https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-520-A-Tale-of-Contrasting-Fortunes/12558779/
Chapter 521: One-Punch Knockout
Chapter 521: One-Punch Knockout
"The ninja from the Land of Rain has developed considerable power. This ninja, Nagato, seems formidable," the Fire Country Daimyo commented to the Rain Country Daimyo seated beside him.
While the Fire Country Daimyo didn't understand chakra control and nature transformation, he could tell that each of Nagato's jutsu was immensely destructive and visually impressive.
"Indeed," the Rain Country Daimyo agreed with a nod and a smile.
He suddenly felt that this Ninjutsu was quite something; at the very least, it could earn him some respect.
Even an ordinary person could sense Nagato's prowess, and the competing ninja was even more aware of it.
"The same goes for Earth Release. Is it possible that he's also adept at Lightning and Water Release jutsu?" Kakashi thought carefully and realized that Nagato might be proficient in all five nature transformations.
After all, besides defeating Hanzo with his opposite-attribute Fire Release, the most remarkable aspect of Master Ninja Fuuma Sage was his mastery of jutsu involving the seven chakra nature transformations.
Now that Nagato was learning from Fuuma Sage, it wasn't impossible for him to master multiple nature transformation jutsu as well.
When estimating an enemy's strength, it was always better to overestimate and assume they were more powerful than they seemed.
"What exactly is the power of that Sage Eye?" Kakashi's greatest concern was the Six Paths Sage Eye on Nagato's body.
Just by trying to sense it with his own perception, Kakashi could feel a deadly threat emanating from it.
"We'll have to see if Aburame Shibi and Sunagakure can force him to reveal more of his abilities," Kakashi thought, glancing at the match-up list.
Aburame Shibi had drawn the number three, which meant that if he won the next fight, he would face Nagato in the second round.
"I have to win to get to the top four. This is a bit troublesome," Scorpion said indifferently as he glanced at the list. To his surprise, Nagato was quite strong, and he happened to be in the position Scorpion desired.
If Nagato were his opponent in the top four, Scorpion would either forfeit or throw the match. After all, he only wanted a Chakra Blade.
But with Nagato blocking his path, Scorpion had to think about how to defeat him without exposing his true strength.
Scorpion wasn't afraid of Nagato, a ninja who relied on powerful jutsu. Scorpion was a poison user, and no matter how strong Nagato's jutsu were, if he was careless enough to be poisoned by Scorpion, he would be in a dire situation.
"Match three, Aburame Shibi versus..." the referee's voice soon echoed into the waiting room again.
Aburame Shibi pushed up his glasses with his finger and walked silently towards the combat area.
The Iwagakure ninja who was called out along with him quickly bade farewell to his companions and followed suit.
The outcome of the battle was as Kakashi had expected—a victory for Aburame Shibi.
Although Kakashi hadn't fought Aburame Shibi before, he knew that Aburame Shibi was one of the ninja Sarutobi Hiruzen had recommended, so his strength was undoubtedly formidable.
The first round soon progressed to its fourth match, and when Kakashi heard the names announced by the referee, he focused his attention intently.
"Match seven, Yahiko versus Sunagakure!"
"Yahiko, be careful of his hidden weapons. Puppet users like him often use poison," Nagato warned.
"I know. After all, he's one of the ninja Kakuzu specifically told us to watch out for," Yahiko nodded and replied with a smile.
The intelligence provided by Kakuzu was already quite detailed. If he still lost, it could only be attributed to his own lack of strength.
"Good luck, Yahiko," Konan said encouragingly.
"I'll do my best to win, even if I can't make it to the finals like Obito said. I still want to try to make it to the top eight. Losing in the first round would be embarrassing," Yahiko laughed and strode towards the combat area.
Yahiko knew that if he advanced to the top eight, his next opponent would be Nagato. Understanding the gap between their strengths, Yahiko considered making it to the top eight a success in itself.
Moreover, there were quite a few formidable ninja in this Youth Ninja Competition. If he could reach the top eight, Yahiko thought he could treat Konan and Nagato to a celebratory meal.
"Begin!"
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
As soon as the referee finished speaking, Yahiko swiftly formed hand seals and leaped into the air, spraying a giant ball of water at Scorpion.
He wanted to use the Great Waterfall Technique to create favorable conditions for his Water Style jutsu.
Scorpion maintained his indifferent expression, taking a few steps back and unfurling a scroll. He retrieved the Hiden: Flowing Crimson from the scroll, dodging the water stream while simultaneously controlling the puppet to attack Yahiko.
"Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu!"
Yahiko created two water clones with the jutsu, wanting them to deal with Scorpion's puppet, as he was concerned about the poison it carried.
As it turned out, Yahiko's worries were not unfounded. The moment he dodged, Scorpion's puppet opened its mouth, spewing a barrage of fast-moving poison needles.
The best way to deal with a puppeteer is to target their body, as the puppeteer's body doesn't have the same sturdy defense as their puppets.
"Water Style: Water Spear!"
Yahiko performed hand seals, gathering a vortex of water in his hand. The rapidly spinning water transformed into three long-handled water spears that shot towards Scorpion at high speed.
This was a Water Style jutsu developed by Mu Yue, specializing in penetration.
The sharp water spears didn't cause any fluctuation in Scorpion's heart. With one hand, he controlled Hiden: Flowing Crimson, using its tail stinger to dispose of the water clone, while simultaneously summoning another puppet from a scroll. He controlled the defensive puppet to block the incoming water spears.
Seeing this, Yahiko sent one of the water clones that was dealing with Hiden: Flowing Crimson to hold off the new puppet, while his main body used the Water Body Technique to rush towards Scorpion at high speed.
Scorpion didn't intend to prolong the fight. After summoning a second puppet, he brought out two more, simultaneously controlling four puppets in battle.
Yahiko, who had been charging at full speed, immediately braked. He wasn't confident that he could break through the defense of the two puppets and defeat Scorpion.
Yahiko's offense slowed, while Scorpion launched a fierce attack, controlling three puppets with one hand, his offense and defense were in perfect order, and he quickly crushed one of Yahiko's water clones.
At the same time, Hiden: Flowing Crimson also destroyed Yahiko's other water clone and, under Scorpion's control, rushed towards Yahiko.
In the blink of an eye, the situation was reversed, and Yahiko found himself surrounded by four puppets.
"What's the deal with this ninja, Sandstone Crab? No other young ninja in the village can manipulate puppets like this," Maki exclaimed in shock from the audience seats, having been eliminated earlier.
Although he specialized in Wind Style jutsu, he had often seen his teammates and elders use puppet techniques and had a good understanding of them.
Maki couldn't believe his eyes. Their village, Sunagakure, was the birthplace of puppeteers, yet they had been surpassed in puppetry by someone from an unknown corner of the world.
"Wait, his puppet manipulation... it's so similar to the techniques used in our village. Could he be a disciple of a missing-nin from Sunagakure?" Maki noticed something amiss, Scorpion's puppetry didn't seem like that of an outsider, but rather, it resembled the pure puppetry style of Sunagakure.
"This Sandstone Crab is indeed extraordinary, simultaneously controlling four puppets and making them so agile." Kakashi, in the waiting room, raised his assessment of Scorpion's threat level by one notch.
As a puppeteer, Scorpion clearly possessed unusual strength.
Kakashi looked forward to the third round even more. He wondered which side would have the upper hand—the ninjutsu artillery or the numerically superior puppeteer.
"Yahiko," Konan said with a worried expression.
Scorpion's true strength was even greater than what Kakuzu's intelligence had predicted.
Under the constant pressure of the four puppets, Yahiko didn't even have time to perform hand seals for a counter Water Style jutsu. He was occupied with dealing with the various hidden weapons the puppets carried.
"Scorpion wins!"
In the end, Yahiko fell to the puppets' encirclement. As soon as the referee announced the result, Scorpion put away his puppets and returned to the waiting room.
"I really lost in the first round," Yahiko said, scratching his head as he looked up at the sky.
Even though he was a rather thick-skinned person, his cheeks still reddened slightly. Not long ago, he had been discussing with Obito about reaching the finals and making a name for himself in the ninja world, but now he had been eliminated in the first round.
Soon, some Ninja School ninjas came to carry Yahiko away for treatment, and the referee announced the names of the next pair of contestants.
"Match nine, Kisame Hoshigaki versus Yuriah."
Kisame Hoshigaki and Yuriah quickly entered the combat area.
"Now, I'm the only remaining Sunagakure ninja in the elimination round. I must win this battle," Yuriah firmly thought to himself.
Although Rosha didn't seem to care about the Youth Ninja Competition, Yuriah felt that since Sunagakure had participated, their performance shouldn't be too lackluster.
Yuriah had good intentions, but he overestimated his strength and underestimated that of Kisame Hoshigaki.
After the battle began, even though Yuriah displayed considerable tenacity, the gap in their raw power was evident, and he was defeated by Kisame Hoshigaki within two minutes, left battered and bruised by the Water Shark.
