Chapter 401: Mu Yue's Strongest Disciple

Chapter 401: Mu Yue's Strongest Disciple

"I will win!" Obito said confidently.

The undefeated legend of Itachi in the civil war was a thing of the past. Through various twists of fate, Obito had undergone multiple transformations, and he was confident that he could defeat Itachi, who was two years younger than him.

Itachi had awakened his Sharingan earlier than Obito, yet Obito had achieved the three tomoe first, proving that he had already surpassed Itachi.

Obito's mind was already contemplating who his next opponent would be.

Obito and Itachi took their positions in the clearing, striking a battle-ready stance and forming the opposing seal.

"Begin!" Yahiko Lin shouted as soon as the two were ready.

As soon as Yahiko Lin's voice fell, both opponents intensely focused their breathing to enhance their physical capabilities and used the Body Flicker Technique to rush towards each other.

Boom! Boom!!

Their fists and feet clashed, creating a continuous sound of physical impact, and for a moment, neither seemed to have the upper hand.

Suddenly, Itachi switched from offense to defense and seized the opportunity to use the Body Flicker Technique to create distance between them.

He was well aware of his strengths and weaknesses. Due to their age difference, Obito's body was more physically mature and robust, and while it appeared to be a stalemate, prolonging the battle would favor Obito.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Obito didn't choose to pursue immediately because he knew that Itachi was skilled in the Body Flicker Technique. Blindly chasing him would result in Itachi leading him on a wild chase, which might eventually expose an opening.

A large amount of chakra gathered in Obito's throat, and in an instant, it all transformed into fire-attribute chakra, erupting into flames.

Hoo! Hoo!!

A massive amount of fire rapidly formed a giant, orange-red fireball, five meters high, hurtling towards Itachi.

As an Uchiha who frequently used the Fireball Jutsu, Itachi was well-versed in its characteristics. To conserve chakra, he didn't use a ninjutsu to counter it but instead relied on his agile movements to dodge.

Usually, Itachi's chakra was more than sufficient, and he didn't need to be particularly frugal with it. As an Uchiha who had unlocked the three tomoe Sharingan, his chakra was significantly more abundant than that of an ordinary ninja.

However, this battle was different. Itachi's opponent, Obito, had also unlocked the three tomoe Sharingan, and if Itachi wanted to break the deadlock with his Physical Energy, he had to reserve a portion of his chakra for that purpose.

Seeing that Itachi chose to dodge the fireball instead of countering it with a fire technique, Obito immediately launched a fierce assault. He threw a barrage of shuriken and then used the Body Flicker Technique to close in, unleashing a series of rapid and powerful taijutsu attacks.

Even as he unleashed the fireball, Obito had prepared two offensive strategies.

If Itachi chose to counter with a fire technique, Obito was ready to immediately suppress him with an even stronger fire jutsu. Obito had immense confidence in his fire techniques, as he was capable of entering the Flame Chakra Mode.

If Itachi didn't engage in a direct confrontation, Obito would take the opportunity to deplete some of Itachi's stamina and inflict minor injuries.

Facing Obito's relentless assault, Itachi calmly activated his three tomoe Sharingan to enhance his capabilities.

Obito also quickly gathered chakra and activated his Sharingan, maintaining his dominant posture.

"As expected, I am stronger now," Obito thought to himself.

He based this assumption on Kakashi's previous battle with Itachi, but as that encounter had occurred a long time ago, and Obito hadn't sparred with Itachi since then, his confidence before the fight was more strategic than an absolute certainty of victory.

After these initial exchanges, Obito could affirm that Itachi's strength fell short of his own. In terms of overall prowess, he had surpassed Itachi by a significant margin.

The probing phase concluded, and Obito focused his breathing to the extreme, entering the Flame Chakra Mode with the intention of defeating Itachi in one fell swoop.

