Chapter 515 Amazing Rewards

Once Rockruff had fully recovered, the final battle was about to begin.

“Although you have an evolutionary advantage, Rockruff is cunning, so you must be extra careful during the battle,” Obito reminded Charmeleon.

It was true that Charmeleon had evolved, but Charmeleon was born much later than Rockruff. Rockruff had a longer training period, not only mastering its own abilities well but also learning Kakashi’s Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation.

“Charizard!” Charmeleon crossed his arms, exhaling a hot breath from his nostrils, displaying the demeanor of a great general.

“He will win,” Zorua translated.

Obito’s face darkened; why did he have such a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he saw someone’s shadow? Could it be Might Guy?

“Charmeleon versus Manewra,” the referee Kakashi began to announce the names of the combatants.

Charmeleon and Rockruff walked together to the battleground. As the two Nin-Beasts looked at each other, they could both see the desire for victory in the other’s eyes.

“If I lose to an unevolved Rockruff, the inherently evil Obito will definitely mock me mercilessly!” Charmeleon thought, and his claws instinctively hardened.

“Kakashi has put so much effort into my training, and I was born the earliest, so I absolutely cannot lose!” Rockruff’s gaze was firm.

“Begin!”

As Kakashi’s voice fell, both Charmeleon and Rockruff immediately moved.

“Shadow Clone!”

While running, Rockruff used Chakra to create five illusory Shadow Clones identical to him. They ran swiftly together, constantly switching positions, making it difficult to discern his true body.

Charmeleon originally intended to start with Smoke Screen to confuse Rockruff’s vision, but Rockruff’s Shadow Clone technique made Charmeleon hesitate.

He couldn’t even distinguish which one was the real Rockruff, so would using Smoke Screen be effective?

“Flash!”

Whoosh!

Just as Charmeleon was pondering which one was Rockruff’s true body, Rockruff suddenly burst forth with Chakra, charging rapidly towards Charmeleon.

Bang!

Unable to react, Charmeleon was directly knocked to the ground.

“Rock Throw!”

Rockruff, without ceremony, condensed Chakra above Charmeleon, forming a large rock about one meter tall.

Charmeleon sensed the danger and quickly rolled, barely dodging the falling rock, but immediately after, a gust of fine sand blew into his face.

Charmeleon instantly understood Riolu’s feelings from the previous battle.

After a large amount of sand entered his eyes, Charmeleon instantly felt unbearable discomfort. His eyes blinked uncontrollably, and the liquid secreted from his tear ducts blurred his vision.

Obito stared at this scene, dumbfounded, completely unexpected that Charmeleon, who had evolved once, was utterly defenseless in the initial stages of the battle.

“You inherently evil white-furred puppy, you truly are ruthless!” Obito wanted to forbid Rockruff from throwing sand.

This Ninjutsu was truly disgusting; wasn’t it equivalent to suddenly throwing a handful of lime into the enemy’s eyes during a battle?

Kakashi’s expression remained normal. In a battle, winning was the most important thing, and this tactic was precisely what he had taught Rockruff.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Charmeleon, worried that Rockruff would seize the opportunity to attack, opened his mouth and spewed out a large amount of flames.

But Rockruff had been guarding against Charmeleon’s flames and used Flash to quickly move out of Charmeleon’s attack range.

“Woof!”

Rockruff did not rush to attack again. He first howled loudly, concentrating his Chakra to enhance his Chakra intensity.

Immediately after, he used Shadow Clone and charged towards Charmeleon, preparing to repeat the trick and take Charmeleon down.

“Charizard!” This time, Charmeleon didn’t hesitate at all. If he couldn’t find the main body, he would attack randomly.

Charmeleon condensed a large amount of Chakra in his mouth, exhaling powerful breaths.

The two Rockruffs running at the forefront instantly dissipated under the force of the breath.

“Rock!” Rockruff immediately condensed Chakra and performed Nature Transformation, pulling up a small Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall from the ground to block himself.

He was currently on all fours, making it inconvenient to form hand signs, so he couldn’t create a thick, tall Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall like Kakashi. He could only barely create a small Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall using his innate talent, but for now, it was just enough.

The Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall blocked Charmeleon’s Dragon Breath, but many clumps of dirt fell off.

Charmeleon, enduring the discomfort in his eyes, rushed forward, concentrating all his strength in his right claw, and struck towards the Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall as he flew forward.

Bang!

Boom!!

Charmeleon’s powerful force instantly collapsed the already damaged Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall.

Whoosh! Whoosh!!

Immediately after, Charmeleon, without hesitation, instantly spewed flames. He believed Rockruff would never have expected him to possess such strength.

The Rockruffs behind the wall, as Charmeleon had expected, had no idea he would move so quickly and sharply, and none of them managed to escape the range of his flames.

Charmeleon’s face broke into a smile, as if he could already see his victory.

However, Obito couldn’t help but cover his face. If an Earth Release user disappeared from sight, one should consider whether they might burrow underground and flank you.

Bang! Bang!!

Then, something Charmeleon hadn’t expected happened: all the Rockruffs hit by Charmeleon’s flames turned into smoke and dissipated, not a single one remaining.

Charmeleon was dumbfounded. What was going on? Did he kill Rockruff? He just wanted to win the battle.

Then Charmeleon noticed something: a shadow appeared a bit ahead of him!

Charmeleon instinctively looked up, and a rock had already formed in the sky.

Suddenly, a strong pushing sensation came over him, and Charmeleon stumbled forward, while the rock happened to fall and hit Charmeleon’s body, directly knocking Charmeleon to the ground.

“Rock!” Rockruff raised his head proudly and glanced in Kakashi’s direction.

Kakashi nodded slightly in response. Rockruff had applied the tactics he taught him very well. Charmeleon was almost entirely caught in Rockruff’s attack rhythm, unable to unleash his full strength.

Then Rockruff looked at Charmeleon, who was pinned under the rock. Kakashi had emphasized to him many times that he couldn’t start celebrating victory halfway through the battle; he had to persevere until he truly won.

At this moment, Charmeleon’s expression was contorted, as if he was enduring immense pain and was already unable to fight.

“Charmeleon clearly evolved once, so why is his body so much weaker than Riolu’s?” Obito was somewhat confused.

Riolu, even when interfered with, could shatter Rockruff’s rock with one punch, while Charmeleon seemed to be on the verge of death after being hit once.

“I’ll buy him something good to comfort him later,” Obito thought to himself.

Losing a battle despite being one evolution ahead was indeed difficult, and Obito understood that feeling well.

Because he had often had superior raw strength in the past, but due to carelessness, he was defeated by other disciples. The moment of defeat, he would doubt his entire existence.

“I absolutely cannot fall, I absolutely cannot be underestimated by this guy Obito!” Charmeleon roared in his heart.

Whoosh!

The flames on Charmeleon’s tail suddenly flared up, burning fiercely, doubling in size.

At this moment, Charmeleon felt his entire body filled with power.

Rockruff saw that something was wrong and wanted to deliver a finishing blow, but he was a step too slow.

Boom!

The erupting Charmeleon pushed aside the large rock and quickly got up, spewing a large amount of orange-red flames at Rockruff.

Obito watched this scene with a surprised expression, unexpected that Charmeleon would also have a great burst of power after being severely injured, just like Kakashi.

“Did he actually win?” Obito was very surprised; he had already decided what to buy to comfort Charmeleon.

Given Rockruff’s physique, which almost collapsed after Riolu’s single blow, he should not have been able to withstand Charmeleon’s extraordinary flames.

Bang!

Rockruff, with a slightly charred body, suddenly rushed out of the flames and knocked down the fire-breathing Charmeleon.

Obito:???

Did Rockruff hide his strength and act last time? Why was he a weak little puppy when fighting Riolu, but a mighty iron dog when fighting Charmeleon?

Not only Obito, but even Kakashi was somewhat surprised, unexpected that Rockruff actually withstood Charmeleon’s flames and knocked him down.

After being tackled, Rockruff, without ceremony, condensed Chakra and bit Charmeleon, completely incapacitating him.

“Charmeleon is unable to battle, Rockruff wins!” Kakashi observed Charmeleon’s condition for a while before announcing the final winner.

