Chapter 206 206: Big Haul! A Massive Haul!

Ōnoki led the retreating forces, glancing back into the distance.

If he weren't tied down protecting his men, he would absolutely have killed that brat.

"His growth is far too fast."

Last time, the kid had been running for his life in front of him. This time wasn't that different—but it was noticeably easier for him.

Damn Konoha. Why do they have so many prodigies?

Aside from mobility, Hyuga Arin had no chance of defeating Ōnoki in a straight fight. It was like Ōnoki facing one of the Sannin alone—without support, victory was nearly impossible.

But the brat refused to fight head-on.

He flanked.

He raided the rear.

And he killed quite a few of them.

That made Ōnoki's heart ache.

Iwa didn't have many elites to begin with. They relied on numbers. The war had already cost them dearly—and now they'd lost even more.

They couldn't afford battles like this anymore.

If only they'd captured the Sannin—there would've been room to negotiate.

Just as they withdrew from Mount Bifu—

Two flaming spears shot in from the distance, locking onto two Iwa jōnin.

They sensed danger—

—but it was too late.

Their minds registered it. Their bodies couldn't react in time.

BOOM!! BOOM!!

Two blue-black pillars of flame erupted, swallowing them—and the ninja nearby.

"Hyuga Arin!!!" Ōnoki roared.

Before the flames even faded—

Two more spears streaked in.

Two more jōnin fell.

Then two more pillars ignited.

It was as if someone were mocking him.

"Earth Release: Rock Golem Technique!!"

Ōnoki slammed his hands to the ground.

A massive stone giant rose behind the retreating forces.

BOOM! BOOM!

The next two flaming spears struck the stone giant—

Sparks flew.

But they failed to penetrate.

"Retreat!!" Ōnoki barked.

With Byakugan vision plus ultra-long-range attacks, staying here was suicide. They couldn't even close the distance.

And even if they did—Arin would simply teleport away again.

Slippery bastard.

When did the Hyuga become this dangerous?

Weren't they supposed to specialize in close combat?!

If Arin's method spread, Ōnoki could already foresee Konoha forming long-range Hyuga strike teams.

In war—

That would be devastating.

The Iwa forces accelerated their retreat.

…

Arin clicked his tongue and stopped attacking.

That stone giant's defense was absurd. He couldn't punch through it.

And Ōnoki hadn't taken the bait.

Wasn't he supposed to have a hot temper?

"No point continuing."

Once his Byakugan could no longer see the Iwa forces, Arin teleported back to Mount Bifu.

Time to pick up trash—

Ahem.

Time to collect loot.

He opened the furnace immediately. That fight had burned a lot of essence.

"Sky Dragon's Roar—no XP to push it to Dragon King. Melt."

"Ice Make—useless. Melt."

"Mage Armor—worse than Dragon Armor. Melt."

"Magic Skill Bean—Mage-only. Melt."

After scrapping the junk and accounting for costs—

Essence: 13,654

Now the real prizes:

Fire Dragon's Iron FistFire Dragon's Sword HornFire Dragon's Hook ClawFire Dragon's Brilliant FlameFire Dragon's Grip StrikeCrimson Lotus Fire Dragon Fist

Equipment:

Dragon Wings: +100 movement speed, +500 agility, grants FlightDragon Heart: +10,000 HP, +100% HP recoveryDragon Fang Necklace: +10,000 manaDragon Bone: +1000–1500 attack, bonus dragon damage

"Did my luck explode?"

He grinned.

At long last—

Dragon Slayer Magic was complete.

Fire Dragon Slayer Magic carried innate dragon-type damage and resistance to fire.

From now on—

He was the ancestor of fire users.

Dragon Slayer Magic (Lv1)

Not only that—

He'd completed the entire Dragon Set.

He hadn't seen any Divine-tier drops—that was peak-endgame gear like the Dark Set.

The Dragon Set was solid mid-to-late game.

He tossed his old Champion pieces into the furnace.

Fully equipped:

Dragon Set Bonus:

+1000 Attack

+1000 Defense

+100 All Recovery

Skill: Dragon's Might (no level)

His full equipment list updated.

He exhaled slowly, feeling the changes.

"Overall strength increased by about half."

Numerically, he could likely defeat the current Sannin.

Of course—numbers weren't everything. When the gap wasn't overwhelming, experience and combat sense mattered most.

Still—

Progress was progress.

He examined Dragon's Might.

A crowd-control skill.

Enemies 10 levels below him (Lv33 or lower) would enter stunned, dazed, or confused states.

At Lv43—

That meant only Lv33 and below targets.

He already one-shot enemies at that level.

So…

Situational at best.

"Better than nothing."

Finally—

The experience gains:

+236,556 XP

This outing had netted over 200,000 XP.

Definitely worth it.

Current Stats:

Level: 43

Chakra: 3968 / (11110 + bonuses)

Essence: 13,654

Experience: 414,647

"Big haul. Huge haul."

He nodded in satisfaction.

Now he only wanted one more thing from Iwa—

Second Magic Source equipment.

Another chakra cap booster.

His gaze shifted to his genjutsu skills.

He looked toward the Land of Earth territory thoughtfully.

"Can't just head back now."

This was the perfect chance to test letting a clone operate independently in the shinobi world.

But to avoid being traced back to himself—

He'd need to give it a completely different skill set.

"Perfect timing to level some genjutsu."

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