Chapter 328: The Astonishing Power of Thunder Flash (7k)

Chapter 328: The Astonishing Power of Thunder Flash (7k)



As the final match of the second round, and a battle between the Ninja of Kirigakure and Konohagakure, the fight between Kakashi Hatake and Momochi Zabuza attracted a lot of attention.

If Zabuza were to win, then the top four would be evenly split between the two villages. However, if Kakashi were to emerge victorious, then only Kisame Hoshigaki would represent Kirigakure in the semifinals, with the remaining spots taken by Konoha ninja.

Naturally, Kirigakure wanted Zabuza to win to maintain their pride. If Kisame lost in the semifinals and the final match became an internal affair of Konoha, it would be a blow to their reputation as one of the five great ninja villages.

Of course, to those who knew Kakashi and Zabuza well, or to those with keen eyes, the outcome of this match was predictable.

"How could he possibly win? He lost to that guy a month ago," thought Hiruzen in his heart. He expected Zabuza to join him to watch the fight any minute now.

Zabuza didn't bother guessing what the spectators were thinking. He had never been one to cater to others' expectations.

Watching Kakashi's calm and composed demeanor, Zabuza's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to a month ago.

Facing a formidable opponent like Might Guy, Kakashi's team truly embodied the spirit of never giving up. Each member fought to their utmost limit.

Even when Kakashi didn't have the energy to move, he still chose to go and help his teammates, swinging a blade with a strength that Zabuza still couldn't comprehend to this day.

Zabuza truly couldn't understand Kakashi's power. Despite appearing to be on the verge of collapse and exuding weakness from within, Kakashi's feeble strike had instantly slain Keijon Shuko

Zabuza felt that he might never truly grasp the source of Kakashi's strength because he couldn't fathom who or what Kakashi would go all out for.

"Competition among people starts even before they are born," Zabuza spoke up. "If you were born in Kirigakure, you'd probably be similar to me now."

He still had a bit of a grudge, but it wasn't about strength; it was about their villages.

Zabuza had stayed in Konoha for a month, and during this time, he had fully experienced the differences between Konoha and Kirigakure.

In Konoha's Ninja Academy, graduates didn't have to kill their classmates, and the atmosphere among the ninja was less ruthless and bloody.

Growing up in such an environment, it was natural for bonds with companions to be stronger, and the desire to protect one another would be more profound.

Beside them, Hidan felt a sense of resonance with Zabuza's words, but his reason was not about the hidden villages. It was about the innate differences in people's talents and abilities, which were also determined at birth. For example, the Sharingan was something one could only hope to have if they were born into the Uchiha clan.

"There are no 'what ifs' in this world," Kakashi replied calmly, his expression unchanged by Zabuza's words. "It seems that my previous strike didn't completely sever the dissatisfaction in your heart."

In Kakashi's opinion, such hypotheticals held little significance because he didn't even know what Kirigakure's environment was like.

Kakashi acknowledged that one's environment could influence them, but it wasn't absolute. Take Obito, for instance. Despite being born in the Uchiha clan, his personality and traits were entirely different from those of a typical Uchiha.

"If you think Kirigakure is inferior to Konoha, then work hard to change it instead of imagining me as a member of Kirigakure," Kakashi said.

Having studied the history of the ninja world, Kakashi had realized a truth: the circumstances of one's birth were predetermined and unchangeable, but they had the freedom to choose how to live their lives.

For example, despite being born into rival families, Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama ultimately chose to join forces and establish Konoha.

Senju Tobirama was a member of the noble shinobi clan, but for the sake of strengthening the village, he was willing to weaken the power of the noble clans and empower more common shinobi.

"Those kinds of things are easier said than done," Zabuza scoffed. What Kakashi said was simple, but the Blood Mist policy was decided by the Mizukage.

"And do you think killing a jounin is easy?" Kakashi asked calmly.

Zabuza was left speechless. The person who had been killed was his mentor, and he knew all too well how absurdly difficult it was.

"Let the battle begin!" Hidan adjusted his emotions and quickly shouted.

"Kirigakure no Jutsu!"

To prevent being instantly defeated by Kakashi's lightning-fast speed, Zabuza quickly retreated, performing hand seals on the ground to create a thick fog while simultaneously using the Body Flicker Technique to rapidly change positions.

However, to Zabuza's surprise, Kakashi remained still, rendering his series of evasive maneuvers a solitary dance with the air.

"What is that guy trying to do?" Zabuza furrowed his brows, trying to guess Kakashi's tactic.

