Chapter 537: Charizard: It's a Bitter Pill to Swallow for Obito, but I'll Take the Blame (7k)

Chapter 537: Charizard: It's a Bitter Pill to Swallow for Obito, but I'll Take the Blame (7k)



After resolving Menas' issue, Kakashi, Nohara Lin, and Obito informed Mu Yue about the ambush.

"That person is one of the top eight opponents of Nagato in the tournament, the puppeteer who can control ten puppets. However, he was disguised during the match and looked different from when he attacked us," Kakashi reported everything he knew to Mu Yue.

The other disciples nodded. Although they hadn't communicated and rushed back, Scorpion had brought out the puppets he used in the competition. Combined with the ability to control ten puppets simultaneously, they could basically pinpoint the culprit.

Puppeteers were already rare in the Ninja World, and the Six Paths City, hosting both the Ninja Tournament and the Puppeteer Competition, made it extremely unlikely that there would be another puppeteer nearby who could control ten puppets and also had the same puppets as Scorpion.

"I understand. I will negotiate with the Ninja Sect regarding this matter," Mu Yue nodded solemnly.

Of course, this was just an act.

Mu Yue had already sent Nagato to handle the situation, and by now, Scorpion was likely knocked out and captured by Nagato.

Back in Konoha, Mu Yue had used his shadow clone to keep an eye on his disciples to prevent any unforeseen incidents.

Now, in the Rain Country, Mu Yue was naturally even more cautious. During the battle between Scorpion and Kakashi's group, Mu Yue's shadow clone had been lurking nearby, ready to intervene if needed.

If Kakashi and the others were truly overwhelmed, Mu Yue's shadow clone would conveniently show up and help resolve the problem.

However, although Kakashi's group hadn't reached their full potential, their Pokemon had evolved, so Mu Yue saw no need to intervene personally.

"Teacher Mu Yue, do different Ninja Beasts have different numbers of evolutions?" Kakashi asked thoughtfully.

During their downtime, Kakashi recalled the differences in evolution between Charizard, Menas, and Manectric, and he noticed something peculiar.

While Menas and Manectric only evolved once, their improvements were significant. In contrast, the evolution from Charmander to Charmeleon felt minor compared to the other two.

It was only when Charmeleon evolved into Charizard that the power gap seemed to align with the other Pokemon's evolutions.

Kakashi began to wonder if there was a possibility that the evolutions of Ugly Fish to Menas and Rock Dog to Manectric were comparable to Charmander's evolution to Charizard.

Although Charizard had one additional evolution, the overall power increase between the two groups wasn't that different.

This explanation made sense of Charizard's first evolution, which could be considered a half-step evolution compared to other Pokemon.

Menas' and Manectric's single evolutions were equivalent to Charizard's two evolutions, leading Kakashi to suspect that Menas and Manectric might not have a second evolution like Charizard. Otherwise, Charizard would be far superior to them.

Since these Ninja Beasts were gifts from Mu Yue, he wouldn't have intentionally given Obito the weakest one.

Mu Yue nodded and explained, "Just like different animals have varying growth rates, your Ninja Beasts are not of the same breed, and they do differ in the number of evolutions they can undergo."

Aside from Obito's Charizard, the rest of the disciples' Pokemon had only evolved once.

"Just focus on nurturing them. They have immense potential and room for growth," Mu Yue continued.

Given the system's tendency to localize content, it was possible that Super Evolution had also been localized. Perhaps it had been transformed into a special Sage Mode, where one could absorb natural energy.

As for Pokemon without Super Evolution, even if they lacked that specific transformation, they still had other powerful techniques like Z-Moves or Dynamaxing. Perhaps, after localization, these powers would also be linked to natural energy in some way.

Even setting aside Super Evolution and similar concepts, Kakashi's Pokemon were still in the early stages of training. They hadn't yet mastered various techniques, explored deep customization, learned the local Fire Shadow ninjutsu, or undergone extensive physical training. Their future prospects were undoubtedly bright.

In Mu Yue's opinion, even without Super Evolution, Charizard and the others could still become formidable forces in the shadows through rigorous training.

To ascend further and reach the Super Shadow level, they would likely need to find a way to develop a Sage Mode.

All the disciples nodded. The recent crisis had showcased the full potential of their Pokemon. If it weren't for the timely evolutions of Manectric and Charizard, they would have been in grave danger.

After dinner that evening, they took some time to rest and recover their energy. However, Obito soon found himself in a dilemma.

