"It's over!"
As Aozora focused on the two shadow clones, Shinki allowed himself a mocking smirk.
Just as expected—this genius was clearly all hype. He had some power, sure, but a simple trick could make him dance like a fool.
After launching the Great Fireball Technique, he didn't stop moving. Instead, he used the Shadow Clone Jutsu to create three identical copies of himself while his real body slipped underground.
Aozora's fire release was impressive, and his close combat skills were remarkable too, yet it still amounted to nothing more than that.
Real battles only cared about life or death, victory or defeat. Strength alone didn't mean much.
"Genius~," Shinki mocked, "You're just a rookie with sharp teeth and a sharp tongue!"
While speaking, he scanned Aozora up and down, noticing he held nothing in his hands, and added, "Seems you at least understood yourself well enough to put your toy sword away earlier."
Blade at his throat, Aozora's expression remained unchanged. With a light smile, he softly said, "Do you really think this trickery will win you the fight?"
Upon hearing that, Shinki's face abruptly changed. Scanning the area around him, he coldly sneered, "Faking supernatural powers again! There's absolutely no cover on this arena!"
Suddenly, his pupils constricted. He looked down at the ground beneath his feet.
But he reacted too late. He felt something shift underfoot, then heard Aozora's voice from below.
[Earth Release – Internal Neck Severance Technique!]
In an instant, he was dragged underground by Aozora, leaving only his head above the surface.
Two Aozora figures squatted beside the trapped Shinki, tossing pebbles around playfully while taunting him.
"Why did they name you 'Shinki'? Should've called you 'Shincai' instead!"
"I think 'Innocent' works too!"
"Ay-yep! Thought you'd dig that one!"
"Yeah! 'Shincai' works too—kinda rude though. Still, nothing compared to 'Innocent'!"
"You're right! You're right!"
"…"
They took turns teasing him, line after line, totally ignoring his rage.
After a short chat, Aozora dismissed one clone with a wave of his hand, crushed the stone in his palm into powder, and sprinkled it over Shinki's head.
"This one's from Tetsuka — pay better manners next time!"
With that, he turned and signaled the referee, asking, "Can we declare this match over now?"
As the referee started walking toward them, he noticed that Shinki hadn't deactivated his Sharingan even now, his eyes filled with unwillingness, so he stopped where he stood.
"Do you really think you've won?"
[Earth Release – Earth Rising Spear!]
Roaring loudly, the ground suddenly trembled violently. Countless spectators watched in confusion as numerous cracks spread across the arena, each spewing forth razor-sharp earth spears aimed directly at Aozora.
Seeing signs that Shinki might pull off a last-minute comeback, Kintai showed no joy—only anger. He muttered under his breath, "Pathetic waste!"
Then he turned to Fugaku and continued, "Shinki isn't qualified to be the flight instructor for the Flying Tigers anymore. Appoint someone else for the remaining position."
He could accept Shinki losing, but not winning like this.
When Aozora buried Shinki in the earth, Shinki had already lost.
Aozora smirked as he mocked Shinki and taunted him to give up.
Shinki pretended not to understand, using the time to finally break free from Aozora's jutsu.
Fugaku nodded slightly at Kintai upon hearing this, then calmly and firmly said, "Don't worry. Shinki can't win."
"Oh~"
Kintai, after hearing that, began seriously observing the match. Surprise soon appeared in his eyes.
Not only Kintai was shocked—other spectators were equally stunned.
On the arena stage, earth spikes flew wildly, turning the once calm ground into the most dangerous place. No one could predict where the next spike would shoot from.
Yet Aozora strolled leisurely across the battlefield. Whether the spikes came from above or below, he either took a small sidestep or turned his body slightly, dodging them all with ease.
The spikes always arrived just a step too late!
Watching Aozora effortlessly maneuver around the stage, Torifu turned toward The Third and asked, "Hiruzen, how did this kid avoid those earth spikes? It looks like he predicted every single Earth Release spike Uchiha Shinki released."
Sarutobi Hiruzen noticed Torifu's tone carrying obvious fondness for Aozora. His eyes flickered briefly but his gentle expression remained unchanged.
After a moment of thought, Sarutobi answered, "The thick layers of earth blocked chakra detection—so much so that even the Byakugan would struggle to pinpoint the position and trajectory of the spikes. Probably only someone who has deeply studied Earth Release or possesses special sensing abilities could predict the attacks like Aozora just did."
Then he paused before continuing, addressing both Fugaku and Kintai, "Aozora truly is a prodigy! I remember during the Chunin Exams, his throwing knives and Fire Release amazed even me. Now it seems his mastery over Earth Release ninjutsu is also quite profound!"
Fugaku replied, "You flatter him, Hokage-sama! Perhaps it was simply luck!"
Actually, he himself found it strange too. He didn't know when Aozora had learned Earth Release, nor did he understand why Aozora wasn't using his throwing knives or fire-based techniques?
If he had, the outcome would have been decided long ago.
After a while, Shinki, exhausted and achieving nothing, ceased his ninjutsu.
Standing in the center of the arena covered in earth spikes, Shinki looked pale.
