Bully Lord In the Chunin Exam (NarutoVerse)

In a move that was quicker than you could say "surprise knee-strike," Kuro's leg snapped up, delivering a textbook Knee Hammer right into the punching Cloud ninja's midsection. Imagine a blacksmith with pinpoint accuracy using a really, really powerful knee as their hammer. Yeah, it was like that.

The sound? Let's just say the sickening crunch of ribs was less of an actual noise and more of this deep, shuddering vibration that seemed to ripple through the entire forest. You didn't just hear it, you felt it in your teeth. The Cloud ninja's eyes went wide, like cartoon eyes popping out of their sockets. All the air just whooshed out of him in this silent, gaping-mouthed scream of pure, unadulterated agony.

And then, fold. Like one of those cheap plastic lawn chairs that buckles under the slightest pressure, he just folded in on himself. Collapsed onto the ground, landing in a crumpled heap with this pitiful little whimper. "Dragon Claw, huh?" Kuro thought to himself, a tiny smirk twitching at his lips. "More like… Knee-saurus Rex, if you ask me."

For the grand finale performance, Kuro didn't even bother to reposition his feet. Nope, he just locked eyes with the last Cloud ninja standing – the kunai-wielding one, who was clearly in a state of mild shock after witnessing his entire team unravel faster than a cheap sweater. And activate! King's Palm engaged. "Come to papa," Kuro probably thought, with a mental click of his fingers. 

"Papa's got you." And whoosh. This invisible, unseen force just grabbed the poor, bewildered Cloud ninja and yeeeted him across the remaining space, like a puppet on an invisible string. Straight into Kuro's conveniently open and waiting arms. Bear Hug time! …Except, you know, with approximately 99% less hugging and about 99% more… bone-crunching. Kuro locked his arms around the poor unfortunate soul in a classic Bear Grip manoeuvre. And then, well, squeeze. It wasn't exactly a gentle embrace, let's just put it that way.

That shriek that tore from the last ninja's throat? Oh boy, that was a noise. Pure, uncut agony, straight from the source. But it didn't last long. Nope, cut off pretty sharpish when a bunch of bones decided to stage a breakdancing competition inside his ribcage – complete with audible cracks and splintering sounds. Yikes. The kunai he was still clutching just went clatter-clatter onto the forest floor, and his whole body… well, it just kind of deflated in Kuro's arms. Think ragdoll suddenly losing all its stuffing. Yeah, like that.

(Kuro, job done, just… released. Let go). And the poor Cloud ninja's body just slumped to the ground with a soft thud, joining the rapidly expanding pile of decidedly non-functioning comrades. So, yeah, fight over. Fairly decisively, one might say.

Silence drifted back into the forest, all heavy and still, only broken by Kuro's slightly louder breaths – you know, post-workout heavy breathing kind of thing, ninja-style. He just stood there, amidst the defeated Cloud ninjas – a rather pathetic little pile of them, if we're honest – kind of casually surveying his… handiwork. 'Handiwork' sounds a bit domestic for a brutal ninja beatdown, doesn't it? But you get the idea.

The whole thing, the entire fight? Seriously lasted maybe minutes. Probably even seconds, if you were timing it. Felt almost… underwhelming, to be honest. A tiny little smile just barely flickered at the corners of his lips. Yeah. This was what real power felt like. Not some 'system' telling you you're strong, not borrowed mojo, not living out some manga power fantasy. This was him. Built from the ground up with, well, lots of hard graft and maybe just a touch of aggressive spirit. And damn, if it didn't feel… good. Really good. Exhilarating, even. Though maybe… too easy? He couldn't help hoping the next lot of opponents might at least give him a little bit more to work with.

"Right then," Kuro said out loud, just kinda breaking the silence all by himself, then he dusted off his hands, you know, like one does after a spot of light gardening, not a full-on ninja smackdown. "Well, that's that taken care of. Earth Scroll hunt!"

Xero and Reika? They were like statues, just completely rooted to the spot. All their usual back-and-forth ribbing, all that restless energy that normally vibrated off them in waves? Gone. Poof. Completely paralyzed. Their eyes, laser-focused on the… well, let's call it 'artwork' scattered across the forest floor courtesy of Kuro, were just these wide, still pools. You could see disbelief swimming around in there, mixed up with a very clear, undeniable dose of awe.

It was like watching a light switch flick on in someone they thought they already knew inside and out. Suddenly, this power, this ferocity, they'd only caught fleeting glimpses of before, was just… there, blazing in plain sight. The forest floor itself had gone through a transformation. Just moments ago it was this scene of taunts and puffed-up ninja swagger, all loud voices and chest-thumping. Now? It was this silent tableau, this almost stark picture of defeated Cloud ninjas, arranged in various states of… inactivity. A living (well, maybe not-living for some) testament to just how suddenly, how utterly overwhelmingly strong Kuro could be when he decided to stop playing nice.

"Wow…" Xero finally managed to get out, just a breathy little sound that barely made it above the rustling leaves. His usual Xero-brand loudness? Completely switched off, like someone had flicked a mute button. Replaced by this hushed, almost… reverent tone. "Just… wow." That pretty much summed it up, really.

He blinked real slow, like his brain was buffering and trying to catch up with what his eyes had just beamed to him. "I knew he was strong, alright?" Xero went on, still in that hushed voice. "Like, logically, I knew. Everyone with eyeballs could see he was always holding back, right?" But… then came the "but." He shook his head a little, a tiny involuntary shiver zipping right down his spine. "But… I've never, ever seen him like this." His voice just kind of faded out, drifting away into this stunned whisper. His eyes, still glued to Kuro, had this look, like he was seeing him for the very first time, properly seeing him.