Chapter 325: Kakashi Displays the White Fang’s Style (4.6k)

“Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet!”

Asuma moved swiftly, gathering Chakra for a Wind Release Nature Transformation, spitting out transparent blasts of air towards Obito.

“Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!”

Obito concentrated a large amount of Chakra in his throat, performing a Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation, and spat out a series of fireballs from his mouth.

Boom!

The air blasts and fireballs continuously collided, creating explosions. Both men moved while maintaining their Chakra output, and the ground quickly became riddled with small craters.

Obito’s fireballs surpassed Asuma’s Vacuum Sphere in both power and quantity. Soon, Asuma was caught in the fireball explosions and sustained minor injuries.

The injuries themselves were not serious, but they interfered with Asuma’s ability to use Ninjutsu.

Without the Vacuum Sphere to offset some of the fireballs, five or six small fireballs immediately flew towards Asuma.

Asuma had no choice but to expend Chakra to accelerate himself with Wind Release to evade, but Obito, with his Sharingan, saw through Asuma’s evasion route.

Whoosh!

Obito flashed, appearing ahead of Asuma at his dodging position and unleashing a powerful punch.

Bang!

Facing such an attack, even Asuma, with his Wind Release acceleration, could not evade and was sent flying by the punch.

At this point, even an ordinary person could see the significant gap in strength between Asuma and Obito; it wasn’t just in one aspect, but Obito was superior in every way.

He couldn’t win in Taijutsu combat, and he lost in the Ninjutsu clash—it was a complete suppression.

“As expected, it’s still not enough. Obito’s progress is simply too exaggerated,” Raido Namiashi said, watching the battle below and feeling regret for Asuma.

As Asuma’s teammate, he knew how much Asuma had worked recently. Asuma’s strength had indeed improved significantly; it wasn’t that Asuma was weak, but that the current Obito was too strong.

Raido Namiashi felt that Asuma would have no problem advancing to the second round as long as he didn’t encounter Kisame Hoshigaki, Might Guy, Kakashi, or Obito. But unfortunately, he happened to meet one of those four.

“There’s still hope. Didn’t Asuma say he practiced a Combination Ninjutsu before? Obito can’t possibly have mastered two Nature Transformations, can he?” Kurenai Yuhi believed that it was not over until the very last moment.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Asuma, in mid-air, threw a Chakra-enhanced Shuriken, forcing the charging Obito back.

“Shadow Clone Technique!”

Asuma, landing steadily with the aid of the Wind Release airflow, immediately formed a hand seal and created a Shadow Clone.

He couldn’t defeat Obito with Fire Release because his Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation and Chakra were inferior to Obito’s. He also found it difficult to defeat Obito with Wind Release because Fire Release is superior to Wind Release in a Ninjutsu clash.

Asuma’s last hope was Combination Ninjutsu, his only advantage—mastering two Chakra Nature Transformations, while Obito had only mastered a single Fire Release Nature Transformation.

In the past month, besides teaching Asuma Cyclone, Muzuki also taught Asuma how to combine Wind Release and Fire Release to unleash their maximum power.

“Fire Release: Secret Technique: Great Fire Technique!”

“Wind Release: Cyclone!”

As soon as the Shadow Clone appeared, it immediately began forming hand seals to use the Sarutobi Clan’s Secret Technique: Fire Release, followed by Asuma’s main body using Wind Release.

As a long-standing secret technique of the Sarutobi Clan, the Secret Technique: Great Fire Technique had many advantages, with its greatest characteristic being its fierce flames.

And Wind Release: Cyclone could perfectly maximize the characteristics of the Secret Technique: Great Fire Technique because Cyclone possessed extremely strong winds.

Blazing, fierce flames continuously spewed from the Shadow Clone’s mouth, while Asuma’s main body exhaled a strong wind that continuously expanded the flames, like a sea of fire, striking towards Obito.

