Chapter 740 Shadows also have differences

“Third Raikage wins!”

Hearing the referee’s voice over the broadcast, the Cloud Ninja’s suspended hearts finally settled.

Might Guy immediately activated Rock Breathing Chakra Mode and the Eight Gates’ Seventh Gate, his performance was truly brutal.

Coupled with the newly displayed abilities, the Cloud Ninja were truly sweating for their Raikage.

It wasn’t that they lacked confidence in the Third Raikage, but rather that the geniuses at the Martial Arts Tournament were all too abnormal.

“I knew Sandaime wouldn’t lose.”

“That’s right, Sandaime has the strongest Lightning Armor and is the strongest Taijutsu Ninja.”

The Cloud Ninja celebrated the Third Raikage’s victory as if nothing had happened, as if their worried expressions earlier were just to show respect to their opponent.

“Even Father was injured; he didn’t use his full strength when fighting me.”

Fourth Raikage Ay, in the audience, clenched his fists tightly, his expression solemn.

He was extremely unwilling.

As a member of the Hidden Cloud Village’s new AB Combo, he was destined to take over the heavy responsibility of Raikage, yet he was defeated by a genius Konoha boy, who hadn’t even used his full strength.

Fourth Raikage Ay made up his mind that he would increase his training and spend more time on cultivation to become stronger.

The Kage in the stands were also startled to see Might Guy’s final blow actually injure the Third Raikage.

“This Might Guy’s strength is even above the Kazekage and Mizukage,” Ōnoki thought to himself.

Given Might Guy’s displayed strength, he would most likely win if he encountered the Third Mizukage or Rasa.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his long beard, a slight smile on his lips, extremely satisfied with Might Guy’s performance.

Although both practiced the Eight Gates, Might Guy and Might Duy were not on the same level.

“Thanks to Muzuki,” Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly.

Of the Eight Strongest in the Martial Arts Tournament, only three were Kage, but there were actually four participants who were Muzuki’s disciples.

One excellent disciple might be due to the disciple’s own Ninja talent, but for four disciples to be so excellent, it was not as simple as just talent.

It was true that Obito and the others had talent, but Muzuki was definitely an excellent teacher who was good at helping people unlock their potential; otherwise, he wouldn’t have achieved this.

After all, Muzuki’s teaching achievements weren’t limited to Obito and the others.

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn’t claim to know much about the others, but could he not know about Asuma? Without Muzuki, Asuma would definitely not be at his current level.

“Sure enough, there’s still a gap even among Kage; Guy, who mastered Armament Haki, also lost,” Obito said in the lounge.

Based on his understanding of Rasa’s strength, the Might Guy just now could definitely defeat Rasa.

But even that Might Guy was still a considerable distance from the Third Raikage.

“Of course, if every Kage had the strength of Teacher Muzuki, after too many wars, the Ninja World’s terrain would become a mess,” Shisui nodded and said.

Muzuki’s battle with Uchiha Madara directly turned everything on the battlefield into ruins, with large areas of ground collapsing.

“Shisui, how confident are you in winning?” Obito asked curiously.

Shisui’s battle was the second one; once the battleground was repaired, it would be his turn.

“Almost impossible,” Shisui shook his head and replied.

Ōnoki was a strong individual on par with the Third Raikage; while his strength was formidable, his combat experience was incredibly rich. Shisui couldn’t think of how to win against Ōnoki in a ring match.

If it were a fight to the death, Shisui might be able to take Ōnoki down by relying on his Mangekyo ability.

After all, with Divine Imperial Throne, he essentially had two lives, plus Tsukuyomi and Susanoo, so it was truly hard to say who would win or lose.

However, there was no need for that in the Martial Arts Tournament.

For this battle, Shisui didn’t even want to use Tsukuyomi; firstly, he had already used Tsukuyomi in the last battle and was still recovering.

Secondly, a single Tsukuyomi wasn’t quite enough, so he simply decided not to use any Mangekyo abilities at all.

Time flew by quickly during their casual chat, and before they knew it, the battleground was completely repaired.

“Contestant No. 17, Uchiha Shisui, versus Contestant No. 25, Lord Ōnoki!”

Hearing his name, Shisui stood up, greeted Obito and Kakashi, and then walked towards the battleground.

On the other side, Ōnoki didn’t use the passage; he directly condensed Chakra, used the Super Lightweight Boulder Jutsu to fly up, and landed steadily on the battleground.

Ōnoki’s action didn’t cause audience resentment; instead, it drew a burst of cheers.

As the Tsuchikage, who was famous throughout the Ninja World, it was reasonable for him to have a different way of entering.

Ōnoki stood with his hands behind his back, carefully observing Shisui.

Among the four Konoha geniuses in the top eight, Shisui’s performance was currently the least flashy.

