Chapter 26: Jugo

Early the next morning, the two headed toward Tenbin Village.

"Boss, this guy named Jugo sounds tough. How about letting me take the first shot?"

"Sure."

"Great! After getting beaten by you for so long, I finally have someone to vent on."

Suigetsu grinned, clearly excited.

"Don't be so overconfident. This guy's strength is no joke."

"Boss, he's around your age, like twelve, right? I doubt he's as freakishly strong as you. As long as he's not you, I'm sure I'll win against anyone our age."

Suigetsu smiled confidently.

After being suppressed by Kimimaro for so long, he was eager to finally let loose.

Kimimaro shook his head slightly but said nothing more.

He thought it best to let Suigetsu experience Jugo's strength for himself.

Tenbin Village.

A small, ordinary village.

But it had gained some notoriety because of one person.

That person was Jugo.

"Boss, are you sure we're in the right place? This place looks deserted—doesn't seem like anyone's lived here for a while."

The village ahead had about a hundred houses, but strangely, not a single person was inside.

It looked like no one had lived there for at least three months.

Kimimaro glanced at the map and said, "No, this is the place. But it seems like everyone here has already moved out. For an entire village to relocate, something major must have happened.

"It wasn't a sudden event, though. The people left calmly, packing up everything neatly without leaving anything valuable behind."

"So, what do we do now?"

"We'll split up and see if there's anyone nearby who can tell us what happened."

"Got it."

The two went in opposite directions to investigate.

Walking along a country path, Kimimaro soon spotted an old man tending to a field.

"Young man, don't go any further," the old man said before Kimimaro could even ask a question.

Kimimaro stopped and looked at the old man.

"There's a monster living in the cave ahead. If you go, you'll die."

"A monster?"

"Yes, a creature people call Tenbin. It often goes berserk, turning into a violent monster that destroys everything. If it sees a person, it kills them. If it sees an object, it destroys it. It's terrifying.

"This place used to be called Tenbin Village, but because of that monster, everyone moved to our village."

Hearing this, Kimimaro wasn't afraid. In fact, he knew he was in the right place.

"Thanks for the warning."

"It's no trouble. Now that you know, just take a different path."

Kimimaro nodded slightly and went to find Suigetsu.

Jugo's cave wasn't hard to find, and they quickly arrived at the entrance.

"Boss, the monster you mentioned is in there, right?"

"Should be. I can feel an incredibly violent chakra coming from inside."

Kimimaro's sensing abilities were still quite basic, but the fact that he could feel Jugo's chakra from this distance showed how chaotic it was.

"Then there's no mistake! Hehe, time for Suigetsu to teach this monster a lesson!"

Suigetsu charged in, and Kimimaro followed closely behind.

The cave was dark and gloomy.

They could faintly hear growls that didn't sound human.

"This monster sounds pretty creepy," Suigetsu remarked, pausing to listen.

"Stay back! If you come any closer, I'll kill you!"

A voice full of killing intent echoed from deep within the cave.

"So he's in here after all!"

Suigetsu and Kimimaro headed toward the source of the voice.

"Stay back!" Jugo's voice rang out again, this time even more agitated.

"You must be the monster?" 

Suigetsu finally caught sight of Jugo.

Although he was just a twelve-year-old boy, he was tall and muscular, standing a full head taller than Suigetsu.

His wild orange hair shot up, giving him a fierce look.

Black symbols covered the left side of his body, giving him a terrifying and sinister appearance.

He was crouched inside a wooden cage, hugging his knees as if trying to suppress something within.

"I'll kill you!"

Without another word, Jugo's feral instincts took over the moment he saw Suigetsu, and he charged forward!

Suigetsu was stunned; he hadn't expected the boy to attack without any warning.

Crack!

Jugo shattered the wooden cage in an instant, sending wood splinters flying.

At the same time, his left fist tightened, and his once orange left eye turned black with a golden pupil.

His left fist, now transformed, was covered in gray spikes, looking like a monster's fist.

He threw a punch!

"So fast!"

There was no time to dodge.

Suigetsu crossed his arms in front of him to form a defense.

In the next instant, Jugo's fist landed!

Boom!

With one punch, Suigetsu's arms exploded into streams of water, scattering across the ground.

He was sent flying, crashing into the cave wall.

"What the... What kind of monster is this?"

Suigetsu was dumbfounded.

Thanks to his water-based abilities, physical attacks didn't hurt him much, so the blow looked worse than it actually was.

Still, Jugo's monstrous strength left him in shock.

"Hahaha! You can take a hit! Now let me enjoy the thrill of the hunt! I'll kill you!"

Jugo laughed maniacally as he launched another attack.

His gray monster fist swung wildly.

But this time, Suigetsu had enough time to dodge.

"I'll kill you! Kill you!" Jugo's face twisted with rage, completely consumed by his monstrous instincts.

Each punch created gusts of wind that made Suigetsu shiver.

Kimimaro watched from the side, taking in the scene.

"What incredible strength. Physically, this guy far surpasses me," Kimimaro thought, noticing that Suigetsu was being completely overpowered.

"I can't let this go on, or I'll be a laughingstock," Suigetsu muttered, stepping back as his right hand swelled.

"Water Style! Great Water Arm Jutsu!"

His enlarged right hand formed a fist, ready to meet Jugo's monstrous punch head-on.

Boom!

The two forces collided!

Thud!

Once again, Suigetsu was sent flying, crashing into the stone wall.

Jugo stepped back, steadying himself.

"This guy... is unbelievable," Suigetsu muttered in disbelief.

Even with the strength boost from his jutsu, he had still been overpowered.

Jugo's raw strength was simply absurd.

He was the kind of opponent Suigetsu hated facing.

"Hahaha! Die!"

Jugo charged again, like an unstoppable machine.

Seeing Jugo's iron fist coming, Suigetsu panicked.

"Boss! Help me!"

"Binding Spell Number One: Sai!"

Jugo suddenly felt an invisible force bind his limbs, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground with a thud.

(End of Chapter)