Practical Combat

After getting to know each other a little, the three of them said nothing more and returned to their respective homes.

Back home, Uchiha Kiyoshi reflected on everything he had experienced over the years and could not help feeling sentimental.

"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 ninja career will be like from here on out."

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 do not like unnecessary rules. We were originally supposed to conduct an assessment today, but we will not be doing that."

Orochimaru had no intention of holding the classic Bell Test.

Aside from observing the abilities of newly graduated Genin, the main purpose of the Bell Test was 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 placed with him by his teacher, the Third Hokage. Could Orochimaru really eliminate any of them?

Hearing that the planned assessment 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 an assessment, we still have another task today. The three of you will join forces and fight me. If your performance is satisfactory, there will be a reward."

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

Nawaki immediately slumped. Tsunade beat him up every day, and he could roughly imagine just how strong Orochimaru was, considering even Tsunade spoke highly of him.

"Huh? No way. Sensei, you are so strong. How can we 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 just need to show our abilities."

As Uchiha Kiyoshi explained to Nawaki, he also wondered what Orochimaru's so-called reward would be. To be honest, the reward was what he cared about. Something Orochimaru gave could not be of low value. At the very least, it would probably be a Ninjutsu.

Orochimaru roughly assessed the reactions of the three and said nothing. He simply vanished.

"I will 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. In actual combat, the Body Flicker Jutsu caused the body to stiffen for an instant, but its usefulness was still considerable. More importantly, with a whoosh, a person was just gone. How cool was that?

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

"I am better at defense. When the time comes, I can hold Orochimaru-sensei off from the front. You two can harass him or support me depending on the situation. Sensei's goal is to understand our abilities and see how well we work together, so he should not use strength that is too overwhelming. We should be able to hold out for a while."

Sarutobi Saku also described what he was good at.

In Taijutsu, Sarutobi Saku might not have been a match for Uchiha Kiyoshi, but when it came to Ninjutsu, at least for now, Sarutobi Saku had learned more techniques than Uchiha Kiyoshi. Moreover, they were Wind Release Ninjutsu known for their offensive power.

Ten minutes later, Orochimaru reappeared before the three of them. Uchiha Kiyoshi said nothing and immediately entered a combat stance, guarding against Orochimaru. The other two had originally intended to greet Orochimaru, but upon seeing Uchiha Kiyoshi's actions, they quickly reacted, leaped apart, and entered fighting stances.

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

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

Fortunately, Uchiha Kiyoshi had entered a guarded state early. The instant Orochimaru attacked, Uchiha Kiyoshi reacted and blocked Orochimaru's kunai.

That was right. Orochimaru had suddenly launched a surprise attack with a kunai in hand.

Uchiha Kiyoshi broke out in a cold sweat. Damn, he was serious? Did he have to be so ruthless? Luckily, he had been prepared. Otherwise, he would have been crippled by that opening strike.

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

Orochimaru neither approved nor disapproved of their tactics. Of the three, only Uchiha Kiyoshi could briefly fight him while he suppressed his strength. The other two supporting him was tactically sound.

"Since that is the case, let me see your limits."

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

Uchiha Kiyoshi had no time to pay attention to Orochimaru's expression. He hurriedly drew a kunai and fought 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 completely focused and give it his all.

Uchiha Kiyoshi channeled Chakra into both legs while releasing some Chakra from the soles of his feet. He pushed off the ground with all his strength, and the Chakra beneath his feet exploded, propelling him rapidly in one direction. This was a rapid-movement method Uchiha Kiyoshi had developed over the years. It put considerable strain on his feet, so he could not use it too many times. It used the reverse force of exploding Chakra to propel him at high speed. Uchiha Kiyoshi had named it the Reaction Propulsion Technique. The name was not very good, but it was only an intermediate product anyway. 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 technique, but this was not the time to study it.

Before Orochimaru could continue attacking, Sarutobi Saku and Nawaki finally caught the moment when the two had separated and naturally seized the opportunity, throwing five kunai. Nawaki threw three, while Sarutobi Saku threw two.

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

"Water Release: Water Arrow Technique."

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

The two Ninjutsu flew straight toward Orochimaru.

Faced with this, Orochimaru finally used a Ninjutsu again.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."

It was the same Ninjutsu as Sarutobi Saku's, but far more powerful.

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

A fist-sized fireball shot rapidly toward Orochimaru's Wind Release.

Compressing it to the size of a fist not only made it more powerful, but also much 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 did truly alter the direction of the technique.

Orochimaru had not expected Uchiha Kiyoshi's move. Caught off guard, he was engulfed by the two Ninjutsu.

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

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

Just as Nawaki was about to react, Orochimaru struck him from behind, kicking him flying and rendering him unable to fight.

On the other side, Orochimaru also closed in on Sarutobi Saku. However, unlike Nawaki, who had abundant Chakra and could still resist, Sarutobi Saku had barely any Chakra left after using a C-rank technique like Great Breakthrough. Faced with Orochimaru's surprise attack, he had no ability to resist and was eliminated immediately.

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

Uchiha Kiyoshi could only feel helpless. He had not been able to get there in time, and Orochimaru's Body Flicker Jutsu was simply unfair. Who could keep up with it now?

One Fireball Jutsu had consumed a large amount of his Chakra, so when Orochimaru attacked again, he was quickly defeated.

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