“He’s certainly learned your specialty,” Danzo said, glancing at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Combination Ninjutsu was Hiruzen Sarutobi’s forte; others typically combined two elements, but Hiruzen Sarutobi could combine five Nature Transformations.

However, Danzo noticed a problem: Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn’t smiling, and his expression was somewhat strange.

Danzo was right; Combination Ninjutsu was his specialty. He also knew the Secret Technique: Great Fire Technique and Wind Release: Cyclone. But Asuma being able to use them had nothing to do with him, because he had never taught Asuma the Cyclone Ninjutsu.

“It must be Muzuki who taught him, right?” Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly deduced the reason.

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn’t help it; he was busy with official duties and couldn’t teach Asuma like an instructor, only offering guidance in his spare time.

But this teaching method didn’t seem to suit Asuma, and the effect wasn’t good, at least in terms of his growth in strength.

“Obito, you can do it!” Rin Nohara looked at Asuma, who still had such a trump card, and felt a little worried.

Kakashi watched the battle calmly. As an opponent, he understood Obito’s strength better; if it was just like this, Asuma couldn’t win against Obito.

Facing the blazing flames created by Asuma, Obito showed no fear. Frankly, after entering Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, the thing he feared least was Fire Release.

Although there was a simpler way to deal with it, Obito didn’t want the minimal consumption; he chose the coolest way.

Obito’s breathing gradually changed, and the Chakra within him began to burn. His aura climbed step by step, and he entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode.

“Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!”

At this moment, Obito’s Nature Transformation speed and flame power were both enhanced. He concentrated his Chakra in his throat, transforming it all into flames, then exhaled it in one breath.

Instead of using Flame Breathing’s fire resistance to dodge, Obito chose to directly counter Asuma’s Combination Ninjutsu with his own Fire Release.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Large swaths of orange-red flames were exhaled by Obito. Due to the extremely high temperature of the flames, the area that had once been a pond quickly dried up.

Vast flames surged like a rampaging Tyrannosaurus, as if they would turn the entire arena into a sea of fire.

“To be able to use such Fire Release at this age!” Danzo’s eyes instantly sharpened, and he raised Obito’s danger level by another notch.

Not only did he awaken the Sharingan at nine years old, but he also had such proficiency in Fire Release. Such a Uchiha, if he didn’t die young, was almost guaranteed to become a strong Ninja.

“What terrifying flames! It was indeed the right decision to teach him Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction,” Uchiha Yashiro exclaimed upon seeing the Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet released by Obito.

In his opinion, Obito’s Fire Release talent was among the top tier in the entire Uchiha Clan, even stronger than the current clan head, Uchiha Fugaku.

Because Uchiha Fugaku could not have used such exaggerated Fire Release at nine years old.

Boom!!!

Amidst the exclamations of many Ninja, Obito’s flames and Asuma’s flames collided.

For a moment, fire soared into the sky, and fist-sized sparks splattered across the arena, as if the entire area had transformed into a world of flames.

But a clash of same-nature Ninjutsu is the ultimate test of a Ninja’s strength. Even with the Wind Release enhancement, Asuma’s flames were gradually devoured by Obito’s even hotter flames.

“I’ve completely lost. This guy’s Fire Release is ridiculously strong,” Asuma sighed, feeling the scorching heat washing over him.

He was thoroughly convinced; two Nature Transformations and two Ninjutsu against Obito’s one Nature Transformation and one Ninjutsu, and he still lost. This was a true case of being outmatched in strength.

Surrounded by flames, Asuma chose to concede defeat.

“The victor has been decided! Uchiha Obito wins!” Hiruko announced Obito’s victory.

“What enviable talent! If only I also had a Bloodline Limit, I wouldn’t be so mediocre,” Hiruko greatly admired Obito, who had shone so brightly in the Chunin Exams.

With the battle over, Obito also dispelled the flames. If that Fire Release had hit Asuma, Asuma would have been blown all over the place by the wind.

“Did you start practicing this Fire Release before you were even born? It’s so strong!” Asuma chuckled, playfully punching Obito’s chest.

