Shota and Spider exploded forward at the same moment.
Spider was taller and faster. His long legs ate the distance in less time than Shota and also helped him be faster than the eleven year old kid. In two breaths he would be on Shota with his fists and exploit Shota's weakness of Taijutsu.
But Shota was ready.
The white binding cloth around his neck moved on its own. It shot forward like a living snake, splitting into five thick ribbons that tried to wrap Spider's arms and legs mid-run.
Spider's eyes widened behind the mask. He stopped instantly and jumped backward. The cloth followed, stretching longer and faster, whipping through the air with sharp snapping sounds.
Spider twisted in mid-air like an acrobat. The cloth ribbons missed by inches. One brushed his sleeve and almost got him.
Shota did not stop attacking though as his fingers finished the last seal that he had started to do as his binding cloth kept Spider busy.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A roaring sphere of flame burst from his mouth, big enough to fill half the training ground. It flew straight at the airborne Spider who had no ground to push off from.
Spider's voice was calm even in danger.
"Ninja Art: Reaper Threads."
His hands clawed the air. Thin green threads of wind-nature chakra appeared, sharp as blades. They slashed in an X shape.
The fireball split cleanly into three pieces that flew harmlessly past Spider and crashed into the far wall. Flames roared and died.
Shota had used the fire as cover though. He knew that a fireball won't do much against someone of Spider's calibre.
While Spider was busy cutting the fireball, the binding cloth had moved again. It snaked across the ground like a white river, then shot upward. Before Spider landed, the cloth wrapped around both his legs tight.
Shota pulled hard.
Spider crashed face-first into the stone floor with a loud boom. Dust exploded everywhere.
Twenty seconds had passed since the fight began.
As the dust cleared, Spider hung upside down in a glowing spider web of his own threads, completely unharmed. He had used it to cushion his fall.
He looked up at Shota and laughed.
"My my, little disciple. You have become very good with that cloth. No one would expect someone to control it like that. And without hand signs and with such proficiency and mastery, Marvellous."
His voice was full of pride.
On the viewing platform, the Kazekage turned to Earthworm.
"I knew he used the binding cloth, but this level of control?"
Earthworm scratched his bald head. "Even we were shocked, Lord Kazekage. We think it is because of his dojutsu."
Rasa raised an eyebrow. "His Erasure?"
Earthworm nodded. "When he uses Erasure, his hair floats. We believe it creates some kind of invisible field. In the past year he learned to control that field even without fully activating his eyes. He uses it to move the cloth. That's why he does not require any hand signs and could do it with just thought."
Rasa watched Shota stand calmly below. "Some kind of field you say? It seems like an anti gravity field. If he masters it further, he could float. Maybe even fly."
Earthworm smiled. "Yes, sir. Not many shinobi can fight in the air. That would be a huge advantage for him."
Rasa looked curious as he saw the cloth extending forever "And the cloth never seems to end. How?"
"He spent almost all his reward jutsu slots on the highest quality chakra cloth we have. Then he asked a fuinjutsu master to add storage seals directly into the fabric. When he wants more length, new cloth appears from the seals. He probably has enough to wrap the entire village if he could control it that far."
Rasa's eyes widened slightly. "A genius solution. And something not everyone would be able to considering this cloth is quite expensive and rare."
Below, both fighters were already moving again. And both performed hand signs for the same jutsu.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Two massive walls of wind crashed together in the centre of the room. The force shook the ground. Dust and small stones flew everywhere.
Shota was thrown backward like a leaf. He slammed hard into the wall and slid down.
Spider caught himself gently in another spider web, floating above the ground.
Rasa frowned. "It seems like he has no defence against wide-area jutsu."
Earthworm nodded. "His Erasure stops people from making jutsu, so he never focused on defence. His chakra affinities, Wind and fire are not good for blocking anyway."
Rasa watched Shota stand up slowly, rubbing his back. "But he cannot erase jutsu that are already formed. He needs something to protect himself in that case."
Earthworm looked a little embarrassed as he spoke, "He does have a defence. He just refuses to use it in a spar."
Rasa turned his head. "Explain."
Earthworm cleared his throat. "He wraps himself completely in that expensive binding cloth. It is thick, tough, and full of seals. It can block almost anything. It is resistant to sharp things as well fire. But he says it costs more than a house and we are not paying to replace it if it gets burned or torn in training. He told me, and I quote, 'I am not made of money, and you are not my sugar daddy.' Even in front of you, sir, he refused."
Rasa's eye twitched at that. Just a little.
---------Author Notes--------
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