He wanted to take Charizard to the training field to explore its abilities, but he felt that Charizard might be biding its time to retaliate for his actions earlier that day.

Obito knew that everything he did was for Charizard's benefit, but he doubted that Charizard would understand his good intentions.

"The finals start tomorrow. If I can coordinate well with Charizard, we might have a chance to win," Obito thought, steeling himself as he considered the upcoming competition.

For the sake of coming out on top, he was willing to endure any misunderstanding.

Obito's mind was filled with the sentiment of "If I don't do it, who will?" and he felt a sense of self-sacrifice and nobility.

Kakashi, who was also curious about Manectric's abilities, decided to join Obito in visiting one of the official training fields designated by Six Paths City.

As a ninja town, it was only natural to have training grounds.

They hadn't gone before because they felt uncomfortable training in a facility belonging to another ninja faction.

However, after the incident with Scorpion, Kakashi felt that it would be better to use the official training field of the Ninja Sect. At the very least, it was closer to the city.

Curious about their intentions, Itachi decided to join them, and Nohara Lin, who enjoyed evening exercises, accompanied them as well.

Mu Yue directly dispatched a shadow clone to ensure their protection.

After all, the Scorpion ambush had just occurred that morning, so there was no need for secrecy anymore.

Upon arriving at the training field, Obito felt that he could still salvage the situation, so he spoke to Charizard, "Charizard, I think I can explain what happened today.

Currently, there were only three evolved Pokemon, with a total of four evolutions among them, and his Pokemon accounted for two of those evolutions.

"Roar!"

Charizard puffed out its chest and raised its head, spreading its wings to make itself look as imposing as possible.

"Of course, it's because I'm innately gifted. That's what it said," Soroya translated.

Obito's face was full of black lines, and he was speechless. Who did this shameless Pokemon think it was learning from? It was clearly because of his excellent training methods!

Obito feigned a thoughtful expression, carefully considering his next words.

He had no choice. He still needed Charizard's help in the finals, and he was worried that if he upset Charizard, it might decide to slack off and sleep during the crucial match.

"I'm not denying your natural talent," Obito began, stalling for time.

"What I mean is, the fact that you, Charizard, were able to evolve twice is also due to some of my excellent training methods. The reason I deliberately provoked you during the day was that I hoped you would become stronger."

"So seeing you like this now makes me very happy, and my hard work has paid off," Obito stroked his nonexistent beard, looking relieved, subtly emphasizing his own efforts.

There's a saying that a tiger won't eat its cub, and Obito felt that the reverse was also true—a tiger won't eat its father.

Since he had hatched Charizard, he must be considered Charizard's half-father. If Charizard understood his good intentions, it would surely understand his actions to some extent.

Huff!

'Spark!'

Charizard's response was a burst of robust flames.

Charizard just realized that after evolving, it had forgotten to breathe fire on Obito.

It had been too focused on eating and resting, neglecting to teach this scoundrel a lesson.

Obito was prepared and had already quietly activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan, so when Charizard opened its mouth, he immediately dodged to the side.

"Roar!"

Charizard roared ferociously, its eyes gleaming with a fierce light.

"Since you want me to become stronger so much, then let's continue our battle. That's what it said," Soroya translated accurately.

Charizard nodded. This was the benefit of having a translator; without Soroya, Obito's misinterpretations of its words would have been frustrating.

At that moment, Charizard's heart was burning with anger. Obito, this ungrateful human, had just talked badly about it in front of Menas right after its evolution, calling it fat when its figure was so perfect.

Since Obito used the excuse of wanting it to become stronger to torment it, Charizard could also use the same excuse to torment Obito.

No, that wasn't right. It was merely helping its contractor become stronger.

Obito was currently at the bottom among all the disciples, and with its help, he would surely catch up to the others soon.

Even if Obito didn't understand, Charizard wouldn't take it to heart. After all, humans and dragons could never truly understand each other.

"I'll endure the hardship, and you can take the credit, Charizard," Charizard thought, feeling incredibly magnanimous.

Despite Obito's cruelty towards it, Charizard could still repay cruelty with kindness. Where else would one find such a noble dragon?

"I think we can use more civilized ways to understand each other and enhance our strength," Obito suggested solemnly.

"Roar!"

"Even a dragon younger than two years old is afraid of you. No wonder Lin thinks Kakashi is stronger. That's what it said," Soroya translated.

Obito: ???