After the referee announced the result, Kisame Hoshigaki didn't spare Yuriah another glance and returned to the waiting room.
"Match eleven, Might Guy versus Choji Akimichi!"
"Might Guy, having faced the Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, how much have you grown since then?
"It's finally this Longshi kid's turn." Upon seeing Iwagakure's genius make his appearance, Huang Tu's face split into a broad smile.
Among the ninjas that Iwagakure sent to participate in the Young Ninjas' Martial Arts Festival, Longshi was the strongest, and Huang Tu had high expectations for him.
"It's your bad luck to meet me here." Longshi grinned at his opponent.
Iwagakure had dispatched a total of twenty-one ninjas to the festival, with their participants spread across almost every match. They had gathered intelligence on all the ninjas who had advanced, including Might Guy.
According to the preliminary round intelligence, Might Guy was a ninja who specialized in Taijutsu and had not used a single ninjutsu in his four battles.
And Longshi just so happened to be particularly effective against Taijutsu users.
Like Hunter, he had developed his Blast Release in the direction of Taijutsu, and engaging in close-quarters combat with him would indeed result in an explosive outcome.
"Begin!"
"Eight Inner Gates, Gate of Hurt, Open!"
Might Guy immediately opened four of his Eight Inner Gates, causing a massive surge of chakra to flow out and enhance his physical strength.
The sudden outburst of power from Might Guy took Longshi by surprise, but he remained unfazed. After all, ninjas could overcome their opponents by exploiting their elemental advantages.
Longshi gathered a substantial amount of chakra into his fist and lunged at Might Guy.
Having received prior intelligence from Kakashi, Might Guy was aware that Longshi was a Blast Release user. He proactively gathered a large amount of chakra into his legs.
Whoosh!
Boom!!
Longshi's fist, infused with Blast Release chakra, slammed into the ground where Might Guy had been standing just a moment ago, creating a massive crater.
"If this is all the strength he has, I should be able to enter the Chakra Mode of the Rock Breath." Might Guy analyzed the situation within his mind.
Although he was a Taijutsu specialist, Might Guy did not rely solely on brute force in battle.
Given the destructive power Longshi had displayed, Might Guy could easily withstand his attacks by combining the defensive capabilities of the Chakra Mode of the Rock Breath with chakra protection. At most, he would suffer some external injuries.
The Chakra Mode of the Rock Breath also accelerated his recovery from injuries, so superficial wounds were not a concern, as long as there was no poison involved.
"Blast Release: Exploding Fist!"
Longshi once again gathered chakra and charged at Might Guy, taunting him, "If you have the guts, let's fight like real men, fist to flesh, with pure Taijutsu!"
Might Guy couldn't help but burst out laughing. He truly wished he could say the same to Kakashi, "Sure, that's very youthful of you. Bring it on!"
Without dodging or evading, Might Guy focused his breathing to enter the Chakra Mode of the Rock Breath, causing his aura to surge once more.
"Konoha Hand Blade!"
Might Guy concentrated an enormous amount of chakra into his right palm while distributing some of it for protection. Then, he fearlessly rushed towards Longshi.
"I win!"
Longshi was overjoyed and couldn't believe his luck. He hadn't expected Might Guy to take the bait so easily, but now he had him hooked.
If Might Guy had kept running, Longshi wouldn't have had much of a chance. After all, his speed was indeed significantly slower than Might Guy's.
Might Guy sprinted at full speed, and Longshi eagerly seized this rare opportunity to chase after him.
Accompanied by a gust of wind, the two figures intersected.
Boom!!!
A deafening explosion reverberated, sending rocks and dirt flying in all directions. Thick dust enveloped the two combatants.
Bang!
In the next moment, a figure burst out from the yellow mist, hurtling through the air like a cannonball. It slammed into the sturdy wall at the edge of the combat area, leaving a massive dent in the wall.
Huang Tu's eyes widened in shock as he witnessed the scene unfold. His vantage point allowed him to clearly see the figure that went flying.
Huang Tu stood up, incredulous, to confirm that he hadn't imagined what he had just seen.
"How is this possible? Our Iwagakure genius was just one-punched into defeat?"
No matter how unbelievable it seemed, it was the harsh reality that had just unfolded. Their village's Blast Release genius had been defeated by a Taijutsu user from Konoha with a single punch.
"Might Guy wins!" The referee extracted Longshi from the wall and announced Might Guy's victory.
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(End of Chapter)
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