This was completely unlike what he had imagined. He had envisioned Kakashi rushing at him at full speed, but instead, Kakashi was walking slowly without even drawing his sword.

In fact, Zabuza's initial guess hadn't been wrong. Kakashi had indeed intended to end the fight with a single Lightning Flash.

But after their conversation, Kakashi abandoned that idea. He wanted to thoroughly defeat Zabuza and make him submit, using the new technique he had developed—Thunder Flash.

Kakashi pushed his Lightning Chakra Mode to the limit, greatly enhancing his strength and speed while gathering a large amount of chakra in his legs and right hand, ready to explode into action at any moment.

Kakashi desperately tried to enter that clear and transparent world again. Over the past month, he had made many attempts, all of which had failed.

This time, he expected to fail again, but Kakashi keenly noticed that this failure felt slightly different. He could vaguely sense something.

Kakashi felt a slight sense of relief. After a month of relentless training, he finally saw some progress. It seemed that combat was indeed the best teacher.

Unsure of Kakashi's intentions, Zabuza created a water clone to attack Kakashi while he waited for the original to make a move and expose an opening.

Whoosh!

Kakashi drew his sword with incredible speed and swung, his blade slicing through the clone and instantly reducing it to a burst of water.

Zabuza, who had been about to rush forward, broke into a cold sweat. He couldn't make sense of Kakashi's move; even with his eyes closed, he was incredibly fast and had taken out the clone in an instant.

As Zabuza pondered a new tactic, Kakashi made his move again, this time advancing towards Zabuza.

Kakashi converted all the gathered chakra into lightning-attribute chakra, and a dazzling yellow flash enveloped his legs and right hand.

The yellow lightning traveled from Kakashi's arm to his White Fang short blade, and under the influence of chakra, the short blade extended, transforming into a katana.

"Thunder Flash!"

Sizzle!!

Boom!

At that moment, the lightning on Kakashi's body became even more dazzling, and even the thick white mist couldn't hide its radiance. The spectators could clearly see the yellow glow erupting from within the mist, accompanied by the thunderous roar of heavenly lightning.

Zabuza didn't understand how Kakashi had detected him, but at the moment the lightning erupted from Kakashi's body, he wanted to dodge. However, just as the thought formed in his mind, his body hadn't even started to move when his vision was suddenly filled with yellow lightning.

Kakashi had already arrived in front of him, swinging the lightning-clad blade.

"How beautiful," Zabuza thought as he beheld the dazzling and brilliant lightning attack.

Boom!!

With a deafening roar, the thick white mist in the arena quickly dissipated, and the spectators finally got a clear view of what had transpired.

Kakashi stood in front of Zabuza, his hand holding the hilt of the sword, which was now wrapped in lightning chakra. He looked calm, as if he had just done something mundane.

Zabuza lay on the ground, his chest stained with a large patch of blood and charred marks. Beneath him were dozens of shattered iron fragments of his new weapon.

What shocked the audience the most was the narrow, charred gash beside Zabuza, which someone estimated to be at least six meters long.

The next moment, Zabuza couldn't hold back the blood flowing from his mouth and fell to the ground.

"What kind of technique has Kakashi mastered? I remember he didn't used to fight like this," Asuma said, his eyes wide as he looked at the gash Kakashi had sliced into the ground.

He pondered that Kakashi's swordsmanship was indeed excellent, but it was more akin to an advanced form of taijutsu, and it was clearly different from what Kakashi displayed now.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stroked his goatee and nodded. The Kakashi before them was even more dazzling than the White Fang of the same age, and although their styles were somewhat similar, Kakashi had found a path that suited him better.

Kisame Hoshigaki, in the waiting room, wore a solemn expression. This version of Kakashi made him feel a profound threat.

Kisame calmed himself and glanced at Might Guy. The semifinal match was about to begin, and he had to defeat Guy first if he wanted to face Kakashi in the final.

"You truly are worthy friends! I feel the passion of your blazing youth!" Might Guy's fists clenched, and tears of emotion welled up in his eyes. His desire to battle Kakashi intensified.

"Kakashi is such a show-off!" Obito felt that Kakashi was doing it on purpose. He had more efficient techniques but chose to use the most powerful one, unnecessarily wasting his strength and chakra.

Thinking of Rin Nohara, who might still be in the audience, watching Kakashi with shining eyes, Obito felt even worse. He vowed to give Kakashi a good beating in the semifinals.

"Are you underestimating me? You're holding back again," Zabuza said, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he lay on the ground.

