As soon as Hodaka finished speaking, he and Mieko attacked Feng Zheng together. However, before they could get close, Feng Zheng vanished with Body Flicker Technique.
Senju Teru, Uchiha Rai, and Hyuga Hana retreated to maintain a safe distance.
They were surprised to see Mieko and Hodaka attacking their former teammate.
A displeased expression appeared on Mieko's face. She complained,
"He'll keep hiding until we're done fighting!"
Senju Teru asked,
"What do you mean?"
Just as Hodaka was about to answer, everyone noticed a very strong wind blowing towards them.
Uchiha Rai thought,
"That's right. Feng Zheng has Wind Release affinity. Wind Release counters Fire Release."
He quickly made Hand Seals and cast Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
Mieko and Hodaka saw the fireball and quickly dodged out of the way.
The fireball hit the strong incoming wind, was amplified, spread, and blew these amplified flames back towards the team.
Uchiha Rai was shocked. Hyuga Hana and Senju Teru escaped underground. Uchiha Rai also wanted to escape, but he was too slow.
Feng Zheng smiled when he saw the flames in the wind.
"It really is that idiot, blowing fire into the wind."
The Ninjutsu he used was a weakened version of Infinite Breakthrough Technique, focusing more on the flow of wind rather than generating sharp, strong winds.
So, despite its immense power, it was actually harmless. At most, it could make a person fly a few meters.
The wind of flames struck Uchiha Rai.
However, his resistance to fire was quite high. He wasn't too injured. Only some of his clothes caught fire, but he quickly put them out.
Unfortunately, Feng Zheng wasn't his only opponent. What he said bothered Hodaka and Mieko.
Both of them flickered simultaneously, appearing beside him.
Uchiha Rai's Sharingan noticed them flickering towards him. He immediately threw kunai at them.
Mieko deflected his kunai with her own, while Hodaka attacked from a distance with Vacuum Palm.
At such close range, Uchiha Rai couldn't dodge at all. The Vacuum Palm hit his Chakra point, sealing it.
This made him uneasy. Hodaka saw the opportunity and attacked him again. He performed Eight Trigrams: Sixteen Palms.
Uchiha Rai wanted to continue struggling, but he was no match for Hodaka's Taijutsu. Hodaka sealed Uchiha Rai's Chakra points.
After the final blow, Hodaka said,
"You're out."
He placed his palm on Uchiha Rai's chest and pushed him against a tree.
However, at the same time, he also heard,
"You too."
Senju Teru appeared beneath Hodaka and grabbed his leg.
Senju Teru used Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique.
Hodaka was dragged underground, with only his head exposed above ground. Senju Teru placed a kunai on his forehead.
Hodaka cursed in his mind,
"Damn it! I was distracted."
He sighed and said,
"I give up."
At the same time, Mieko threw Shuriken at Senju Teru.
Senju Teru immediately blocked all of them with his kunai. The two of them began to fight.
Hyuga Hana stayed away from Senju Teru and Mieko, observing them from a distance. Feng Zheng also observed from afar, thinking,
"Did they forget about me?"
His gaze swept towards Hyuga Hana. He commented,
"Uh, it seems I'm not the only one who likes to wait until others are exhausted or injured. However, there's no reward for the winner."
Feng Zheng used Wind Body Flicker Technique.
Feng Zheng flashed away with the wind. Hyuga Hana's attention was mainly focused on Senju Teru and Mieko, but she also kept an eye on Feng Zheng.
Although she didn't expect Feng Zheng to move so fast, she was prepared to face him. She attacked him with Gentle Fist.
The basic rule of fighting the Hyuga Clan is to maintain distance. But Feng Zheng deliberately wanted to see his own progress. So he engaged Hyuga Hana in a Taijutsu duel.
Hyuga Hana's attacks were precise and accurate. But Feng Zheng easily blocked all of them.
Feng Zheng was much faster than her. He never let her fingers or palms touch his body.
Hyuga Hana was shocked.
"How much has he improved in just over a year? I can't even touch him!"
After continuously blocking her for a minute, Feng Zheng concluded,
"In terms of Taijutsu, she's nowhere near Hodaka's level."
Feng Zheng saw no need to continue and decided to counterattack.
Hyuga Hana attacked Feng Zheng again, but Feng Zheng grabbed her wrist and threw her into the air.
He exhaled a gentle but strong gust of wind at her, blowing her onto a tree. She flipped in the air and landed on the tree with her feet.
Feng Zheng said,
"You lose."
Hyuga Hana had a complex expression. She nodded. Feng Zheng smiled and walked towards Senju Teru and Mieko.
