However, Hyuga Aokawa did not object; he was already an exception for participating in this selection.
He couldn't ask for much more.
He nodded and agreed.
The two stood facing each other, both forming the Seal of Confrontation.
Sarutobi Biwako held a stopwatch:
"Begin!"
As soon as the words fell, Sarutobi Kaido took the initiative.
His taijutsu was very solid; with a single step, his body shot out like a cannonball.
His fist, as large as a clay pot, carried a strong wind as it lunged straight for Hyuga Aokawa's face.
Hyuga Aokawa countered movement with stillness, waiting for the opponent to tire himself out.
Whether in height, strength, or Chakra capacity, he was no match for Sarutobi Kaido.
To last for 30 minutes, he had to minimize his physical exertion as much as possible.
While defense wasn't glamorous, it was highly effective.
Seeing the fist already smashing toward his face...
Hyuga Aokawa did not choose to meet it head-on.
Instead, he activated his Byakugan in an instant.
Under his powerful perception, he moved his body to slide gracefully along the wind of the punch while tilting his head slightly to the side.
By a hair's breadth and with minimal effort, he dodged the punch.
At the same time, taking advantage of Sarutobi Kaido's overextended Move and before he could adjust his center of gravity...
He quickly turned his body, condensed Gentle Fist Chakra in his palm, and placed it on Sarutobi Kaido's wrist.
While sealing the Acupoints, he pulled him to the side.
Sarutobi Kaido lost his balance and stumbled to the side.
He turned around to look at the boy standing quietly.
A frown appeared on his honest face, and his expression began to show anxiety.
No wonder Auntie said he could be a bit rough today.
If he held back, there was no way he could complete Auntie's task.
Sarutobi Kaido clenched his fists, no longer holding back his strength.
He pressed forward again, launching a storm-like barrage of attacks.
Under such high-intensity attacks, Hyuga Aokawa could no longer seize the initiative as easily as before.
After narrowly dodging several attacks, he was finally forced to engage in close combat with Sarutobi Kaido.
The two were locked in a fierce struggle.
Sarutobi Kaido was tall and in his prime; he used his long limbs to his advantage, his Moves being powerful and heavy, with high attack and defense.
Hyuga Aokawa was still a minor, and his strength and Chakra were inferior to Sarutobi Kaido's.
But he excelled in perception and agility.
Furthermore, what he had learned was quite diverse; during the fight, he utilized multiple styles, including Gentle Fist, Eighty Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms, and Konoha-Style Basic Taijutsu.
He used whichever was appropriate, never being restricted by form.
Watching this, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded repeatedly.
"The Hyuga Clan has finally produced a Genius who opens his eyes to see the world."
He was no longer trapped in the corner of Gentle Fist and Byakugan but pragmatically absorbed other fighting styles.
The two fought for over a dozen rounds, evenly matched and neck and neck.
Finally, after clashing with a kick, both flew backward.
Hyuga Aokawa suffered from his physical disadvantage, and his sliding distance was noticeably longer.
Sarutobi Kaido stared fixedly at the boy in front of him, his hands trembling slightly uncontrollably.
The Gentle Fist is truly insidious.
Clearly, in the fight just now, he hadn't made any mistakes and even held a slight upper hand due to his strength advantage.
Yet the opponent always managed to inadvertently inject Gentle Fist Chakra from his palm beneath his skin, sealing his Acupoints.
Even several times when he had clearly dodged the opponent's palm, just being lightly grazed by the Gentle Fist Chakra...
His arm would immediately go numb.
At this moment, there were several Chakra blockages on his body; although they weren't concentrated and were quite scattered...
But it was foreseeable that if he continued the close-quarters fight, even if they were evenly matched...
As time passed, the number of blocked areas on his body would surely increase.
Although he was simple-minded, his combat intuition was exceptionally sharp.
"No, I need to open up some distance. I can't compete with him in the taijutsu he's best at."
In an instant, Sarutobi Kaido made up his mind.
On the other side, Hyuga Aokawa also stared closely at the big guy, his hands similarly trembling slightly.
His physical disadvantage meant that during the exchange, his arms were aching in multiple places from Sarutobi Kaido's heavy attacks.
If this continued, he really wouldn't last 30 minutes.
"No, I need to open up some distance. I can't compete with him in the physical endurance he's best at. I have to create an opportunity to take him down with a single strike from Holy Arrow."
Both sides stared intently at each other.
Suddenly, both of them moved simultaneously.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique"
"Earth Release: Earth Pillar Burst"
Hyuga Aokawa slammed his hands onto the ground.
A series of dense, small explosions appeared on the ground, racing toward Sarutobi Kaido.
At the same time, a winding water dragon suddenly burst out from the river's surface.
With its bloody maw wide open, it lunged straight at Hyuga Aokawa.
Neither side expected the other to Move so suddenly.
But the Water Dragon Bullet, which required 44 seals, was ultimately a bit slower.
The Earth Column Explosion raced all the way to Sarutobi Kaido's feet.
Although he had already jumped away with all his might, the shockwave from the final large explosion...
Still inevitably pushed him into mid-air.
Meanwhile, because Hyuga Aokawa's hands were on the ground, he also couldn't dodge the water dragon's attack.
In the moment of crisis, he used a Water Clone Technique to lure the water dragon while his main body used the Body Flicker Technique to escape.
Boom!
After tearing apart the Water Clone, the water dragon didn't have time to turn, and its head slammed hard into the ground.
A massive wave of water spread out in all directions.
Hyuga Aokawa could only flash into mid-air as well.
"What a splendid duel!" Hiruzen Sarutobi marveled inwardly.
From taijutsu to Ninjutsu, both sides timed everything perfectly; it was a textbook-level performance.
Especially Hyuga Aokawa.
He hadn't expected the kid to know Earth Release as well.
It was rare enough for the Hyuga Clan to be willing to learn Ninjutsu, but to master two elemental releases was even rarer.
Suddenly!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened.
He stared fixedly at Hyuga Aokawa in mid-air.
He saw Hyuga Aokawa, suspended in mid-air, pull out a giant blue bow without any warning.
He drew a Light Arrow and aimed it tightly at Sarutobi Kaido, who was also in mid-air.
"What is that?"
In Hiruzen Sarutobi's incredulous sight, Hyuga Aokawa let go.
The Chakra Arrow on the giant blue bow shot out like lightning.
Sarutobi Kaido, completely unprepared in mid-air, was struck directly and sent falling from the sky at an accelerated speed.
"Kaito!"
The Sarutobi couple both cried out and simultaneously used the Body Flicker Technique to reach Sarutobi Kaido's side.
Sarutobi Kaido's abdomen was a bloody mess, with blood flowing freely.
Sarutobi Biwako hurriedly activated her Healing Technique to treat him.
He struggled, wanting to get up and fight again.
Hiruzen Sarutobi held him down firmly: "That's enough, Kaito. The mission is complete. Stop here."
Upon hearing that the mission was complete, the stubbornness on Sarutobi Kaido's face slowly faded, returning to his original honest expression.
After landing, Hyuga Aokawa also quickly approached him.
He didn't speak; he just knelt down, lifted Sarutobi Kaido's arms, and began to unseal the Acupoints on his arms one by one.
At the same time, he also activated his Healing Technique to treat the tiny meridians he had severed.
The four of them were silent for a moment.
A moment later...
Under the combined treatment of the two Medical Ninjas, Sarutobi Kaido was finally back on his feet and full of energy.
Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lord and Lady, I should have passed this second assessment, right?"