Chapter 173

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Waking up in the morning, Kyomu pushed off the Yugito that was pressing down on him.

She was becoming increasingly dependent on him.

It wasn't about good or bad; Kyomu's heart was not much stirred. He had no mind to think about these matters now.

Continuously growing stronger, continuously enhancing his forces for the future, that had always been Kyomu's sole focus.

"I want to go with you."

"Are you sure you want to go to the Hidden Cloud Village?" Kyomu glanced at the Yugito.

"I've already killed some of them, what do you think?"

Without further conversation, Kyomu gestured towards his back, and the Yugito, with a joyful expression, leapt up agilely, landing on his back like a cat.

Flight Technique.

With bodies aloft, chakra erupted steadily from the soles of their feet, propelling Kyomu through the air at speeds resembling a fighter jet.

Aside from the immensely draining space bloodline limit, the Flight Technique was Kyomu's quickest and least exhausting means of travel, very convenient.

In less than half an hour, Kyomu had crossed numerous small nations and most of the territory of the Land of Lightning, arriving above the Hidden Cloud Village.

"Enemy attack!"

"It's Kyomu and the Yugito!"

"Quick, get the villagers to the shelters!"

"Evacuate the people, hurry!"

As soon as Kyomu appeared, the Cloud ninja became hysterical, their voices filled with hysteria.

They understood very well, the combination of Kyomu and the Yugito could easily annihilate the Hidden Cloud Village.

"Aragami Kyomu, we are in the negotiation phase now, we have already ceased fighting, and our troops have retreated, do you still wish to annihilate us?"

The Fourth Raikage's voice boomed like a bell, standing on the rooftop of the Raikage building, looking up at Kyomu.

"I don't mean to wipe you out, I am not that murderous."

Kyomu descended slowly, arriving five meters above the Fourth Raikage, looking down on him from a height.

"I just had a breakthrough recently and wanted to find someone to practice on, so I came."

Creak, creak, creak.

The Fourth Raikage clenched his fists, his arms bulging, clearly restraining himself with great effort.

When he had shouted earlier, he had already lowered himself considerably. Still, that wasn't enough, and Kyomu had to insult him further.

In the Fourth Raikage's view, Kyomu was now insulting him.

He, the dignified Fourth Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village, although not long in office, held a dignity that was inviolable. Kyomu, however, treated him as if he were a mere sparring bag, which was a humiliation more towering than the heavens.

"Kyomu! Do you really think I can do nothing to you?"

"I won't use space powers."

Kyomu's indifferent voice caused the Fourth Raikage's momentum to sharply drop, once again feeling belittled by Kyomu's words.

Space powers are impressive, huh?

"Then you'll regret it!" But the Fourth Raikage quickly adjusted his mindset, "Without your space powers, you might just die by my hand!"

"Don't worry, I, Kyomu, always keep my word." With a slight smile, Kyomu patted the thigh of the Yugito behind him, "Step down, don't hinder me and the Fourth Raikage."

The Yugito obediently nodded, leaping down from Kyomu's back and standing firmly on the streets of the Hidden Cloud Village.

She was very familiar with this place, having lived here for many years.

Yet, the surrounding gazes were filled with malice and hatred, but the Yugito did not care about these, nor worried about her own safety.

With Kyomu around, no one dared to touch her.

Finding a spot, the Yugito sat down, propping her chin with one hand, her eyes fixed unwaveringly on Kyomu above.

"Let's do it here."

Kyomu couldn't be bothered to find another place; after all, he wasn't the one who would have to compensate for any damages.

Creak.

The Fourth Raikage clenched his fist, today being the day he felt the most humiliated.

When had the Hidden Cloud Village fallen to such depths that others could come knocking at their door, yet they could not mount any effective response?

But it would soon change. Utilizing the Heavenly Transfer Technique, reversing the sealing space ninjutsu, and gathering the once-lost Six Paths Tools, it would be Kyomu's end!

In the Fourth Raikage's view, without his space powers, Kyomu was not particularly fearsome.

But was that really the case?

Bang.

The two exchanged a punch, and Kyomu was sent flying, sliding seven or eight meters before barely stopping.

In contrast, the Fourth Raikage only took a half-step back before halting.

"Victory for the Fourth Raikage!"

"Yes, let Aragami Kyomu know how weak he is without his space powers!"