Rin Nohara treated the lightly injured Rockruff, while Muzuki treated Charmeleon.

“You’re truly amazing, Kakashi. I feel like you’re very good at training Nin-Beasts,” Rin Nohara praised Kakashi while treating Rockruff.

Compared to Charmeleon, Rockruff’s fighting style was undoubtedly more like a Ninja. He not only utilized every one of his abilities very well but also had several tactics.

“It’s alright, he also worked hard enough himself,” Kakashi said as he groomed Rockruff’s fur.

If all the credit were attributed to him, Kakashi believed it would be unreasonable. If it were a different Nin-Beast, Kakashi wasn’t confident he could train it to be like Rockruff.

“Rock.” Rockruff happily stuck out his tongue and licked Kakashi’s palm.

The defeated Charmeleon kept his eyes tightly shut, as if he had fainted.

Actually, Charmeleon was still awake, but he felt it would be better if he collapsed. Even the evil Obito wouldn’t reprimand someone who had fainted, right?

“Muzuki-sensei,” Obito walked to Muzuki, who was treating Charmeleon, and looked at Charmeleon.

Hearing this familiar voice, Charmeleon remained outwardly calm, but his heart skipped a beat.

“Is Charmeleon alright? His body seems a bit weak, not like Riolu and the others,” Obito asked with concern.

Charmeleon:…

For a moment, he didn’t know if Obito was mocking or genuinely concerned about him.

“Actually, it’s not that Charmeleon’s body is weak, but that his Chakra is countered, making it difficult for him to withstand Manewra’s attacks,” Muzuki explained.

Charmeleon fighting Manewra was indeed a complete counter, because Charmeleon currently only had two attack methods: flames and normal-type moves. In games, these two types only deal half damage against rock-type.

Although reality isn’t like a game with fixed values, it’s quite obvious when the raw strength difference isn’t significant.

“Huh?” Obito was confused. He knew that Chakra Nature Transformation had counter relationships, but how could Chakra itself have counters?

“Everyone’s Chakra has subtle differences, and some special Chakras have unique effects. All of your Nin-Beasts have special types of Chakra,” Muzuki explained.

“Charmeleon can’t deal with Earth Release?” Obito thought for a moment and asked the question he was most concerned about.

Muzuki shook his head. What truly injured Charmeleon was Rockruff’s own special Chakra after being localized, not the Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation.

Obito breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn’t countered by all Earth Release Ninja, then it was fine.

“No, why is my Charmeleon being countered?”

Obito thought of a very serious problem. If Charmeleon was countered by Rockruff, wouldn’t Charmeleon be suppressed by Manewra for life?

“Is Manewra’s Chakra countered by Riolu?” Kakashi thought of Manewra’s battle with Riolu and asked Muzuki.

Compared to the battle with Charmeleon, Rockruff’s battle with Riolu was truly thrilling.

Muzuki nodded in affirmation. Riolu’s fighting-type moves and steel-type moves could both counter Rockruff’s rock type.

“Where exactly do Nin-Beasts like Rockruff come from?” Kakashi was very curious about this.

Since only special Chakra has special effects, and all their Nin-Beasts have special Chakra, can it still be called “special”?

“Muzuki-sensei, who does Charmeleon counter?” Obito couldn’t help but ask.

Since Rockruff, who countered Charmeleon, was countered by Riolu, then his Charmeleon should at least have someone he countered.

“Not currently,” Muzuki shook his head in response.

If Charmeleon evolved into Charizard and Riolu evolved into Lucario, then Charizard could use flames to counter Lucario. But the current Charmeleon truly had no one he could counter.

Obito:…

How come everyone else can counter someone, but when it comes to you, you’re useless and only get countered?

Obito instantly felt relieved when he thought that Charmeleon inherently possessed Fire Release abilities. After all, it was the Fire Release of the common man.

If it was Fire Release, it was normal.

Charmeleon also felt a chill, what was wrong with this world, why was it so unfriendly to dragons?

“It’s quite miserable. Buy it more food recently. Eat more to grow stronger,” Obito sighed.

