Byakugan vs. Meteor Hammer
"Sound!" Akimichi Jinsei and Nara Rokujin ran off the field immediately after the match ended, and the medical personnel prepared by Konoha on the sidelines also ran over with a stretcher.
After quickly examining Yamanaka Sora, the ninja in white medical attire reassured Akimichi Jinsei and Nara Rokujin, "It's alright, there's no danger to his life, he'll just be unconscious for a while, and the injury to his lower back will probably require at least a month of rest."
Nara Rokujin breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, and didn't say anything harsh to Yukari who was walking towards the stands, as the difference in strength between the two sides was quite obvious.
This is Konoha's home ground, after all. The Sunagakure people certainly wouldn't go out of their way to kill, because there are probably more skilled Konoha members present. If they did that, the level of bloodshed would immediately change, and no one would dare to do such a provocative thing in front of the Third Hokage.
There's nothing more to say. As long as you're strong enough, you'll have plenty of opportunities to regain your face.
Shuichi sensed that Nara Rokujin and Akimichi Jinsei seemed to be holding their breath. This kind of one-on-one battle was indeed not very suitable for the Ino-Shika-Cho. If it were a team battle, it would probably be their turn to shine.
After the venue was cleared, the electronic screen readily resumed drawing names, beeping repeatedly.
Kamizuki Ryūun looked at the information on the stopped screen and said, "Round two, Tetsuishi vs. Tetsuki."
"Who are these two? Are they brothers dueling?" Shuichi, like many others, was unfamiliar with these two names, while Sunagakure from Tosha frowned upon seeing them.
"This..." Tetsuishi was one of the hidden Chunin Sunagakure who was in the same team as Sunaki, and Tetsuki was naturally the other one. "Did Konoha really select them randomly? Are they playing some kind of trick?"
Although their captain was Sunaki, the highest-ranking leader of Sunagakure present was Tosha, so they all looked in Tosha's direction, hoping he could give instructions.
"Judging from the first round of draws, it doesn't seem like it was deliberately arranged. Konoha wouldn't go that far, would they?" Tosha wasn't sure what Konoha's random draw was all about. He couldn't delay the start of the match, so he could only raise his finger in their direction.
"I abstain!" Upon seeing Tosha's order, Tetsuki immediately spoke up.
Kamizuki Ryūun glanced at the two, unable to say anything. Konoha couldn't dictate a battle within another village. "Tetsuki concedes defeat, Tetsuishi advances to the next round, continuing to the third round."
Shuichi now knows that Tetsuishi and Tetsuki were actually the two members of the mysterious Sunagakure squad, but even having read the original story, he still can't tell whether the Third Hokage was involved.
"Could it be that the truth is sometimes false and the false is sometimes true? In the first round, they chose the weaker Yamanaka Sora from Konoha, let Sunagakure win a match, and then they would target her in a counterattack?" Shuichi pondered the Third Hokage's strategy.
"If by the end all the stronger members of Konoha have advanced and there hasn't been a clash between top players, then this draw is 90% fake randomness."
While he was lost in thought, the electronic screen had already confirmed the two sides for the third round: [Hyuga Akiha VS Yamada Yuki]
"Akiha!" Honest Sarutobi Kohei immediately started cheering on his teammates as they entered the arena.
Hyuga Akiha and Yamada Yuki quickly took their positions facing each other in the arena. Seeing that both sides were ready, Kamizuki Ryūun, "Begin!"
"Byakugan!" Hyuga Akiha activated her Byakugan immediately. Although her opponent didn't seem strong, she wasn't careless at all and clearly intended to go all out.
Yamada Yuki knew that engaging in close combat with the Hyuga Clan was tantamount to suicide, so he immediately drew his Meteor Hammer, which began spinning rapidly around him before Hyuga Akiha could even attack.
"Hmm? This weapon... this match feels so much like a duel from a martial arts novel from my past life." Shuichi was also surprised to see the Meteor Hammer, wanting to see how a ninja would use this kind of flexible, long weapon.