"Shut up, you all!" the Yugito coldly interrupted the cheering Cloud ninja, "Kyomu just exchanged a punch using his physical strength against the Fourth Raikage, who was augmented by the Lightning Release Chakra Mode."

The Yugito saw clearly and thought rationally, "Don't you think there's a problem here?

If Kyomu were to use his chakra, do you think the Fourth Raikage would stand a chance?"

Silence.

The cheering of the surrounding Cloud ninja abruptly ceased, their eyes filled with astonishment, all focused on Kyomu.

Really... he hadn't used any chakra.

Was he still human?

Of course, he was human, but after re-editing his body, Kyomu's body structure had risen to a more perfect level.

The Fourth Raikage had noticed this point too. Before exchanging punches with Kyomu, he had seen that Kyomu had not used any chakra.

And his response was a normal punch, albeit augmented by the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

Even so, the Fourth Raikage's expression had grown grave. Kyomu had grown stronger, and it was based on his own strength, not on external powers.

This was terrifying!

However, Kyomu was not satisfied with his own performance, not because of insufficient strength or a weak body structure, but because he had discovered a flaw after re-editing his body.

The coordination between different parts of the body was a bit awkward.

It was a minor issue, but in a high-stakes battle of equals, this flaw could easily lead to Kyomu's complete defeat.

"It seems that after re-editing my body, although it has become stronger, I still need to adapt faster." Kyomu pondered internally, "Also, the nerve reflex values are set a bit low, unable to perfectly match my current body speed."

Having identified the deficiency, Kyomu didn't idle. Electric arcs violently covered his body.

However, unlike before, the electric arcs were no longer blue but had turned purple.

Boom!

The aura exploded, the shockwaves spreading outwards, and the houses on both sides of the street were blown away.

No clothes were torn, but the exposed blood vessels had swelled significantly, and the blood flowing through them was mixed with a large amount of lightning attribute chakra.

After the gate of death at the heart position was opened, the heart began to operate in overdrive, with at least 400 beats per minute.

This was a very dangerous thing, but danger often comes with greater power. The strong and frequent heartbeat, pumping Kyomu's blood throughout his body, maximized his physical strength.

"Purple electric arcs!" the Fourth Raikage muttered gravely, "Is this the final form of Kyomu's Lightning Release Eight Gates?"

Lightning Release Chakra Mode, full open!

Boom.

The Fourth Raikage hesitated no longer, immediately unleashing all his strength; otherwise, he might...

Whoosh.

Without using his space bloodline limit, Kyomu took a step and had already appeared at the Fourth Raikage's side.

A straightforward punch was thrown.

Thud!

The Fourth Raikage instantly turned into a cannonball, creating ripples in the air, and after smashing through several houses, nearly reached the edge of the village.

The sheer power of Kyomu's simple punch, relying only on strength and speed, was terrifying.

And where Kyomu had stood, a chain reaction occurred.

To achieve faster speeds with physical strength, strong explosive power is needed at the start.

And when Kyomu began to move, the ground bore the brunt of an explosive force it should not have endured.

Boom!

A large crater appeared on the street, the shockwave spreading backward, scattering the blue stone bricks on the street, rapidly forming a deep cylindrical pit.

"Just the aftermath of the sprint caused such destruction..."

The Cloud ninja watching this scene had forgotten that Kyomu was their enemy, their minds filled only with amazement and disbelief.

The one with the most authority to speak was the Fourth Raikage.

"I almost didn't react in time, and the power of Kyomu's fist..."

Shaking his numb arm, the Fourth Raikage no longer dwelled on it, his feet pressing into the ground, leaving a large crater as his body turned into a streak of light, charging towards Kyomu.

Thump, thump, thump.

The two exchanged dozens of punches within a second, but unlike the Fourth Raikage, who used all his strength, Kyomu seemed very relaxed, blocking the Fourth Raikage's double fists with just one hand.

"You are much weaker compared to the Third Raikage." Kyomu's words provoked the Fourth Raikage, "Faster, stronger, let me see your limit, whether you can force me to use all my strength in this state."

But whether the Fourth Raikage was truly so weak or he was holding back, after another two seconds of exchanging over a hundred punches, Kyomu lost his patience.

He had come to verify the effectiveness of his re-edited body and to understand its flaws, not to play house with the Fourth Raikage.

Thud.

With a fierce kick, Kyomu sent the Fourth Raikage into the air, his body creating a barely visible afterimage as he chased up and struck down, violently kicking the Fourth Raikage back to the ground.

