https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-325-Kakashi-s-White-Fang-Makes-an-Appearance-4-6k-/12558429/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-327-Might-of-the-Blazing-Iron-Mountain/12558431/
Chapter 326: Tsunade's Discovery (4k)
Chapter 326: Tsunade's Discovery (4k)
"Do your best in your next fight, Rin. You performed exceptionally in the first round, and I'm sure you'll become a Chunin." Obito thought for a moment before speaking to Noel Rin.
The first match of the second round was between Noel Rin and Kisame Hoshigaki.
Although he was their enemy, Obito had to admit that Kisame was a formidable ninja. Even he wouldn't dare claim victory against him, as his fire-style jutsu was completely countered by Kisame's water style.
"Mmm, I'm already content just by making it to the second round." Noel Rin smiled and nodded gently.
She was thrilled to have defeated Nara Shiomi, and the battle in the Forest of Death had clearly demonstrated Kisame's strength. Noel Rin knew her chances of winning were slim.
The month she had spent practicing water-style jutsu certainly couldn't compare to Kisame's mastery, and while her Super Strength Fist was powerful, it wasn't enough to overwhelm him.
"Try to create opportunities with taijutsu and give it your all. Fight without regrets, and that will be enough," Kakashi added.
In Kakashi's analysis, Noel Rin's slim chance of victory lay in her Super Strength.
"Round two, first match: Kisame Hoshigaki versus Noel Rin!" Biuu's voice rang out in the resting room.
"Thank you both. I'm off to the exam," Noel Rin said with a gentle smile, expressing her gratitude to Obito and Kakashi for their strategizing. She then left the resting room.
At that moment, Obito wished he could take Noel Rin's place, but he knew it was impossible. For one, Noel Rin herself wouldn't agree, and Obito understood that she wasn't the type to back down from a challenge.
Kisame glanced at Might Guy, who was practicing handstands, and then exited the resting room as well.
If he won this fight, his next opponent would be Might Guy. As for Heizi, Kisame had already assumed that he would lose to Guy.
"Begin!" Biuu shouted and quickly stepped back.
Noel Rin immediately entered the Water Style Breathing state and took the initiative to attack Kisame.
To get close to Kisame, she gathered chakra in her feet and used the Extreme Speed Hair Rasing to swiftly appear by his side.
"Super Strength!"
Noel Rin clenched her fist, the large amount of chakra within her fist surging as she threw an extremely heavy punch at Kisame.
This opening move surprised many spectators. They hadn't expected this seemingly fragile young girl to initiate a taijutsu battle against the ferocious-looking Kisame.
After all, Noel Rin's impression from the previous round was that of a water-style ninja who relied on the Water Dragon Bullet technique.
But what happened next was even more unexpected. Facing the charging Noel Rin, Kisame rapidly retreated, unwilling to engage in close combat with her.
Boom!
Noel Rin's punch landed on the ground, the powerful force cracking the earth and sending shards of stone flying in all directions.
"This girl has quite the Tsunade vibe," Jiraiya remarked, surprised by Noel Rin's punching power.
Tsunade, who hadn't been paying close attention to the fight, was prompted by Jiraiya's comment to watch more intently. She soon felt that Noel Rin's fighting style seemed somewhat familiar.
Kisame had clashed directly with Noel Rin once before, so he didn't intend to trade punches with her. Instead, he waited for her attack to miss before countering.
Without the use of her Super Strength, Noel Rin quickly fell into a disadvantageous position and took several punches. Obito clenched his fists, his expression tense as he watched.
However, Noel Rin didn't lose heart. She deliberately left an opening, hoping to trade injuries with Kisame, but he didn't take the bait, causing her attack to miss once more.
This frustrated Noel Rin. Her chakra wasn't abundant, and the Super Strength technique consumed a lot of it. Each wasted punch further diminished her already slim chances of victory.
"Rin lacks combat experience," Kakashi noted, having spotted a fatal weakness in Noel Rin's performance.
Noel Rin didn't have the wealth of experience that Kakashi and the others possessed. She had only recently become a genin and had stumbled upon an elite team of jonin by accident, followed by an unexpected incident on the battlefield.
Although their encounter with the Raikage candidate had been dangerous, it was primarily Minato who had carried the team, and the intensity of their battle hadn't been that high.
Even in the Forest of Death, Noel Rin hadn't truly fought much and had mostly served as a healer.
