Practical Combat

After getting to know one another briefly, the three did not say much else and each returned home.

Back at home, Uchiha Kiyoshi reflected on his experiences over the past years and could not help feeling rather emotional.

"It has already been ten years since I came to this world. At last, I can experience the life of a ninja for myself. I wonder what my future ninja career will be like."

The next day, nine in the morning.

Konoha Training Ground 7.

Uchiha Kiyoshi, Nawaki, and Sarutobi Saku stood in an open area at the edge of the training ground. Before them stood Orochimaru, who had just arrived.

"I told you yesterday that I dislike unnecessary rules. Originally, I was supposed to test you today, but we will not be doing that."

Orochimaru had no intention of holding the classic Bell Test.

Besides observing the abilities of newly graduated Genin, the Bell Test was mainly meant to assess their character. Uchiha Kiyoshi and the other two had practically been under observation since childhood, so there was no need to test them in that regard.

Of the three, one interested him, one had been entrusted to him by a companion, and one had been sent his way by his teacher, the Third Hokage. Could Orochimaru really eliminate any of them?

Hearing that the planned test had been canceled outright, Nawaki was naturally overjoyed and was about to cheer. However, before he could make a sound, Orochimaru continued with the day's plan.

"Although you do not need to undergo a test, we still have another task today. The three of you will join forces and fight me. If your performance satisfies me, there will be a reward."

After saying that, Orochimaru stared at the three of them, wanting to see their reactions.

Nawaki immediately wilted. Tsunade tortured him every day, so he could roughly imagine how strong Orochimaru, whom even Tsunade highly praised, must be.

"Huh? Seriously? Sensei, you're so strong. How are we supposed to fight you? How about we fight each other instead?"

"Nawaki, Orochimaru-sensei means that we will fight him, but Sensei will not use his full strength. We do not need to win. We only need to show our abilities."

As Uchiha Kiyoshi explained to Nawaki, he also considered what Orochimaru's so-called reward might be. To be honest, the reward was what he cared about. Whatever Orochimaru gave them should be quite valuable—at the very least, it ought to be a Ninjutsu.

Orochimaru roughly took in the three of their reactions, said nothing, and vanished.

"I'll give you ten minutes to discuss your tactics."

Watching Orochimaru disappear, Uchiha Kiyoshi knew it was the Body Flicker Jutsu, and he could not help envying it. Although using the Body Flicker Jutsu in actual combat would leave the body stiff for an instant, it was still an incredibly useful Ninjutsu. More importantly, with a whoosh, the person was gone. How cool was that?

Coming back to his senses, Uchiha Kiyoshi looked at the other two and first explained his strengths. He was mainly speaking to Sarutobi Saku. Nawaki had already become very familiar with Uchiha Kiyoshi's abilities over the past few years. Likewise, Uchiha Kiyoshi knew quite a bit about Nawaki.

"I'm better at defense. When the time comes, I can hold Orochimaru-sensei off from the front. You two can harass him or support me as the situation calls for it. Sensei's goal is to understand our abilities and see how well we cooperate, so he probably will not use too much strength. We should be able to hold out for a while."

Sarutobi Saku also spoke about what he was good at.

Sarutobi Saku might not be as skilled as Uchiha Kiyoshi in taijutsu, but in terms of Ninjutsu, at least for now, he had learned more than Uchiha Kiyoshi. Moreover, they were Wind Release Ninjutsu known for their offensive power.

Ten minutes later, Orochimaru appeared before the three again. Uchiha Kiyoshi said nothing and immediately entered a combat stance, guarding against Orochimaru. The other two had initially wanted to greet Orochimaru, but upon seeing Uchiha Kiyoshi's movements, they quickly reacted as well, leaping apart and entering fighting stances.

Orochimaru truly did not play by the rules. Without caring whether they were ready, he attacked directly.

However, satisfaction showed in Orochimaru's eyes as he looked at Uchiha Kiyoshi, though Uchiha Kiyoshi did not see it.

Fortunately, Uchiha Kiyoshi had entered a guarded state early. The moment Orochimaru attacked, he reacted and blocked Orochimaru's Kunai.

That was right. Orochimaru, who had suddenly made his move, had launched a surprise attack with a Kunai in hand.