Although he was severely injured, Zabuza understood that he had only been affected by the aftermath of Kakashi's attack. Kakashi had slightly diverted the direction of his strike and hadn't aimed it directly at him.

It was precisely because Zabuza hadn't taken the full brunt of the attack that he truly understood Kakashi's strength. Just a fraction of Kakashi's power had shattered his new weapon and injured him.

If that full force had been directed at him, even the legendary medic, Tsunade, might not have been able to save him.

"I just feel that you, in your current state, will never be able to defeat me," Kakashi sheathed his White Fang and replied.

"You still don't understand what true strength is."

Zabuza fell silent. He looked up at the azure sky and admitted to himself that Kakashi was qualified to say those words. With just a fraction of his strike, Kakashi had rendered him unable to fight back.

"One day, I will stand before you again and defeat you," Zabuza suddenly said.

He was not one to back down from a challenge. If Kakashi said he couldn't do it, he would prove him wrong. Whether it was changing Kirigakure or seeking true strength, he would do it. Life was, at most, just a matter of life and death, and having faced death twice on missions for Kirigakure, he had nothing to fear.

"If you can, then go ahead," Kakashi said indifferently.

"Hatake Kakashi wins!"

The referee, Hiruko, quickly declared the end of the battle when he saw that Zabuza was only speaking and not moving.

Soon, medical ninjas rushed in and carried the injured Zabuza away.

Lying on the stretcher, Zabuza's mind was in turmoil. His trip to Konoha had been full of surprises, but what he regretted the most at the moment was his recent battle with Kakashi.

He hadn't even had a chance to fight back properly before he was defeated. He felt that Kakashi probably didn't like this kind of battle, and that was why he felt regret.

With the end of the last match of the second round, the arena entered a mid-game break.

Although the contestants could rest during other matches, the pace of ninja battles was too fast. There had been more matches in the first round, but only four in the second, so the break wasn't long enough for a proper rest.

"Kakashi, do you have some battle wisdom? There are easier ways to win, but you..." As soon as Kakashi entered the waiting room, Obito started nagging about Kakashi's recent battle.

At that moment, only four people remained in the waiting room: Kakashi, Obito, Might Guy, and Kisame, who was sitting in a corner with his eyes closed, meditating to conserve his energy before the exam.

Meanwhile, the spectators munched on snacks as they discussed the strengths of the remaining four candidates.

By this stage of the exam, each of the candidates had demonstrated exceptional abilities. Kisame Hoshigaki could transform the battle arena into a water terrain, and Might Guy had showcased his exaggerated and flamboyant taijutsu skills.

If it weren't for the fact that the Fire Shadow hadn't yet arrived, there would probably be hundreds or even thousands of online discussions analyzing their battle prowess.

"The next match will be between Kisame Hoshigaki and Might Guy! Candidates, please enter the arena promptly." As the break ended, Hiruko called out.

Might Guy flashed a brilliant smile as he strode into the battle arena, with Kisame following suit, his eyes now open.

All eyes in the audience turned to the center of the arena, as this particular fight held significant weight for the joint Chunin Exams.

If Might Guy won, it would mean a clean sweep for Konoha, and the finals would be an internal affair among the village's ninja.

However, if Kisame emerged victorious, Kirigakure would at least be able to maintain some face. Even if they lost in the finals, reaching that stage would show that they were on par with Konoha.

The spectators from Konoha cheered for Might Guy, while the ninja from Kirigakure silently prayed for Kisame's success, hoping he would bring victory to their village.

"Do you remember me? This time, I'm in peak condition, and I won't lose again," Kisame said, baring his teeth in a shark-like grin.

Might Guy scratched his head as he looked at Kisame, vaguely recalling hearing the name 'Hoshigaki' when the referee had made the introductions earlier, along with a similar-sounding name during their previous encounter.

"Kisame Hoshitaki, this time, I will win again!" Might Guy declared confidently, mispronouncing Kisame's name.

Kisame looked at him with a puzzled expression, wondering who Kisame Hotaki was and why he had never heard of him.

He had to admit that Might Guy was quite something. Not only had he forgotten his name during their encounter in the Forest of Death, but he had also misheard the referee's introductions multiple times today, including just a moment ago.

"Are you doing this on purpose to anger me and make me lose my composure?" Kisame wondered if Might Guy was deliberately trying to provoke him.

He wouldn't have expected the muscular and well-built Might Guy to resort to such tactics before the fight, and this slightly changed his impression of his opponent.

