Chapter 24: The Monster Appears

As for Space-Time Ninjutsu, that fierce beast certainly wouldn't know it, but Asuma's words immediately left Uchiha Feiyu deep in thought:

"If it can't fly, could it be burrowing underground?"

"Few people in the entire Ninja World know Space-Time Ninjutsu, but Earth Release is common fare; there aren't many Ninja Beasts that can awaken the Earth Traveling Technique, but their numbers aren't exactly rare either."

"Moreover, it's not easy to block the observation ability of the Byakugan; the greatest possibility is that it's hiding underground!"

The perspective range of the Byakugan is a one-kilometer radius, but if it hides underground, it is basically very difficult to see through once it exceeds a distance of over ten meters.

If the opponent is truly some kind of chakra animal proficient in the Earth Traveling Technique, it would be a piece of cake to build a nest ten-plus meters deep underground.

"That makes sense! The opponent is very likely hiding underground!"

Hyuga Hizashi nodded in sudden realization, but then frowned again:

"If it's hiding underground, then it's not easy to deal with!"

It wasn't that they couldn't really catch the tail of this monster, it was just that this was only a C-Rank Mission, and Hyuga Hizashi didn't want to waste too much time here; if they really wasted several days lying in wait, even if they caught the so-called monster, it would still be a loss in the end.

Uchiha Feiyu also had a bit of a headache; he didn't want to waste too much time on this one mission either. Thinking of this, he turned his head to look at Asuma and Kurenai, and asked:

"Do you have any good ideas?"

"Hiding underground... if it were a ninja, it would definitely come up to the surface to catch its breath eventually, but if it's an animal born with the Earth Traveling Technique, I'm afraid we really can't catch it."

Asuma couldn't think of any good moves, but Yuhi Kurenai spoke up directly:

"These chakra animals are generally evolved from ordinary animals that suddenly acquired chakra; perhaps we can look for clues in that regard!"

"That makes sense. When ordinary animals first acquire chakra, they generally experience situations like body enlargement, and their intelligence also increases slowly. Perhaps we can inquire if any strange things have happened nearby, and we might be able to find that monster's lair!"

Kurenai's suggestion was not bad, and most importantly, the few of them had no better ideas right now, so naturally, they could only follow Kurenai's advice.

The group split up to act, spent half an hour, and summarized the information obtained from the village, finally arriving at the news.

"On the hillside of the West Mountain in the village, many large holes suddenly appeared about half a year ago, as if they were dug by some animal."

"Besides that, the animals of all sizes there have also fled completely, which is very much like the behavior of chakra animals marking their territory after acquiring chakra."

The group compared the information point by point, and subsequently demarcated this suspicious area on the West Mountain hillside.

When Uchiha Feiyu and his party arrived here, they were even more certain of their own guesses; they indeed discovered some huge scales and claw marks here. After comparison, those claw marks were exactly the same as the ones at the scene where people and livestock were devoured.

Hyuga Hizashi, this Jonin, besides the Gentle Fist, had also learned some other elemental ninjutsu to enrich his means, among which the one he learned best was Earth Release ninjutsu—Earth Release to a certain extent counters the Gentle Fist, and among the Hyuga Clan, as long as they have Earth-attribute chakra, they basically study it a little.

Casually performing an Earth Style: Earth Movement Technique, the entire ground trembled for a moment, and it was at this time that Uchiha Feiyu immediately sensed a Soul much stronger than an ordinary animal rising from the ground.

"Careful, the opponent is coming up!"

Hyuga Hizashi's Byakugan naturally also saw the traces of that monster, and he immediately spoke to warn them. Subsequently, the group leaped onto the trees, and a lizard the size of a minivan, covered in golden scales with sharp claws and teeth, popped out from the ground.

To this strange lizard, the ground was just like flowing water; after the lizard jumped out, there wasn't even a hole left in the ground. Clearly, this lizard's Earth Traveling Technique was extremely brilliant.

"This is... a pangolin?! No wonder it possesses such a brilliant Earth Release Earth Traveling Technique!"

Kurenai said with some surprise. Looking closely, this lizard was indeed almost exactly the same as a pangolin, the only difference being that mouth full of sharp teeth.

Hyuga Hizashi took a look at this pangolin and said to Kurenai and Asuma:

"You two take action; this pangolin should not yet be at the Chunin level, it's just right for you two to practice."

"But be careful, don't let it hide underground again."

"Rest assured, watch me take it down in one go!"

Asuma swung his pair of trench knives full of confidence and jumped down from the tree, stabbing straight at the pangolin's head, but only heard a *clatter* sound; sparks flew from the scales on the pangolin's head, leaving a white mark.

"What hard armor!"

A look of surprise appeared on Asuma's face, and at this moment, the pangolin, having suffered an attack, became ferocious. It whipped its long tail, and with a *Boom—*, it smashed into Asuma, breaking him into two pieces.

With a *pop*, the two-sectioned Asuma turned into a shattered wooden log; he had used the Body Replacement Technique to escape a disaster.

However, this guy's expression was not good; the toughness of the pangolin's outer shell exceeded his imagination. Relying solely on the trench knives against the pangolin's outer shell, he couldn't even manage to scratch it.

Seeing that the enemy he had hit had turned into a piece of wood, the pangolin was also slightly stunned. Subsequently, this pangolin was seen retracting its four limbs and hugging its head and tail, immediately shrinking into a spherical shell.

The spherical shell rolled with a *rumbling* sound; the pangolin, with the body size of a minivan, formed a spherical shell three meters high, smashing directly toward Asuma like a bomb.

"Whoa whoa whoa!! What is this, could it be that the pangolin has the bloodline of the Akimichi Clan?!"

Asuma struggled to dodge the pangolin's shell-ball attack. It was fortunate that this place was a forest, which prevented the pangolin's shell-ball from rotating at full speed, otherwise, Asuma would likely have been even more disheveled.

Having finally found an opportunity, he performed a Fire Release, yet that massive shell-ball crushed directly out from the Fire Release, nearly turning Asuma into a teppanyaki.

Kurenai, who had been in the tree, narrowed her eyes, her fire-red eyes fixed on the pangolin. It was not until this pangolin finally stopped spinning, dizzy and tired, and the shell-ball ceased its rotation, that she leaped down from the tree.

While jumping down, Kurenai's hands formed a Seal, and she had already performed a Genjutsu:

"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!"

The pangolin shell-ball, which had been curled into a ball, immediately trembled under Kurenai's Genjutsu. That pangolin, not knowing what terrifying scene it was seeing, unfolded its curled-up body, exposing its soft abdomen.

Asuma didn't say a word and unleashed a Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique, which *boomed* onto the pangolin's abdomen. The scorched stench of burning protein immediately permeated the air.

(End of chapter)