Although he lost, Asuma had given his all, so his mindset was still good.

“Hehe, it’s alright. Your Combination Ninjutsu is pretty impressive too. I didn’t expect you to be able to combine two Ninjutsu for combat,” Obito chuckled, engaging in some mutual flattery.

“Keep it up, keep winning! If you lose after beating me, it’ll just make me look weak,” Asuma waved to Obito and left the battle arena.

After being eliminated, he was no longer considered a participant, so he couldn’t enter the waiting room. Now he could only go to the spectator stands to continue watching the matches.

As he walked up, Asuma saw Raido Namiashi and Kurenai Yuhi waiting for him.

“What a shame. If it had been anyone else, maybe you would have won,” Raido Namiashi consoled him.

“There’s nothing to regret. I fought with all my might anyway,” Asuma replied with a smile.

Seeing Asuma take it so well, Kurenai Yuhi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

“Sixth match: Mei Terumī versus Haruya Moriyama,” Hiruko quickly announced the names of the next contestants.

Upon hearing Hiruko’s voice, Mei Terumī stood up and quickly walked towards the arena.

Haruya Moriyama took a moment to compose himself before standing up and walking into the arena.

“Watch her fight carefully. If nothing unexpected happens, your next opponent will be her,” Kakashi said to Obito.

Haruya Moriyama’s performance in the preliminaries was average. If he didn’t have a hidden trump card, Kakashi felt that Haruya Moriyama wouldn’t even last a minute against Mei Terumī, because Haruya Moriyama was a Fire Release Ninja.

Obito nodded. Facing Mei Terumī, who had once defeated him, he dared not be careless.

If he lost in the second round due to carelessness, Obito felt Kakashi would laugh him to death. He would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.

The battle result was pretty much as Kakashi had predicted.

Haruya Moriyama, knowing he was weaker, wanted to win with a surprise attack, hoping to use a series of fierce assaults to prevent Mei Terumī from casting Ninjutsu.

But he underestimated Mei Terumī’s overall strength. His plan failed, and he was injured by Mei Terumī’s Boil Release instead.

Mei Terumī naturally wouldn’t let such a great opportunity pass. She directly used Water Release to take down Haruya Moriyama, securing victory within a minute.

“Mei Terumī wins!”

Genma looked at this scene and nodded with satisfaction. Although Mei Terumī took a bit longer to defeat her opponent than Might Guy, they were winning more often.

Currently, there had been four battles between Hidden Mist and Konoha, and out of those, except for Might Guy winning one, all the others were won by Mist Ninja.

The atmosphere in the spectator stands was somewhat subtle. The Land of Fire officials were silent, the wealthy merchant clients looked thoughtful, the Konoha Ninja wore expressions of bitter disappointment, and the Hidden Mist Village Ninja couldn’t help but smile.

“Seventh match: Zabuza versus Shinya Osaki!”

The seventh match was still a battle between a Mist Ninja and a Konoha Ninja.

Shinya Osaki didn’t want to lose, because Konoha Ninja had already lost to Hidden Mist before him, and another loss would look bad.

But the outcome of a battle depended on strength, not his will.

Although Shinya Osaki fought hard, it couldn’t compensate much for the disparity in strength.

However, Shinya Osaki did what he could: he didn’t lose too badly or too quickly. He fought fiercely with Zabuza for four minutes before falling.

“Zabuza wins!” Hiruko announced the battle result.

Another Hidden Mist victory. The Land of Fire officials frowned deeply; this was somewhat unacceptable to them.

Konoha had been continuously victorious in war, yet they were being dominated by Hidden Mist in a Chunin Exams.

Many Mist Ninja were already celebrating in their hearts. Was there anything more that could prove their Hidden Mist’s strength?

“They just got lucky. If they had encountered Obito, how could they have won?” Uchiha Yashiro noticed the Hidden Mist’s expressions and snorted coldly.