There was no massive destruction; it was basically a few rounds of clashes, and then the opponent inexplicably lost.

As the Tsuchikage, who had dominated the Ninja World for decades, Ōnoki was not as shallow as ordinary Ninja; he wouldn’t think Shisui was weaker than others just because he didn’t use large-scale Ninjutsu.

Ninja battles are not about destructive power, nor are they purely about Chakra; too many factors determine the outcome of a Ninja battle.

“A Genjutsu that can injure a Jinchuriki, I need to be careful,” Ōnoki thought cautiously.

After contacting Hidden Mist, Ōnoki knew that Shisui’s strength had been severely underestimated.

Yagura Karatachi became a Jinchuriki after the Third Shinobi World War and successfully controlled the Three-Tails.

Yagura Karatachi’s strength was already formidable, and now with the help of the Three-Tails, he was theoretically much stronger than the Third Mizukage.

Yet, in his battle with Shisui, Yagura Karatachi lost without even being able to use his Tailed Beast abilities.

“Battle start!” the referee commanded.

Ōnoki and Shisui simultaneously unleashed their Chakra.

Shisui used Body Flicker Technique to advance, and as he attacked Ōnoki, his eyes turned into blood-red Mangekyo Sharingan.

Ōnoki, on the other hand, once again used the Super Lightweight Boulder Jutsu and flew directly into the sky.

“Earth Release: Golem Technique!”

Ōnoki unleashed a large amount of Chakra from his body, spitting out massive rocks that rapidly formed a giant rock monster.

Shisui was not unfamiliar with this Ninjutsu; Kitsuchi had also used it in his battle with Obito.

However, Ōnoki’s was a bit more powerful than Kitsuchi’s, but there was no fundamental difference.

Ōnoki’s rock monster attacked Shisui while combining with other Earth Release Ninjutsu, gradually forcing Shisui into a corner of the arena.

“Flame Breathing Chakra Mode!”

Shisui concentrated his breathing to the extreme, entering Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, and his aura instantly surged.

“Fire Release: Azure Flame: Great Fireball Technique!”

Shisui condensed a massive amount of Chakra in his throat and exhaled a stream of Azure Flame, which rapidly formed a blue fireball the size of a human head.

His Azure Flame had over 700 mastery points at the proficient level, allowing for initial variations, such as releasing it as a Great Fireball Technique to enhance its explosive power.

Boom!!

Although only the size of a human head, the Azure Flame: Great Fireball Technique displayed extremely terrifying power.

The enormous rock monster was instantly destroyed, and extremely terrifying burn marks were left on the ground. Ōnoki swiftly distanced himself to avoid being caught in the explosion.

With the crisis averted, Shisui did not exit Flame Breathing Chakra Mode; instead, he pressed his advantage, instantly unleashing three Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Techniques towards Ōnoki.

“Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!”

Facing Shisui, who had brought out his true abilities, Ōnoki also unleashed his world-renowned Kekkei Tota, easily blocking the fire dragons, and then, with undiminished power, shot towards Shisui, forcing Shisui to use Body Flicker Technique to evade.

Shisui’s Fire Release in Flame Breathing Chakra Mode had considerable power, but it was still far inferior to the Kekkei Tota Dust Release.

The Azure Flame’s power was indeed significant, but its Chakra consumption was too high.

And although Ōnoki held the upper hand, every one of his movements was extremely cautious, giving Shisui no opportunity whatsoever.

Without using his Mangekyo abilities, Shisui struggled to keep up and was defeated by Ōnoki’s Earth Release after most of his Chakra was depleted.

“Lord Ōnoki wins!” the referee quickly announced the battle result.

The victorious Ōnoki did not show a happy expression; instead, he slightly furrowed his brow.

“He didn’t use that Genjutsu. Did he not find an opportunity, or was he intentionally trying to hide his strength?” Ōnoki analyzed in his mind.

If it was the former, then some information about Shisui’s powerful Genjutsu could be analyzed from this battle, such as the effective range of the Ninjutsu and the conditions for its activation.

If it was the latter, then it was hard to say.

“As expected of our Tsuchikage-sama, he won so easily,” the Iwagakure Ninja in the audience puffed out their chests and raised their heads.

The Third Raikage won against Might Guy but was injured, while Ōnoki won against Shisui without a single scratch; it was clear who was stronger.

The Mist Ninja and Sand Ninja remained silent, heads slightly bowed, trying to minimize their presence.

Among the Five Kage on the field, only the Third Mizukage and Fourth Kazekage lost, so even if they wanted to speak up for their Villages, they had no confidence.

Although the Third Hokage’s battle had not yet begun, everyone assumed the Third Hokage would win.