Hyuga Hana watched him leave, thinking,
"Although they didn't say anything, I'm the only Genin in this group. And I'm the weakest one. If I don't work hard, I'll never reach their level."
Feng Zheng guessed Hyuga Hana's inner struggle. After all, the only one in this group who hadn't been promoted to Chunin would be very hurt. Especially considering she was only eleven years old.
Mieko and Senju Teru were in a fierce battle. Senju Teru had the upper hand in speed and Taijutsu.
Even in Ninjutsu, he had the advantage of Earth Release and Water Release. But he was still very careful not to look her directly in the eyes.
Suddenly, they heard,
"You two haven't forgotten about me, have you?"
They immediately looked at Feng Zheng. He was sitting on a tree branch.
The moment they saw Feng Zheng, Feng Zheng exhaled a strong gust of wind towards them.
Both immediately made Hand Seals and escaped underground.
Feng Zheng muttered,
"Although escaping underground is a good defensive measure, it doesn't mean you can abuse it without consequences."
Feng Zheng jumped down from the branch and gathered Chakra in his fist. He punched the ground above them.
Cracks appeared on the ground. The impact of the punch could be felt underground. Senju Teru felt the shockwave and frowned. He thought,
"Is Feng Zheng also good at Earth Release?"
Senju Teru made several Hand Seals. The ground around him hardened, protecting him from the shockwave.
However, Mieko was affected by the impact, and she chose to escape to the surface, only to have a kunai pressed against the back of her neck. Feng Zheng said,
"You lose."
Mieko's face was unhappy. She reluctantly gave up, complaining in her mind,
"I always find and defuse sneak attacks on missions. Why does he always succeed in ambushing me?"
As soon as she gave up, spikes formed on the ground and shot towards Feng Zheng.
Feng Zheng immediately dodged with Body Flicker Technique. His eyes sparkled as he looked at Senju Teru's position underground.
More spikes and spears continuously formed and shot towards Feng Zheng. Feng Zheng dodged all of them. He thought,
"Although hiding underground isn't always a good idea, if someone hides like a porcupine, I have no other way to deal with him except Vacuum Bullet, but that might kill him. So this situation cannot be used."
Realizing he was just wasting Chakra, Senju Teru emerged from underground. He said,
"Feng Zheng, you've become stronger. I didn't expect your Wind Release to improve so much."
Feng Zheng said,
"You too. I didn't expect you to develop a porcupine-like fighting style."
Senju Teru showed a hint of a proud smile. This fighting style was truly annoying. He liked to use it against Uchiha Rai.
Feng Zheng continued,
"Do you still want to end it the old way?"
Senju Teru replied,
"With fists? Of course."
Both rushed towards each other. Their fists collided. Then came a series of punches and kicks.
Senju Teru's movements were stronger and faster than Hyuga Hana's. But Feng Zheng was still faster and stronger than him.
Within a minute, Feng Zheng landed seven hits on Senju Teru.
Feng Zheng kicked him in the chest. But Senju Teru raised his forearms to defend.
The kick landed on his forearm, sending him flying several meters. Feng Zheng did not pursue him.
Senju Teru flipped in the air and landed on his feet. He complained,
"Damn it! What did you eat?"
Feng Zheng just smiled and didn't answer.
Senju Teru said,
"I'm going all out. Be careful, this is our clan's Taijutsu."
Chakra began to gather in Senju Teru's fists and feet.
Feng Zheng saw it clearly. He understood Senju Teru's intention and a slight smile appeared on his face.
Senju Teru didn't understand why Feng Zheng was laughing. He threw a punch straight at Feng Zheng's chest.
Feng Zheng also clenched his fist and gathered Chakra within it. He punched Senju Teru's fist.
Both fists collided. Feeling the power of Feng Zheng's punch, Senju Teru's eyes widened in shock.
Feng Zheng's force was greater, sending him flying.
This time he was sent flying twenty-five meters directly. Then he slid back a few more meters.
He asked,
"How do you know Senju Taijutsu?"
Feng Zheng said,
"Have you forgotten who my teacher is?"
Senju Teru gave a wry smile.
"I didn't expect him to teach the clan's Taijutsu to an outsider."
Senju Teru shook his right hand and continued,
"I give up. I can barely feel my right hand anymore."
Feng Zheng said,
"Yeah, mine hurts a bit too."
He thought,
"I should check if the Library has any skin hardening Ninjutsu like Kakuzu's. It might combine perfectly with Senju Taijutsu. Maybe I should also discuss it with Renjiro."