Chapter Nine: Red Hot-Blooded Habanero (Part 2)

Kenji's eyes lit up; he was waiting for this moment.

"Kushina-sensei, what if I really manage to snatch the bell?" Kenji asked.

Kushina smiled and glanced at Kenji before replying, "If you truly manage to snatch the bell I would be impressed, Kenji, even though your strength is decent, it's only relative to your peers. Snatching this bell from me is still quite challenging. You should know, I am a Jōnin, not a fellow student you spar with at the Ninja Academy."

Kushina was reminding Kenji not to underestimate the gap between Jōnin and Genin.

"I know, Teacher. I'm a Genin, and you're a Jōnin, but Genin are still ninja. In a fight between ninjas, no one can predict the outcome before the battle," Kenji confidently retorted. In truth, he was certain that Kushina wouldn't go all out against him in this situation. Going all out would mean he had no chance to counter, which would make this contest pointless.

"You make a valid point. When facing a Jōnin and choosing a frontal approach, that's not necessarily the right strategy," Kushina admitted.

Nearly instantly, Kenji disappeared from his original spot and launched a direct punch at Kushina.

Of course, such a straightforward attack would be difficult to succeed with, as Kushina effortlessly caught Kenji's fist in one hand.

At that moment, a sudden change occurred. A piercing bird cry started resonating, and the faint electric arcs on Kenji's body intensified into powerful lightning.

Chidori Stream.

The intensity of Kenji's Lightning Release had instantly multiplied.

The stimulating and corrosive effects of the Lightning Release caused pain and numbness to course through Kushina's hand that had made contact with Kenji. She slightly frowned, realizing that she couldn't maintain prolonged contact with Kenji while he had lightning coming off his body. She involuntarily exerted more strength to push Kenji away.

Kushina raised her hand to examine it and found that after only a few seconds of contact, her skin had peeled up like scales. The back of her hand had become charred due to the burn.

Kushina realized she had been a bit careless. She shouldn't have attempted to catch the punch directly.

"You possess an extremely strong Lightning Release Chakra. Is this a technique of your creation?" Kushina inquired, looking at Kenji a few meters away.

"Yes," Kenji replied, unfazed. He could have joked about it, considering Kakashi wasn't yet able to use Chidori, which he would have come up with in the future.

Although Kushina had exposed herself by throwing him earlier, he had landed smoothly and suffered no substantial damage.

"It's a dangerous technique, and it seems to consume an extraordinary amount of chakra. Judging from its power, it's at least an A-rank technique," Kushina commented. It wasn't about Kenji, at such a young age, being able to use an A-rank technique. It was about him creating it.

This indicated something. It indicated that Kushina's judgment of character was accurate.

The ear-piercing bird cries continued as Kushina's burnt hand began to self-heal. Kenji might not realize it, but that was the effect of the Nine-Tails' chakra.

"This technique is called Chidori Stream. If I were to judge, it's also an A-rank technique. The power is self-evident. However, the chakra consumption is immense. At my current level, I can probably maintain it for only two to five minutes," Kenji explained.

"Oh, so you're planning to determine the outcome within these two minutes?" Kushina expressed surprise again. Being able to sustain such a powerful chakra for two minutes implied Kenji's chakra capacity was surpassing that of a typical Chunin.

Kenji had been fast before, but after using Chidori Stream, he could move even faster. Although his speed couldn't be compared to the speed of light, which Minato Namikaze possessed, it was still incredibly fast.

However, instead of attacking, Kenji remained stationary, allowing Chidori Stream to disperse. His actions puzzled Kushina.

"Why did you discontinue the technique? Didn't you say you could sustain it for two minutes?" Kushina asked, genuinely curious.

Kenji claimed he could maintain Chidori Stream for two to five minutes, and that was true. However, this time, his attack had only lasted for about ten seconds before he chose to end the technique prematurely.

"Chidori Stream indeed consumes a lot of chakra. However, the reason I stopped the technique isn't due to the chakra. It's because our battle has already concluded," Kenji explained.

With that, Kenji opened his hand, revealing a bell resting quietly in his palm.

Kushina instinctively glanced at her waist, confirming that the bell that had been there was now missing.

She quickly realized the trick. "While my attention was on your fist and the new technique, you took the bell," she said.

"Yes, it was a little diversion," Kenji chuckled, then tossed the bell back to Kushina.

"You've surprised me," Kushina admitted. Even though he had taken the bell through an unexpected move, she wasn't displeased.

It was simple; she believed she had surpassed Minato this time.