The field.
Facing the continuous provocations of Number 369, Sora finally spoke:
"Number 369, I am telling you one last time, please enter the tower. I do not want to fight you."
Number 369 laughed loudly:
"What, scared? With courage like yours, you are worthy of entering the Anbu? I am telling you, today you either admit defeat and get lost, or I will beat you until you cannot get up!"
Sora sighed softly. He had originally wanted to avoid unnecessary combat, but now it seemed impossible.
He had always sought stability, but stability had never meant cowardice!
Since the other party had spoken to this extent, if he still did not accept the fight, he would not only be looked down upon but might even affect his future development in the Anbu.
Moreover, Sora was now within Hiruzen Sarutobi's sight. As long as he did not expose his fruit ability, the stronger he appeared, the more he would be valued and the safer he would be.
It must be remembered that the current Sora was only seven years old, indicating he had even greater potential.
Ultimately, whether in the Anbu or in this world, everything ultimately came down to strength.
"I did not want to cause trouble." Sora's eyes turned cold. He slowly assumed a combat stance, and his voice gradually grew louder. "But since you insist on fighting, then I will accompany you to the end!"
Seeing this, Number 369's lips curled into a smug smile beneath his mask.
The reason for his provocation of Sora was actually quite different from what several Anbu instructors had guessed.
His true personality was not as arrogant and dismissive as his outward appearance suggested. That was merely a layer of disguise.
After all, in the survival rules of shinobi, the knife hidden in the shadows is sharper. An overly straightforward temperament can easily expose weaknesses.
The reason for his provocation of Sora lay in his identity: the Uchiha clan.
Currently, there were indeed some Uchiha clansmen in the Anbu. They were personally selected and trained by Uchiha Kagami, a disciple of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. This group was precisely the embryo of the later pro-Konoha "doves" faction within the Uchiha clan.
Unfortunately, fate did not comply with wishes. Uchiha Kagami had already died in battle during the Second Shinobi World War and could not continue to guide the relationship between the clan and Konoha.
These clansmen selected by Uchiha Kagami, although their temperaments were among the better ones within the Uchiha, still could not completely shake off the clan's imprint. Number 369 was one of them.
After all, those as clear-headed and steady as Uchiha Kagami and Shisui Uchiha were ultimately a minority within the entire Uchiha clan. Saying Number 369 and others were "picking the best from a bad lot" was not an exaggeration.
Therefore, they still carried a bit of the Uchiha clan's common flaw: the pride hidden in their bones always made them place too much importance on "clan honor." Even knowing some convictions might not be rational, it was difficult for them to easily let go of that obsession!
Number 369 had long heard about the matter between Sora and Ryota Uchiha.
Although he was not closely acquainted with the Uchiha brothers Ryota and his sibling, they were ultimately from the same clan. The fact that Ryota Uchiha was brutally beaten by Sora at the ninja school examination field had ultimately damaged the Uchiha's face.
Now that there was such an opportunity to regain face, he naturally did not want to let it go.
"Good, finally a bit of backbone." Number 369 sneered. "Let me see just how much talent you, this Hokage's special recruit, really have!"
Then, without further ado, he quickly formed hand seals with both hands and started with a Great Fireball.
"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball shot from Number 369's mouth, heading straight for Sora.
Seeing the fireball rushing towards him, Sora immediately judged that its power was no ordinary matter. He did not dare to take it head-on and quickly dodged to the right. At the same time, he assessed,
'The scale and chakra amount of this Great Fireball, as I guessed, are definitely at the special jonin level!'
Boom!!
The fireball flew past Sora's body. The scorching heat wave made his skin feel hot. The place where he had been standing was now burnt black.
"Not bad speed, kid." Number 369 sneered. "But how many times can you dodge?"
Before the words finished, Number 369 formed seals again.
"Wind Release, Great Breakthrough!"
A strong gust of wind blew from Number 369's mouth, combining with the not yet fully dissipated remnants of the fireball, forming a sea of fire that completely blocked Sora's retreat.
'Combination jutsu?'
Sora was inwardly shocked. He had not expected Number 369 to be so proficient at combining ninjutsu of different attributes.
