"So fast!"
Ethan and Lee's speed had increased again. At this level of combat, even a slight delay or a blink could make someone miss many thrilling details.
The surrounding spectators all widened their eyes, watching the two fighters in the arena with rapt attention. The genin were also shocked by their strength.
"So strong..."
There was no need to mention Lee. The new graduates this year didn't know much about last year's students, and besides, Lee hadn't been considered a genius in school. Since they didn't know him well, no matter how strong he looked now, Ethan's classmates wouldn't find it particularly surprising.
But it was Ethan, the one who had kept such a low profile in school, seemingly just an ordinary classmate, who was actually hiding such powerful strength. This made Ino, Shikamaru, and the others find it hard to believe.
"Lee... he's become this strong? And that Ethan... I didn't expect a new graduate to be this powerful."
Neji had already activated his Byakugan to observe the battle more clearly. He also noticed that Ethan's chakra consumption was very low. This not only showed Ethan's precise chakra control, but also proved that even in such an intense battle, he could judge the situation and respond accordingly, without wasting chakra.
"In other words... he hasn't used his full strength yet."
Sweat formed on Neji's forehead. Watching from the sidelines, the so-called genius that Guy-sensei had specially mentioned truly lived up to the title. Neji's hands unconsciously gripped the railing tighter as he began thinking about how he would respond if he had to fight Ethan.
Just then, Ethan and Lee separated after another exchange. As Ethan flew backward, his feet slid a long distance on the ground before he stabilized.
"Well done, Lee!"
It looked like Lee was gradually gaining the upper hand.
To the jonin watching, this was expected. Though Ethan wore weights too, his were much lighter than Lee's. Moreover, Lee had been training with weights for a long time, while Ethan had only recently started this kind of training. The speed he displayed came more from his innate talent.
"Ah, it seems this body's current limit is just this much."
Ethan's speed had reached its limit. Unless he cheated, he was indeed slightly slower than Lee.
The Body Flicker Technique, as a special movement skill, allowed Ethan to move at near-teleportation speed for a brief moment. That was why he had only just started showing a slight disadvantage.
"It seems the winner is decided!"
Guy folded his arms. As a taijutsu expert, he could see that Lee was gradually taking control of the match.
"It's just getting started, Guy."
To his surprise, the one who refuted him wasn't Ethan's instructor Aoba, but Kakashi who stood beside him.
"What do you mean?"
"Ethan... isn't a pure taijutsu ninja."
Just as Lee attacked again, Ethan finally stopped responding with taijutsu and began using ninjutsu.
Earth Release: Earth Style Wall.
A sudden earth wall rose up, blocking Lee's high-speed charge. What surprised Lee even more was that the wall didn't just block his attack.
Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld.
The center of the wall suddenly turned into a patch of soft mud. As Lee's fist hit it, his entire arm was caught in the mud. When he tried to retreat, he realized his feet were also sinking into the mire.
"Oh?"
From Lee's position, he couldn't see what Ethan was doing behind the wall. But the spectators clearly saw Ethan release two Earth Release techniques in quick succession, forming only one hand seal for each. This meant he had fully mastered both techniques, as mastery allows for reduced hand seals.
More importantly, Ethan used only one hand to perform the seals.
"They say Ethan can use one-handed seals. It's true after all."
Several squad leaders had heard about this before, but for Anko and Hayate, this was their first time seeing it.
"One-handed seals, huh..."
Judging from how smoothly he executed the ninjutsu and the completeness of the techniques, Ethan seemed more like a ninjutsu-type ninja. But recalling his taijutsu earlier...
"The name 'genius' really suits him."
While trapping Lee, Ethan released a third Earth Release technique.
Earth Style: Rising Earth Spears.
Several earth spears shot out from the wall and the ground around Lee, stabbing toward him from multiple directions.
"That won't stop me!"
Although it looked like he was in a tight spot, Ethan's Swamp of the Underworld could only trap Lee momentarily. Once he reacted, it was just a mud pit.
With Lee's strength, escaping was easy.
"Of course I know that won't trap you!"
However, the Rising Earth Spears sealed off almost all escape angles, leaving only one direction. Ethan immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to move to that spot, then clasped his fists and slammed them at Lee, who was leaping out.
Boom!
From the shockwave and the dust raised, it was clear how powerful Ethan's strike was. Lee took the full hit head-on, with no time to dodge or defend.
"A beautiful tactic."
"But it's not enough to defeat Lee."
Just as everyone was waiting to see what would happen next, Ethan, who had landed, formed another hand seal.
"Water Release?"
Water Release: Water Shockwave. This was a basic Water Release ninjutsu that didn't have strong offensive power. It was mostly used to release a stream of water for interference or to slightly change the environment.
Ethan's Water Release seemed weak, as if he had just splashed some water, but it suppressed the dust in the air, revealing Lee's figure.
"Ah!"
Seeing the dust settle, Lee froze. From his reaction, everyone realized that the bushy-browed ninja had been planning a surprise attack under the cover of the dust.
"So that's it!"
Now, Ethan's seemingly pointless Water Release made sense.
However, Kakashi felt there might be more to it. After all, there was no need to waste chakra just to prevent a sneak attack. Ethan didn't have large chakra reserves, and based on his previous performance, he had been very cautious about his chakra use.
"That is..."
"Ah!"
Just as Lee abandoned his previous plan and prepared to fight Ethan head-on again, he suddenly sensed something behind him.
He quickly turned his head and saw another Ethan behind him, holding a short blade and stabbing at him.
"A clone?"
Lee moved to dodge. Being attacked from both front and back was dangerous. But just as he moved, he felt something entangle his feet. This slight delay caused him to miss the best chance to dodge. Without time to think, he threw a punch at the Ethan in front.
The Ethan in front shattered into pieces, but the water fragments didn't fall. Instead, they flowed toward Lee, wrapping around him.
Next, the water on the ground gathered around Lee, eventually forming a large sphere of water, with only a thin stream connecting it to the puddle near Ethan's feet.
"Water Release: Water Prison Technique."
Seeing Lee trapped in a mass of clear water, struggling but unable to escape, the jonin all understood.
"The Water Shockwave was to change the terrain and create the condition for the Water Clone... and the true trap hidden behind it was the Water Prison Technique."
The process wasn't complicated, and the ninjutsu weren't advanced. What was impressive was that Ethan could maintain the Water Prison Technique from a distance.
"And Lee could have escaped, but was delayed by something... If I'm not wrong, that seems to be... but how is that possible?"
He glanced at Guy, who had a serious expression.
As a taijutsu master, Guy's perception was strong. He had also seen the hidden trap beneath the water. If Lee hadn't been caught for just a moment, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.
But this was a ninja battle. Lee was indeed defeated. Ethan's Water Prison Technique wasn't particularly strong and couldn't compare to Zabuza's, but Lee, due to his lack of ninjutsu, had even fewer ways to counter it.
And trapped in water, he couldn't exert force. His punches and kicks lost most of their power.
"Winner, Ethan!"
As Lee stopped struggling inside the water prison, Hayate announced the result. Ethan then released the Water Prison Technique.
He helped the disappointed Lee up. Ethan knew this guy still had a trump card he didn't get to use, but this kind of match wasn't worth using a move with such a big drawback. It wasn't worth it.
Even if he used it, he would still lose. Why suffer the aftermath? Ethan was kind, especially toward people he liked.
"What move did you use just now?"
"That's my trump card. But I haven't fully mastered it yet."
"It must be a powerful move."
"Yes, that's a very powerful ninjutsu." The Third Hokage had somehow appeared in the arena. "Can we talk privately, Ethan?"
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)