At this moment, he inexplicably empathized with Charmeleon. Charmeleon was only countered by light and had no counter-objects, while he had no skills similar to Golden Skyline or No Thought Strike to learn.

Charmeleon opened its eyes and looked at Obito in disbelief. Could it be true that the inherently evil Obito could say such a human thing?

Could it be that it had truly been knocked out and was now dreaming?

Charmeleon felt a bit guilty for a moment. Perhaps it should rein in its temper and get along harmoniously with Obito.

“Translator, I’m sorry, I won’t be attending tonight’s meeting to prank Obito,” Charmeleon gave Zorua an apologetic look.

Although Zorua was a good friend, Obito was the contractor.

“I specifically read a book. Eating and training more will make you stronger and more robust. Training without eating is not good,” Obito continued.

Charmeleon was numb. It just knew why Obito was suddenly so nice. He was waiting for it, right? After eating, he would secretly use his Sharingan to hypnotize it into training more.

“My eyes cramped just now. I’ll attend the meeting as usual today,” Charmeleon communicated with Zorua again with its eyes, then quickly closed them.

Contractor? A contractor is a hammer!

You have to hit inherently evil Uchiha brats like Obito with a heavy punch.

…

Land of Rain.

The Six Paths City currently under construction.

Kitsuchi came to probe the Shinobi Sect’s thoughts on Ōnoki’s orders.

Since Kitsuchi was the intermediary for the cooperation between the Shinobi Sect and the Rain Ninja, and he also attended the unrestricted lectures, the Ninja Sect Ninja had a good impression of Kitsuchi and the other Iwagakure. Kitsuchi quickly succeeded in meeting the Shinobi Sect’s higher-ups.

“The Shinobi Sect should be accepting missions now, right?” Kitsuchi asked.

“That depends on the type of mission and the specific commission amount,” Kakuzu replied.

The Shinobi Sect was about to hold a competition to earn big money, and the Shinobi Sect’s priority was definitely the construction of Six Paths City and the pacification of the eastern region.

Other Ninja Sect Ninja might have a good impression of Kitsuchi for promoting peace in the Land of Rain, but Kakuzu knew that Iwagakure definitely had ulterior motives, so he would not give Kitsuchi any convenience; everything would be handled officially.

“Iwagakure wants to commission the Shinobi Sect, or more accurately, commission the Shinobi Sect leader to train some Ninja for us,” Kitsuchi stated his purpose.

Kakuzu was slightly stunned and secretly thought to himself that a big fat sheep had come to their door.

With Ninja Master Sōsuke’s current prestige in the Ninja World, a mission specifically for him? Would it even be appropriate to issue a mission without offering a few million or tens of millions?

Although he had already regarded Kitsuchi as a walking ATM in his heart, Kakuzu’s expression remained unchanged.

“What does Iwagakure mean? Our leader is a top-tier expert known throughout the Ninja World, capable of easily defeating even the Half-God Hanzo. You actually want our powerful and busy leader to help you train Ninja?” Kakuzu said with a serious expression.

If it were an expert, they would already be able to see that although Kakuzu’s words were strict, a closer look at the lines between the words was filled with demands for more money.

However, Kitsuchi was a very straightforward person. Seeing Kakuzu’s words, Kitsuchi apologized, “Sorry for disturbing you.”

Kakuzu looked at Kitsuchi with a puzzled expression. What was going on? Why wasn’t he playing by the rules?

Fortunately, Ōnoki had already foreseen this situation, and the Iwagakure Jōnin behind Kitsuchi quickly spoke up:

“Lord Kitsuchi means that I will communicate with you from now on.”

Kakuzu looked at Kitsuchi, who nodded. Ōnoki had mentioned it before they departed.

“Iwagakure has come with great sincerity to cooperate with the Shinobi Sect this time. Considering the Shinobi Sect’s difficulties, if the Shinobi Sect is willing to cooperate, Iwagakure will help the Shinobi Sect establish a base,” the Iwagakure Jōnin said.

Kakuzu showed a thoughtful expression. The Iwagakure Jōnin’s underlying message was clearly that they were not short of money, and as long as the Shinobi Sect was willing to cooperate, anything could be discussed.