The Flame Chakra Mode not only vastly enhanced his nature transformation ability and augmented the power of his fire techniques but also took his physical capabilities to the next level. Its only drawback was the enormous chakra consumption.

Obito felt the endless surge of power within his body, and a smile appeared on his face.

In this state, he could unleash powerful fire techniques without hand seals, and Itachi had no means to counter him.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu."

Obito brought his hands together and then opened his mouth, spewing out a multitude of tiny fireballs toward Itachi.

Itachi swiftly retreated, his hands moving rapidly to form hand seals, and just as the onslaught of fireballs was about to reach him, he successfully executed a ninjutsu.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"

Although they used the same jutsu, because Obito had entered the Flame Chakra Mode, not only were the number of fireballs he produced greater, but their size was also significantly larger.

When two techniques of the same nature transformation and jutsu collide, the stronger one prevails. Obito's fireballs overwhelmed Itachi's, negating them, and continued their trajectory toward Itachi.

Facing this wide-range attack, Itachi could only try to protect himself with his chakra and frantically change his position.

However, the distance between them was too close, and Itachi couldn't avoid getting injured. Through his Sharingan, Obito could clearly see Itachi's wounds.

"Itachi, even though I'm your clan brother, I can't afford to go easy on you in this regard," Obito said, feeling that victory was within his grasp. He felt a twinge of guilt, but as he thought about the pile of assignments that awaited the loser, that fleeting guilt quickly vanished. He unleashed his chakra and pressed the attack on Itachi.

Before his injury, Itachi could barely hold his own against Obito's standard taijutsu, but now that Obito had entered the Flame Chakra Mode and Itachi was wounded, the odds were heavily in Obito's favor.

In Obito's opinion, it was a ten-to-zero situation, but he didn't want to seem arrogant, so he mentally gave Itachi one point.

Obito gathered chakra in his palm and swiftly transformed it into fire-attribute chakra, causing intense flames to blossom in his hand. His punches and palm strikes were accompanied by searing flames.

Facing this onslaught, Itachi seemed hard-pressed to defend himself and could only keep dodging. However, due to Obito's rapid and wide-range fire techniques, Itachi sustained more injuries, and the scales of victory gradually tipped in Obito's favor.

"It looks like Obito is about to win," Yahiko Lin remarked, sensing Obito's overwhelming advantage.

Compared to Itachi, Obito was not only in a superior position but also remained completely unscathed.

Kakashi couldn't discern any hidden tricks up Itachi's sleeve, but he was certain that Itachi was holding something back.

The fight had gone too smoothly for Obito, so smoothly that Kakashi suspected Itachi was putting on an act.

"So this is the bond between best friends? I feel the same way," Might Guy laughed and gave Kakashi a thumbs up.

Might Guy felt that Itachi was intentionally feigning weakness, even choosing to get injured at times instead of using ninjutsu.

"Fire Style: Flame Fist!"

Obito clenched his fist and gathered a large amount of chakra, preparing to finish the fight with a fire-style ninjutsu.

The Blaze Chakra Mode was indeed powerful, but it also consumed a significant amount of chakra. Obito realized that he had unknowingly used up two-thirds of his chakra.

However, something unexpected happened. The fire punch he threw was caught by Itachi's palm, or more accurately, by Itachi's black-colored palm.

Obito was slightly taken aback but quickly realized that this was the Armament Haki that Mu Yue had taught them earlier.

Obito wanted to explode the fire-attribute chakra gathered in his fist, as he had thought Itachi was about to lose. Thus, he hadn't used too much force initially.

But Itachi anticipated Obito's thoughts and immediately slammed him onto the ground, creating a cloud of dust and fallen leaves.

Ignoring the pain in his palm and back, Obito gathered a large amount of chakra in his throat and then opened his mouth, spewing out a torrent of flames toward Itachi. Taking advantage of Itachi's dodging, Obito quickly got back on his feet.