Facing the spreading sea of fire, Sora had to retreat. But he soon discovered that Number 369 had already calculated his retreat path. Several shuriken flew from different angles, sealing all his possible dodging directions.
The sea of fire blocked the path, the shuriken blocked movement. This was forcing Sora to either withstand it directly or jump to dodge. If he jumped, he would become a living target!
Facing multiple attacks, Sora remained exceptionally calm. In an instant, he made a decision.
He did not retreat or jump. Instead, he charged forward, straight into the sea of fire!
"Is he crazy?" In the observation room, the Leopard instructor stood up in surprise.
However, the next moment, everyone froze.
They saw Sora, as he approached the edge of the sea of fire, suddenly change direction, skimming along the very edge at high speed. At the same time, his eyes rapidly moved, accurately judging the trajectories of the shuriken, dodging all attacks by a hair's breadth.
"What precise body control!" The Eagle instructor's eyes flashed with appreciation. "Maintaining such calm judgment in that situation is not easy."
Number 369 was also slightly surprised but soon regained his composure. "Interesting. But not enough!"
He formed hand seals with both hands again.
"Earth Release, Earth Style Wall!"
An earthen wall suddenly rose in front of Sora, blocking his forward path.
At the same time, Number 369 had already charged from the side. A kunai had somehow appeared in his hand.
"It's over, kid!" Number 369 shouted.
Sora, facing danger without panic, had already guessed Number 369's intention when the earth wall appeared. He instantly changed direction. Not only did he not slow down, but he used the force to kick off the earth wall. His body spun in the air, dodging Number 369's sudden attack.
"What?" Number 369 was startled, not expecting Sora's reaction to be so fast.
After landing, Sora quickly put distance between himself and Number 369, analyzing rapidly in his mind:
'He is proficient in many types of ninjutsu: Fire Release, Wind Release, Earth Release. And his tactical coordination is good. He is not the type who only knows how to act recklessly.'
'It seems I need to take the initiative to attack.'
Having roughly figured out Number 369's abilities, Sora resolved to no longer defend passively. Instead, he quickly charged towards Number 369, fully unleashing his taijutsu to initiate attacks, pulling the battle mode into his own familiar domain.
'Third Gate, Gate of Life, open!'
Green energy surrounded Sora's body. His speed and power instantly increased. In almost an instant, he arrived in front of Number 369, delivering a heavy punch straight to the other's face.
Number 369 clearly did not expect Sora's speed to increase so much so suddenly. In haste, he could only raise his arm to block.
Thud!!
Number 369 was knocked back several steps, feeling his arm go numb.
'What strong power! Is this really a seven-year-old?' Number 369 was inwardly shocked.
Sora, gaining momentum, pressed on relentlessly, launching continuous attacks. His taijutsu was fierce and precise, each move aimed directly at vital points, forcing Number 369 to constantly retreat.
"Damn it!" Number 369 cursed under his breath and quickly formed seals.
"Fire Release, Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Multiple small fireballs shot from Number 369's mouth, flying towards Sora from different directions.
Sora, unflustered, quickly moved, weaving between the fireballs. Occasionally, when he could not completely dodge one, he would use skillful force to deflect it. Although the fireballs were quite hot, the Azure Dragon Fruit he had eaten had granted him considerable fire resistance.
Seeing the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique was ineffective, Number 369 changed tactics again. While retreating to put distance between himself and Sora, he threw shuriken and kunai, trying to restrict Sora's movements.
But none of this worked. Attacks of this level could not restrict Sora who had opened the "Gate of Life."
However, just as Sora quickly dodged all the shuriken, Number 369 suddenly formed seals.
"Wind Release, Gale Palm!"
A strong gust of wind suddenly appeared, changing the flight paths of the shuriken. The shuriken Sora had already dodged now flew towards him again from inconceivable angles!
"What?"
Sora was startled and hurriedly changed direction to dodge. But he was still a step too slow. One shuriken grazed his arm, drawing a string of blood droplets.
'Combination tactics!' Sora was inwardly stern. 'He had planned all of this from the start!'
Number 369 put on a pretentious smile and said, "How about it, kid? My tactics are beyond your imagination!"
Sora glanced at the wound on his arm. It was not deep and would heal before long.
But this strike made him completely realize—Number 369's level of danger was even higher than he had anticipated.
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