"Petty tricks."
Yugito didn't speak, but her disdainful expression as she glanced at the lightning crackling in Sasuke's hand spoke volumes.
'Whoosh!'
In the blink of an eye, a blur of motion—a fleeting afterimage—showed Yugito charging toward Sasuke like a hunting cheetah.
She used no ninjutsu, wielded no weapons, and even eschewed basic combat techniques, relying solely on a brutally simple straight punch.
'Bang!'
Yugito's fist struck with the force of a cannonball, a visible shockwave radiating outward from the point of impact as her immense power rippled through the air.
In Yugito's eyes, Sasuke was just a young genin.
A casual strike from her would leave him severely injured, crippled, or even dead.
That was her assumption. Then, in the next instant, her expression twisted in shock.
A golden flash!
A golden bolt of lightning, as if capable of cleaving anything in two, split the air.
Accompanied by a deafening, terrifying thunderclap—like a thousand bird screeching simultaneously in her ears—the lightning tore toward her.
[ Chidori: Thrust! ]
Without hesitation or underestimation, Sasuke unleashed his killing move from the very start against Yugito's attack!
He knew that killing Yugito here would make it impossible for Konoha to protect him. He didn't need anyone to tell him that.
Even if Team Seven, aside from Uzumaki Naruto, were all killed by Yugito, Konoha wouldn't risk war to antagonize Kumogakure.
But that didn't mean Sasuke would feign compliance.
[ If worse comes to worst, I'll just leave Konoha. ]
With his current strength, he could handle most situations in the ninja world anyway.
Afterward, he could find a quiet, safe place to awaken his Mangekyō and evolve it into the Eternal Mangekyō.
Though it would disrupt his plans and bring unforeseen changes, if he hesitated against an opponent far stronger than himself, he'd be signing his death warrant.
'What?!'
Yugito's pupils contracted slightly. She never expected this seemingly ordinary Uchiha brat to unleash such a devastating, razor-sharp attack from the very first strike. The speed was particularly astonishing!
At this distance, even in her normal state, Yugito couldn't evade the sword strike, nor did she have time to retract her punch and retreat.
Her mind raced like lightning. Razor-sharp claws, glowing with a cold, metallic sheen, suddenly erupted from the wooden puppet's fingertips.
'Clang!'
With a piercing clang, the claws clashed violently against the Thunder God Sword, sending tremors through both their bodies.
'Is his strength this immense even in his normal state?'
'How can this Uchiha brat possess such raw power?'
The same thought flashed through both their minds, but Yugito fared worse. Caught off guard, she couldn't fully unleash her power.
Simultaneously, beyond the tremendous recoil, the Chidori's lightning coursed through her body, leaving her momentarily numb.
This was only due to her Jinchūriki constitution and her mastery of Lightning Release techniques.
Otherwise, an ordinary person would have been convulsing, foaming at the mouth, and losing control of their bodily functions.
"Hmph!"
Yugito let out a sharp grunt, shaking off the paralysis with a burst of lightning. She retreated a few steps.
But Sasuke, seizing the advantage, wouldn't let her recover so easily.
'Whoosh!'
A flash of electric light, accompanied by a piercing roar, erupted from his blade.
Yugito retreated a dozen meters. The moment her feet touched the ground, a blinding light flashed before her eyes as Sasuke, wielding the Thunder God Sword, lunged forward with a furious strike.
In an instant, despite her annoyance, Yugito had no choice but to counter defensively.
'Clang! Clang! Clang!'
Sasuke and Yugito clashed again, lightning snakes crackling wildly as metallic clashes rang out relentlessly.
Lightning Release versus Lightning Release, speed against speed, they fought relentlessly, advancing and retreating in a whirlwind of thunder and lightning.
Their high-speed movements kicked up billowing waves of air and a cloud of dust that blotted out the sky.
Meanwhile, two Anbu teams observed the battle from the rooftop of a skyscraper several hundred meters away, exchanging uneasy glances.
"Captain Tenzo, what should we do?" one Anbu member asked, addressing a man wearing an Anbu "cat" mask and sporting short brown hair—likely their team leader.
Yamato gazed at the distant clash. Seeing Sasuke was in no immediate danger, he hesitated before speaking. "Let's observe for now. With such a commotion, the owner of this place is bound to appear sooner or later."
Yamato knew that intervening now would only escalate the conflict. More importantly, he had sensed the presence of the Kumogakure kunoichi.
'A Jinchūriki!'
Given the current situation, the best course of action was to downplay the incident as a minor skirmish between two ninjas from opposing factions during their respective missions.
'Ugh...'
Naruto, who had been unconscious, suddenly stirred awake, clutching his head and groaning.
"Naruto, you're awake?" Sakura, alerted by the noise, turned around with a surprised expression. "How did you wake up so quickly?"
After all, Sasuke's punch had been anything but gentle.
If Sakura had taken such a blow, she estimated she wouldn't have regained consciousness for at least an hour.
With that, Sakura patted Naruto's head, saying with a hint of envy, "Your constitution is truly terrifyingly strong, you know."
Hearing Sakura's praise, Naruto grinned smugly and declared proudly, "Sasuke once told me my physique is a bit special. Everyone's constitution is different, you know, Sakura. Did you know that in a fit of extreme rage, I once punched a hole clean through fifty meters of—"
Before he could finish, Naruto suddenly snapped to his senses and shouted, "Where's Sasuke? Why did that bastard suddenly punch me?"
Sakura's lips twitched as she gazed at the slow-witted guy, letting out a sigh.
"Sasuke, well..."
Sakura pondered, recalling Sasuke's words after Naruto had fallen unconscious.
"He was protecting you... I think."
"Protecting me? What the hell?" Naruto looked utterly confused.
Sakura continued, "Now that you're awake, we should hurry to where Sasuke is fighting."
"Sasuke's fighting that woman?" Naruto exclaimed in shock, glancing toward the distant, rumbling sounds. "Then let's hurry and support Sasuke!"
"Mm-hmm," Sakura nodded, then hesitated before adding, "But Naruto, if Sasuke isn't in real danger, we should probably stay out of his fight."
"Why not?" Naruto stared at her, baffled. "Are you saying we should just let Sasuke hog all the glory?"
"You idiot!" Veins popped on Sakura's forehead as she snapped, "That bitch was insulting Sasuke's dead clan! This is his fight, got it?"
Hearing this, Naruto's expression grew serious. "Understood," he replied gravely.
___
This Sasuke Is Strange 170 advanced chapters: (5 ch updates everyday)
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