However, Itachi swiftly closed the distance with a Body Flicker Technique. Every time Obito attempted to use ninjutsu, he would be met with Itachi's Armament Haki-infused iron fist. Thus, Obito had no choice but to continue the taijutsu battle.

Although hand seals weren't necessary, the release of ninjutsu still required a bit of time, and that was exactly what Obito lacked at the moment.

The situation took a drastic turn, with Itachi now dominating the fight. With his right fist injured, Obito couldn't surpass Itachi in taijutsu, especially now that Itachi was using Armament Haki.

"So he's mastered Armament Haki. No wonder he used such a tactic," Kakashi realized.

Itachi's earlier injuries weren't just to deceive Obito but also to conserve chakra for the use of Armament Haki, a secret technique that required a substantial amount of chakra.

"It's a loss," Kakashi predicted Obito's defeat in his mind.

Overall, Obito's comprehensive strength was still superior to Itachi's, even with Itachi's newly acquired Armament Haki.

Obito's loss could be attributed to a lack of information and carelessness. If Obito's strength were given to Kakashi, he would have a seventy-five percent chance of defeating Itachi.

As Kakashi expected, Obito soon lost the fight.

"I lost," Obito admitted his defeat, facing the black-gleaming flame kunai.

"Itachi wins," Yahiko Lin announced the winner of the first battle and proceeded to heal the two of them.

With the battle concluded, a weight was lifted from Itachi's heart. Winning this fight meant he wouldn't have to face any punishment.

Obito in the Blaze Chakra Mode was even stronger than he had imagined. If they had fought under normal circumstances, he would have surely lost.

"I need to step up my training in breathing techniques," Itachi thought, feeling a heightened sense of urgency despite his victory.

Obito had the Blaze Chakra Mode, Kakashi had mastered the Transparent World, and although Might Guy hadn't mastered the advanced breathing techniques, he possessed the powerful Eight Gates.

While Armament Haki was strong, Itachi's current chakra level couldn't sustain the simultaneous use of other ninjutsu along with Armament Haki.

"It's just one loss, don't worry about it. You can always try again next time," Yahiko Lin gently consoled Obito, seeing him hang his head in silence.

"Ahaha, yes, it's just one battle," Obito lifted his head, forcing a hideous smile, "I don't mind."

It was a lie. Obito felt like crying; he had boasted before the fight and now lost to someone weaker than him. A mix of shame, annoyance, and regret flooded his heart.

He even wished he could go back in time and slap himself before the fight. Why had he been so confident? Now, he was the stronger one who lost to the weaker opponent.

Despite his inner turmoil, Obito tried to put up a front in front of Yahiko Lin. This was his last shred of stubbornness.

Seeing Obito, who looked like he could burst into tears at any moment, Yahiko Lin hesitated and ultimately chose to remain silent, thinking that this might be for the best.

Obito took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

However, he wasn't angry at anyone else; he was angry at himself for underestimating Itachi during the fight.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Kakashi patted Obito's shoulder.

Obito was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected Kakashi to comfort him instead of rubbing salt in his wounds, "Kakashi, you..."

Before Obito could finish, Kakashi continued, "If you're feeling down, just think about the pile of assignments and problems waiting for you. That will make you even more depressed."

Obito: ...

Obito suppressed his gratitude and instead cursed, "You're laughing at me now, but just wait until you lose to Guy-sensei. Then we'll see who's laughing."

Kakashi's expression remained unchanged, "Losing to Guy-sensei doesn't prove anything. His strength is not inferior to mine."

Obito's face turned red from embarrassment once again, but he couldn't refute Kakashi due to his own lack of confidence.

Seeing Obito's speechless anger, Kakashi nodded in satisfaction.

Only by thoroughly humiliating Obito like this would he learn his lesson. Being careless during practice only resulted in some punishment, but being careless in a real battle could lead to death.

"From now on, no matter who my opponent is, I will never underestimate them until I've defeated them," Obito vowed in his heart.

