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Chapter 325: Kakashi's White Fang Makes an Appearance (4.6k)
Chapter 325: Kakashi's White Fang Makes an Appearance (4.6k)
"Wind Release: Vacuum Jade!"
Asuma's hands moved swiftly, gathering chakra and performing a wind-style nature transformation, releasing gusts of transparent chakra towards Obito.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Obito, on the other hand, concentrated a large amount of chakra in his throat and converted it into fire-style nature chakra, spitting out fireballs from his mouth.
Boom!!
The gusts of wind and fireballs collided, creating explosions, and the two ninja kept moving while maintaining their chakra output, quickly creating numerous small craters on the ground.
Obito's fireballs, in terms of both power and number, far exceeded Asuma's vacuum jade, and soon Asuma was hit by the explosions and suffered minor injuries.
These injuries weren't a big deal, but they did interfere with Asuma's ability to perform ninjutsu.
Without the vacuum jade to counter some of the fireballs, five or six small fireballs headed straight for Asuma.
Asuma had no choice but to immediately expend chakra to use Wind Release and accelerate himself to dodge, but Obito, with his Sharingan, saw through Asuma's evasive route.
Whoosh!
Obito flashed and appeared next to where Asuma was about to dodge, delivering a powerful punch.
Bang!
Even with Asuma's Wind Release acceleration, he couldn't dodge this attack and was punched, flying out.
At this point, even an ordinary person could tell that there was a considerable gap between Asuma and Obito's strength, and it wasn't just in one aspect; Obito was superior in every way.
He was outmatched in taijutsu and had lost the ninjutsu clash as well—a complete suppression.
"Looks like it's still not enough. Obito's progress has been too exaggerated," Hayate Gekko said with regret as he watched Asuma's performance in the match.
As Asuma's teammate, he was well aware of Asuma's efforts in recent days, and Asuma's strength had indeed improved significantly. It wasn't that Asuma was weak, but Obito was just too strong.
Hayate felt that as long as Asuma didn't encounter Kisame Hoshigaki, Might Guy, Kakashi, or Obito in the second round, he would be fine. Unfortunately, he had encountered one of those four people.
"There's still hope," Kurenai Yuhi said. "Asuma mentioned that he had practiced a combination ninjutsu before. There's no way Obito has also mastered two nature transformations, right?"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!
Asuma, in mid-air, threw a chakra-infused shuriken to force Obito to retreat.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With the help of the wind current, Asuma landed steadily and immediately performed hand seals to create a shadow clone.
Using fire-style jutsu wouldn't defeat Obito because his fire-style nature transformation and chakra were inferior to Obito's. Using wind-style jutsu would also be difficult because fire-style jutsu was superior to wind-style in a direct clash.
Asuma's last hope was the combination ninjutsu—his only advantage. He had mastered two chakra nature transformations, while Obito had only mastered a single fire-style nature transformation.
Mu Yue had spent a month teaching Asuma not only how to use the cyclone technique but also how to combine wind and fire-style jutsu to maximize their power.
"Fire Release: Grand Fire Jutsu!"
"Wind Release: Cyclone!"
The shadow clone immediately began performing hand seals to use the Sarutobi clan's secret fire jutsu, followed by Asuma's wind jutsu.
As the Sarutobi clan's long-standing secret technique, the Grand Fire Jutsu had many advantages, the most notable of which was its fierce flames.
And the Wind Release: Cyclone perfectly complemented the Grand Fire Jutsu, as it possessed extremely strong winds.
Intense and ferocious flames continuously spewed from the shadow clone's mouth, and Asuma's true body blew out gale-force winds that expanded the flames, resembling a sea of fire that slammed into Obito.
"He seems to have learned your specialty," Danzo said to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Combination ninjutsu was indeed Hiruzen Sarutobi's forte. Others could usually combine two attributes, but Hiruzen could combine all five nature transformations.
However, Danzo noticed a problem: Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't smiling, and his expression looked a bit strange.
Danzo was right; combination ninjutsu was Hiruzen's specialty, and he knew both the Grand Fire Jutsu and the Wind Release: Cyclone. But the fact that Asuma could use them had nothing to do with him because he had never taught Asuma the Cyclone technique.
"Mu Yue must have taught him," Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly deduced the reason.
There was nothing Hiruzen could do about this. He was busy with official duties and couldn't teach Asuma like a regular instructor; he could only offer guidance in his spare time.
But this method of instruction didn't seem to suit Asuma well, and the results weren't very effective in terms of strength improvement.
"Obito, you have to hang in there," Rin Nohara said with some worry as she watched Asuma pull out this trump card.
Kakashi, their opponent, watched the battle calmly. As their opponent, he had a better understanding of Obito's strength, and as it stood, they couldn't win against Obito.
Facing the blazing inferno Asuma had created, Obito was fearless. To be honest, after entering the Fire Chakra Mode, what he feared the least was fire-style jutsu.
Although there were simpler ways to counter it, Obito didn't want to take the easiest route. He chose the coolest option.
