In the blink of an eye, the time arrived in the afternoon.
Sora had been through three battles in between. He encountered one classmate and chose to surrender directly. After all, unlike people from other classes, this classmate knew Sora's strength.
As for the two other people from other classes, Sora resolved them with one move after holding back slightly for a moment.
There was absolutely no need to unleash too much power. It was almost like a sweeping, crushing victory.
Now, Sora just needed to win one more match to advance to the finals tomorrow.
This also caused a wave of astonishment.
"He's too strong."
"Yes, this Sora's taijutsu is too abnormal. Does he already have Chuunin level strength?"
The other students in the first arena all wore expressions of shock at this moment.
Even the proctor here and several Anbu members showed unusual looks at the strength Sora displayed, carrying a slight hint of praise.
Kurenai's eyes sparkled, watching this scene with extreme excitement and happiness.
...
Not long after, Sora faced his final match.
"Class B Sora versus Class B Uchiha Ryota!"
Hearing the referee announce his opponent's name, the corner of Sora's mouth lifted, carrying a trace of playful amusement.
"Finally... I've waited." Sora ran his hands over his head, whispering to himself. The feeling of searing, burning pain from the assessment field three months ago seemed to sweep across his arms once again.
He was no saint who repaid grievances with virtue. For a guy who had nearly taken his life with a Great Fireball and showed no remorse, he had long wanted to find an opportunity to "have a good chat."
Previously, he just hadn't found a suitable chance, plus he needed to hide his strength. But now... Collecting a bit of interest within reasonable limits, and testing a new "skill" in passing, was practically a heaven-sent opportunity.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ryota on the opposite side felt his heart sink, his face instantly turning somewhat pale.
His brother Takumi's words were still echoing in his ears. "That Sora is not simple. His taijutsu is likely close to Chuunin level. If you encounter him in the assessment, it's best to forfeit directly to avoid suffering..."
Just now, seeing Sora win several matches easily and effortlessly, with that poised and relaxed attitude, Uchiha Ryota's bit of Uchiha pride had already been battered and was on the verge of collapse.
Now that he was really about to face him, he deeply understood that his brother's warning was not unfounded.
Especially the look in Sora's eyes as he glanced over, icy cold yet carrying mockery, like a cat looking at a mouse under its paw, made a chill rise from the bottom of his heart.
'Damn it... How did I really run into him!' Uchiha Ryota screamed wildly in his heart.
Standing at the edge of the ring, his face kept changing. Fortunately, in the end, Uchiha honor overcame fear. He steeled himself and stepped onto the ring.
The two stood facing each other in the center of the area.
"Please go easy on me." Sora's tone was flat, showing no emotion.
"Hmph! Cut the crap!" Uchiha Ryota retorted, his voice fierce but his courage thin. He took the initiative first, swinging both hands. Several shuriken shot towards Sora with a whistling sound, trying to seize the initiative.
It was still the precise Uchiha-style shurikenjutsu, sealing off Sora's space for dodging left and right.
But to Sora, it somehow didn't seem to be at the level he had shown when fighting Shiranui Genma just now.
After all, Uchiha Ryota was someone who could use the C-rank Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique at age six.
Although he couldn't compare to Uchiha Itachi, who could use Great Fireball at four, among his peers he was absolutely considered a genius. As long as he grew step by step, becoming a Uchiha Jonin later on was almost certain.
One must know, Uchiha Ryota had already won three consecutive matches today, including that tough fight with Shiranui Genma in the morning. Getting this far was definitely not by luck.
But right now, this shurikenjutsu made Sora feel a sense of flustered inadequacy.
Without thinking further, Sora's upper body swayed slightly, like a willow branch swaying in the wind, narrowly avoiding all attacks by a hair's breadth.
"Is this all you've got?" Sora chuckled lightly. "Three months, and no improvement at all? The Uchiha family's shurikenjutsu doesn't seem as legendary as they say."
"You... you!" Upon hearing this, Uchiha Ryota's face instantly flushed red, and he even stammered.
Then, Uchiha Ryota, overwhelmed by shame and anger, seemed to completely forget his fear. He roared and charged forward, his fist aimed straight at Sora's face.
Sora neither dodged nor avoided, instead throwing a punch of his own.
"Thud!"
Their fists collided, with a result identical to three months ago, or even worse.
Uchiha Ryota felt an irresistible, tremendous force coming from the other's fist. His knuckles felt like they were about to crack, and his entire arm went numb. He cried out in pain, staggering back several steps, almost falling flat on his backside.
"Your taijutsu is still this terrible." Sora shook his head, his tone full of disappointment.
Suppressed exclamations had already started rising from the sidelines.
"Wow! He knocked back the Uchiha with one punch!"
"Sora's strength is too terrifying!"
"That Uchiha Ryota is completely outmatched..."
Kurenai clenched her fists tightly, her small face full of excitement. But seeing Ryota's appearance, a trace of pity emerged, though thinking back to how he had gone all out against Sora back then, this bit of pity quickly disappeared.
Shiranui Genma, with a senbon in his mouth, narrowed his eyes slightly. "Tsk, the gap in strength is too big. That Uchiha kid is in for a world of hurt."
Morino Ibiki beside him nodded silently.
Asuma, chewing on a grass root he had pulled from somewhere, snorted. Although he disliked Sora, he disliked Uchiha Ryota's arrogant, overbearing attitude even more, and was happy to see him suffer.
In several consecutive taijutsu exchanges, Uchiha Ryota couldn't even touch the hem of Sora's clothes. Instead, he was seemingly casually slapped, tripped, and pushed, ending up covered in dust and looking disheveled, which drew snickers from the sidelines.
Uchiha Ryota felt like a child being played with by an adult. All his movements seemed laughably slow and full of openings in the other's eyes.
"Damn it! You asked for this!"
Uchiha Ryota retreated a few steps, his hands forming seals again rapidly.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A huge fireball appeared again, roaring towards Sora with scorching high temperatures. This time, the fireball, both in size and solidity, was significantly stronger than during the class combat assessment. Clearly, he hadn't neglected his practice these three months.
"Ryota is using this move again!"
"Isn't that against the rules? This kind of ninjutsu is forbidden in assessments!"
"Aren't the teachers going to intervene?"
The proctor teacher frowned deeply, about to step in.
But Sora smiled. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
"Oh? Great Fireball?" Sora's voice clearly reached everyone's ears. "What a coincidence. Someone just taught me a little of that too... Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Under everyone's stunned gazes, Sora also formed seals. His hand seals were even more fluent and standard than Uchiha Ryota's.
In the next moment, an even more violent, more scorching torrent of flames, with a color that even faintly carried a hint of bluish-green, surged from his mouth!