Of course, Kakuzu didn’t believe in things that weren’t in hand; no matter how good the words were, they could be reneged upon.

“I need to consult the leader,” Kakuzu did not probe Iwagakure’s price bottom line but instead prepared to discuss it with Muzuki to ask for Muzuki’s thoughts.

He couldn’t replace Muzuki in accepting the commission; that would be a bit rebellious. Muzuki was the Shinobi Sect leader.

“Helping with training is fine, but all expenses must be covered by Iwagakure. You can decide the specific training fees yourself,” Muzuki thought for a moment and replied.

The Shinobi Sect was short-handed, so it would naturally be good to have Iwagakure’s help. The Ninja who came for training could also help with construction, and Earth Release Ninja should be more capable in infrastructure.

In any case, Muzuki probably wouldn’t teach Iwagakure any special abilities. At most, he would help them lay a solid foundation like in a large class, making it difficult for them to improve significantly in a short time.

After answering Kakuzu’s question, Muzuki continued to ponder the Youth Martial Arts Tournament plan.

The first-place prize was already a sufficient gimmick: Fire Dragon Dance, Ninja Master Sōsuke’s famous Ninjutsu.

However, the prizes for second to fourth place also needed to be attractive enough, as not everyone could aim for first place.

The Super Exploding Water Shockwave that Muzuki had developed was an S-rank super Water Release. However, since Muzuki himself had used it, to avoid exposing his alias, the Super Exploding Water Shockwave could not be used as a prize.

If Super Exploding Water Shockwave were to be a prize, Muzuki would even have to develop it further, because this Ninjutsu was tailor-made for the Water Breathing Chakra Mode. Without the Water Breathing Chakra Mode, perhaps only Water Release Ninja like Senju Tobirama could learn it.

Muzuki thought for a moment and wrote “Custom Ninjutsu Development” for the second-place prize.

If someone became the second-place winner, they would receive a custom-made Ninjutsu from the Ninja Master, which was a huge draw as a gimmick.

For Muzuki, who had profound Ninjutsu knowledge, developing Ninjutsu was not difficult; the difficulty lay in developing very powerful Ninjutsu.

For a Ninjutsu like Rasengan, what was most needed was not Ninjutsu foundation, but a sudden Flash of inspiration.

Next, Muzuki wrote “Ninja Master’s Handwritten Cultivation Notes” for third place and “Chakra Blade worth ten million Ryo” for fourth place.

The ore Muzuki obtained in Land of Snow had not yet been used. He planned to use those ores to forge a blade as a prize.

After finalizing the prizes for the top four, Muzuki released the news.

This time, Muzuki didn’t even specifically promote it, but because of the groundwork laid by the unrestricted lectures, plus the prizes being genuinely attractive, newspapers from various countries and regions reported on it, and the term “Youth Martial Arts Tournament” instantly became hot in the Ninja World.

Even the Lord Daimyo of Fire Country learned of this news.

He curiously asked his Ninja guards about the special features of the top four prizes. The Daimyo felt they all sounded quite ordinary.

“Fire Dragon Dance now has the reputation of being the strongest Fire Release Ninjutsu in the Ninja World. Every Ninja who practices Fire Release longs to see it.”

“Ninja Master Sōsuke is proficient in seven Chakra Nature Transformation, and his Ninjutsu foundation is profound. If he were to specifically develop a Ninjutsu for someone, it would definitely be excellent.”

“Ninja Master Sōsuke, as one of the current pinnacles of the Ninja World, his cultivation insights are naturally precious.”

“Ten million Ryo may not be much to you, Lord Daimyo, but it is actually enough to issue ten S-rank Missions in Konoha Village.”

The Ninja guards explained to the Daimyo one by one.

“The strongest Fire Release, sounds very impressive. Many Ninja should participate in the competition,” the Daimyo showed an interested expression.

Although the Daimyo did not practice Ninjutsu, hearing the adjective “strongest” allowed him to understand the power of Fire Dragon Dance.

The Ninja guard nodded. With such exaggerated prizes, it was hard not to be tempted.

