"So fast, I can't even see it..."
Watching the fierce confrontation in the arena, the surrounding students were deeply shocked.
The strength of these two had far surpassed their peers. They had thought the gap had narrowed, but it turned out to be even wider.
Are geniuses really that unreasonable?
"With such an intense spar, I might not be able to step in if something goes wrong..." Oda watched the match, just as surprised.
But he could only smile bitterly.
He was just an ordinary Chūnin, and he wasn't confident he could intervene in time if something really happened.
It was beyond his ability.
He hesitated whether to stop them, but if he spoke now, he might disrupt their concentration. If either of them got injured because of that, it would be even worse.
Clang!
The two in the arena were fully focused on each other, completely ignoring the comments around them. The short sword and kunai clashed again, sparks flying!
"Your swordsmanship's gotten sharper, Kakashi..." Seiryū smiled as he spoke, flipping his kunai in a reverse grip to block Kakashi's short sword.
Compared to before, Kakashi's technique had clearly improved. If they kept this up, Seiryū would be at a disadvantage in close combat.
He had to learn proper sword techniques too!
Whoosh!
Seiryū stomped down with his left foot, then whipped his right leg out like a drawn bowstring. The force created a sharp whooshing sound through the air!
Bang!
The whip kick landed solidly, but with a muffled thud, a burst of white smoke erupted.
A piece of wood was sent flying from the impact.
A Substitution Jutsu!
"I didn't waste that effort!" Kakashi used the smoke and the log as cover, pushed off the ground, and used Body Flicker Technique to close the distance in an instant.
His short sword swept horizontally, aimed straight at Seiryū's chest from a tricky angle!
Swoosh! Bang!
Seiryū also used a Substitution Jutsu to evade, and a withered log was slashed clean in half.
Thick white smoke billowed out, clouding their vision!
"Substitution..." Kakashi wasn't surprised. It had already been two months since their last spar.
With Seiryū's talent, it would be strange if he hadn't mastered the Three Basic Jutsu by now.
His expression turned serious as he braced for Seiryū's next move.
"Take this punch!"
From within the white smoke, Seiryū burst out, Chakra erupting from his legs, propelling him forward with explosive speed.
In a flash, he appeared in front of Kakashi and threw a powerful punch straight at him.
Chakra surged through his fist!
His speed is even faster than before... Kakashi focused intently on the incoming Seiryū, muttering in his heart.
Still, his reaction wasn't slow. He jumped back, quickly formed hand signs, and pressed both palms to the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth Wall Technique!"
This was a C-rank Earth Release ninjutsu.
An earth wall, ten centimeters thick and two meters high, rose up in front of Kakashi.
It blocked the blow head-on!
Earth Release was one of the techniques he had trained during break specifically to handle Seiryū's punches, which could even break through a Great Fireball.
Boom!
Seiryū's punch slammed into the wall with tremendous force, accompanied by a loud impact.
The wall trembled violently. A deep dent appeared where the punch landed, cracks spreading in all directions. Dirt and stone fragments scattered everywhere.
"A chance!" Kakashi's eyes lit up. He jumped two meters into the air, landing atop the earth wall.
He quickly formed hand seals again, took a deep breath, his chest expanding.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
This time, the Great Fireball was even larger than before, over two meters wide.
With a blazing tail, the fireball descended from above, crashing down toward Seiryū below!
Boom! Roar!
The fireball dropped, flames surging and engulfing Seiryū within...
"Damn it, why didn't he dodge!?" Kakashi's face changed drastically instead of looking pleased.
Seiryū didn't dodge. He didn't react at all!?
"Not good!" Oda's heart skipped a beat. His worry had come true.
If a student was seriously injured in a spar, he couldn't escape responsibility.
He wasn't concerned about getting fired, but about whether Seiryū was seriously hurt!
The other students watching turned pale as well. Some of the girls showed clear concern in their eyes.
Would Seiryū... be alright?
Only Kurenai stayed calm, muttering softly, "Seiryū's not that easy to beat."
Even she didn't know exactly how strong he was now, but she was certain no student in the Academy could be his match.
Even a Genin might not be able to defeat this monster named Seiryū!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The sharp sound of weapons cutting through the air echoed. Kunai, shuriken, and senbon shot toward Kakashi on the earth wall from a hidden direction.
The Seiryū that was hit just now was only a Shadow Clone. The real body hadn't moved and had remained concealed in the smoke!
Now, along with the barrage of tools, his true body began moving.
"Huh?" Kakashi was shocked, but reacted quickly. A single leap let him dodge the barrage of ninja tools.
But what caught him off guard was that the tools collided mid-air, and with a series of metallic clang clang clang sounds, they actually changed trajectory!
Two of them curved toward Kakashi again, coming from odd angles...
"...!" The sudden shift made Kakashi grit his teeth. He twisted his body unnaturally and narrowly avoided one.
But the other still grazed his arm, leaving a bloody line.
"You lost, Kakashi..."
A light chuckle came from behind his ear, along with a buzzing sound.
Kakashi stiffly turned his head. The first thing he saw was a Chakra sphere, slightly larger than a fist, buzzing as it spun rapidly.
Looking further, he saw Seiryū smiling faintly...
Realizing his defeat, Kakashi sighed. "I lost again..."
Then, he looked curiously at the Rasengan in Seiryū's hand and asked, "Is that the ninjutsu you learned? And... how did you avoid the Great Fireball just now?"
Kakashi was a genius, but at this stage, he lacked enough combat experience.
He couldn't figure out how Seiryū had dodged the Great Fireball at that timing.
Also, this rapidly spinning Chakra sphere gave him an odd sense of dread.
What kind of jutsu was that!?
Hearing the system prompt in his mind, Seiryū dispelled the Rasengan and replied with a smile, "Rasengan. It's an A-rank ninjutsu."
If he had really landed that hit, Kakashi might be attending his own funeral in a few days.
The Rasengan's power… even a Jōnin wouldn't walk away unharmed.
Seiryū added, "As for how I avoided the Great Fireball, I didn't. That was just one of my Shadow Clones."
(To be continued.)