Obito stared at Charizard in disbelief. Why did this dragon, with a tail on fire, sound so cold?

This dragon... no, this Charizard had just said something absolutely unforgivable.

"Since you refuse to listen to reason, don't blame me for showing no mercy with my Fire Release jutsu," Obito adjusted his goggles, his gaze turning sharp.

Although Charizard could release ninjutsu without hand seals, Obito had mastered the Fire Breath Chakra Mode, which also didn't require hand seals.

Charizard turned its head away in disdain. Most of its life had been spent sparring with Obito, and it knew all of Obito's weaknesses.

"In a way, they're quite a pair," Kakashi, who was nearby exchanging abilities with his Lycanroc, couldn't help but comment.

While it was normal for a Ninja Beast to take on some of its trainer's characteristics, Charizard was a little too similar to Obito. Kakashi felt like he was looking at another Obito.

"Begin the battle!" Danzo, acting as an observer, volunteered as the referee.

"Roar!"

Charizard let out a long roar and flapped its wings, flying to a height of about sixty or seventy feet.

If it flew too high, not only would Obito be unable to hit it, but its attacks would also miss Obito.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Facing an unknown opponent like Charizard, Obito chose to start with his signature Great Fireball jutsu.

After releasing the fireball, Obito quickly put his hand into his ninja tool pouch and took out several kunai knives, using his Three Tomoe Sharingan to observe Charizard's movements.

Charizard scoffed at Obito's slow-moving fireball, flapping its wings and swiftly flying to the side.

Whoosh!

Obito immediately gathered chakra in his hands, performed a nature transformation, and imbued the kunai with flames before throwing them at Charizard in the sky.

However, Charizard didn't even bother to dodge this weak attack.

It gathered wind-attribute chakra in its claws and swung them, slicing through the air and creating several wind blades.

'Air Blades!'

Boom!

The wind blades cut through the kunai infused with fire-attribute chakra, causing an explosion. Undeterred, the wind blades continued slicing towards Obito.

Whoosh!

Obito dodged by moving in the opposite direction of Charizard, putting some distance between them.

"It seems to have naturally learned Wind Release after evolving. Although the power isn't extraordinary, the release speed is very fast," Danzo thought, recording this new information.

However, Kakashi wasn't too concerned, as based on the current information, ninja beasts that evolved later tended to exhibit more significant power boosts.

Charizard had evolved the earliest, but it had lost to Rock Dog in battle, proving far weaker than the evolved Menas and Lycanroc.

Seeing Obito attempt to flee, Charizard quickly flapped its wings and gave chase.

'Flamethrower!'

Charizard exhaled a thick column of scorching hot fire toward Obito on the ground.

"Flying types are such a nuisance." Feeling the heat wave from behind, Obito had no choice but to focus his breathing to the extreme and then roll away lazily, entering the Fire Breath Chakra Mode.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bomb!"

Obito gathered a large amount of chakra in his throat, and due to being in the Fire Breath Chakra Mode, all his chakra instantly transformed into fire-attribute chakra, turning into a massive flame that he exhaled.

Obito concentrated the flames into a fiery path that rushed toward the oncoming pillar of fire.

The two fiery attacks collided, creating a burst of intense sparks and causing the scorching flames to roast the surrounding air with a sizzling sound.

Same-attribute ninjutsu clashes were the best way to gauge the power of the techniques, as whoever's technique was nullified first was undoubtedly the weaker ninja.

However, Obito's flames were enhanced by the Fire Breath Chakra Mode, and despite Charizard continuously channeling chakra to maintain its output, it couldn't stop the decline of its fire pillar.

BOOM!!

Obito's compressed Fire Dragon Bomb shot straight up, canceling out Charizard's fire pillar and causing an explosion.

"I told you, my fire style techniques will never show mercy." A proud smile appeared on Obito's face.

So what if Charizard had evolved? He had been practicing fire style jutsu for several years, so how could he possibly lose to Charizard in a fire style confrontation?

"Roar!"

Charizard roared and swung its wings, slashing its sharp claws toward Obito.

'Slash!'

Obito, in the Fire Breath Chakra Mode, was not to be outdone. He first gathered a large amount of flames in his fist and then infused it with Weaponized Chakra before punching forward without dodging.

The previous fire style clash had given Obito confidence.

He realized that Charizard wasn't as strong as he had imagined. The reason it could scare away Scorpion along with Lycanroc was due to its flight ability, which was challenging to deal with in a group battle.

