"Old man, this place is big enough for us to fight."
"But didn't I just feed you a bunch of chili peppers? I already told you it was only capsaicin, nothing would happen!"
"But wearing Kakashi's mask actually looks pretty good on you."
Since he couldn't escape anymore, he could only face it bravely. Gekko Chizan was not someone who let others butcher him freely.
Looking at Hatake Sakumo and Chen, who were already prepared to fight, his eyelids twitched nonstop, but he still entered battle readiness.
Then he glanced helplessly at the nearby Pakura.
Before he could speak, Hatake Sakumo spoke first.
"Pakura-sensei, fight properly. So many students and teachers are watching. This is just a sparring match."
"If you hold back, it won't mean anything. I believe you understand."
Gekko Chizan immediately shut his mouth. He understood he had completely fallen into Hatake Sakumo's trap.
Seeing this, Pakura could only nod, then send her man a look that clearly meant: you're on your own now.
"Is everyone ready?"
"Chizan-sensei?"
Gekko Chizan nodded expressionlessly, then pulled out the Kusanagi Sword at his waist and entered a guarded stance.
"In that case, let's begin!"
Hatake Sakumo had been waiting for this moment. Revenge! He must have revenge!
In the next moment, he and Chen charged at Gekko Chizan simultaneously.
One was a swordmaster, the other a taijutsu master — speed was a compulsory subject for both of them.
Gekko Chizan took a deep breath. The Kusanagi Sword emitted a faint cold gleam.
Hatake Sakumo's short blade, White Fang, paired with his clan's sword style, could be summed up in one word: fast!
Every swing was like lightning. Ultra-fast slashes and extreme speed completely compensated for the short reach of the blade.
Chen circled from the side with bizarre taijutsu footwork, searching for openings, each strike full of tremendous force. It was hard to imagine an old man who had already stepped into his sixties could unleash such explosive power.
"Konoha Steel Strong Whirlwind!"
The powerful kick forced Gekko Chizan to block and defend, the force driving him backward.
His feet slid across the crystal platform.
"Damn, old man, you're going all out, huh?"
Hearing him, Chen withdrew his leg and let out a cheeky laugh.
"Chizan, with such a good opportunity, how could I not make full use of it?"
"Come on!"
At this moment, several small fireballs flew toward him as well. Even though large-scale ninjutsu or highly lethal ninjutsu were forbidden, this restriction meant nothing to Pakura.
After all, Pakura's strongest traits were chakra control and ninjutsu flexibility.
Her Fire Style Technique emphasized flexibility and variety.
Seeing himself about to be surrounded by fireballs, Gekko Chizan suddenly flashed left, dodging Hatake Sakumo's attack again, while swinging the Kusanagi Sword backward to block Chen's incoming punch.
"Chizan, don't just dodge."
"Even though this is a friendly match, you can freely use fists and kicks. The few of us can take it."
Hatake Sakumo's words did not match his actions at all — his sword moves suddenly changed, becoming like a violent storm as he attacked Gekko Chizan.
"Hatake Sword Style, First Form! Slash!"
The Hatake Sword Style specialized in breaking flashy techniques. A clearly ordinary strike, but so fast that everyone only saw a flash of white.
The name of Konoha's White Fang carried terrifying fame.
Gekko Chizan did not dare be careless. He swung the Kusanagi Sword fiercely, using its exceptional durability to block the strike.
Chen seized the timing, leaping high, both legs shooting toward Gekko Chizan like cannon shells.
"Explosive!"
His chakra-coated legs were like cannon fire, each kick producing a blast of air.
In an instant, the combined assaults of the three surrounded Gekko Chizan.
Flames, short blade, kicks — Gekko Chizan seemed to be barely handling it, but the three attackers did not think so.
Under such fierce attacks, Gekko Chizan's breathing had not become chaotic. That meant his condition was even better than they expected.
"My god, is this the strength of the Konoha Ghost? That's the principal, Chen-sensei, and Pakura-sensei attacking together!"
"Terrifying… and it looks like Chizan-sensei isn't even going all out."
"Nonsense. If he went all out, those four giant snakes would come out and crush us all."
Within just one minute, the battle on the arena left every watching student and teacher shocked.
This level of combat left them in awe.
"I have to say, kid, your growth is too frightening."
"No matter what I do, you can block it?"
Chen's whip kick failed again, and he couldn't help but praise Gekko Chizan's strength.
After all, his taijutsu was among the best in Konoha, a skill carved out on the battlefield.
For Gekko Chizan to block so easily, it could only mean one thing: either the kid had extremely high talent, or he had unbelievably rich battle experience.
In Chen's eyes, Gekko Chizan clearly possessed both.
Otherwise, he would never have earned the title "Konoha Ghost."
Gekko Chizan grinned slightly.
"Old man, I have plenty more tricks."
"But I'll accept the compliment. The fight is only just beginning."
With that, he brought his hands together and forcefully leapt high into the air.
The leap was to evade Pakura's flames and Hatake Sakumo's next strike.
"Kid, don't run! Show us what you've got."
Hatake Sakumo flicked his short blade, White Fang. He knew Gekko Chizan's habit of running — this brat never put fighting first; escaping was always his first choice.
"Who said I'm running?"
"Let me show you what I've got."
"Crystal Release: Crystal Armor!"
His Transparent Release formed into armor that wrapped around him, even covering his face with a mask.
A full-body armor with no openings exposed.
"And who told you that just because I was dodging, I wasn't preparing anything?"
Hearing this, Hatake Sakumo's brows furrowed. He had been observing Gekko Chizan's movements while attacking, and he had not noticed any Flying Thunder God markers.
Unless this kid—
"Not good!"
"Pakura, watch out!"
Just as Hatake Sakumo's voice rang out, Gekko Chizan vanished mid-air, reappearing behind Pakura.
Pakura's expression changed drastically. Several fireballs erupted around her at once. She immediately sprinted forward to widen the distance, hurling wave after wave of flames backward at Gekko Chizan.