Starting with the Uchiha clan, they began cultivating demonic arts.

Chapter 24 The Monster Appears

As for space-time ninjutsu, that ferocious beast definitely didn't know it, but Asuma's words suddenly made Uchiha Touyu thoughtful:

"If it can't fly, could it be able to burrow underground?"

"There are very few people in the entire ninja world who know space-time ninjutsu, and earth-escape techniques are a thing of the past. There aren't many ninja beasts that can awaken earth-walking techniques, so their numbers aren't too rare."

"Besides, it's not easy to block the Byakugan's observational abilities; the most likely explanation is that they'd hide underground!"

The range of the White Eye's vision is within a radius of one kilometer. However, if it hides underground, it becomes very difficult to see through it beyond a distance of ten meters.

If the other party is indeed some kind of chakra creature proficient in earth-moving techniques, building a nest tens of meters underground would be a piece of cake.

"That makes sense! The other party is very likely hiding underground!"

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

"If they're hiding underground, then things will be difficult to handle!"

It's not that they really can't catch the monster's tail, it's just that this is only a C-rank mission, and Hyuga Hizashi doesn't want to waste too much time here. If they really waste several days waiting, even if they catch the so-called monster, they will still lose in the end.

Uchiha Touyu was also a bit troubled. He didn't want to waste too much time on this mission. Thinking of this, he turned to Asuma and Kurenai and asked:

"Do you have any good ideas?"

"Hiding underground... If it's a ninja, it will eventually surface to breathe, but if it's an animal that's born with earth-walking abilities, then it's probably impossible to catch it."

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

"These chakra creatures are generally evolved from ordinary animals that suddenly acquire chakra. Perhaps we can look for clues in this area!"

"That makes sense. When ordinary animals first gain chakra, they usually grow to enormous sizes, and their intelligence also increases slowly. Perhaps we can inquire about any strange occurrences in the area and find out where that monster is hiding!"

Hong's suggestion was not bad, and most importantly, the group didn't have any better options at the moment, so they could only follow Hong's advice.

The group split up and spent half an hour summarizing the intelligence they had gathered from the village, finally arriving at a conclusion.

About half a year ago, many large burrows suddenly appeared on the western hillside of the village, as if they had been dug by some kind of animal.

"In addition, all the animals there, big and small, have fled completely, much like the behavior of chakra animals dividing up territory after obtaining chakra."

The group checked the information in detail and then demarcated the suspicious area on the mountainside of West Mountain.

When Uchiha Tou and his group arrived here, their suspicions were confirmed. They had indeed found some huge scales and claw marks. Upon comparison, the claw marks were exactly the same as those found at the scene of the human and animal devouring.

Besides Gentle Fist, Hyuga Hizashi, a Jonin, also learned some other elemental ninjutsu to enrich his skills. Among them, the one he learned best was Earth Release ninjutsu. Earth Release can counter Gentle Fist to some extent. In the Hyuga clan, almost everyone with Earth Release chakra will study it to some extent.

He casually cast an Earth Tremor Technique, causing the entire earth to tremble. At that moment, Uchiha Touyu immediately sensed a soul far more powerful than that of an ordinary animal rising from the ground.

"Watch out, they're coming up!"

Hyuga Hizashi's Byakugan naturally caught sight of the monster's trail, and he immediately warned it. Then, the group leaped onto a tree, and a lizard the size of a bread cart, covered in golden scales and with sharp claws and teeth, sprang out from the ground.

For this strange lizard, the ground was like flowing water. After the lizard jumped out, it didn't even leave a hole in the ground. Clearly, the lizard's ability to move on land was extremely advanced.

"This is... a pangolin?! No wonder it possesses such superb earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magical ability) skills!"

Hong said with some surprise, "Upon closer inspection, this lizard does indeed look almost exactly like a pangolin, the only difference being its mouthful of sharp teeth."

Hyuga Hizashi glanced at the pangolin and said to Kurenai and Asuma:

"You two get to work. This pangolin isn't at Chunin level yet, so it's perfect for you two to train."

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

"Don't worry, watch me take care of him in no time!"

Asma confidently brandished his pair of fist blades, leaped down from the tree, and thrust them straight at the pangolin's head. But with a hiss, sparks flew from the pangolin's scales, leaving a white mark.

"Such tough armor!"

Asma showed a hint of surprise on his face. At that moment, the pangolin, attacked, became ferocious and swung its long tail, smashing it into Asma's body with a loud thud, breaking him in two.

With a bang, Asuma, who had been split in two, turned into a shattered wooden stake, managing to escape death by using the Substitution Jutsu.

However, the guy's expression was not good. The toughness of the pangolin's outer shell was beyond his imagination. He couldn't even scratch the pangolin's outer shell with his fist blade alone.

Seeing its enemy, whom it had struck, turn into a wooden stake, the pangolin was slightly stunned. Then, it retracted its limbs, hugged its head and tail, and shrunk into a round, shell-like shape.

The carapace-shaped sphere rolled with a rumble, resembling a pangolin in the shape of a bread cart. The resulting carapace-shaped sphere was three meters high and crashed directly towards Asma like a bomb.

"Wow!! What is this? Does the pangolin have Akimichi blood?!"

Asma narrowly escaped the pangolin's shell-like attack. Fortunately, the area was a forest, which prevented the pangolin's shell from spinning at full speed; otherwise, Asma would probably have been in even more trouble.

He finally found an opportunity to use Fire Release, but the huge carapace sphere crushed out of the Fire Release and almost turned Asuma into a teppanyaki grill.

The red one, who had been on the tree, narrowed its eyes, its fiery red eyes fixed on the pangolin, until the pangolin finally got dizzy and tired, and its shell stopped spinning, before it jumped down from the tree.

As she jumped down, Red formed hand seals, already casting an illusion:

"Magic - The Technique of Seeing Naraku!"

The pangolin, which had been curled up in a ball, began to tremble under Hong's illusion. The pangolin, having witnessed some terrifying sight, unfolded its ball-like body, revealing its tender belly.

Without a word, Asma unleashed a powerful flame technique, striking the pangolin's abdomen, instantly filling the air with the acrid smell of burning protein.

(End of this chapter)