After Yamada Yuki spun the hammer like a windmill, he charged towards Hyuga Akiha with fierce momentum. Now he could prevent Akiha from using her Gentle Fist technique, right?
Seeing the wide attack range of the opponent's weapon, Hyuga Akiha didn't have a good solution for the time being. Forcing close combat would be too risky, so he could only avoid its attacks for now.
The match quickly reached a stalemate. Hyuga Akiha, relying on the insight of his Byakugan and his superior Taijutsu skills, easily dodged Yamada Yuki's Meteor Hammer attack, as if he were waiting for his opponent to exhaust his stamina.
"What do we do now? I'm sure I'll get much more tired than her constantly spinning the Meteor Hammer. I need to figure out a way to create an opening and take a gamble." Despite Yamada Yuki's apparent dominance and his pursuit of the Hyuga Clan, he hasn't actually launched any effective attacks.
"The way this Meteor Hammer is used seems a bit monotonous!" Shuichi had been watching Yamada Yuki's movements and found that he was just changing the range and direction of the spinning windmill, without any particularly strange moves.
"Is he afraid of Byakugan's perceptive abilities? If he throws it out for a long-range attack, it's indeed easy to miss. Once Akiha catches the chain, he'll be in immediate danger."
"So he dared not stop, but that would be very physically demanding, and it seems the battle is about to be decided."
In the arena, after Yamada Yuki's attack failed, he suddenly slowed down the speed of his Meteor Hammer's rotation, as if he was preparing a new move.
"Whoosh!" Unexpectedly, Yamada Yuki slammed his Meteor Hammer straight at Hyuga Akiha, as if he had become impatient and couldn't wait to settle the score.
Hyuga Akiha the side, and "whoosh!" the hammer flew past her. She didn't let the opportunity slip by; no matter what schemes the opponent had, they couldn't escape the Byakugan's keen observation.
"Crack!" Just as the hammer was about to stop, she covered her palm with chakra and gripped the chain tightly.
"Bang!" Both sides pulled on the iron chain with all their might, almost like a tug-of-war. Although Hyuga Akiha was a girl, she was evenly matched in this brief contest of strength.
"Crack, crack..." The sound of friction and sliding came from under Yamada Yuki's feet.
Suddenly, he soared into the air, flying uncontrollably towards the Hyuga Akiha. "Whoosh!" Many people in the audience thought his defeat was inevitable.
The two closed the distance instantly. Yamada Yuki, who seemed to have no other choice, suddenly shuddered when they were a few meters apart. His right hand, which was wrapped in an iron chain, suddenly loosened. At the end of the chain was a small iron hammer, slightly larger than an eyeball, which suddenly began to spin as he exerted force.
"Danger!" Sarutobi Kohei worried for Akiha from the sidelines. The attack range of that little hammer was much wider than that of Gentle Fist, and the force of that rotation would definitely cause serious injury if hit.
But in the Hyuga Akiha remained completely calm. She did not take the opportunity to launch a punch or kick attack while pulling the other person over. Instead, at the critical moment when she was hit, she exerted force in her hand to pull the iron chain diagonally upward, and then immediately released it and bent down.
"Oh no!" Yamada Yuki's expression changed instantly. He was being pulled along by the force and had nowhere to land. He couldn't change his position at all and could only watch as Hyuga Akiha easily dodged the small hammer's attack and then disappeared from his sight. They had already passed each other.
"Gentle Fist Style - Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms!" Before Yamada Yuki could adjust, Hyuga Akiha was already behind him as he barely landed.
"Thud thud thud..." Hit repeatedly, Yamada Yuki made no move to resist. His pressure points were violently blocked, causing his chakra to surge wildly through his meridians before gradually ceasing to flow. "Ah, ah, ah..."
After finishing the Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms, Hyuga Akiha gathered chakra in his right hand and struck Yamada Yuki's chest again.
"Smack!" Yamada Yuki was sent flying backward almost without realizing it. Everyone could see him trying desperately to get up on the ground, but his limbs only trembled slightly.
"The match is over. Hyuga Akiha is the winner and has successfully advanced to the Third Exam."