Obito's breathing gradually changed, and the chakra within his body began to burn, his aura rising step by step as he entered the Fire Chakra Mode.
Instead of using Fire Breath to dodge, Obito chose to directly counter Asuma's combination ninjutsu with his own fire-style technique.
Huff!!!
Obito exhaled a vast expanse of orange-red flames, and due to the extremely high temperature, the area that had once turned into a pond quickly dried up.
The massive flames danced like a raging dragon, as if about to turn the entire arena into a sea of fire.
"To be able to use such a fire-style jutsu at this age! Danzo's eyes sharpened instantly, and he once again raised his assessment of Obito's threat level.
Not only had he awakened the Sharingan at the age of nine, but he also possessed such proficiency in fire-style jutsu. A member of the Uchiha clan with such talent was almost guaranteed to become a formidable shinobi, as long as they didn't meet an untimely end.
"What terrifying flames. It seems we made the right decision to entrust the Great Fire Annihilation to him." Uchiha Hachiro, witnessing Obito's Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, exclaimed in admiration.
In his opinion, Obito's fire-style talent was among the very best even within the entire Uchiha clan, surpassing even that of the current clan head, Uchiha Fugaku.
After all, Uchiha Fugaku couldn't have possibly exhibited such extravagant fire-style jutsu at the age of nine.
Boom!!!
Amidst the exclamations of many ninjas, Obito's flames collided with Asuma's.
In an instant, fiery lights shot into the sky, and fist-sized sparks rained down, as if the entire arena had transformed into a world of flames.
However, a direct clash of same-nature jutsu was the ultimate test of a ninja's strength, and despite Asuma's wind-style augmentation, his flames gradually succumbed to Obito's higher-temperature blaze.
"It's a complete defeat. This guy's fire-style jutsu is ridiculously strong." Asuma sighed as he felt the searing heat washing over his face.
He had to admit defeat; losing to Obito's single nature transformation and jutsu despite employing two of his own was a testament to his inferior strength.
Surrounded by flames, Asuma conceded the match.
"The winner is Uchiha Obito!" Biro announced Obito's victory.
"What an enviable talent. If I had a bloodline limit, I wouldn't be so mediocre." Biro envied Obito, who was shining brightly in the Chunin Exams.
After the battle, Obito retracted his flames. If those flames had hit Asuma, he would have been blown to smithereens.
"You must have been practicing this fire-style jutsu since before you were born, right? It's so strong." Asuma jokingly punched Obito in the chest.
Although he had lost, Asuma had given it his all, so he remained in good spirits.
"Hehe, it's not bad. Your combination jutsu is also quite powerful. I didn't expect you to be able to combine two jutsu in battle already." Obito chuckled and returned the compliment.
"Keep it up, and continue winning. If I lose to you after winning all my matches, it would reflect poorly on me." Asuma waved goodbye to Obito as he left the combat area.
After being eliminated, he was no longer considered an examinee, so he couldn't enter the resting area. Instead, he made his way to the spectator stands to continue watching the matches.
As he climbed up, Asuma spotted Inoichi Yamanaka and Kurenai Yuhi waiting for him.
"What a pity. If it had been someone else, you might have won." Inoichi offered his consolation.
"It's fine. I gave it my all, so I have no regrets." Asuma replied with a smile.
Seeing Asuma's positive attitude, Kurenai smiled in relief.
"Match six, Temari of the Sand against Morino Ibiki." Biro quickly announced the names of the next pair of contestants.
Upon hearing Biro's voice, Temari stood up and swiftly made her way to the arena.
Morino Ibiki hesitated for a moment before also rising to his feet and heading toward the combat zone.
"Pay close attention to her battle. Unless something unexpected happens, your next opponent will likely be her." Kakashi advised Obito.
Morino Ibiki had performed averagely during the preliminaries, and Kakashi believed that unless he had some hidden tricks up his sleeve, he wouldn't last a minute against Temari, especially since Morino was a fire-style ninja.
Obito nodded. Having been defeated by Temari before, he wouldn't dare underestimate her.
The outcome of the battle was more or less as Kakashi had predicted.
Knowing he was at a disadvantage, Morino Ibiki sought to win through unconventional means, planning to overwhelm Temari with a barrage of attacks that would leave her no opportunity to use her ninjutsu.
However, he underestimated Temari's overall abilities, and his scheme backfired, resulting in him getting injured by her boiling oil jutsu.
Temari, naturally, didn't let this opportunity slip by, and she swiftly finished him off with a water-style jutsu within a minute, claiming victory.
"Temari wins!"
The First Hokage, observing the match, nodded in satisfaction. While Temari had taken slightly longer than Might Guy to defeat her opponent, the number of wins was what mattered.
So far, there had been four matches between Kirigakure and Konohagakure. Aside from Might Guy's victory, the remaining three had gone to the Kirigakure ninjas.
The atmosphere in the audience seats was somewhat delicate. The officials of Fire Country remained silent, the merchant's proxy wore a thoughtful expression, the Konoha ninjas looked frustrated, and the Kirigakure ninjas couldn't contain their smiles.