“Contact the Hokage of Konoha,” the Daimyo wanted to know if any Ninja from Konoha would participate in the competition.

He wanted to go and watch the competition.

One of the Lord Daimyo of Fire Country’s few minor interests was watching Ninja battles. He felt that the more powerful the Ninja, the more spectacular the fights were.

Although he couldn’t see the Ninja’s movements, the clash of Ninjutsu was very impactful.

After receiving the Daimyo’s message, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly reviewed the information of Konoha Ninja under eighteen in his mind.

After some thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi found that Muzuki’s disciples were surprisingly the strongest.

Although Kakashi, Obito, and Might Guy were only eleven years old, and Shisui was only nine, they were already the strongest group of Ninja under eighteen in Konoha.

If time were to go back three years, Hiruzen Sarutobi would already be popping champagne, because three years ago, Minato Namikaze and Muzuki both met the participation criteria, and with a bit of luck, they could have swept the top two spots.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was already interested in Fire Dragon Dance, and now the Daimyo was also interested. Hiruzen Sarutobi didn’t mind earning some extra money from the Daimyo.

After finding a few other young talents, Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Ninja to go and notify them.

Since Obito and the others were all Muzuki’s disciples, Hiruzen Sarutobi directly notified Muzuki, asking Muzuki to inquire about Obito and their intentions.

“Youth Martial Arts Tournament, will there be many participants? What are the prizes?” Obito asked curiously.

Obito liked participating in competitions, but there were a few prerequisites: he had to get a good ranking, Rin Nohara had to be nearby, or the competition had good prizes.

“It’s highly likely there will be many people, and the prizes are all on this scroll,” Muzuki handed the scroll containing the Youth Martial Arts Tournament information to Obito.

“The first prize is a powerful Fire Release called Fire Dragon Dance,” Kakashi said before Obito could even start reading.

Kakashi was someone who liked to keep up with current affairs, so he knew a bit about the Shinobi Sect and the Youth Martial Arts Tournament.

Hearing it was a Fire Release, Obito’s expression changed, and he couldn’t help but ask, “How strong is ‘very strong’?”

He desperately needed a powerful Fire Release. The Fire Release he currently mastered was enough for fighting other Ninja, but it was truly insufficient for internal battles.

“I haven’t seen it, but many people now think it’s the strongest Fire Release,” Kakashi finished, glancing at Muzuki.

Kakashi felt that Muzuki’s Fire Release was also very strong, possibly not inferior to Sōsuke’s.

“Muzuki-sensei, do you know about this Fire Dragon Dance?” Obito immediately asked the omniscient Muzuki.

“It should be very strong,” Muzuki thought for a moment and replied.

Fire Dragon Dance was certainly very strong, but even if Obito really got it, it would be useless because he couldn’t use it yet.

If Obito could use it, Muzuki would have taught it to him long ago; at worst, the first prize of the Martial Arts Tournament could be swapped for another Ninjutsu.

Hearing Muzuki say the word “strong,” Obito knew that he absolutely had to go to this Youth Martial Arts Tournament. This was strength acknowledged by Muzuki, and its value was too high.

“What, it’s actually restricted to eighteen years old? Isn’t this tailor-made for us!” Obito’s eyes lit up after understanding the rules.

Since graduating, besides internal battles among disciples, Obito had instantly killed all his peers. Those worth fighting were usually Ninja in their twenties or thirties.

“It seems there’s nothing I need,” Might Guy peered over and scratched his head.

He didn’t learn Ninjutsu, so the first and second prizes were useless to him. As for cultivation notes, with Muzuki, why would he need those? Only the ten million Ryo Ninja blade was useful; he could sell it for money.

“I think it’s better if we all participate together. If you’re not satisfied with your prize, we can swap,” Shisui said.

Currently, Might Guy was definitely the strongest disciple in terms of overall strength. Shisui felt that if Might Guy went, first place was basically guaranteed.

“Shisui makes sense!” Obito followed up.

Although he couldn’t get first place if Might Guy participated, the Fire Release Ninjutsu would be secured.

Obito didn’t believe there was any underage Ninja in the Ninja World stronger than Might Guy currently.