Bully Lord In the Chunin Exam (NarutoVerse)

No chit-chat after that last bit of icy dialogue, not for Kuro. Nope. He was already moving before the words even finished echoing. "Targets of opportunity" was probably flashing in his ninja brain like neon signs.

And bam, just like that, he was a blur of motion again, spinning around towards the shorter Cloud dude, the one still wearing that oh-so-clever smirk like it was the latest fashion accessory. Big mistake, Mr. Smirk. Because that smirk? It was about to undergo some aggressive remodeling, courtesy of Kuro's fist.

Imagine a kangaroo on a triple espresso, deciding to rewrite someone's facial structure. That's kinda what happened. Kuro's fist shot upwards – Kangaroo Cut incoming! This wasn't just your average uppercut, oh no. This was a bone-jarring, face-rearranging masterpiece delivered with the force of a turbocharged marsupial kick. And then – thwack! That gloriously satisfying, almost musical thud as fist met jaw. You could practically hear the smug grin cracking like cheap pottery.

Yep, that grinning ninja's feet? They went airborne with this… alarming lack of elegance, let's put it that way. One minute he's Mister Smug, the next he's doing an involuntary impression of a ragdoll being flung out of a toy chest. And that grin? Oh, it completely reconfigured itself into this silent scream of pure shock and 'oh dear god, what have I done' agony.

He went flying upwards and backwards, less like a graceful ninja and more like a poorly programmed video game character accidentally launched across the screen. A strangled "Blegh!" escaped his lips – a sound that perfectly encapsulated surprise, pain, and the sudden dawning realization that maybe, just maybe, he'd miscalculated his life choices. Then, crunch. Not a graceful crunch, more of a sickening, tree-on-ninja kind of crunch as he bounced off a rather robust oak.

He ended up in a crumpled heap on the forest floor, looking less like a fearsome ninja and more like a discarded pile of laundry. Possibly concussed? Highly likely. Definitely regretting a whole bunch of life decisions, but especially that smug grin? Absolutely top of the list of regrets. "Huh," Kuro thought to himself, in that totally understated way he has. "Guess those kangaroo kicks? They really do deliver."

Alright, next up on the 'Cloud Ninja Takedown' show: the… 'slender' model, shall we say? Bless his heart, he was still standing there blinking like a confused owl. Apparently, ninja reflexes don't always kick in when you're witnessing your buddy get launched into orbit by a surprise kangaroo attack. He was properly deer-in-headlights-ing it, or maybe deer-in-headlights-of-pure-agonizing-pain-ing it. Either way, bad timing for a staring contest, buddy.

And before Mr. Confused Owl could even decide if he was more confused or more worried, whammo! Kuro's fingers became this blur of motion. Snake Jabs in 3… 2… 1… A rapid-fire flurry aimed right at the pressure points on the guy's arm and shoulder – you know, for maximum 'ow' effect. "Subtlety? Yeah, not really in my ninja skillset brochure," Kuro mused internally, a mental shrug accompanying each perfectly placed jab. "But hey, a little… spice… in the mix never hurt anybody. Too much." And by 'spice', I think we all know Kuro meant 'a dash of lovely poison, just for that extra oomph'. You know, ninja hospitality and all that.

This time, when the Cloud ninja's eyes widened, it wasn't just deer-in-headlights confusion. Nope, this was a whole new flavor of 'oh-crap' alarm. Because a wave of numbness was suddenly flooding his arm, but not just any numbness. Oh no, this was a special numbness, laced with this distinctly… unpleasant venomous sting, like a thousand tiny fire ants throwing a rave on his nerves.

Suddenly, moving was… challenging. His movements went all jerky and uncoordinated, like his arm had decided to spontaneously secede from the ninja union and start staging its own solo protest against his brain. Ten quick, precise strikes in, and bam! Suddenly, his legs were just… nope, not doing the leg thing anymore. Turning into jelly, apparently, was on the agenda. He swayed, he gasped – the whole dramatic falling-over routine. And then, with a surprising degree of face-first grace, he nose-dived straight into a lovely patch of ferns.

So there he lay, thoroughly and efficiently poisoned, and probably deeply pondering the existential question of how exactly a few pointy finger taps could result in such rapid and comprehensive system shutdown. "Right, mental note time," Kuro mused to himself, a tiny internal smile playing behind his eyes. "Snake Jabs: surprisingly effective. Like… ninja acupuncture, but with added incentive."

Now, the last two of our Cloud cohort, bless their cotton socks – well, ninja socks, probably – they actually grasped the concept of 'teamwork'! Or, more likely scenario, they'd just run out of solo strategies that weren't ending in face-plants and poison-induced paralysis. So, teamwork it was. They charged in, all coordinated-ish, for one last, desperate shot at overwhelming this single guy who, let's be real, was proving to be somewhat disconcertingly efficient at ninja-dismantling. First dude came lunging with a kunai, right for the jugular – classic ninja 101, can't fault him for sticking to the basics. 

The other one, pumping himself up with some serious inner rage (or, again, more likely, sheer panicked adrenaline), wound up for this chakra-boosted punch aimed square at Kuro's side. "Ambitious," Kuro probably mused, maybe even with a little mental golf clap. "Let's see how this plays out." Spoiler alert: not well for them. Instinct kicked in, lightning fast. Arms snapped up, bam! - perfect 'X' of defense. And hello there, trusty Crab Arm, activated and online. Ten seconds of 'oh, you're hitting me? Are you sure?' level of damage reduction. Always handy when facing… enthusiastic amateurs.

The kunai scraped against his forearms – more like a fingernail gently scratching paint, really – the whole attack just… cancelled itself out. Completely and utterly negated. As if he'd casually raised his arms, which happened to be conveniently encased in slabs of industrial-grade, crab-themed reinforced steel. Oh wait, they kind of were.

Right on cue, whumpf! The chakra-punch landed square on his side. And felt... well, honestly, about as impactful as being playfully nudged by a slightly enthusiastic kitten wearing mittens. 60% damage reduction, you say? Yeah, more like 99.99% effective against these particular brand of 'formidable' ninja warriors. Kuro probably stifled a mental yawn.

Time for the counter-attack portion of this highly educational demonstration. And let's make it… knee-centric, shall we? Seemed appropriate for the occasion.