Beside the fighting arena.
Yūhi Kurenai watched with shining eyes, her small face flushed. "Sora is amazing! He completely suppressed that Uchiha!"
Asuma stood to the side and pursed his lips, but he had to admit. "This guy's taijutsu... is really monstrous."
He remembered how he and Uchiha Enta had exchanged blows, and how he had ultimately lost. He immediately felt even more depressed.
In the arena, Uchiha Enta grew more shocked and more frustrated the longer the fight went on. He was full of chakra and ninjutsu, but Sora clung to him tightly, giving him no chance to form hand seals.
"Damn it!" Uchiha Enta tried to force a hand seal, intending to take a side kick from Sora.
"Too slow!" Sora shouted coldly. Before the seal could be completed, a faster, swifter knife-hand strike precisely chopped down on his wrist.
"Argh!" Uchiha Enta cried out in pain. His chakra instantly became chaotic, the hand seal failed, and his kunai almost slipped from his hand.
Sora seized this opening, his body following through into Enta's center. His shoulder slammed hard into Uchiha Enta's chest.
Thud!!
"Gah!" Uchiha Enta felt his chest go tight, as if struck by a giant rock. His body flew backward uncontrollably, landing heavily on the ground two or three meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust.
He had just struggled to get up when Sora's next attack arrived. A knife-hand strike, fast as lightning, lightly chopped the back of his neck.
Uchiha Enta's vision went dark. His body went limp, completely collapsing to the ground. Although he was still conscious, he was unable to get up and fight for a short while.
From the start of the match to the end, it had only been a minute or two.
The area beside the arena fell silent, then erupted into even louder noise.
"It's... over?"
"So fast! The Uchiha lost just like that?"
"He couldn't fight back at all! That Sora's speed and strength are too monstrous!"
"It seems like... he didn't even use that powerful Fire Release?"
Yūhi Kurenai was so excited her small face was bright red. She waved her small fists vigorously. "He won! Sora won! So amazing!" As if she herself had won.
Asuma watched, the corner of his eye twitching. Though unhappy, he had to admit Sora's strength was far beyond that of their year's students.
The referee stepped forward to confirm Uchiha Enta's condition, then announced loudly, "The winner is Sora! Advances to the finals!"
The medical team came forward and helped Uchiha Enta down.
Uchiha Enta bit his lip, his face full of unwillingness and disappointment. But when he looked at Sora, there was less fighting spirit in his eyes, replaced by more awe and... confusion.
He had originally thought the gap between himself and Sora might not be that big, that he could at least force out more of the other's strength. He never expected to lose so cleanly and decisively, appearing even more "powerless" than Uchiha Ryota had that time.
Sora watched as Uchiha Enta was helped away, feeling no great turmoil in his heart.
The Uchiha's strength lies in the Sharingan! Once awakened, their power undergoes a qualitative leap.
The current Uchiha Enta could not be called a true Uchiha. Winning against him gave Sora little sense of accomplishment, because it should have been like this. Losing would have been the problem.
...
Not long after, the match between Hyuga Hikaru and Morino Ibiki began.
Sora sat in the rest area, watching the two on the stage, silently analyzing in his heart.
In Sora's memory, Ibiki was more famous for his interrogation skills and summoning jutsu. But to become a Special Jōnin and later the head of the Interrogation Department, his basic strength, willpower, and combat intelligence were definitely first-rate.
'Ibiki's fighting style focuses more on endurance, analysis, and finding openings. A bit like a weaker version of Kakashi, but with stronger pressure resistance.'
'And Hyuga Hikaru... His Gentle Fist is the natural nemesis of taijutsu, specifically targeting internal organs and chakra pathways. It's fast, with precise strikes. If Ibiki can't find an effective way to deal with the strikes, he'll be very passive.'
The tactic Ibiki chose was the same as Namiashi Raidō's against Sora: trying to create distance for long-range attacks. But his speed was completely unable to keep up with Hyuga Hikaru.
"Gentle Fist Technique, Body Blow!"
Slap! Slap! Slap!
In just over ten seconds, Ibiki had been hit several times. Although his kunai clashed with Hyuga Hikaru's palms a few times, the damage caused was limited.
Ibiki's movements became visibly slower, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Ibiki is completely suppressed..."
"He can't touch Hyuga Hikaru at all!"
"Those eyes are too unfair. All his moves are seen through!"
Discussion came from the spectator stands.
Sora, watching from below the stage, frowned slightly.
'Hyuga Hikaru's mastery of the Gentle Fist is indeed deep. His speed and precision in striking points are far beyond that of an ordinary Genin.'
'Ibiki's tactic isn't wrong, but the absolute speed gap is too big, and his defense is countered by the Gentle Fist. Pure R-B-Q...'
On the stage, Ibiki gritted his teeth, enduring the pain in his body.
At that moment, a sharp glint flashed in Hyuga Hikaru's eyes, as if he was tired of this chasing game.
He found an opening in Ibiki's defense. A swift palm strike, like a knife, shot straight towards Ibiki's shoulder and collarbone area. There was an important chakra point there. If hit, the entire arm would likely be temporarily disabled!
This strike was extremely fast, at a tricky angle!
However, at that very moment, Ibiki did something no one expected!
He did not try to block it or awkwardly dodge. Instead, he pushed off the ground hard. His body did not retreat. Instead, using the force of Hyuga Hikaru's incoming strike, he actively flew backward!
He flew backward very fast, controlling the direction perfectly, landing directly outside the ring!
Thud!
Ibiki's body landed heavily on the ground outside the ring, even rolling twice before stopping.
The entire place fell silent.
Everyone was stunned, including Hyuga Hikaru, who had been preparing to land a heavy blow. The smile on his face froze for a moment, as if he hadn't expected the other to "surrender" in this way.
The referee was also stunned for a moment before reacting. He immediately announced loudly, "Morino Ibiki has fallen out of the arena! The winner is Hyuga Hikaru!"
Sora watched this scene, and his evaluation of Ibiki rose a few more points.
'Indeed not a simple person. So young, yet understands how to assess the situation, decisively sacrificing the match to avoid serious injury. This level of mind... It's not without reason he becomes the head of the Interrogation Department in the future.'
Ibiki struggled to get up from the ground. He clutched his painful shoulder, a trace of blood even seeped from the corner of his mouth. But the look he gave Hyuga Hikaru was exceptionally calm, even carrying a hint of imperceptible mockery.
He had used his own method to avoid being severely injured by Hyuga Hikaru. Though he lost the match, he preserved himself.
This calm judgment and decisive choice under extreme disadvantage far exceeded the maturity expected for his age.
One can only say, this is the Naruto world after all. Everyone matures early...
Hyuga Hikaru looked at Ibiki below, who, though in a sorry state, had a stubborn look in his eyes. The gentle smile on his face finally disappeared, replaced by a shadow of displeasure and annoyance.
He clearly understood Ibiki's intention, feeling he had been played.
"Tch, boring." Hyuga Hikaru coldly threw down these words, turned, and walked off the stage, not looking at Ibiki again.
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