Chapter 39: A Jutsu Rivaling S-Rank Forbidden Techniques: Sunset!
Chapter 39: A Jutsu Rivaling S-Rank Forbidden Techniques: Sunset!
Inside the tall tower!
The noble and wealthy merchants watched the two teams of geniuses battle on the screens, their excitement palpable. Normally, they didn't have the opportunity to witness such combat. Watching these battles also helped them gauge the future strength of the various ninja villages, which is why the Chunin Exams always attracted a large audience. In the ninja world, where entertainment was scarce, there was nothing more thrilling than this.
The Great Ninja Wars were even more spectacular, but who would dare watch those? That wasn't seeking excitement; that was courting death.
Of course, the leaders of the three major ninja villages watched even more intently. These genin represented the future of their villages, and if given the chance, they wouldn't hesitate to play dirty. However, with the leaders of each village present, any such moves would lead to an immediate and unexplained outbreak of hostilities. This was why the Kage themselves attended the exams—to protect the future of their villages. They could die in battle, but not in treachery. Of course, this rule only applied to the major villages. Smaller villages or individual candidates were a different story.
"Kohaku, Kakashi, Koji, you can do it!"
Standing behind the Hokage's seat, Minato Namikaze silently cheered for his three disciples, acting as part of the atmosphere group.
In the Forest of Death!
The battle was intense. Not only were all members of Makoto's team injured, but the third team was also in a similar state. It wasn't that they were overly aggressive; rather, during the fight, someone would occasionally jump out to ambush them. Both Makoto and Kakashi were geniuses and thus were the primary targets for the hunters. The others were simply caught in the crossfire.
They couldn't retreat, though. If they did, it would be hard to explain their failure.
In truth, the Chunin Exams were a form of entertainment, a true joint exam and a prelude to war. In the absence of a Great Ninja War, this was the only stage where the villages could showcase their strength to the world.
Clang, clang!
The weapons of the two teams clashed, engaging in close-quarters combat. This was the true essence of a ninja battle. The idea of using powerful jutsu to bombard each other throughout the fight was a complete myth. Even Jonin didn't have enough chakra to use many jutsu in battle, and the higher the rank of the jutsu, the greater the chakra consumption. Therefore, each jutsu was crucial.
Even Jonin were frugal with their jutsu use, so it was even more so for genin. Most of them didn't use jutsu at all, even though the candidates in the joint Chunin Exam were all elite. They were far from being able to overwhelm the battlefield with jutsu. Even Kohaku was conserving his chakra.
Without chakra, a ninja was just an ordinary person. Thus, using chakra-enhanced close-quarters combat was the most efficient and correct method during a fight.
Kaw!
Suddenly, flames erupted from Taichi in the sky, his presence instantly intensifying. Kohaku was ready to end this attrition battle. Continuing would not only diminish his chances of victory but also put his safety at risk. There were numerous hunters around.
"You damn fool, you're distracted!"
The girl from Makoto's team, Kon, was so angry her face puffed up. She had initially thought she could easily take out this insignificant opponent, but she hadn't expected him to be so strong. Not to mention his terrifying summon.
Even his own strength was far from the weak description in the intelligence reports.
"Don't you think we're in danger right now?"
Kohaku dodged her attack and warned her. The fight was a stalemate because both sides were at the level of "rookies pecking at each other" in close combat.
"Danger?"
Kon paused, sensing the surroundings. Both their teams were now surrounded by a large number of candidates. If it were just a few, it would be manageable, but there were over dozens of them. It was terrifying. This number made up more than a tenth of the second exam's participants.
Ordinary candidates might want to defeat them to gain fame, but they wouldn't think of killing them. At least, not for that reason. The geniuses of the major ninja villages could die at the hands of other major village geniuses, but if a small village candidate killed one, they would face immediate retribution once the exam was over.
So, how could dozens of small village candidates surround them? The only possibility was that they were hunters.
As for who sent them? Any of the Five Great Shinobi Villages could be behind it.
Perhaps even Konoha itself, though they certainly wouldn't reveal their identities and would have to be treated as hunters just the same.
"Taichi, use 'Sunset'!"
Seeing the Sand kunoichi stop, Jiro knew she had realized the situation was dire and wouldn't attack again. Only then did he give the order to his summoned creature in the sky.
Croak!
Taichi, engulfed in roaring flames, descended like the sun itself, slamming into the ground with a heavy impact.
The air burned, and the plants withered!
Faced with Taichi's almost reckless, indiscriminate attack, everyone stopped fighting.
"You're insane!"
The Sand kunoichi cursed, quickly retreating to Makoto's side.
And Taichi, transformed into a blazing sun, crashed to the ground.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rocked the area, enveloping it in flames.
The sheer power of this single attack rivaled that of some S-rank forbidden techniques.
Of course, there were many drawbacks.
The noise and preparation time before the attack were obvious weaknesses.
But the sheer destructive power made up for them.
From that moment on, everyone recognized Taichi's strength.
Inside the tower:
"This is...!"
"This summon is so powerful!"
"The power rivals that of S-rank secret techniques, doesn't it?"
The leaders of the Five Great Shinobi Villages were also stunned by the attack's power.
Many of them began to gather information about Taichi.
Especially the Uchiha ninjas, whose breathing became heavier as they imagined themselves controlling Taichi and unleashing such a terrifying attack.
Unfortunately, Jiro was unaware of their thoughts, or he would have told them they were overthinking it.
Because Taichi was his summon, not a member of the entire Uchiha clan like the Nekomata.
In the Forest of Death!
As the explosion subsided, the battlefield was shrouded in thick smoke.
It was a smoke bomb!
Jiro certainly wouldn't force his way out.
With dozens of hunters around, a direct breakout was impossible.
So Taichi's final, all-out attack was meant to disrupt the battlefield and cover for him to do something else.
"Let's go!"
Jiro slung the red scroll, the token, over his shoulder and signaled his two teammates to break through.
The black bear was also caught in the blast.
Once it died, the token would be theirs.
Kakashi, who had retreated, glanced at Jiro, feeling that while he liked to slack off and pass the buck, he was indeed suited to be the team leader.
The three of them formed the triangular assault formation they had practiced.
Kakashi, the strongest fighter, was at the front, with Jiro and Koji flanking the rear.
This formation allowed them to handle any situation.
Shadows appeared in the mist.
Swoosh!
Kakashi used the Body Flicker Technique to rush to the opponent's side, stabbing his kunai through their throat before they could react.
If it had been the heart, the opponent might have managed to send a signal before dying.
Assassination knowledge!
This was thanks to special training from Minato Namikaze, along with a wealth of combat techniques that significantly boosted Kakashi's fighting power.
With this "pathfinder," Team 3 moved forward smoothly.
However, there were still surprises.
Swoosh, swoosh!
Jiro and Koji simultaneously threw shurikens behind them.
"Wait!"
A somewhat familiar female voice called out, and then a three-person team approached.
It was Makoto's team!
Their intentions were clear.
They were planning to hitch a ride with them and leave together.
Ninjas didn't care about "face"; that was something only Kage-level shinobi could afford. For them, survival came first.
Makoto didn't speak, just stared at Kakashi with a battle-ready gaze.
But he didn't attack.
He was proud, but not stupid.
He understood they were in danger and needed to break out, not fight each other.
Jiro didn't mind the extra passengers.
This way, if danger came, they would have more backups, which he was more than happy to have.
The two teams worked together seamlessly, fighting their way out of the encirclement.
But as soon as they left the smoke-filled area, both teams halted.
They had encountered an unexpected situation.
(End of Chapter)
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