Chapter 14

At the border of Land of Fire.

Near the valley.

Hizashi Hyuga, having no choice but to leave his Genin Squad to confront ten rogue Shinobi, went ahead to face Gari of the Explosion style.

Whoosh...

Both he and Gari turned into a blur, whizzing through the forest, and arrived at an open ground, standing not much far from their respective opponents.

"Been a while since I looked forward to a satisfying fight!"

"Don't let me down, Hizashi..."

Gari showed a wide grin facing Hizashi, who had his Byakugan open and met his opponent's glare.

'Sure enough... It won't be an easy fight.'

"And that's why I have to take you down as soon as possible!"

Hizashi exhaled a calm sigh while sharpening his senses. He focused on the opponent upfront and replied in his stern yet calm demeanor.

"Haha!! You know this is what entertains me the most..."

"Show me what you got, Hizashi Hyuga!!"

"Your Byakugan or my Explosion release, let's see which one of them is stronger!"

Swish...

"Boom!!"

Gari was a level-headed individual, and having great pride in his abilities, he showed a taste for fighting.

White smoke erupted out of his hands as he blurred at Hizashi, leaving a slight blur.

'He's fast!'

'But not faster than him...'

This was the first thought that came to Hizashi's mind, looking at Gari's breakneck speed.

He knew someone even faster than him, his older brother. Hiyashi Hyuga.

"Heheh... Here I come!"

Gari was a well-noted Shinobi and worked under Explosion Corps, proving his battle capabilities. He was an offensive Taijutsu user, and thus had a great physique, physical strength, and speed.

He was already fast for a normal Jonin class Ninja but added to the fact that he used the explosion to boost his speed, he quickly arrived before Hizashi with a smirk on his face.

"Boom!"

Gari landed on the ground after jumping from quite the height, causing wide spider cracks to form, along with a large amount of dust and debris.

Leaving the dust and debris behind, he launched his first attack on Hizashi as his legs blurred and met Hizashi's neck.

The distance between them shortened in a single moment.

'Fast... But not quite!'

Whoosh...

But unlike what Gari thought, he wasn't that fast for Hizashi who countered and deflected his attack with a simple motion of his hands.

'Heh...'

Even after failing to launch a successful attack, the smirk on Gari's face maintained as he left an afterimage and appeared behind Hizashi.

"Explosion Release! Landmine Fist"

"Boom!!"

______________

Whoosh...

After taking care of the rogue Ninja hired for the assassination, Izuna left with Kakashi towards the place where the battle between Hizashi and Gari was taking place.

He left one Shadow Clone behind, just in case something happens.

Leaving his Shadow Clone and Mugino responsible for the safety of the client, the duo soon arrived at the battlefield, where Hizashi and Gari were fighting.

"Ha...ha... How long has it been since I've tasted my blood..."

"Haha!! Here I come again!"

The grassy field was now totally obliterated, with just rumbled and disfigured ground all around.

Standing not far from Hizashi, Gari was panting as he said while laughing loudly.

"Explosion Release! Landmine fist"

"Boom!!"

"Huh? What is he doing..."

Gari quickened his pace as he used his technique on the ground, creating a massive orange-colored explosion and upturned the ground all around.

Seeing the explosion at a distance from him, Hizashi fell into thought while maintaining a safe distance, as his opponent had already tried many tricks such as this.

Whoosh...

The wide explosion while creating a massive gust of wind and debris launched multiple rocks into the air.

"Explosion Release! Exploding Palm"

Maintaining his quickened pace, a dense amount of white smoke flared out of Gari's hands, which rose a bad premonition in Hizashi's heart.

Gari jumped into the air and launched his explosion technique on the rocks and debris created by his previous explosion.

"Boom!!"

With a shriek, hundreds of rocks varying in shape and size, shot towards Hizashi at a breakneck speed almost arriving in an instant.

"How troublesome..."

However, Hizashi, instead of having a worried expression, had a calm demeanor as he became ready to face the onslaught.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Multiple small explosions occurred in quick succession, creating a large gust of wind, as the sound reverberated all around.

'Hm? What?'

'He survived that...?!'

The expression on Gari's face spoke it all seeing Hizashi come out safely from his onslaught as the blue-colored protective shield spinning around him was visible.

'Phew... I have to finish this real quick or I won't last long.'

The two had now traded dozens of blows and as more time passed, both of them had deduced their respective opponents' strength and had dealt some serious damage.

Knowing that soon they'd be low in Chakra, both of them shared the same thoughts.

The look of exhaustion was visible on Hizashi's face.

And as if peering into his mind, Gari using a short explosion dashed towards him and arrived before him at a breakneck speed.

"Heh... So long Hizashi Hyuga!!"

"Explosion Release! Landmine Fist"

With a wide grin on his face, like a battle maniac, Gari extended his fist towards Hizashi as white smoke erupted and engulfed him.

"Boom!!"

"Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists"

In an instant, Hizashi did something unbelievable; guiding a large amount of Chakra in his hands, his fists appeared to be caught in blue flames which took shape of large guardian lion-shaped shrouds.

'This is the last ounce of my Chakra...'

Hizashi had to take care of Gari with his final attack or he'd be dead if caught in his explosion.

Whoosh...

Both of the attacks contained the power to destroy their opponents. Generating dense waves of air, both of them leaped into the air and met their respective opponents.

"Boom!!"

Hizashi's lion-shaped shrouds and Gari's explosion fist met in mid-air, and a deafening explosion occurred, engulfing them both while the area around them shrieked as the sound reverberated all across.

Whoosh...

"Oh no... Are we too late?!!"

Upon arriving at the location, Kakashi said with a worried expression, looking at the sight of an enormous explosion.

Izuna didn't say a word but showed a grim expression because unlike Kakashi who didn't know what was going on, he could sense it all within the ring of explosion.

Swish...

"Ha...ha....haha!! Oh man, I thought I was a goner..."

Soon the smoke caused by the explosion revealed two figures standing while facing each other in a large crater created by the previous explosion.

Both of them had pensive expressions on their faces when suddenly, the one having spiky brown hair spoke while panting.

"Haha!! You really lived up to your fame...Hizashi_ Huh?!"

Swish...

Slowly moving towards Hizashi, Gari praised him with a mocking smile, but just as he was about to land his finishing blow...

"Zzzzz!!"

...a Kunai with dense lightning dancing over it, flashed before him, aimed at his face; quickly tilting his head he somehow avoided the attack, but couldn't evade the lightning Chakra on it and got a deep slash on his left cheek.

Slash!

It was an unexpected attack that he didn't think would receive, causing him to retreat as he licked the blood oozing out of the deep slash mark.

"Huh? Izuna, you...?"

Hizashi murmured looking at the figure, who flashed before him with a calm smile on his face.

"Why don't you take a little rest, Sensei?"

"Puff!"

A Shadow clone materialized next to Hizashi and supported the stumbling figure.