Combat experience was crucial. Kakashi's victory over Obito earlier was a testament to that—he had exploited Obito's lack of experience.
And now, Kisame was doing the same, taking advantage of Noel Rin's inexperience. In front of a seasoned ninja like Kisame, Noel Rin might as well have been revealing her every thought and intention.
Noel Rin wasn't foolish, and when she realized that her Super Strength punches kept missing, she became more cautious and refrained from using the technique as freely.
However, her caution could only delay her defeat, not secure a victory.
Kisame, too, was in no rush to defeat Noel Rin. With the tight schedule of the third round, he didn't want any unexpected injuries that might affect his performance against Might Guy.
Noel Rin's body gradually accumulated wounds, and her condition worsened.
Yet, she refused to give up. She used medical ninjutsu to heal herself, ensuring that her injuries didn't slow her down.
"Her medical ninjutsu is impressive too. This Noel Rin is quite interesting," Tsunade said, finding Noel Rin more and more reminiscent of herself the longer she watched.
"I'm curious as well. She's Minato's disciple, but these techniques definitely weren't taught by him," Jiraiya commented.
Minato had discussed his disciples with Jiraiya and even sought his advice on teaching.
"Rin is also my disciple, in a way," Mu Yue explained, feeling it was time to be more open about certain things.
Jiraiya gave Mu Yue a surprised look. He had known that she was learning medical ninjutsu from Tsunade, but he hadn't realized that her own medical ninjutsu skills were high enough to teach someone like Noel Rin.
"It was you, wasn't it? You stole my Super Strength technique. Tonight, you must make a roast chicken and a plate of chili chicken to compensate for my loss," Tsunade said sternly.
Mu Yue didn't want to point out that Tsunade was more concerned about the food than the technique being "stolen." Super Strength wasn't a specific ninjutsu but a chakra control skill, and it was something that could only be taught, not easily copied.
"Making the food is no problem, but Noel Rin admires you greatly, Tsunade-sama. Perhaps she'll join me when I visit you," Mu Yue smiled and agreed.
Mu Yue was considering leaving Noel Rin under Tsunade's care for a while.
Although Tsunade was slacking off in her duties as Hokage, she remained the strongest in the field of medical ninjutsu, and Mu Yue believed that Noel Rin could benefit from Tsunade's guidance.
Tsunade readily nodded in agreement and started thinking about handing Shizune over to Mu Yue for some teaching, as Mu Yue seemed to have a talent for instruction.
This was the Chunin Exams, a showcase of strength; losing meant being a step behind the opponent.
"Damn it! Guy, you better teach that guy a lesson later!" Tobirama seethed inwardly, his flames of anger burning, but he couldn't do anything due to the order of the matches.
Kisame would face Might Guy in the third round, and Tobirama believed that Guy would win, so they wouldn't get a chance to meet.
"Leave it to me." Might Guy nodded seriously.
Undoubtedly, Noel Rin was also his comrade, and he would definitely repay Kisame with his strongest kick for this loss.
"Second match, Might Guy versus Hei Zi!"
When Biu'er's voice rang out in the audience, many spectators were stunned.
The reason they had been watching so many matches between Kirigakure and Konoha, even after continuous losses, was that they knew it wasn't that the Konoha ninjas were weak, but that the Kirigakure ninjas hadn't faced Konoha's strongest yet.
"Go, Guy! Just like the last match, finish it with one kick!" someone shouted.
"Might Guy, give it your all!"
Hearing so many people cheering for his son, Might Dai couldn't hold back his tears of emotion as he stood up and cheered for Guy.
The venue was filled with loud voices, and although Might Guy couldn't hear what they were saying clearly due to the distance, he could vaguely make out his name being chanted.
A proud smile appeared on Guy's face. Winning the first place in the Chunin Exams would be a solid step towards becoming the strongest taijutsu user.
"This is a tough fight. How can I possibly win against this guy?" Hei Zi thought frantically, searching for a way to defeat Might Guy.
He had been thinking about it ever since the draw, but even now, he couldn't come up with a solution.
Might Guy had only displayed one ability so far—taijutsu. But it wasn't ordinary taijutsu; it was powerful enough to knock down Kisame with a single kick.
To say that he didn't want to win would be a lie, as better performance meant greater rewards when he returned to Kirigakure. However, he just couldn't figure out how to achieve victory.
"Begin!"