Aside from Hiruzen Sarutobi’s strength being recognized by many Ninja, it also had to do with Hiruzen Sarutobi’s opponent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s opponent was a genius from his own Ninja Village.

Even if Kakashi had some hidden strength, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Kakashi couldn’t easily defeat Hiruzen Sarutobi and make the Hokage lose face.

“Contestant No. 33, Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi, versus Contestant No. 41, Kakashi Hatake!”

After the arena was repaired, the referee quickly announced the names of the combatants.

Kakashi, in the lounge, calmly stood up and walked towards the passage.

He didn’t really care about his ranking.

After all, he was in the top eight at the last Youth Martial Arts Tournament, and this time, with the Five Kage participating, he was still in the top eight, which was enough to prove his progress over the past few years.

“Sandaime-sama.”

Upon reaching the battleground and seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakashi politely greeted Hiruzen Sarutobi.

After all, he was the Kage of his own Village, and even if he wasn’t the current Hokage, the respect due was still necessary.

Hiruzen Sarutobi responded with a benevolent smile.

“Kakashi, don’t hold back because of my status; just go all out,” Hiruzen Sarutobi kindly reminded him.

He was very satisfied with Kakashi’s performance and intended to guide Kakashi in this battle.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had watched the battles of Kakashi and Obito very carefully, finding some of their shortcomings.

“Then I apologize for any offense, Sandaime-sama,” Kakashi did not hesitate and directly nodded in agreement.

“Battle start!”

At the referee’s command, Kakashi drew Enma from his back and charged towards Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Facing a powerful opponent like Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakashi still preferred to use Enma.

“Wind Release: Cyclone!”

Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly exhaled a powerful hurricane, causing Kakashi’s charge to momentarily halt.

“Shadow Clone Technique!”

Immediately after, Hiruzen Sarutobi condensed Chakra and created two Shadow Clones.

“Compound Ninjutsu: Earth Dragon Flame Bullet!”

One Shadow Clone used Earth Dragon Bullet, and the other used Fire Release, creating an earth dragon that constantly spat flaming mud bullets.

Due to the added high-temperature flames and their large number, Kakashi did not directly confront them; instead, he chose to concentrate his breathing to increase his speed and evade.

He could definitely withstand it if he used Armament Haki at full power, but dodging would save more Chakra.

“Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!”

This time, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s main body used Fire Release, spitting out a large amount of high-temperature flames, which rapidly formed a sea of fire.

Then, one Shadow Clone used Wind Release, blowing a hurricane to expand the fire’s reach.

The other Shadow Clone used a wide-range Lightning Release to compress Kakashi’s dodging area.

Facing this wide-range Ninjutsu blockade, Kakashi also felt a headache.

Encountering such an opponent in a ring match was the most annoying; there was nowhere to hide.

“Yang Seal Release!”

Kakashi released the seal, using the large amount of Chakra within the seal to enter Lightning Release Chakra Mode, continuously amplifying the power within his body.

Sizzle!!

Kakashi unleashed a large amount of Lightning Release Chakra to vitalize his entire body, thereby greatly enhancing his physical abilities.

With the Breathing Technique and Lightning Release vitalizing his body’s strength, coupled with powerful Lightning Release Kenjutsu and Enma, Kakashi managed to break out of the Ninjutsu encirclement without taking any damage.

“Summoning Technique!”

A hint of a smile flashed across Hiruzen Sarutobi’s face as he slammed his hand on the ground, summoning Enma.

Immediately after, he swung Enma, who had transformed into the Adamantine Staff, at Kakashi.

Bang!

Kakashi met the staff head-on with Enma, and his entire body was sent flying backward, embedding him into the wall at the edge of the arena.

“Such immense power,” Kakashi thought to himself, startled.

He had heard that Hiruzen Sarutobi’s strength was not simple, but Kakashi hadn’t expected Hiruzen Sarutobi, even in his old age, to have such terrifying strength, so much so that even he in Lightning Release Chakra Mode couldn’t withstand it.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi, with the intention of guiding him, did not press his advantage, and Kakashi quickly adjusted his state, bursting out from the wall.

Immediately after, the two resumed their engagement.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi always held the upper hand, he always pulled his punches, continuously giving Kakashi opportunities to fight again.

It wasn’t until twenty minutes had passed, when Hiruzen Sarutobi saw that Kakashi’s Chakra and stamina were somewhat faltering, that he truly went all out, defeating Kakashi overwhelmingly.

“Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi wins!” the referee announced.

“This Kakashi is such a loser, he even got knocked into the wall,” Obito chuckled in the lounge, feeling a bit of regret at the same time.

If the camera here in the lounge could capture it well, he would definitely take a beautiful photo of Kakashi when he was knocked into the wall.

Thinking this, Obito glanced at Nagato.

Now, it was just the two of them in the contestant lounge, and it would be their turn soon.