Kawaki Aoba was quite pleased with the results of his technique.
With the chakra cloak and mastery of the Navy Six Styles, his strength now reached the threshold of a jōnin.
If he were to spar with his teacher, Kurenai Yuhi, like last time, he wouldn't be completely overwhelmed or unable to land a single hit. He might even manage to exchange a few serious blows—
That is, assuming Kurenai-sensei doesn't activate the chakra cloak she recently developed.
Still, if his teacher was putting in so much effort to improve, then as her self-proclaimed genius student, he couldn't fall behind.
The Dark Travel Technique he had just learned was ready to be sacrificed, and there was also the Gentle Fist manual provided—perhaps reluctantly—by the Hyūga Clan.
Although he hadn't had time to practice it due to being constantly watched by the Hyūga's Byakugan, that didn't prevent him from offering it as a sacrifice.
He sank his consciousness into the sacrificial altar again, selecting the Dark Travel Technique—a recently learned A-rank ninjutsu.
Channeling the technique's knowledge into the altar, it materialized as a memory orb the size of a fist.
Sacrifice initiated.
Sacrifice complete.
The memory orb vanished. In its place, a new skill orb appeared, glowing faintly with a deep purple light.
Jackpot.
Based on past experience, abilities acquired through sacrifice usually yielded powerful results—at least as effective as Shave (Soru) or Finger Pistol (Shigan) from the Navy Six Styles.
This time, he obtained:
Black Coffin and Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist.
Upon absorbing the skill orb, Kawaki Seiyu instantly assimilated the techniques within.
High-level Hadō—Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi (Black Coffin).
When cast, it forms a massive black cube that entraps the enemy and subjects them to countless blades of spiritual pressure. In the world of the Shinigami, this was one of the highest forms of destructive Kidō.
Even when used without its incantation, Aizen was able to injure or potentially kill Captain-level opponents.
In the shinobi world, Kawaki figured that if used strategically, it could even threaten jōnin-level enemies—perhaps not the Five Kage, but certainly their subordinates.
Naturally, such devastating power came at a cost.
In Bleach, only those with Captain-level spiritual pressure could properly cast this technique.
In the ninja world, however, Kawaki had to cheat.
As he finished processing the technique, a surge of gratitude washed over him—for Kurenai-sensei.
If not for her experimental chakra cloak, there was no way he could safely use something as chakra-hungry as Black Coffin. Not even a Large Blue Potion—no matter how potent—could overcome his body's natural chakra limits.
But with the cloak acting like an external battery that preserved dissipated chakra, Kawaki could finally wield such a devastating technique.
This time, Teacher Kurenai is truly the MVP.
Suppressing his excitement, he prepared the Gentle Fist manual for sacrifice.
Despite being incomplete—missing advanced techniques like Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation and Eight Trigrams Air Palm—the manual still held some value. The Hyūga Clan, always secretive, had clearly withheld their full techniques even as they pretended to support him.
Nonetheless, Kawaki converted the manual into a memory orb and placed it on the altar.
Another glow.
Sacrifice initiated.
Sacrifice complete.
Like before, a skill orb appeared—this one glowing light blue, with rippling water flowing within it.
"Huh," Kawaki murmured, surprised.
He hadn't expected much from the partial Gentle Fist text. It wasn't that he disrespected the Hyūga art—on the contrary, it was elegant and deadly—but their greed had made him doubt the manual's worth.
Yet here it was: a skill orb with considerable value.
Without hesitation, he absorbed the blue orb.
As it integrated into his body, memories and techniques of a powerful martial art flooded his mind.
"Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist." Kawaki said aloud.
This was the signature style of Silver Fang (Bang), the #3 S-Class Hero in One-Punch Man.
The moment it synced with his body, he felt a significant leap in hand-to-hand combat ability. This wasn't just enhancement—it was transformation.
If he could master this fully, defeating a Kage-level shinobi might no longer be a dream.
Even now, his overall combat capability had skyrocketed.
With this set of boxing techniques, even without taking enhancement potions, Kawaki Aoba felt confident enough to take on a Chūnin. When combined with the Navy Six Styles' techniques like Shave (Soru) and Finger Pistol (Shigan), his strikes became even more devastating—especially after his recent upgrades.
It's important to understand that the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist—a style known for its fluidity and adaptive nature—has excellent compatibility with fast-paced ninjutsu and taijutsu. Unlike the rigid structure of Navy Six Styles, which can cause bodily strain if techniques are switched abruptly mid-combat, the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist remains forgiving and adaptable.
