friction against the air actually ignited countless clusters of scorching fire! These flames weren't generated by ninjutsu; they were the pure, unadulterated byproduct of speed and power grinding against the atmosphere!
As if possessing lives of their own, the fireballs formed a massive, scorching barrage that covered the entire area in front of him. They precisely intercepted every single incoming wind blade, detonating into an endless chain of fiery explosions and airbursts in mid-air!
And right amidst this dazzling, chaotic backdrop of fire and wind obliterating each other, the roaring azure dragon crashed directly in front of Might Duy!
"HAAAAAH!!!"
Staring down the dragon's maw mere inches away, Might Duy channeled his entire being—his strength, his willpower, and every last drop of the berserk energy granted by the Sixth Gate—unreservedly into his right fist.
The chakra concentrated on his fist intertwined with the searing, high-temperature flames, making his hand look like a miniature, blazing sun.
He twisted his waist, threw his shoulder, and launched his fist!
The motion was stripped down to its absolute, most minimalist core, yet it felt as though he had poured a lifetime of absolute conviction into it.
Morning Peacock!
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE!!!
The azure dragon and the blazing fist collided head-on without the slightest trickery!
In that exact moment, time seemed to freeze entirely.
Immediately following, an indescribably terrifying explosion of energy detonated!
A blinding, piercing white light swallowed the center of the arena. The deafening roar was so loud it made the entire massive stadium violently quake!
A berserk shockwave, mixed with a chaotic turbulence of azure, green, and crimson energy, expanded outward in a massive sphere. It slammed viciously against the heavily reinforced barrier walls, triggering countless violent ripples!
The stands plunged into a deathly silence. Every single person subconsciously held their breath, their eyes wide open, utterly stripped of their ability to speak by a collision that wildly exceeded the limits of their imagination.
"A-Are you kidding me... is this really taijutsu?!"
"Taijutsu... can actually achieve this level of destruction?!"
"This... this is literally just two massive, S-rank ninjutsu bombarding each other!"
"Terrifying... these two Konoha shinobi..."
"Today's ticket... was absolutely worth the price..."
It was unknown how much time had passed. Perhaps it was only a few seconds, but it felt as long as an entire century.
The blinding light and the billowing clouds of dust finally began to settle.
In the dead center of the arena, a massive, scorched crater had been blasted into the ground.
At the edge of the crater, a figure slowly stood up. It was Shinichi.
He was panting heavily, traces of sweat and dust streaked across his forehead. His clothes were torn in multiple places, clearly indicating a massive expenditure of stamina.
One of his arms was firmly supporting another green-clad figure—Might Duy—who was almost entirely drained of strength and could only remain standing by leaning heavily on Shinichi.
The two slowly walked out of the lingering smoke and dust. Even though Duy was trembling all over and on the verge of total collapse, a profoundly satisfied, utterly exhilarated smile stretched across his face.
He raised his head, using the very last ounce of his strength to look at the referee—who was equally disheveled but staring with burning eyes—and the entire audience. He flashed a brilliant, teeth-baring smile. His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed clearly across the silent arena:
"Referee... I forfeit!"
As the words fell, his body finally went completely limp, leaning his entire weight onto Shinichi.
Shinichi steadily supported him, his gaze slowly sweeping across the surroundings.
After a brief moment of absolute silence, the entire stadium erupted! A tsunami of gasps, exclamations, praise, and utterly disbelieving discussions exploded into the air!
This duel had undeniably been permanently burned into the minds of every single person present.
"Lord Hokage, Konoha truly is overflowing with talent as always."
Up in the VIP box, the Third Kazekage's face was calm, his tone giving away very little emotion. However, his eyes remained firmly locked on the two figures being escorted out of the arena.
The sheer, terrifying power of that final clash was heart-stopping even from behind the reinforced barrier.
However, seeing that Shinichi was visibly exhausted, and Might Duy had completely collapsed, the slight waves of anxiety that their sheer power had stirred in his heart settled down slightly.
"You flatter us, Lord Kazekage," the Third Hokage smiled warmly, taking a slow drag from his pipe. His tone was as gentle and amiable as ever. "Under your esteemed leadership, the Sand is also constantly producing exceptional talents and steadily rising."
However, this child Shinichi... to think his taijutsu has reached such a terrifying level. Did he actually manage to master the Leaf Dragon God as well? The Third Hokage's thoughts churned internally.
Down in the arena, amidst the still-boiling roar of the crowd, Shinichi—who was supporting Might Duy toward the waiting area—suddenly allowed the very corners of his mouth to curve up into an almost imperceptibly faint smile.