Boom!

The ground shattered, a bowl-shaped cloud of dust rising, the Fourth Raikage's body buried deep in the ground, estimated to be several meters deep.

Cough.

Suddenly coughing up a mouthful of blood, the Fourth Raikage's chest armor of Lightning Release had already shattered, his breastbone slightly collapsed.

But Kyomu didn't give the Fourth Raikage time to recover, grabbing his throat with one hand from the ground and pressing him deeper into the earth.

Boom!

Another explosion sounded, Kyomu's raised left fist suddenly stopping mid-air.

"About to be beaten to death, huh..." his words tinged with mockery, "Take care of your injuries, and come back next time to be my punching bag."

Standing up, the purple electric arcs covering Kyomu dissipated, and the aura around him returned to normal.

"Yugito, let's go."

Turning around, Kyomu didn't linger, allowing the Yugito to jump onto his back, and using the Flight Technique, they flew away from the Hidden Cloud Village.

"Raikage!"

As Kyomu left, the still-stunned Cloud ninja finally reacted, rushing over in a flurry to check on the Fourth Raikage.

Not enough to kill him, nor enough to leave him on the brink of death, but he was in a particularly miserable state, swollen like a leavened bun.

Under the enhancement of the Lightning Release Eight Gates, Kyomu's strength was astonishingly great. The defensive and physical strength provided by the Lightning Release Chakra Mode could no longer keep up.

This was inevitable.

The Lightning Release Eight Gates is a weakened version of the Eight Gates; it doesn't catch up to the original version, but the boost it gives to Aragami Kyomu is terrifying.

And this was the power Kyomu had unleashed while experiencing problems with his body.

Spurt.

On the way back to camp, Kyomu couldn't help but cough up a mist of blood.

"What's wrong?!" the Yugito exclaimed, "You can't die!"

"It's early yet, just some problems with the body."

Self-editing the body can indeed make it stronger, but the human brain's cognition is not sufficient to support Kyomu's flawless execution.

He is not the creator, and even the creator cannot create a perfect life form, let alone Kyomu himself.

After self-editing his body, after verifying it with the Fourth Raikage, a human-shaped punching bag, a bigger flaw was exposed.

The energy consumption was severely serious.

Although strong enough to send bricks flying, after opening the eighth gate of the Lightning Release Eight Gates, Kyomu's chakra consumption and biological energy consumption soared at an unreasonable rate.

This was not a good sign, and Kyomu could even feel that most of the energy was being consumed in places where it shouldn't have been.

"Where exactly is the problem?" Kyomu pondered internally, "If the lack of body coordination is due to insufficient nerve reflex data, what could be causing this abnormal energy consumption?"

Contemplating this, Kyomu returned to the Leaf Village camp.

"How did it go, Kyomu-san?" Fugaku approached.

"I gave the Fourth Raikage a good beating, left him black and blue," Kyomu responded, "That's about it. Compared to the Third Raikage, he's far inferior.

If I had used more force, he'd probably be joining the Third Raikage in the Pure Land by now."

Fugaku looked at Kyomu, "Then why didn't you..."

"He still has his uses, I need to verify some things," Kyomu explained simply, "As for people in the ninja world who can take a beating without dying... he might be the only one left."

"Kyomu-san, are you serious?" Fugaku seemed unconvinced, "You're not counting me, huh?"

"You?" Kyomu shook his fist, "Want to give it a try?"

Fugaku remained silent, the pattern of his Mangekyo Sharingan spinning once, and the third stage of the half-armored Susano'o surged from the ground, towering over the houses.

Without any hesitation, Kyomu activated the Lightning Release Eight Gates, his body surrounded by purple electric arcs, and struck Fugaku's third-stage Susano'o with all his might.

Crack, boom!

The third stage Susano'o shattered! In Fugaku's horrified gaze, the immense force smashed the armor of the third-stage Susano'o, further damaging its core structure. As it disintegrated, the remaining force sent Fugaku flying hundreds of meters.

Thud, thud, thud.

Landing, encased only in the shattered skeleton of the Susano'o, Fugaku bounced like a stone skipping on water, bouncing, falling, bouncing again, then sliding forward a hundred meters before finally coming to a stop.

The might of a single punch, terrifying indeed! (He only need to get bald and put a cape!)

(End of Chapter)