He never wanted to go through the humiliating experience of being schooled by Kakashi again.

"Why do you always say things so strangely?" Kakashi couldn't help but quip.

A minute later, Yahiko Lin announced the start of the second battle.

"Burn, youth! Eight Inner Gates, open... Relaxation!"

With a roar, Might Guy directly opened the fourth gate of the Eight Inner Gates, causing his chakra and aura to surge.

Facing a Might Guy who had entered the fourth gate and was using focused breathing, Kakashi dared not be careless. He immediately focused his own breathing and entered the Transparent World state.

In his full power state, Might Guy's speed and strength were greatly enhanced. Kakashi couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

"Konoha Senpuu!"

Might Guy's chakra erupted, and with the powerful amplification, he sprinted towards Kakashi, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Due to Kakashi's entry into the Transparent World, Might Guy's bodily movements were seen through, allowing Kakashi to easily dodge the first spinning kick.

Kakashi didn't rush to counter-attack. Instead, he threw a few shuriken at Might Guy to test his current strength.

"Konoha Gouriki Senpuu!"

Might Guy gathered a large amount of chakra in his palm and then fiercely slashed towards the shuriken, creating a transparent air current that deflected the shuriken and chopped down a large tree.

Immediately after, Might Guy continued his assault on Kakashi without losing momentum.

"Konoha Goujin Senpuu!"

This time, Might Guy's attack was even stronger and faster.

Boom!!

The trees surrounding Kakashi were all kicked down by Might Guy's whirlwind kick. Due to the excessive force, the gust from the kick caused the surrounding leaves to rustle violently.

This time, Kakashi used Lightning-attribute chakra to enhance his leg strength and speed, successfully dodging once again.

"His physique has improved a lot, but there hasn't been a qualitative change." Kakashi compared Might Guy's current state to their previous battle.

"There's a chance to win." Having finished testing his opponent, Kakashi prepared to turn from defense to offense.

If Might Guy couldn't open the fifth gate, then he still had a good chance of winning.

Kakashi had said that losing to Might Guy wasn't a big deal, but if he could win, he definitely would want to.

Not to mention anything else, the punishment for losing was truly unpleasant. That week, Deidara would have to dance to his heart's content.

"My dear friend, how about we decide the winner in one move?" Might Guy suddenly said.

He wanted to witness Kakashi's strongest attack in his full power state. He was concerned that if they continued to drag out the fight, neither of them would be able to use their most extreme techniques.

"Alright." Kakashi thought for a moment and agreed to Might Guy's proposal.

It wasn't because he thought it would be faster, but because he felt it would be advantageous for him.

With the progress in his Lightning-style breathing and his improvement in manipulating Lightning-attribute chakra, Kakashi could enhance most of his body with more chakra. If he used this state to perform the Raikiri, its power would be greater than a regular Raikiri.

Normally, Kakashi wouldn't use this move because betting so much chakra on a single attack was too risky.

Since Might Guy had made the suggestion, he wouldn't hold back.

A smile appeared on Might Guy's face. Since he had taken the initiative to propose deciding the match in one move, he naturally had his reasons. These past few months, he had been diligently practicing the Golden Heaven Splitter.

The good news was that he had become more proficient with the Golden Heaven Splitter, and Might Guy could now infuse it with more of the Eight Inner Gates' chakra. The bad news was that it had become too powerful, and using it once would render those two fingers useless for a day.

Although Might Guy didn't use hand seals, a Taijutsu user's fingers were still very important. So, he figured he might as well decide the match in one move.

Might Guy took out his nunchaku and wrapped the chain around his index and middle fingers, placing his right hand on his waist as if he were about to draw his sword.

"Golden Heaven Splitter!"

Might Guy poured all his strength into those two fingers and then gathered a large amount of chakra at his fingertips. Finally, during his rapid charge, he unleashed his fingers.

Zzzz! Zzzz!!