But this was a one-on-one fight, and no one was there to back up Charizard. Moreover, it was difficult for Charizard to ambush him from the sky, especially since he had the Sharingan.

BOOM!

A dull impact sound rang out, and Charizard landed on the ground, taking a step back, while Obito slid back a good two meters.

"It's not that big, but it sure is strong." Obito shook his hand, which had gone slightly numb.

Although Charizard had trained for a shorter time, its racial advantage gave it significantly more strength than Obito.

"But my flames aren't that easy to handle."

Obito looked at Charizard's sharp claws, and once again, he had come out on top. His palm was only slightly numb, while Charizard's claws already showed signs of injury.

The two continued to clash, and with the enhancement of the Fire Breath Chakra Mode, Obito won more than he lost, gaining the upper hand.

At that moment, Kakashi had finished testing Lycanroc's various abilities and turned his attention to the battling Obito and Charizard.

"Obito's about to lose," Kakashi said after observing for a while.

"But right now, doesn't it look like Obito has the advantage?" Misty asked curiously.

Kakashi shook his head and explained, "Charizard has a unique ability. When its condition is not good, its strength increases."

"Obito has already consumed a lot of chakra, and Charizard is about to enter its most robust phase. Unless something unexpected happens, Charizard will win."

If it were a typical fire style ninja facing Obito, then Obito would undoubtedly win. Still, Charizard was evidently not an ordinary fire style ninja.

The more Kakashi learned about their Pokemon, the more he understood the terrifying potential they held.

Forget about Obito not being able to beat Charizard; Kakashi himself wasn't confident he could defeat Lycanroc.

Lycanroc was incredibly fast, and it had excellent techniques for both close and long-range combat.

Most importantly, Lycanroc had more endurance than Kakashi, who would undoubtedly lose in a battle of attrition.

Kakashi had just finished explaining when, as if to validate his words, the flames on Charizard's tail suddenly burned even more fiercely.

Feeling the powerful energy within its body, Charizard laughed wildly as it looked at Obito, waiting for his next move.

'Flamethrower!'

Charizard opened its mouth wide, and a massive amount of chakra erupted, releasing the thickest flame it had ever breathed in its life.

"Fire Dragon Bomb!"

Obito, in the Fire Breath Chakra Mode, was highly sensitive to fire and immediately sensed the danger. He quickly gathered chakra and exhaled a sea of fire, condensing it into a solid pillar of fire.

BOOM!

The two formidable pillars of fire collided.

The surrounding air was filled with rolling heat waves and dancing sparks, and the scorching flames caused the air to distort, revealing ripples that seemed to dance in the inferno.

Even Kakashi and Itachi, who were observing, could feel the scorching aura in the air, and the wind seemed to be suppressed by this heat wave, becoming feeble and weak.

The two pillars of fire burned out their final sparks and eventually faded into nothingness.

This time, Charizard's full-power Flamethrower and Obito's Fire Dragon Bomb ended in a draw.

"It's not a big deal. Fire Dragon Bomb isn't even my most potent fire style jutsu." Obito consoled himself inwardly.

WHOOSH!!

Charizard grinned and once again exhaled a thick column of fire at Obito.

He had blocked one, but what about the second?

Charizard could still release Flamethrower five more times. How many more Fire Dragon Bombs could Obito unleash?

'Heat Wave!'

Facing the fleeing Obito, Charizard inhaled deeply and exhaled a whirlwind of sparks.

It then swiftly swung its claws, creating wind blades that blocked Obito's escape route.

With nowhere to dodge, Obito had no choice but to face the flames that Charizard breathed towards him.

The two flames collided once more, and Charizard's fire rapidly overwhelmed Obito's, surging towards him.

And Obito, for his part, gathered chakra around himself in preparation for defense.

Since a head-on clash wasn't working, he would have to find a way to minimize the damage.

When Charizard's flames had suppressed over half of Obito's, it dispersed some of its power. The rest was nullified by Obito's flames, and only a portion of the fire struck Obito's protective shield.

Although he wasn't injured, Obito was already exhausted and sat down on the ground under the impact of the flames.

"Roar!"

In the end, Charizard stood before a weary Obito, its arms crossed and nostrils flaring as it let out a disdainful cry.

"You're still too inexperienced when it comes to fire. That's what it said," Soroya translated.

Obito's face was full of black lines as he looked at Charizard, wondering when it had learned to mimic his words so quickly.

