"A bit interesting."
Sora looked at Raidō Namiashi who had taken his stance, and put away his last trace of underestimation.
Boom.
He pushed off with his foot, kicking up a large cloud of dust. Sora took the initiative to attack, his speed suddenly increasing, shooting towards Raidō Namiashi like an arrow from a bow.
'So fast.'
Raidō Namiashi's pupils contracted, clearly not expecting Sora's speed to be this high. But he did not panic. Gripping his sword with both hands, he judged Sora's approach and met it with a fierce straight thrust.
The tip of the blade gleamed coldly, aimed directly at Sora's chest.
While charging forward at high speed, Sora suddenly leaned his body to the right, narrowly avoiding the blade's tip. At the same time, he brought the fingers of his right hand together and delivered a swift hand chop like lightning towards Raidō Namiashi's sword wielding wrist.
If this hit solidly, Raidō Namiashi would definitely lose his grip on the sword.
But Raidō Namiashi reacted extremely quickly. He flipped his wrist, changing the thrust into a slash. The short sword swept towards Sora's attacking arm, forcing Sora to retract his move.
Sora immediately changed techniques, transforming the hand chop into a claw, precisely aiming for the joint of Raidō Namiashi's wrist.
The two went back and forth, exchanging several rounds in an instant. Blade light and fist shadows intertwined, emitting "thumping" sounds of collision.
A series of exclamations rose from the spectator stands.
Raidō Namiashi's sword technique was fierce and tricky, while Sora's taijutsu was astonishingly fast. He often dodged attacks and countered within a hair's breadth, making it dazzling to watch.
"Tch, this kid's taijutsu is really abnormal," Jiraiya on the spectator stand commented while stroking his chin. "The Namiashi family's sword technique is already quite developed, yet he can't gain any advantage at all."
Tsunade also nodded slightly. "His foundation is very solid. His speed and strength far surpass his peers, even approaching some Chūnin. The Uzumaki clan's physique is indeed naturally gifted."
In the shadows, Orochimaru's golden snake eyes flickered slightly, the corner of his mouth curling into an interested arc. "Is that all..."
On the main seat, Sarutobi Hiruzen silently smoked his pipe, his eyes showing appreciation. Danzo, however, remained expressionless, just staring down at the field with an even colder gaze.
On the field, Raidō Namiashi grew more and more shocked the longer they fought.
Every time his sword seemed about to hit Sora, it was always dodged by the other with an unbelievable speed and angle. And Sora's counterattacks were immensely powerful; each block sent numbing shocks up his arm.
If this continued, defeat was only a matter of time.
'I must change tactics.'
Raidō Namiashi made up his mind. He intentionally sold an opening, deliberately letting his sword move become overextended.
'Good chance.'
Seeing the opening, Sora indeed seized the opportunity. A side kick trained tens of thousands of times directly assaulted Raidō Namiashi's flank.
However, the instant Sora kicked, a glint of successful scheming flashed in Raidō Namiashi's eyes. He actually used the force of Sora's kick, allowing his body to fly backward, dispersing most of the impact force. Simultaneously, his hands formed seals again.
"Ninja Art: Earth Binding Technique."
Sora's kick landed on air. Just as he touched down, he felt a tightness at his feet. Looking down, he saw several earthen-yellow ropes made of chakra suddenly emerge from the ground, entangling his ankles.
Although the ropes formed by this low-level jutsu were not sturdy, and Sora could break them with a bit of force, it still required a moment's delay.
And it was precisely this moment that Raidō Namiashi had already stabilized his posture. Gripping his sword with both hands, he poured his remaining chakra into the blade with all his might, unleashing his currently strongest attack.
"Namiashi Style: Thrust."
His entire person seemed to transform into a black lightning bolt, merging man and sword as one, thrusting at Sora who was temporarily bound with extreme speed. Although the blade tip was not sharpened, the condensed chakra and impact force were no joke either.
On the spectator stands, Yūhi Kurenai covered her mouth in fright.
Asuma, Genma Shiranui, and the others also held their breath.
'Damn.' Sora was startled in his heart. He hadn't expected Raidō Namiashi to be so decisive, even willing to take a kick to create this killing opportunity.
After all, he was a future named Jōnin. This combat intelligence and ruthlessness were not to be underestimated.
Feet bound, Raidō Namiashi's full power thrust was already before his eyes. The space for evasion was almost completely sealed off.
In the flash of lightning and spark, several thoughts flashed through Sora's mind.
Use the Eight Inner Gates to forcibly erupt and break free? No good. The opponent's attack was already close. Sora wasn't at the level of instantly opening the Gates. There wasn't enough time.
Use the power or speed of Dragon Transformation? Even worse. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, especially with the Byakugan possibly watching nearby, exposing the Azure Dragon Fruit ability would have unimaginable consequences.
'Only that can be used.'
He made a decision instantly. Sora's hands moved quickly. With the final "Tiger" seal formed.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."
Boom.
An extremely scorching wave of fire mixed with a hint of bluish-green violently gushed forth from Sora's mouth.
The fierce flames instantly swallowed Raidō Namiashi's figure.
"What?!" Exclamations rose again from the spectator stands.
Raidō Namiashi completely didn't expect Sora to be able to use such a swift Fire Release when forced into a corner. He knew Sora's weakness in chakra quantity, so he had deliberately stalemated with Sora for a long time.
After all, chakra was a mixture of spiritual energy and physical energy. After consuming so much time, Sora, who had been using taijutsu, must also have considerable physical consumption.
He was just estimating that Sora couldn't synthesize more chakra before unleashing his final killing move.
But now, his thrusting move was already committed. There was no time to change direction or defend. He only felt an unbearable high temperature rushing towards his face. The short sword in his hand felt as if it was about to melt.
Thump.
The scorching wave of fire impacted his body. Although Sora deliberately controlled the power, the huge impact force and high temperature still violently sent him flying back. The short sword in his hand also flew out, clattering to the ground with a ding.
Raidō Namiashi was thrown several meters away. Multiple places on his clothes were scorched, and his skin also transmitted a burning pain. He lay on the ground, unable to get up for a moment.
Meanwhile, Sora used the recoil from the breath expulsion to break the chakra ropes on his feet, taking a small jump backward, panting slightly, pretending to be heavily drained of chakra.
For a moment, silence fell on the field, leaving only the residual sound of flames burning the air and Raidō Namiashi's painful gasps.
The referee teacher was stunned for a moment before quickly stepping forward to check Raidō Namiashi's condition. After confirming he only had superficial wounds and minor burns, he loudly announced, "Winner, Sora."
The spectator stands immediately erupted into heated discussions.
"That move again. It's even stronger than yesterday's against the Uchiha."
"That was too close. He was almost stabbed by Raidō."
"His reaction was too fast. Could he still use a ninjutsu in that situation."
Yūhi Kurenai let out a long sigh of relief. Just now she truly thought Sora couldn't dodge it.
On the main spectator stand, Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He nodded slightly, even more appreciative of Sora's ability to adapt on the spot.
Jiraiya laughed heartily. "I told you this kid is interesting. The way he used that Fire Release, although the chakra quantity looks pitiful, this instant explosive power and control are amazing."
Tsunade also showed a hint of interested expression. "This Uzumaki clan physique really has endurance. After fighting for so long, he could still release such a fierce Great Fireball."
However, Danzo's gaze became even more profound and cold, as if calculating something.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━