Although there hadn't been intense combat, between creating three Kage Bunshins and releasing such chakra-draining earth spikes, his reserves were nearly depleted, leaving him physically drained.
Aozora casually stood atop a massive earth spike, looking down at Shinki.
On this relatively small arena, against other Jonin, Shinki's earth spikes might have worked well.
But unfortunately, he faced Aozora.
Though Aozora lacked deep expertise in Earth Release ninjutsu, his Shrink Step technique made him extremely sensitive to chakra within the ground.
Knowing precisely where the spikes would emerge, combined with the insight provided by his Sharingan, allowed Aozora to pass through thousands of deadly spikes without so much as a speck of dust touching him.
A light breeze lifted Aozora's clothing. For a moment, he regretted not wearing a white robe.
Nevertheless, Aozora's effortless evasion of the deadly storm of earth spikes earned him a chorus of screams from admirers.
Seeing Aozora standing there untouched by dust, calm and confident in the wind, Tetsuka couldn't help but regret supporting him.
Seeing the gloomy expression on Tetsuka's face, Inabi didn't attempt to comfort him. Instead, he sneered, "Look at Aozora! If you were up there, you'd probably end up humiliated again! Alas, you two are both called geniuses, so why is there such a big difference?"
Tetsuka frowned and remained silent for a moment before firing back, "You once claimed to be a genius alongside Shisui too! But now? How many of you would it take to fight him?"
Inabi fell quiet as well.
Tragic brothers—why does the elder always torment the younger, and why does the younger always wound the elder?
On the battlefield, Shinki already knew he had no chance of victory. Sighing, he said, "Let me see your throwing knives! I want to see what kind of flying dagger could slay multiple jonin one after another."
Standing atop a stone spike, Aozora slightly shook his head and calmly replied, "Sorry, you're not worthy!"
[Flying Dagger Capable of Slaying Immortals] may never actually face an immortal, but it should never be unleashed against a mere jonin either!
Besides, there was Tsunade in the audience.
He had once called her "Miss Busty BFF." If she recognized him now, it'd be mortifying enough to make him vanish on the spot.
Aozora's icy words cut straight into Shinki's heart.
Fury erupted inside him instantly as he roared, "Arrogant! Without your throwing knife, what makes you think you can defeat me?"
"What makes me think I can win?"
Aozora lightly chuckled, then formed the same hand seal as before.
[Earth Release – Earth Rising Spear!]
In an instant, the arena seemed to quake like an earthquake, sending dust flying everywhere.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The platform collapsed, with cracks rapidly spreading outward.
Rocks and dirt exploded into the air as jagged earth spikes erupted from the battlefield.
Shinki wasn't someone who would simply stand still and accept his fate. Though shocked that Aozora had copied his signature ninjutsu, he reacted quickly, leaping away without hesitation as the sharp earth spikes came toward him.
He could accept defeat—but never a humiliating one like this!
As a ninja, to lose using his own prized technique was an unforgivable shame for life!
Unlike Aozora, Shinki lacked intuitive connection with Earth Release techniques; thus, he could only constantly shift positions based on experience.
But Aozora didn't bother predicting—he usually relied on sheer volume. Row after row of stone spikes erupted from the ground, quickly leaving numerous wounds across Shinki's body.
Same ninjutsu. Same scene.
In the first match, Aozora had mirrored his opponent's techniques; in this one, he was now replicating them outright.
Except this imitation proved even more impressive than the original!
Ordinary people were amazed, their voices rising in excited chatter.
"So even Uchiha can use Earth Release ninjutsu?"
"I don't think so! But both of them know the same technique!"
"It feels different though! Aozora's earth spears seem thicker, bigger, and harder!"
"Uh, although you're right, something feels off about that phrasing."
...
Hiashi Hyuga observed Aozora's chakra carefully through his Byakugan eyes—and flinched in disbelief: "How does he have so much chakra left? He's only thirteen years old!"
Upon hearing these words, Hiashi Hyuga turned to examine the chakra pathways throughout Aozora's body.
Chakra surged like tides through Aozora's meridians—compared to ordinary jonin, his chakra exceeded theirs in both quality and quantity.
Hiashi's face grew even more grim.
Ever since Fugaku revealed his Mangekyou Sharingan, although reluctant to admit it internally, he knew the Hyūga were no longer worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the Uchiha. Perhaps only after Fugaku's death would the Hyūga have another chance to catch up with the Uchiha.
Yet seeing Aozora, who was already an Elite Jonin at just thirteen years old, Hiashi couldn't help but feel a sense of despair.
Thirteen years old and already an Elite Jonin—wouldn't he become a Kage-level ninja when he grew up?
Hiashi understood that reaching Kage-level wasn't easy, but at least within the Uchiha Clan there were members capable of entering that realm. What about the Hyūga Clan?
Even he couldn't bring himself to believe otherwise.
Would the Hyūga gradually fall further behind the Uchiha?
Hiashi had no interest in watching the rest of the match anymore—he was completely lost in thought.
On the arena, through extensive trials, Aozora had now mastered the mechanics of the [Earth Dragon Piercing Spike] technique.