Dazzling yellow lightning enveloped Kakashi's body, and in the radiance of the lightning, Deidara and the others could barely make out Kakashi's face.

Kakashi gripped the White Fang in his hand, and a large amount of Lightning-attribute chakra flowed along his arm into the blade, extending a lightning blade from the short sword.

"Raikiri!"

Boom!

A thunderous roar exploded, and Kakashi rushed out like a true lightning bolt, leaving a charred mark on the ground.

Boom!!

The lightning blade and the golden thread collided at incredible speed, causing a massive explosion. The ground cracked, and a whirlwind arose in the surrounding area.

Yahiko Lin narrowed her eyes as she looked towards the battlefield. The distance between them seemed like an endless road.

Despite her best efforts, every time she saw Kakashi and Might Guy fighting with all their might, she couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

"So strong, but it doesn't seem like a technique that can be used casually," Hizashi observed, surprised by the terrifying attacks of the two fighters.

Currently, the strongest jutsu that Hizashi could use was still a far cry from theirs.

"Go, Guy-sensei!" Deidara stared intently at the battlefield, continuously cheering for Might Guy in his heart.

If Kakashi lost as well, he would feel much better.

Bang!

The lightning blade extending from Kakashi's White Fang shattered upon collision, and at the same time, a speck of blood flew from Kakashi's body as he fell to the ground.

Might Guy's two fingers were covered in blood, and after the lightning blade shattered, he helplessly lowered his hand.

"I need to learn Armament Haki soon. Otherwise, I won't be able to fight against White Fang and Kakashi in the future," Kakashi thought as he glanced at the White Fang in his hand.

Just now, he had almost thought that the White Fang left by his father would be shattered by Might Guy's attack. Fortunately, he had reinforced it with his chakra.

"Guy-sensei wins," Yahiko Lin announced the result of the battle.

With Yahiko Lin's medical ninja insight, she could tell that the problem with Might Guy's fingers might be even more serious than Kakashi's physical injuries. However, since Kakashi was the one lying on the ground, that meant Might Guy had won.

Balancing out the two emotions, Obito now felt only mildly upset.

Kakashi was about to retort with some sarcastic comments when he remembered his punishment and decided to keep quiet.

"This is going to be a tough week," Kakashi sighed, feeling that the punishment he had given himself was a bit too harsh.

Noticing Kakashi's silence, Obito was about to ask him a question when he suddenly remembered Kakashi's punishment and understood his lack of response.

Just as Obito was about to rub his victory in Kakashi's face, Kakashi walked away.

"Aren't you going to train?" Obito called out to him.

"No, I'm just going to ask Teacher Mu Yue to set some questions," Kakashi replied nonchalantly.

Obito's smile froze on his face, and his mood instantly shifted from mildly upset to seventy-five percent upset.

Hizashi had initially wanted to postpone the third match by a day to give Might Guy's injured fingers more time to recover, as they would undoubtedly affect his performance.

"Let's do it today. I also know about your Armament Haki now, so we're even," Might Guy declined Hizashi's suggestion.

"Also, I don't just have these two fingers for using the Golden Heaven Splitter." Might Guy flashed his pearly whites in a wide grin as he held up his pinky and ring fingers.

To prepare for various situations, Might Guy had specifically trained his pinky and ring fingers to use the Golden Heaven Splitter, although they were not as powerful as his index and middle fingers.

While they lacked the same strength, they were still formidable.

Hizashi considered Might Guy's proposal and eventually agreed.

Might Guy's words made sense, and even if his first opponent hadn't been Obito, Hizashi believed he could catch either Might Guy or Kakashi off guard and gain the upper hand.

Whether he could win or not was uncertain, but he could definitely give them a taste of his Armament Haki.

Watching Might Guy form the hand seal, Hizashi took a deep breath and focused his mind.

If Might Guy had been in peak condition, Hizashi would have thought he had almost no chance of winning. However, with two of Might Guy's fingers still recovering, Hizashi saw an opportunity.