"If you had conserved your chakra in the early stages, you might have had a chance to win," Kakashi commented.

In terms of maximum output, Obito's current abilities were superior to Charizard's. This was evident from how he had dominated the battle when he was at his peak.

"If I had conserved my chakra earlier, I might not have had enough left for later," Obito retorted unhappily.

Kakashi's comment was easy for him to make, standing there without a care in the world. If Charizard hadn't been provoked and entered the Fire Breath Chakra Mode, it would have been thoroughly thrashed.

Mu Yue and Nohara Lin were both watching. Did Obito want to lose face?

"Kakashi, you're nothing compared to Satoshi," Obito thought proudly to himself.

He was playing a long game. Charizard had gotten its fun last night, and tomorrow afternoon, it would have to work hard to help him claim first place.

By then, he would be the champion of the Youth Ninja Competition, while Kakashi would be just one of the top eight—they would be ninjas of completely different calibers.

Moreover, the first-place reward was the Fire Style jutsu known as Fire Dragon Dance, reputed to be the strongest Fire Style jutsu. Once he mastered that technique, his solo combat abilities would surpass Kakashi's.

Obito felt like he was looking at a broad path to success laid out before him, just waiting for him to step onto it.

When Obito was about to discuss tomorrow's tactics with Charizard, he realized that Charizard had disappeared from his side.

Obito looked around and saw that Charizard had somehow ended up next to Menas.

Obito was speechless. He was the contractor, yet it seemed like both Menas and Charizard were Nohara Lin's contracted beasts.

"Obito, let me heal you. Although you don't seem injured, you have a match tomorrow, so you should be careful," Nohara Lin said gently as she walked up to him.

"Hehe, thanks, Lin," Obito replied with an embarrassed smile.

Instead of approaching Charizard, he cooperated with Nohara Lin's healing and struck up a conversation with her.

"Just do your best in the match, Obito. Don't think too much about it, and remember to protect yourself," Nohara Lin reminded him.

Although Charizard was strong, Nagato had been displaying overwhelming power. She felt that even if Obito and Charizard joined forces, it would be difficult for them to win.

She was worried that Obito would push himself too hard in his pursuit of first place and end up seriously injured, so she took the opportunity to caution him.

Nohara Lin understood that Obito was someone who liked to show off his strength. Although Mu Yue's teachings had made him much more rational, and he no longer harmed himself just to prove a point, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Don't worry, Lin. I'll take care of myself," Obito assured her with a nod.

After all, this was just a competition, not a life-or-death battle with an enemy. Obito wouldn't go so far as to risk his life.

Of course, he would still try his best to defeat Nagato, not only for the ranking and rewards but also to avenge Might Guy.

Might Guy had pushed himself to the limit and opened the Eight Inner Gates to help him secure the first-place reward. How could he, Obito, ignore such a deep show of friendship?

...

The following afternoon, the Youth Ninja Competition finals began as scheduled.

Danzo heaved a sigh of relief. Although he hadn't seen Nagato lose to Sou Yuukai, the competition was finally coming to an end, and he would be freed from having to deal with Sou Yuukai and Kakuzu.

Sou Yuukai had been a mental burden, and Kakuzu had been a constant source of verbal pressure. He hadn't slept well for several days, and in his dreams, he was either being lectured by Sou Yuukai or argued with by Kakuzu.

In the contestants' waiting room, only Nagato and Obito remained.

Obito looked at Nagato, his mind racing through all the information he had gathered about him.

At this moment, he wasn't alone; he was part of a squad, and Kakashi, Might Guy, and the others had pooled their knowledge to provide him with a comprehensive profile of Nagato.

"Repulsion Ninjutsu can be instantly activated without hand seals, but there is a cooldown period, which is less than eight seconds..."

By now, most of Nagato's abilities had been exposed, and all the disciples believed that the cooldown of Shinra Tensei was the most critical factor.

Although Banshou Ten'in was also peculiar, its utility was not as great as Shinra Tensei's.

For example, if Nagato had tried to use Banshou Ten'in to pull Might Guy towards him during their fight, Might Guy would have shown him what it meant to have muscles harder than rocks.

Nagato, for his part, was also observing Obito with his peripheral vision, curious about the other disciples of Mu Yue.

"The Youth Ninja Competition finals: Nagato versus Uchiha Obito!" the referee's voice echoed into the waiting room.

PS: This chapter is a combination of two chapters, totaling 7k words.

Tomorrow will mark the end of the Ninja Competition arc.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end