A Sparring Match That Made His Head Ache

"I'm coming, Katsuki."

Yahiko shouted loudly.

"Oh, come on!"

Katsuki responded listlessly, showing absolutely no interest in this sparring match.

It's not that I'm underestimating Yahiko, but Yahiko is clearly not the kind of genius who excels in combat. His strength may be decent, but he is by no means among the top of his peers. On the contrary, Nagato and Konan have remarkable talent in combat.

Perhaps a different opponent would pique my interest.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!!"

The Shuriken sliced through the rain, its rapidly spinning tip reflecting a silvery-white light, adding a touch of chilling killing intent.

However, it's ultimately not enough.

A series of clanging sounds rang out as all the Shuriken were deflected and knocked away by Katsuki's bare hands.

"Nagato, what do you think Yahiko's chances of winning are?" Konan asked quietly, lowering her voice.

"Hmm, probably less than 10%! Yahiko's skills are quite good, but... that guy is indeed very strong, and his combat experience should be more extensive than ours," Nagato answered honestly.

The results of the inquiry were not much different from her initial suspicions, and a hint of worry appeared on the girl's bright face.

"One in ten? That's really a headache... I hope Yahiko isn't too devastated... Hmm, he should be alright!"

The girl prayed silently. Yahiko was a very competitive person. Although he wouldn't be fixated on a single victory or defeat, failure was not a pleasant thing, and no one liked to lose.

"Hardening Technique? Katsuki, you're really amazing."

Yahiko's expression was fervent, his face full of high fighting spirit. Most of his combat experience came from sparring with Jiraiya, Nagato, Konan. Apart from that, his experience fighting against others was very limited. Therefore, he was quite excited. The better Katsuki performed, the more excited he became.

"Then I won't hold back from here on out."

"Come on, come on!"

Although she wasn't really motivated, Katsuki still put on a serious face. She had to save face for him; sometimes winning too easily can be quite stressful.

Yahiko began to jump backward. After witnessing Katsuki's ability to block Shuriken, he completely gave up on the idea of Taijutsu combat. Whether it was the Earth Release's Hardening Technique or the Lightning Release's Body Strengthening Technique, either of them were the most troublesome for Taijutsu- type ninjas.

According to Jiraiya's teachings, it's best to avoid close combat with enemies who possess Ninjutsu such as physical enhancement, unless you can see through their attributes and happen to have Ninjutsu that counters them. Otherwise, choosing to engage in close combat with such an enemy is absolutely the most foolish choice.

"At this time, we must use Ninjutsu for ranged attacks. Ninjutsu is the way to go. Even the hardest turtle shell can be shattered with a single blow if the right method is used..." Jiraiya softly repeated Yahiko's words, his hands rapidly Hand Seals, Chakra gathering in his throat, ready to strike.

Fire Style: Flame Bullet!

Yahiko's cheeks puffed out like Toad's, and he refined his Chakra into oil, which he then spat out and ignited with flames, sending orange-red flames flying out.

Because it was made of oil, the heavy rain didn't have a significant impact on the flames. The rolling heat waves swept in all directions, dispelling the cold and dampness of the rainy night, although it could only last for a short while.

"Using Fire Style in this weather... is it oil?"

Katsuki narrowed his eyes slightly. Perhaps this battle wasn't as boring as he had imagined. In his memories of his past life, Yahiko had only used Water Release Technique in his battle with Jiraiya. Moreover, the Land of Rain was a battlefield that was extremely advantageous for Water Release ninjas. He had thought that Yahiko would Water Release Technique to attack.

Was the result Fire Style?

It was more interesting than I had imagined.

"Lightning Flash Turn."

Facing the scorching flames, lightning crackled beneath Katsuki's feet. The instant the flames reached her, she vanished from her spot, dodging at incredible speed and moving more than ten meters away, avoiding the area covered by the flames. Because the flames were formed by igniting oil, they were difficult to extinguish until the oil burned out. Even the torrential rain could only slightly suppress the raging fire.

The flames were extremely hot. Although he wasn't standing very close, he could feel the intense heat rushing towards him. With his current physical strength, he could barely deflect Shuriken, but to catch a flame that could melt metal with his bare hands would be suicidal.

"We need to drag this out as long as possible... This is such a troublesome task."

Katsuki sighed, feeling like she had sighed unusually many times today. She realized her mental age had indeed increased; in other words, had her heart grown old?

While pondering unreliable ideas, his hands still swiftly conjured up a series of lightning-powered guns, which he then aimed at Yahiko and hurled at him. Although he was trying to prolong the battle as much as possible, simply dodging was too deliberate; a combination of offense and defense would be more effective!

"Wow, so fast!"

The lightning gun streaked across the sky, raining down like a meteor shower. Yahiko panicked and hurriedly retreated, forced back a great distance, pushing him beyond the maximum range the lightning gun could reach.

"Eh!!!"

Katsuki's lips twitched. This... this combat awareness is just too poor! The attack just now looked fierce, but he didn't even use his full strength. If he had been more careful, he could have completely avoided all the attacks.

If Yahiko could dodge his attack and then launch a counterattack, they could fight back and forth for a few rounds and eventually finish the job perfectly... according to his plan. However, plans never seem to keep up with changes, and Yahiko's reaction was something he had not anticipated.

"This is getting more and more troublesome!"

Katsuki clicked his tongue, a flash of lightning appeared beneath his feet, and he activated 'Lightning Flash Turn,' dashing through the still-burning flames like lightning towards Yahiko.

Now that things have come to this, there's no way to hold back anymore. Continuing like this would be too obvious. Let's end this grueling match as soon as possible!

"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave"

The rushing water shot out at extremely high speed, sweeping across the front as fiercely as a water gun.

"Wow... that was close!"

Standing on the raised Dodai, Katsuki pretended to wipe non-existent cold sweat from his forehead. However, Yahiko's attack was indeed impressive. The timing of his Ninjutsu release was excellent. A slight delay in reaction would have inevitably resulted in being hit. Although his reflexes were not as abnormal as Minato's, his years of hard training had made them not much different.

The water gun was impressive, but its effect on the Dodai that Katsuki had raised was not significant. The power of a C-rank Ninjutsu was still insufficient. It only managed to cut a trench more than ten centimeters deep into the Dodai, which was already the limit.

"Earth Release: Mud Swamp Technique"

With a clap of his hands, Katsuki launched another attack. The already rotten ground, soaked by the rain, became even softer and more mushy. Yahiko felt his legs buckle and then let out a scream.

"Aaaaaah!!!"