"Begin!"

As soon as Yahiko Lin gave the signal, Hizashi channeled his breathing, activating his Sharingan and using the Body Flicker Technique to rush towards Might Guy.

With the boost from his Armament Haki and three-tomoe Sharingan, he believed he could gain the upper hand in close-quarters combat.

"Eight Inner Gates, Gate of Pain, Open!"

Might Guy fearlessly charged forward, laughing boisterously. He was eager to test the strength of his Armament Haki.

Boom! Boom!!

Their rapid exchange of blows showed no signs of Might Guy's injured fingers affecting his performance, as his taijutsu remained fluid and powerful.

Hizashi was astonished. Despite his injuries, Might Guy's taijutsu was still on par with his own.

Although it felt a bit unsportsmanlike, Hizashi decided to capitalize on Might Guy's weakness and deliberately targeted the injured fingers with his attacks.

However, Might Guy's performance soon took an unexpected turn, as Hizashi, with his Sharingan, found himself unable to exploit any openings in Might Guy's defense.

Realizing his mistake, Hizashi changed his strategy. He shouldn't have engaged Might Guy, a taijutsu specialist, in close combat; it was an insult to Might Guy's relentless training.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"

Hizashi gathered chakra in his throat and unleashed a barrage of small fireballs at Might Guy.

With his Rock Breathing and the fourth gate of the Eight Inner Gates enhancing his speed, the basic Fireball Jutsu was virtually useless against Might Guy. Therefore, Hizashi opted for the Phoenix Fire Jutsu, which produced a larger number of fireballs.

Hizashi continued his relentless assault, combining ninjutsu with taijutsu, forcing Might Guy to dodge continuously.

Kakashi, who had returned with the test papers, nodded in agreement. As versatile ninjas, they should make full use of their strengths.

"But Hizashi still lacks experience." Despite Hizashi's impressive performance, Kakashi believed that Might Guy would emerge victorious.

Hizashi's raw power indeed fell slightly short of theirs, partly due to physical maturity but also because of life experiences. Kakashi and his peers had faced life-or-death situations multiple times, which contributed to their current strength.

Obito's Flame Chakra Mode, Kakashi's Transparent World, and Might Guy's rapid progress with the Eight Inner Gates were all the result of life-threatening situations that forced their latent potential to emerge.

The battle unfolded as Kakashi had predicted. While Hizashi managed to gain some advantage, he couldn't defeat Might Guy.

On the other hand, Might Guy seized the opportunity to use his pinky and ring fingers to unleash another Golden Heaven Splitter, decisively defeating Hizashi.

"Might Guy wins," Yahiko Lin declared the final winner.

"Hahaha!" Might Guy's victory laugh rang out, the pain in his fingers doing little to dampen his enthusiasm.

"I am Teacher Mu Yue's strongest disciple!"

Hizashi clenched his fists, unwilling to accept his loss. That title had been his for a long time, until Kakashi defeated him during the Chunin Exams.

"From now on, I'll focus more on Armament Haki training," Kakashi decided, adding more Armament Haki practice to his regimen in hopes of mastering it soon.

With extreme Lightning-style sword techniques and Armament Haki, Kakashi was confident he could break through Might Guy's Golden Heaven Splitter; if not, he'd have to seek guidance from Teacher Mu Yue.

Obito glanced at the triumphant Might Guy, then at the disheartened Hizashi and dejected Kakashi.

"Next time, I will win them all," Obito vowed, determined not to be the odd one out in their next competition three months later.

He preferred to be the one receiving Yahiko Lin's blessings, and so he began strategizing on how to defeat Might Guy. To achieve victory in three months, he would have to overcome a formidable opponent.

The three defeated ninjas independently contemplated their next steps to overcome Might Guy.

PS: Feeling much better today, but still a bit tired. I intended to write 8k words, but I'll stop at 7k for now and try again tomorrow.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end