"Begin!" Hiruko announced on time.

"Eight Gates of Chakra Activation: Gate of Opening, Open! Gate of Rest, Open! Gate of Life, Open!" In an instant, Might Guy opened three of the Eight Gates, causing a surge of chakra within his body.

"Breath of Earth, Full Concentration!" Simultaneously, Might Guy altered his breathing pattern to focus his breath and significantly enhance his physical capabilities.

Having fought Kisame once before, he was aware of his opponent's approximate strength, so he didn't bother with testing and went straight for a full-power attack.

"Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave!"

Knowing Might Guy's prowess in taijutsu, Kisame didn't hesitate for a moment. As soon as Hiruko gave the signal, he swiftly retreated, performing hand seals and spitting out a massive surge of water toward Might Guy.

Might Guy leaped into the air to dodge the torrent of water, and in the next moment, the entire arena transformed into a giant pond, forcing him to stand on the water's surface to continue the fight.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

After using the Exploding Water Shockwave, Kisame immediately followed up with another attack, forming seals to create a thick water dragon that charged toward Might Guy.

"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"

Might Guy concentrated his strength in his legs and delivered a powerful spinning kick, sending the water dragon dispersing into sprays of water that shot in all directions.

Standing at just over four feet tall, Might Guy looked minuscule compared to the massive water dragon, yet with a single kick, he had shattered it to pieces.

At that moment, the immense power of the Eight Gates of Chakra Activation combined with the Breath of Earth was on full display, causing many of the observing ninja to gasp in awe. This was a head-on clash of pure taijutsu and ninjutsu.

"Guy!" Might Guy's father, Might Dai, watched his son kick apart the water dragon and shouted his name with pride. Might Guy's early mornings and late nights of training had all been leading up to this moment.

Kagari and Ebizo exchanged glances, feeling that their team composition had perhaps used up a lot of their luck. Having such a powerhouse on their team made them feel incredibly secure during missions.

Even though Kisame had fought Might Guy once before, he still couldn't help but be startled by the sheer power of his opponent's taijutsu.

Facing Might Guy in this state, even someone like Kisame, who possessed strength far beyond that of a regular person, had no desire to engage in a direct physical confrontation.

A single mistake could lead to him being overwhelmed by Might Guy's relentless offense, leaving him unable to use his ninjutsu and resulting in a swift defeat.

After kicking apart the water dragon, Might Guy charged straight at Kisame. Due to his incredible speed, the audience could only see a flash of green light rushing forward.

"Water Style: Great Exploding Water Shockwave!" Kisame, realizing that he needed to deplete more of Might Guy's stamina, immediately mobilized his entire chakra reserve to unleash his ultimate technique.

The last time they had fought, Might Guy had defeated him with the Great Exploding Water Shockwave, so Kisame wanted to force Might Guy to use up more of his energy before employing this move, hoping to avoid a repeat of their previous encounter.

However, Might Guy was in frighteningly good shape, forcing Kisame to use his trump card earlier than he had intended. Otherwise, the battle would become increasingly difficult for him.

While the arena was spacious for a regular person, for a taijutsu expert like Might Guy, it was quite confined.

Kisame converted most of his chakra into water-attribute chakra, transforming it into a torrent of water several times more powerful than his previous attack, which he then spat out from his mouth.

Might Guy immediately recalled the giant water balloon from the Forest of Death and halted his charge, quickly backpedaling instead.

He couldn't breathe underwater, and being trapped in the water would put him at a severe disadvantage.

Although they only differed by one word, the Exploding Water Shockwave and the Great Exploding Water Shockwave were actually quite different.

The Exploding Water Shockwave was similar to the Water Pillar Technique, creating a large volume of water to create a favorable environment for a Water Style user. In contrast, the Great Exploding Water Shockwave could create an enormous, solid version of the Water Prison Technique.

Before long, Might Guy realized he had nowhere to retreat since Kisame's Great Exploding Water Shockwave encompassed the entire arena.

Might Guy took a deep breath. While he could easily hold his breath for five minutes, maintaining his breathing technique's power was a different matter. He had tried it before, and the most he could manage was one minute. In other words, he had to defeat Kisame within that minute, or he would be at a severe disadvantage against Kisame in the water without the enhancement of his breathing technique.

Might Guy pushed his body to the peak and willingly allowed the expanding water ball to engulf him.

Although the confined space put him at a slight disadvantage, retreat was not an option for Might Guy.

Kisame's powerful Water Style caused the audience to exclaim in surprise.