Oboro Shinoya didn't want to lose, especially since a Konoha ninja had already fallen to a Kirigakure ninja. Another loss would not bode well for him or the village.
However, the outcome of a battle depended on strength, not willpower.
Despite Oboro's best efforts, he couldn't make up for the gap in strength between them.
Nonetheless, Oboro did the best he could; he didn't lose too badly or too quickly. He fought fiercely for four minutes before finally succumbing to Zabuza's attacks.
"Zabuza is the winner!" Biro announced the result of the match.
Once again, Kirigakure had claimed victory, leaving the Fire Country officials with furrowed brows, as they found it hard to accept this turn of events.
Konoha had won consecutive victories in the war, yet now they were being dominated by Kirigakure in the Chunin Exams.
Many Kirigakure ninjas felt triumphant, popping open metaphorical bottles of champagne in their minds. There was no better way to prove their village's strength.
"They just got lucky. If they had faced Obito, there's no way they would've won." Uchiha Hachiro scoffed, his expression cold, as he noticed the smug looks on the Kirigakure ninjas' faces.
In his opinion, Kirigakure had simply gotten lucky with the draw. For instance, if Asuma had faced Obito instead of Zabuza, Asuma would have had a higher chance of winning.
The atmosphere among the higher-ups didn't change much, except that Danzo's expression turned somewhat frosty.
Even with multiple victories, the Kirigakure leader, Fugaku, merely smiled and didn't gloat.
He was aware that the Konoha participants in this Chunin Exam were not inferior in strength to those from Kirigakure; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to defeat Kisame's and Terumi Mei's squads in the Death Forest, even with three squads of their own.
"Match eight, Hyuga Gangi versus Hatake Kakashi."
Without any hesitation, Kakashi strode out of the waiting room, with Hyuga Gangi following closely behind.
If his opponent had been Obito or Terumi Mei, he would have felt his chances of winning were slim. But against Kakashi, Hyuga Gangi believed he had a good shot.
Theoretically, his Byakugan and Gentle Fist style were very effective against speed-type ninjas like Kakashi, giving him the advantage.
"Begin!" Biro shouted.
"Byakugan, activate!"
Hyuga Gangi immediately channeled his chakra to activate his Byakugan, the veins at the corners of his eyes bulging as his vision transformed.
"Lightning Breath, Full Concentration Breath."
As soon as Biro finished speaking, Kakashi entered a state of heightened concentration, his physical abilities and explosiveness greatly enhanced.
"Flash!"
Kakashi unsheathed his White Fang, the blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight, and held it tightly in his hand. Lightning chakra erupted from his feet, and he rushed forward at incredible speed.
Hyuga Gangi's Byakugan saw Kakashi's impending attack, but before he could even begin to form the hand seals for his Gentle Fist technique, the gleaming White Fang was already at his neck, leaving a slight tear in his clothing.
The battle was over.
Although Hyuga Gangi hadn't even had a chance to attack, he knew it was finished.
If Kakashi hadn't held back, he would already be dead.
The arena fell silent once more.
Some people had simply glanced away from the match for a moment to chat with those beside them, and when they looked back, Kakashi's blade was already at Hyuga Gangi's neck.
Those who had watched the entire match didn't fare much better; they only saw a flash of yellow lightning before the battle ended.
"Such incredible speed. Even if Gangi had seen it coming, he wouldn't have been able to react in time." Hyuga Hiashi shook his head as he witnessed the scene.
Hyuga Gangi's loss was not unjust; based on that single strike alone, Hyuga Hiashi could tell that Kakashi was undoubtedly one of the strongest participants in this Chunin Exam.
"Kakashi wins!" Biro announced Kakashi's victory, slightly taken aback.
The record for the fastest victory had been broken again, and Biro felt as if he had barely started the match before it ended.
"He's the child of White Fang. It's no surprise," Biro muttered to himself, suppressing his envy.
Kakashi's performance earned a nod of approval from Hiruzen Sarutobi. This swift and flawless battle even reminded him of the legendary White Fang of Konoha, and he felt his efforts to rearrange Kakashi's team assignments had been worth it.
A lightning-fast victory like this was the best showcase of strength. Many spectators cheered for Kakashi's prowess.
However, Kakashi didn't feel excited by their applause. Defeating Hyuga Gangi meant little to him; in his heart, only by defeating Might Guy and the others could he prove his genius.
"What a show-off," Obito commented, unable to hold back his snarky remark as he watched Kakashi stand there nonchalantly.
But seeing the spark in Rin Nohara's eyes, Obito thought to himself, "Maybe I should try something like that next time."
Obito had to admit that Kakashi knew how to make an impression.
"As expected of my best friend," Might Guy said, giving Kakashi a thumbs-up as he entered the arena.
He couldn't wait to have a youthful, passionate battle with Kakashi.
With Kakashi's match concluded, the first round came to an end. After a brief rest, the second round would begin shortly.
This chapter is 4.6k words, and the next one should be around 4k words.
(End of Chapter)
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