After running for quite a while, Shinki realized he couldn't outlast Aozora's chakra reserves and changed tactics, charging straight toward him instead.
Although Shinki was fast, moving like lightning, under the vision of the Sharingan, everything slowed down.
"Front!"
As soon as Aozora spoke, a spike of rock suddenly shot upward directly in front of Shinki, forcing him to stop abruptly and retreat backward.
"Back!"
Boom!
A massive earth spike erupted from the ground, blocking Shinki's retreat.
"Trapped!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!—
Before Shinki could even react, one spike after another rose rapidly from the ground, attacking him from all sides.
"Ahh——!"
The brutal sight was about to be witnessed, prompting many female spectators to scream and tightly shut their eyes.
Of course, many shinobi watched with wide eyes as well, but unfortunately the dust kicked up by the earth spikes blocked their view.
They could only listen intently to the sounds coming from the dust cloud, trying to discern the extent of Shinki's injuries!
"Ahh——! Huh? Ss—"
Within the swirling dust, spike after spike zipped past Shinki's ears, neck, armpits, and even between his legs. The chilling near-misses and the fear of imminent death sent Shinki screaming uncontrollably.
As the dust gradually settled, on the arena, Shinki was trapped inside a cage formed entirely of rising earth spikes, emerging without a single scratch.
Well, aside from his prior wounds.
Seeing the helpless Shinki, the audience in the stands suddenly fell silent.
Defeating a Jonin is no easy task; taking one down for good is even harder. But capturing one alive? That's the hardest feat of all.
To subdue a Jonin using his very own signature jutsu? That was utterly unbelievable—it was bordering on myth!
Looking at Aozora standing atop one of the spikes, letting the wind blow against him, everyone in the audience couldn't help but feel admiration.
This was already Aozora's second match. Both opponents he faced were skilled Jonin-class fighters.
From observing both encounters, anyone remotely intelligent could tell that Aozora's strength easily surpassed that of an ordinary Jonin.
Given this, his actual level could only be categorized as Elite Jonin!
Even in Konoha's strongest ranks, an Elite Jonin was considered a formidable force, a true standout among shinobi.
And Aozora was only thirteen!
"S-So... strong!"
Inuzuka Yū slightly opened his mouth, staring blankly at the boy standing just beneath his chin.
He had originally planned to feign compliance, intending to tell the Clan Head later that Aya had missed the registration deadline. Now watching the dazzling young boy, he suddenly felt that allowing Aya to join the Police Force was an extremely wise decision.
Likewise, other clans made up their minds after witnessing Aozora's performance.
The strength of a clan depends not only on its present power but also on its future potential.
Currently, the Uchiha possessed Fugaku, who had awakened the Mangekyou, and in the future, they had extraordinary geniuses like Shisui and Aozora—now these thoughts brought them complete peace of mind.
Tetsuka slowly recovered from his shock, then suddenly asked Inabi beside him, "Brother, do you think you can defeat Aozora?"
Inabi remained silent for a long time before shaking his head with difficulty, "He hasn't even revealed his Throwing Knives yet—I have no confidence at all!"
Pausing briefly, Inabi sighed, "Even just based on his demonstrated strength, it would be very difficult for me to defeat him! His chakra control ability is too strong—he can copy ninjutsu incredibly quickly, and yet still maintains abundant chakra reserves. If I can't finish him with one decisive move, there's a high chance he'll defeat me using the same technique."
Hearing that even Inabi lacked confidence, Tetsuka couldn't help letting out a bitter smile.
After all, he used to be considered a genius within the Uchiha before Aozora came along—now he couldn't even keep up with him!
Seeing his younger brother's disappointment, Inabi comforted him by saying, "Tetsuka, although we are also geniuses, remember this: sometimes, the gap between two geniuses can be even greater than the gap between a genius and an ordinary person!
Shisui and Aozora—they are geniuses among geniuses. Our talent indeed falls short compared to theirs.
But this doesn't mean we can never catch up with them!"
Tetsuka's eyes lit up as he asked, "Brother, what exactly do you mean?"
Seeing Tetsuka regain some determination, Inabi explained, "On the Ninja Way, talent allows someone to get off to a fast start and move ahead quickly.
However, the road of a ninja isn't smooth sailing; before every ninja stands a massive natural barrier—Kage-level. Reaching it cannot depend solely on talent.
So no matter how strong Shisui and Aozora may be, they'll hit a wall before reaching Kage level—we'll just need to catch up before that happens. Then we'll be back on the same ground—where talent won't decide everything anymore. What truly matters will be your own understanding of the Ninja Way."
Nodding firmly upon hearing this, Tetsuka glanced toward Aozora and Shisui, then turned back to Inabi and said, "Brother, I will quickly enhance my strength to Elite Jonin level and stand shoulder to shoulder with you on the same starting line."
At this moment, standing on the arena stage, Aozora raised his hand slightly toward the referee at the edge of the platform and smiled, asking, "Can we now announce the result of this match?"
The referee nodded affirmatively, then loudly announced the outcome of the fourth match.
"The fourth match—Uchiha Aozora wins!"
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