Uchiha Kiyoshi broke out in a cold sweat. Damn, he's serious. Does he have to be this ruthless? Luckily, he had prepared himself beforehand. Otherwise, that first strike alone would have taken him out.

As agreed, Nawaki and Sarutobi Saku did not step forward to help. Instead, they ran toward opposite sides and hid themselves.

Orochimaru neither approved nor disapproved of their tactics. Among the three, only Uchiha Kiyoshi could briefly fight against him while he suppressed his strength. With the other two coordinating, there was no problem with their strategy.

"Since that's the case, let me see your limit."

Orochimaru looked at Uchiha Kiyoshi, excitedly stuck out his tongue, licked the corner of his mouth, and continued his attack.

Uchiha Kiyoshi had no time to pay attention to Orochimaru's expression. He hurriedly drew a Kunai and engaged Orochimaru.

Clang!

After blocking Orochimaru's Kunai again, Uchiha Kiyoshi panted heavily, not daring to relax in the slightest. Even though Orochimaru was only testing him, he gave off a suffocating sense of death. The feeling was so real that it put immense pressure on Uchiha Kiyoshi, forcing him to remain fully focused and give it everything he had.

Uchiha Kiyoshi poured Chakra into his legs while releasing some Chakra beneath his feet. He pushed off the ground with all his strength, and the Chakra beneath his feet exploded, propelling him rapidly in a certain direction. This was a method of rapid movement Uchiha Kiyoshi had developed over the past few years. It was rather damaging to his feet and could not be used too many times. It utilized the reverse propulsive force of exploding Chakra to push him forward quickly. Uchiha Kiyoshi had named it the Reaction Propulsion Technique. The name was not very appealing, but it was only an intermediate creation. Once he learned the Body Flicker Technique in the future, he would no longer need it, so its name was not that important.

Orochimaru was somewhat surprised by Uchiha Kiyoshi's move, but this was not the time to study such things.

Before Orochimaru could continue attacking, Sarutobi Saku and Nawaki finally caught the moment when the two were separated and naturally seized the opportunity, throwing five Kunai—three from Nawaki and two from Sarutobi Saku.

Facing the five Kunai, Orochimaru used Hidden Shadow Snake Hands to knock aside three of them, then easily dodged the other two. At that moment, Sarutobi Saku and Nawaki had also finished forming their hand seals.

"Water Release: Water Arrow Technique."

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

The two Ninjutsu shot directly toward Orochimaru.

Faced with this, Orochimaru finally used another Ninjutsu.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."

It was the same Ninjutsu as Sarutobi Saku's, but its power far surpassed his.

Yet before the Ninjutsu from both sides could collide, Uchiha Kiyoshi also unleashed a Ninjutsu. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

A fireball the size of a fist shot rapidly toward Orochimaru's Wind Release.

Compressing it to the size of a fist not only made it more powerful, but also far faster.

Under Uchiha Kiyoshi's control, the fireball reached the side of the path of Orochimaru's Wind Release and exploded.

Although it did not significantly weaken Orochimaru's Great Breakthrough, it genuinely altered the Ninjutsu's direction.

Orochimaru had not expected Uchiha Kiyoshi to pull this move. Caught off guard, he was swallowed by the two Ninjutsu.

Nawaki and Sarutobi Saku also breathed sighs of relief, but the voice by Nawaki's ear made his scalp crawl.

"Not bad. Both of those Ninjutsu were quite powerful."

Just as Nawaki was about to do something, Orochimaru struck him from behind, kicking him flying. Nawaki lost his ability to fight.

On the other side, Sarutobi Saku was also approached by Orochimaru. Unlike Nawaki, who had abundant Chakra left and could still resist, Sarutobi Saku had barely any Chakra remaining after using a C-rank Ninjutsu like Great Breakthrough. Facing Orochimaru's surprise attack, he had no power to resist and was directly eliminated.

After dealing with the two who had been attacking from the shadows, Orochimaru returned to Uchiha Kiyoshi.

Uchiha Kiyoshi was helpless. He had not made it in time, and Orochimaru's Body Flicker Jutsu was simply too unfair. Who could possibly keep up with it now?

One Fireball Jutsu had consumed a large amount of his Chakra, so when facing Orochimaru's next attack, he was quickly defeated.

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