"Eight Inner Gates, Open!" Might Guy opened three gates simultaneously, challenging his limits once more and entering a state of full concentration. As long as he finished the fight quickly, he wouldn't exhaust much stamina.
"Hiding in Mist Technique!"
Hei Zi quickly performed the necessary hand seals, summoning a thick fog that enveloped the arena. Simultaneously, he used the Body Flicker Technique to leave his original position, not daring to stay put and risk being kicked by Guy.
Hei Zi's caution was warranted. The moment he left his spot, the ground where he had been standing cracked open. Had he been a moment slower, it wouldn't have been the ground that cracked, but his body.
However, this also gave Hei Zi some relief. It proved that Might Guy couldn't see clearly in the mist, so he still had a chance.
Just as Hei Zi created a water clone and prepared to use it to attract Guy's attention while his main body launched a sneak attack, Guy made his move.
Channeling most of his strength into his legs, Might Guy opened the Eight Inner Gates, causing a powerful chakra eruption. In an instant, he appeared in front of Hei Zi and unleashed a fierce kick.
"Extreme Dynamic Leaf Great Breakthrough!"
This was the strongest move in Guy's Hurricane Series. Using extreme strength to perform the Leaf Great Breakthrough, even thick and solid rocks could be easily shattered.
Boom!!
This swift and heavy kick landed on both Hei Zi and his water clone.
The water clone popped like a water balloon pricked by a needle, spraying water in all directions, while Hei Zi's main body was sent flying like a cannonball, embedding himself deep into the wall and leaving yet another human-shaped dent.
Without Hei Zi's chakra to maintain it, the mist quickly dissipated, revealing Might Guy standing in the arena and Hei Zi, who was knocked into the wall.
Hei Zi, with blood dripping from his mouth and a resentful look on his face, wanted to ask Guy how he had broken through his Hiding in Mist Technique. However, he couldn't utter a word.
As if reading Hei Zi's mind, Guy spoke up, "Once, in order to defeat a certain person, I practiced fighting with my eyes closed, relying only on sound to determine my opponent's position."
For a long time, Guy had been helpless against Genma Shiranui's genjutsu. Genma's genjutsu was just too strong, and ordinary genjutsu dispelling methods weren't very effective.
So, Guy practiced this fighting style, fearing that one day he might encounter an enemy with genjutsu as powerful as Genma's.
His first kick had been aimed based on memory, which was why he had missed. But the second kick had been guided by sound, allowing him to pinpoint their location based on the movement of Hei Zi's water clone.
Hei Zi closed his eyes, accepting his defeat. He had no complaints; Might Guy was just too formidable.
"Might Guy wins!" Biu'er announced the victor.
Although they hadn't witnessed how Guy had defeated Hei Zi, Guy's overwhelming victory stood out, especially after Konoha had lost several matches to Kirigakure. Many spectators cheered for Guy.
With a confident smile, Guy deactivated the Eight Inner Gates and his breathing technique, then walked back to the resting room. One more win for him, and two for Kakashi, and they would face each other in the finals.
Although Tobirama had displayed strength as well, Guy had an inexplicable confidence in Kakashi. He believed that Kakashi could do it; he could defeat all his opponents and join him in the fight for first place.
"Perhaps this is the bond between best friends." Guy's smile grew brighter as he thought.
As he entered the resting room, Guy gave Kakashi a thumbs-up before sitting down to rest.
Kakashi, not quite understanding what Guy was thinking, nodded.
"As expected, Kakashi is up next. This is the tacit understanding between us," Guy thought excitedly.
"Third match, Uchiha Obito versus Terumi Mei!"
"Use your brain more and don't get agitated," Kakashi reminded.
Terumi Mei had an advantage over Obito, and this match wouldn't be easy for him.
"I don't need you to remind me. I've always been fighting with my brain," Obito retorted, not acknowledging Kakashi's higher status.
He believed that he used quite a lot of tactics in his fights, and each battle cost him numerous brain cells.
"Just wait, in the next round, I'll be the one defeating you!" Obito declared confidently, flashing a smile at Kakashi before leaving the resting room.
Reaching out with his chopsticks, Kakashi took a bite of his dango, his eyes never leaving the arena.
Reclining in his seat, Might Dai: "..."
It was as if they were directly acknowledging his loss, even though he had lost to Kakashi once before in the Forest of Death. But to be so blunt about it still stung a little.
PS: I kept writing and before I knew it, it was already 1 am. Hopefully, I can fall asleep soon.
(End of Chapter)
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