Many of the civilian spectators found it incredible; somehow, a solid water ball had formed without any container.

Kakashi, with his sharp eyes, closely watched the battle. As a practitioner of breathing techniques himself, he understood Might Guy's predicament.

Seeing Might Guy enter the water ball, a smile appeared on Kisame's face, his sharp teeth, coupled with his facial features and swimming posture, resembling a real shark.

"Water Style: Water Shark Bomb Technique!"

Within the water ball, Kisame swiftly formed the necessary hand seals, causing five shark-like mouths with sharp teeth to appear and rush towards Might Guy, biting at him ferociously.

This was a Water Style jutsu Kisame had developed over the past thirty days, better suited to his abilities than the Water Dragon Bullet Technique.

Kisame had plans to further develop this technique, combining it with his body's innate special characteristics. However, due to the short time frame, he had been unable to perfect it.

Facing the ferocious sharks, Might Guy showed no fear. He burst forth with his full power and rushed towards Kisame, his powerful chakra momentarily causing the water around his feet to retreat.

Boom!

Might Guy's punch directly exploded one of the incoming water sharks, and the resulting force sent ripples throughout the water ball.

"He's stronger than before," Kisame muttered, his expression changing slightly.

It took Might Guy only nine seconds to destroy all five water sharks. Without pausing, he continued his advance towards Kisame.

Kisame quickly consumed more chakra to create another set of water sharks, sending them rushing towards Might Guy.

But even this couldn't stop Might Guy's relentless advance. Like an invincible warrior, he steadily closed the distance between them.

"Forty seconds, forty-one seconds," Might Guy silently counted the time that had passed since he entered the water ball.

"Ten Shark Bomb!"

Kisame unleashed all his chakra, creating ten water sharks at once.

Even with Kisame's deep chakra reserves, continuously using Water Style jutsu was draining him.

"Afternoon Tiger!"

When Might Guy reached the count of fifty seconds, he abruptly opened the Eight Inner Gates, causing a surge of powerful chakra to course through his body and push him to new heights.

The multiple activations of the Eight Inner Gates enhanced Might Guy's kick, making it an unstoppable force. With a single kick, he destroyed the three leading water sharks.

The violent waves within the water ball seemed to echo the silent roar of the chakra flame engulfing Might Guy, resembling a leopard's head. When Might Guy's powerful kick connected with the sharks, seven of them instantly collapsed.

"Fifty-three, fifty-four," he silently counted as he rushed closer to Kisame.

Kisame swiftly swam backwards while simultaneously squeezing out the last of his chakra to create a water shark three times larger than the previous ones, sending it biting towards Might Guy.

Boom!!

The collision between the leopard head and the giant shark caused the massive water ball to shake violently once more.

At that moment, Might Guy's internal count reached sixty.

Kisame could clearly sense Might Guy's aura suddenly weaken, and the leopard that had been chasing the sharks now appeared to be flagging.

A smile appeared on Kisame's face as he sensed the opportunity to turn the tables.

"This can't be..." Genma Shiranui and Raido Namiashi wore worried expressions.

"The arena is too small. Why can't they make it bigger? This is too advantageous for Kisame and his Water Style abilities," Obito thought, feeling that Might Guy was at a significant disadvantage due to the arena's size.

Kakashi's expression remained unchanged. Until the outcome was decided, he would continue to believe in Might Guy. After all, they had promised to face each other in the finals.

Before Kisame could even enjoy his brief moment of triumph, Might Guy, who was near the edge of the water ball, headbutted his way out of the water, taking a quick breath before immediately unleashing the power he had gained. With a mighty kick, he destroyed the giant shark and sent Kisame flying.

Without Kisame's maintenance, the massive water ball instantly lost its form, and Kisame slammed into the wall at the edge of the arena. Might Guy, now standing on solid ground, spat out the water he had accidentally inhaled.

Might Guy quickly checked on Kisame's condition and, seeing that he was severely injured and unable to continue the fight, finally relaxed.

"Might Guy wins!" Hiruko quickly announced Might Guy's victory.

Might Guy flashed a brilliant smile at the audience and gave himself a thumbs-up.

Defeating Kisame meant advancing to the finals, and he was one step closer to becoming the strongest taijutsu user.

"My dear friend, it's your turn now," Might Guy said, looking towards the waiting room.

I originally wanted to write a 10,000-word chapter to include Obito's fight as well, but it's getting late, so I'll post a 7,000-word chapter for now, and there will be another one after this.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end