By evening, the novelty brought by the School Festival had gradually faded, but everyone still lingered in the little grove, reluctant to leave.
"Hehe, even though I've forgiven that Uchiha Shūnen guy, that doesn't mean I'm not happy to watch him get beaten up."
"Place your bets, place your bets! Guess how long Uchiha Shūnen can last against Soseki this time."
"I'm betting five Shuriken that he lasts five minutes."
"I'm betting an Exploding Tag that he lasts three minutes..."
Beside them, Obito said indignantly, "Damn it, how can those jerks be like this?!"
Shūnen himself did not seem to care much. "I was never Soseki's match anyway."
As he spoke, Shūnen suddenly realized something. "Wait, don't tell me you placed a bet too?"
Hearing that, Obito nodded shyly.
Moved, Shūnen patted Obito on the shoulder. "Good brother, but don't do that next time."
Just then, Might Guy walked over with an indignant expression. "I offered a spot in my Youth, Passion, and Vitality Club as my wager, but they wouldn't even take it."
Obito shot him a sidelong glance. No one would want that spot even if you paid them to take it!
"Oh, right, Obito. I saw you betting that Senior Shūnen could only last one minute. Isn't that a little too risky... Huh? What's wrong with your eyes? Why are you blinking so fast? Don't tell me you're awakening the Sharingan too?"
Why do I even know this idiot? Obito thought bitterly. For no reason, he felt as though the burden on his shoulders had suddenly grown much heavier. He stiffly turned around and met his cousin's kindly gaze.
I'm doomed!
"Why does this guy seem to have the spirit of a desperate underdog determined to win?" Soseki had no idea what kind of familial tragedy had just unfolded. Seeing Shūnen's heavy steps, he could not help wondering.
"Soseki, this time I'll definitely last five..." Shūnen was halfway through making his bold declaration when he reconsidered. What if he could not live up to his boast? Wouldn't that be even more embarrassing? His momentum instantly deflated. "Five and a half minutes!"
"Is that so? I'm looking forward to it."
After forming the Seal of Confrontation, Shūnen immediately leaped backward and rapidly formed hand seals.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Without changing expression, Soseki threw a punch and directly scattered the blazing fireball.
Sparks scattered everywhere, and Shūnen seized the chance to slip into the forest.
Compared to fights at school, the grove offered cover from all sorts of trees and bushes. Against straightforward taijutsu, making good use of the terrain was naturally essential.
Soseki was not surprised. He merely stood quietly in the middle of the forest.
Suddenly, several clusters of sparks appeared and shot straight toward Soseki's back.
At the same time, Shūnen voluntarily leaped out, following behind the sparks as though he intended to launch a combined attack with them.
Noticing the movement, Soseki turned around. However, rather than shattering the attack with a punch as before, he grabbed several Shuriken from his tool pouch and threw them at the sparks.
Before the surrounding crowd could wonder why Soseki was doing something as foolish as using Shuriken to knock down flames, several sharp clangs rang out. The Shuriken hidden within the sparks fell to the ground.
The flames attached to the Shuriken dispersed as well.
"How is that possible? How did you see through it?" Shūnen cried in disbelief. He had spent so long devising that tactic.
"Plain flames and flames concealing Shuriken make different sounds." Soseki's voice was calm and composed, as though nothing could make him panic.
"That works too?" Shūnen was completely bewildered, then suddenly realized, "Wait, I've already lost the initiative. If I keep charging forward, won't I be challenging Soseki to a taijutsu duel?"
With that thought, Shūnen abruptly stopped, scattered a handful of Shuriken at Soseki, then hurriedly fled toward the nearby forest.
"Phew, safe for now..." Listening to the clanging behind him, Shūnen hid behind a large tree with a relieved expression.
Then, accompanied by an explosive boom, a pale arm punched through the tree behind him and stopped right beside his ear.
Gulp!
Glancing sideways, Shūnen swallowed with difficulty.
Then, amid a series of creaks, the large tree came crashing down.
For freshmen who had only just entered the academy, the fierce battle before them naturally drew wave after wave of astonished cries.
"That's amazing! Senior Soseki is seriously amazing!"
Rather than amazing, isn't he more like terrifying? He's clearly about the same size as us, yet he possesses such frightening strength!"
Obito, sporting two black eyes, was also staring in shock. "So strong! Cousin Shūnen is completely no match for him!"
Kakashi's little face was solemn. "His eyesight, hearing, and control over his strength are all unexpectedly powerful! Could he be the person Father mentioned who is stronger than me?"
In the clearing, Shūnen kept fleeing through the forest. Amid repeated booms, trees were constantly being snapped in half.
In just a few dozen seconds, Shūnen had already found himself in one perilous situation after another.
Shūnen was desperate as well.
His greatest confidence this time had been the hidden blades within the flames. He had wanted to exploit Soseki's habitual way of thinking and catch him off guard.
But who knew Soseki would not play by the rules at all?!
"Stay calm, there's still a chance!" Shūnen took a deep breath. As he fled, he observed the surrounding terrain and searched for an opportunity.
"Can I use these piled-up trees? If I can ignite them all at once... Wait, what's that?" As Shūnen thought calmly, the corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of transparent threads stretched throughout the forest.
Or rather, a net!
"This is... a net made from Chakra Threads?"
"It seems you've noticed. Then this battle ends here."
As soon as the words fell, Shūnen was bound in midair.
Although the way he was tied up seemed rather embarrassing, Shūnen could no longer care about that. Looking down at Soseki, he asked incredulously, "While fighting me, you could still spare attention to control Chakra Threads?"
Soseki smiled and lowered Shūnen to the ground. "Perhaps it's because taijutsu does not require much of my attention."
Shūnen reluctantly accepted that answer. Right, taijutsu was just throwing punches. As long as you had hands, you could do it.
Meanwhile, the little gamblers had already begun wailing.
"That was too fast! I lost in only fifty seconds."
"That shouldn't be possible. Uchiha Shūnen clearly lasted two minutes last time."
Shūnen's face reddened at their words. It was not like he wanted this to happen, but fighting Soseki was bad in that way—any tiny mistake would be magnified endlessly.
"Haha, Rin really was right! Cousin Shūnen really can't even last on—"
Shūnen had already been feeling awkward, but upon hearing that cheer, his face instantly twisted into a ferocious expression.
On the other side, Asuma walked over. "Soseki, time to go."
Soseki agreed, but after taking only a few steps, he was stopped by a white-haired brat.
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