But what Kawaki Aoba valued most in the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist was not just its combat adaptability—it was its physical reinforcement. This martial art tempered the body, naturally strengthening muscles and reflexes over time, something the Strong Fist or Gentle Fist styles of the shinobi world couldn't do as effectively on their own.
That said, the technique he obtained wasn't perfect.
Possibly because the Gentle Fist scroll he sacrificed during the fusion was incomplete, the version of the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist that Kawaki received lacked some of its most powerful follow-up techniques: the Roaring Aura Sky Ripping Fist and the Crossing Fangs Dragon Slayer Fist.
These advanced moves—fusions of the Water Stream and Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fists—were the pinnacle of that martial art. Aoba didn't care only about power; it was the underlying principle of combination attacks that fascinated him. If he could uncover how the moves synergized…
Thinking that way might be greedy, but such ambition was only natural.
With a tinge of regret, Kawaki Aoba left his home and made his way directly toward the Yuhi residence.
After all, what's better than acquiring two ultimate moves? Acquiring three.
As for the Hyūga Clan's surveillance ninja trailing behind him—Kawaki wasn't particularly concerned. The Yuhi residence wasn't remote like his own—it was situated in the heart of the civilian district. He knew that seven or eight Jōnin lived on that same street. If a Hyūga dared to activate their Byakugan in such a location without cause… well, let's just say the consequences wouldn't be in their favor.
"Aoba, just in time. I was about to ask Kurenai to summon you."
At the Yuhi residence, Yuhi Shinku looked genuinely excited upon seeing Aoba. Clearly, he couldn't wait to share something.
Most likely, Shinku had just completed his experimental Chakra Cloak technique and was eager to show off to his disciple. After all, with a monstrous student like Kawaki Aoba—proficient in both ninjutsu and taijutsu—the pressure on the teacher was intense.
Kawaki, playing the role of the responsible disciple, naturally went along with it.
"Sensei, seeing you so cheerful—has something good happened?"
He hit the mark right away. Yuhi Shinku smirked proudly.
"Indeed, something great happened! Do you remember the technique you proposed the other day? The one that recycles chakra scattered after consuming the potion?"
Righteous Beating of Aoba? Kawaki thought wryly.
"After refining and testing it for days, the initial form of that technique is finally complete. But to finalize it, I need to test it under combat conditions. And you, Aoba, are just the right person to help your teacher."
Yuhi Shinku's eyes shone with sincerity, but to Kawaki, the expression was… unsettling.
He stared at his teacher and eventually understood: Shinku was plotting something.
"He's smiling… but deep down, he's thinking: This brat's getting too strong too fast. If I don't teach him a lesson now, I'll lose my chance forever."
Shinku was determined to beat him up under the guise of a 'training match.'
Realizing this, Aoba resigned himself. He would take the opportunity to test the Flowing Rock Crushing Fist against the Chakra Cloak.
"If Sensei insists, then as a loyal student, I'll gladly assist."
He rummaged through his ninja pouch and retrieved two blue potions, one large and one medium.
He handed the larger one to Shinku. Aoba would drink the medium one exactly one minute later, after the Chakra Cloak stabilized. Given his smaller physique, the medium dose was sufficient.
Once Shinku finished activating the technique, the sparring began.
The first to strike was Yuhi Shinku. Though he had long accepted that this brat might become his future son-in-law, that didn't mean he liked it. On the contrary, he found it… irritating. And this could be the last time he could "righteously" beat his student.
Maybe this was how a father-in-law expresses love?
Shinku's speed, boosted by the Chakra Cloak, was incredible—much faster than usual. Without Observation Haki, Kawaki might not have tracked him at all. Even his old Byakugan would've struggled.
Suddenly, a heavy whip kick came in from the side. Its sheer force made Aoba's eyelids twitch. Had he not learned the Flowing Rock Crushing Fist, he'd have been sent flying.
Shinku wasn't holding back.
Kawaki reacted instantly—twisting his torso, he raised one arm, coating it in swirling water-nature chakra.
In the shinobi world, raw physical power often paled in comparison to the martial arts of One-Punch Man, but chakra gave them a significant edge. Especially when water chakra, which naturally complemented the Flowing Rock style, was used to enhance his technique.
This synergy wasn't a product of thought—it was instinct. His body had internalized the style.
Bang!
Shinku's kick connected with Aoba's water-coated arm.
No bones broke, but the sheer force spun Aoba's body in a near 360-degree rotation. His footing slipped, and his hands flowed with the motion like rippling water, leaving visible waves in the air.
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