In his opinion, Hidden Mist had simply drawn good matchups. For example, in the battle between Obito and Asuma, if the defeated Asuma had fought Zabuza, Asuma would most likely have won.

The atmosphere among the higher-ups hadn’t changed much, only Danzo’s expression had grown somewhat sinister.

Even though the Hidden Mist had achieved many victories, Genma merely smiled and didn’t become overly arrogant.

He knew that the Konoha examinees in this Chunin Exams were not inferior in combat power to the Hidden Mist, otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to defeat Kisame’s squad and Mei Terumī’s squad in the Death Forest, even if Konoha had three squads.

“Eighth match: Gangi Hyuga versus Kakashi Hatake.”

Kakashi walked out of the waiting room without any delay, and Gangi Hyuga followed close behind.

If his opponent was Obito or Mei Terumī, he felt his chances of winning were very small, but with Kakashi, Gangi Hyuga felt he could win.

Theoretically, his Byakugan and Gentle Fist were very effective against speed-type Ninja; in other words, the advantage was his.

“Begin!” Hiruko shouted.

“Byakugan, activate!”

Gangi Hyuga immediately channeled Chakra to activate his Byakugan. Veins bulged at the corners of his eyes, and the world in his vision began to change.

“Thunder Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing.”

As soon as Hiruko finished speaking, Kakashi instantly entered a state of highly concentrated breathing, his physical abilities and explosive power greatly enhanced.

“Flash!”

Kakashi drew his White Fang Short Blade, gripping it tightly. Lightning Release Chakra erupted from his feet, and he charged forward at an extremely high speed.

Gangi Hyuga’s Byakugan saw Kakashi initiating an attack, but he had barely adopted a Gentle Fist stance when the White Fang Short Blade, gleaming chillingly in the sunlight, was already at his neck, and a scratch appeared on his clothing.

The battle was over.

Although Gangi Hyuga hadn’t even made a move, he knew the battle was already finished.

If Kakashi hadn’t held back, he would already be a casualty of Kakashi’s blade.

The arena once again fell into silence.

Some people had just looked away from the battleground for a moment, chatted with someone next to them, and when they looked back, Kakashi’s blade was already at Gangi Hyuga’s neck.

Those who watched the entire match weren’t much better off; they only saw a yellow Flash, and the battle was instantly over.

“Such incredible speed! Even if Gangi saw it clearly, he wouldn’t have been able to react in time,” Hyuga Hiashi said, shaking his head at the sight.

Gangi Hyuga’s loss was not unjust. Based on that single strike, Hyuga Hiashi could say that Kakashi was definitely among the strongest examinees in this Chunin Exams.

“Kakashi wins!” Hiruko announced Kakashi’s victory after a brief stunned.

The record for the fastest victory was broken again. Hiruko felt as if he had just announced the start of the battle when it was already over.

“He’s Lord White Fang’s child, so it’s not surprising,” Hiruko suppressed the envy in his heart.

Kakashi’s performance made Hiruzen Sarutobi nod. Such a swift, clean, and decisive battle even reminded him of the former Konoha White Fang, and it was not in vain that he had repeatedly helped Kakashi change teams.

An instant kill is the best way to display strength, and many spectators cheered for Kakashi’s power.

Kakashi wasn’t excited by these cheers. Defeating Gangi Hyuga was nothing; in his heart, only defeating Might Guy could prove his genius.

“What a show-off,” Obito muttered, looking at Kakashi standing calmly in the center.

However, seeing the sparkle in Rin Nohara’s eyes, Obito wondered if he should try to imitate Kakashi next time.

Obito had to admit that Kakashi was indeed very good at being cool.

“As expected of my best friend!” Might Guy gave Kakashi, who had just entered, a thumbs-up.

He was already eager to have a youthful battle with Kakashi.

Kakashi’s battle marked the end of the first round. After a short break, the second round of battles would begin immediately.

This chapter is 4.6k, and there should be another 4k chapter coming up.