Sparring

The people around them consciously cleared out an open space for the two. In Kumogakure, scuffles and fights were an everyday occurrence, practically a local tradition. Not only did no one stay away, an even larger crowd gathered to watch the spectacle.

The moment they heard that two Jinchuriki disciples were about to fight, their gossip-loving souls blazed with excitement. This was great bait. The Two-Tails Jinchuriki had always fallen short of the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki in every respect, and she only had a few friends; most people did not like her much. Getting to see a show like this made everyone feel like they had struck it rich.

What was more, Moriyue was a forbidden-jutsu practitioner who had entered Darui's squad as an ordinary person. He had only trained with the Two-Tails Jinchuriki for a month. On the other side was Karui from Samui's squad. She was already an exceptionally skilled ninja, and her teacher was Killer B, the perfect Jinchuriki and the current Raikage's younger brother. Even those perpetual genin had no confidence in beating Karui; only Chunin could contend with her.

That was precisely why no one dared object when Karui announced her challenge to Moriyue. Object to what? That she was not strong enough? What a joke. Although she had snatched away the chance to challenge Moriyue, even if she won, she would not be joining Darui's squad... right?

"Betting is open! Moriyue versus Karui, odds are 1:1! Hurry up and place your bets!"

"I'm betting on Karui!"

"Me too! Damn it, while there aren't many people yet, I'm putting everything on Karui!"

"There's a betting pool? Where? I'm going to take a look too!"

The area grew even livelier. The moment many gamblers heard there was a betting pool here, they swarmed over like sharks that had smelled blood, rushing over to "pick up free money."

Before long, the odds between Moriyue and Karui had reached 3:1.2. Almost no one favored Moriyue. Only an idiot would bet on him. Bet on him? Did they have too much money?

When Moriyue saw this, he realized there was such a good thing going on. Was this not free money? He had some confidence in his own strength. After suffering through the entire night yesterday, he had suddenly thought of a new application for Lightning Torment. He should not lose.

"Hey. Bet on me." Moriyue moved his lips at Yugito Nii, who stood to the side. She understood what he meant and could only take out some money to bet on Moriyue, treating it as a consolation for him.

She knew her own abilities well enough. Moriyue was already stronger than most genin. Given time to train, she believed he would definitely go farther than she had, and perhaps even become Raikage someday. But it was still too early. She did not believe Moriyue could defeat Karui right now.

Once Yugito Nii had placed her bet, Moriyue nodded. There was no such thing as trust without reason. He knew that he had to put on a good showing now. The Eight-Tails' disciple? Was she really that impressive?

"After dragging this out for so long, can we start already?" Moriyue blew a whistle and drew the unsharpened practice katana from his waist—or rather, an iron rod would have been a more fitting description.

"A practice iron sword? You're an interesting guy. But let me make this clear first: you're not allowed to use that forbidden jutsu that burns your life away. If word gets out, Teacher Killer B will get punched again."

"Of course. Let's begin." The spectators had expected him to hesitate, but Moriyue agreed without the slightest fuss. He was already bouncing lightly in place to warm up. Did he really think he could beat Karui?

"I'm raising my bet! I want to raise it!"

"Me too, me too! Add another bet on Karui for me!"

Their odds had already reached an astonishing 7:1.1. Even the bookmakers had not expected things to become this heated, but they were not worried in the slightest. Instead, they were completely relaxed. This was a guaranteed win. They had investigated Moriyue thoroughly over this period. Aside from practicing forbidden jutsu, there was nothing special about him. They had only included Moriyue in the betting pool out of respect for Yugito Nii; otherwise, he would not even have qualified to be part of the wager.

Compared to the uproar outside the ring, the two inside were unusually quiet. They stared at each other from a distance. Karui seemed to grow irritated under his gaze and was the first to draw the long sword at her waist and attack.

"Cloud Style: Front Slash!" Karui moved with incredible speed. As she took her first step, she raised her blade diagonally. The next instant, it was as though someone had hit an acceleration switch on her body. After a blur, she had already arrived in front of Moriyue.

Her blade slashed diagonally down at Moriyue from above. Karui's feet left the ground slightly as she used gravity to drive the strike down with vicious force. She had jumped at exactly the right height: enough to give her blade the boost of gravity while avoiding the problem of leaping too high to defend herself. It was clear that she had put considerable thought into this move.

"What a fast blade!" the onlookers cried out in shock. From this single detail alone, they could tell how exquisitely the strike had been handled. Using it in actual combat would certainly leave a deep impression on anyone seeing it for the first time. A novice would probably be thrown into a panic, with no chance to defend at all.

"Fast, but there's an opening!" Moriyue was not startled by the sudden attack. Come on, he had seen his share of big scenes. How many people could have a Jinchuriki use Tailed Beast Transformation just to train with them? His heart was as still as water as he calmly analyzed Karui's attack.

The moment she took her first step, Moriyue had already assumed a defensive stance. He bent his knees with force, lowering his center of gravity. He held the iron sword horizontally before his chest with both hands, constantly alert for any attack that might come.

Sure enough, Karui appeared in front of him in her next step. She had come prepared, but so had he. Karui's sword fell from the air in a downward chop. At that very moment, Moriyue exerted force with the hands holding his iron sword in front of his chest. One hand gripped the hilt while the other pressed hard against the back of the blade, aiming it at the descending sword. His hands and feet drove forward together, and with a powerful burst, he charged straight into Karui.

The long sword collided with the iron rod. Though the rod lacked the sword's sharpness, it was heavy and thick enough. The blade slid past the iron rod and was forced aside by Moriyue, while he followed up with an elbow strike that sent Karui flying far away.

Karui steadied herself in midair, completed a backflip, then landed on one knee with her sword planted in the ground. She let out a quiet breath. This guy in front of her did not seem as weak as she had imagined.

"Not bad. Again!" Her fighting spirit had been ignited as well. She had originally intended to teach this brat, who did not know his own limits, a lesson. Now it seemed that he was not as simple as he had appeared.

After just that initial exchange, the crowd had noticed Moriyue's skillful handling of the situation. This kid had actually learned something over the past month. He really had some ability.

"Tch, what's so great about knowing a few techniques? Ninja aren't samurai. Any long-range ninjutsu could counter this kid."

"Exactly, exactly. The fight has only just started. They were only testing each other. He probably used all his focus just dealing with that move. Don't think he can turn this around."

"Let's keep watching. This kid doesn't seem as useless as the rumors said. I'm getting a little interested in him."