Full Firepower

"Finally getting serious?"

Yamato looked at him calmly, but the response he received was—

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"

The two Shadow Clones formed hand seals simultaneously, and a water dragon and an earth dragon roared as they lunged at Yamato from both sides.

"A feint?"

Yamato's eyes flickered as he instantly saw through Tejima Shinichi's intent. The real killing move had to be the technique the original body was preparing.

Sure enough, Tejima Shinichi's original body had already completed his hand seals.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

A raging torrent surged forward like a burst dam, crushing everything in its path!

"A clever three-pronged attack, but..."

Yamato slammed both hands against the ground.

"Wood Release: Forest Creation Technique!"

In an instant, more than ten massive trees burst from the earth, forming a small forest ahead of him and along his flanks!

The water dragon and earth dragon crashed into the forest, their power weakened layer by layer by the dense trunks. The Great Waterfall charging from the front was diverted and dispersed by the trees, greatly reducing its impact.

He changed the local terrain using the least possible Chakra!

Tejima Shinichi pondered inwardly.

Though these trees did not truly form a forest, they had precisely disrupted his combined attack formation.

At that moment, the weakened current swept across the training ground, washing over the unconscious Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu and even carrying them some distance away.

The icy sensation stimulated their nerves, and Yamato had held back his strength, so—

"Cough... cough cough..."

Kobayashi Ken coughed and was the first to prop himself up, looking around in confusion.

"What happened...?"

Sato Yu was also jolted awake by the cold water. She shook her soaking wet hair, her face equally bewildered.

"We... were washed awake by the water?"

They stared at the small patch of forest and flowing water that had suddenly appeared before looking toward Tejima Shinichi and Teacher Yamato, who were confronting each other on the other side of the forest. For a moment, they could not make sense of the situation.

Naturally, their awakening drew the attention of Tejima Shinichi and Yamato.

And in that instant!

Yamato caught the tiny lapse in Tejima Shinichi's focus caused by his teammates waking up!

"Whoosh!"

His figure melted into the shadows of the trees, and in the next instant, he flashed out like a ghost from behind a tree beside Tejima Shinichi!

He was unbelievably fast!

"Wood Release: Silent Killing Bind Technique!"

Vine-like wooden branches shot toward Tejima Shinichi's feet!

Danger!

Tejima Shinichi's hairs stood on end. He leaped backward at the limit, while a Shadow Clone rushed forward on its own and was tightly bound by the wooden branches.

"Bang!"

The Shadow Clone dispersed.

"You dodged it? Fast reactions. But..."

Though Yamato praised him aloud, his assault did not slow in the slightest. He instantly pressed both hands to the ground!

"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"

Before Tejima Shinichi's feet could even touch the ground, the earth beneath him shook violently. Several sharp stone spears burst from the ground and stabbed upward!

Tejima Shinichi's pupils contracted sharply, and his expression changed drastically. Suspended in midair, he had nowhere to gain leverage...

At the critical moment!

His hands flashed through seals before his chest, and he opened his mouth toward the stone spears rushing up from below—

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

A mass of mud spewed from Tejima Shinichi's mouth, instantly gathering and taking shape beneath him to form a thick, curved earthen wall!

"Bang! Bang! Bang—!"

Almost simultaneously, the sharp stone spears slammed into the curved earthen wall with dull crashes, sending shards of rock flying everywhere! The wall shook violently, but it ultimately blocked the fatal ambush!

"Whew—!"

Standing atop the earthen wall, Tejima Shinichi let out a breath. He looked at the wall covered in cracks, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"Teacher Yamato... are you trying to kill me?!"

A series of minor killing moves had already put the inexperienced Tejima Shinichi in danger!

Yamato paused at his words, a trace of embarrassment crossing his face before he smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. I got a little too invested and hit too hard."

With that, Yamato relaxed his attacking stance. Looking at Tejima Shinichi standing atop the stone pillar, he spoke with sincere admiration.

"But Shinichi, the feeling you give me... is very unusual. My battle instincts tell me that you would definitely be able to evade attacks of this level. Your strength has truly opened my eyes time and time again."

"Such quick reactions, and the ability to judge the best response in an instant... To be this strong at your age, among everyone I know, you can truly rank in the top two."

"Top two...?"

Tejima Shinichi repeated softly from atop the earthen wall.

A name instantly flashed through his mind—the Copy Ninja, who always wore a mask and showed only one dead-fish eye, yet whose fame resounded throughout the Ninja World.

In Yamato's heart, the undisputed number one had to be... Kakashi Hatake!

After all, Yamato was Kakashi's biggest fan!

Not far away, Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu, who had just been awakened from unconsciousness by the water, had witnessed the perilous scene in its entirety.

Their mouths hung open, the confusion on their faces long since replaced by utter shock.

Kobayashi Ken swallowed with difficulty and uncontrollably jabbed Sato Yu beside him with his elbow.

"Hey... Yu, are we really taking the same 'Genin' test as that guy? Is... is this really a battle we can take part in?"

Sato Yu swayed from the jab but did not react at all.

She stared blankly at Tejima Shinichi, standing proudly atop the earthen wall and facing off against their Jonin teacher. Recalling the scalp-numbing stone spears and Shinichi's almost miraculous response, she found herself at a loss for words. Her lips moved, but in the end, she only managed to force out a few words.

"Monster..."

In the field, thoughts raced through Tejima Shinichi's mind.

Wood Release's defensive and battlefield-control abilities are indeed troublesome... Conventional Ninjutsu combinations are difficult to break through, and it is hard to find an opening for a close-range assault... And I can't beat him in Taijutsu either...

But...

His gaze swept over Yamato's waist—the two bells remained perfectly still.

In that case...

As if he had thought of something, Tejima Shinichi leaped down from the earthen wall and put some distance between himself and Yamato.

"Teacher Yamato," Tejima Shinichi called out, "whether it's Taijutsu, tactics, or combat experience, I am inferior to you. Sophisticated tactics are hard to make work against you, and conventional Ninjutsu combinations can't break through your Wood Release defenses."

"But I've still thought of a way to win."

Rather than becoming anxious at his words, Yamato's eyes lit up with interest. As a teacher, nothing pleased him more than seeing a student think through how to break a deadlock in battle.

"Oh?" Yamato raised a brow with interest. "Let's hear it."

The corners of Tejima Shinichi's lips rose slightly, and his gaze abruptly sharpened.

"Wood Release is indeed powerful, but you have one fatal weakness—" He enunciated every word. "Your Chakra reserves are too low!"

"Hm?!"

At those words, Yamato's pupils shrank slightly, and an ominous feeling suddenly rose in his heart.

Before he could respond, Tejima Shinichi had already formed hand seals—

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Four Shadow Clones appeared in response, spreading out in a fan shape alongside his original body.

"Next," Tejima Shinichi and his clones began forming hand seals at the same time. Enormous Chakra burst forth, making the air tremble. "I'll decide the victor in the most direct way possible."

Tejima Shinichi and his four Shadow Clones formed hand seals simultaneously. A massive surge of Chakra erupted, and the air trembled faintly beneath the terrifying energy fluctuations.

"Let's settle this with absolute Chakra reserves and Ninjutsu firepower!"

"Teacher Yamato—"

Before his words had even faded, the Ninjutsu came roaring forth—

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"

"Water Release: Violent Water Wave Technique!"

Five Ninjutsu swept toward Yamato from five directions with the force to crush everything in their path!

There were no flashy variations, no complicated tactics—only the most violent blanket bombardment!

Faced with the raging tide of multiple Ninjutsu attacking at once, Yamato's expression finally changed.

He could sense that these five Ninjutsu attacks far surpassed any of the previous ones in scale, intensity, and area of effect!

Just how much Chakra had the person before him used?!

"These Chakra reserves... he's practically a monster!"

Yamato rapidly formed hand seals, and Chakra surged forth.

"Wood Release: Wood Golem Wall!"

A row of wooden pillars curved upward from the ground, forming an arched wall in front of him.

"Wood Release: Wood Spreading Earth Wall!"

Immediately afterward, even more sturdy trees burst from the ground, intertwining behind the Wood Golem Wall to form a second, even sturdier wooden shield.

Almost the moment the defense was complete, the first wave of Ninjutsu crashed down!

The water dragon and earth dragon slammed fiercely into the Wood Golem Wall with deafening roars. Wood chips exploded through the air, and cracks spread across its surface.

The Great Waterfall that followed shattered the Wood Golem Wall completely, but the water flow, its power already greatly weakened, was firmly blocked by the Wood Spreading Earth Wall behind it.

In that brief opening, Yamato retreated rapidly.

"Body Flicker Technique!"

He instantly widened the distance, narrowly avoiding the Earth Spears stabbing up from underground. At the same time, he formed a seal with one hand and controlled the Wood Spreading Earth Wall to change shape, diverting the final Violent Water Wave Technique to the side.

In an instant, the training ground was engulfed by the glow of Ninjutsu, and the thunderous blasts were deafening.

With his enormous Chakra reserves and the flawless coordination of his Shadow Clones, Tejima Shinichi had unleashed a composite Ninjutsu attack comparable to that of an entire ninja squad all by himself, forcibly driving an experienced Jonin into a position of complete defense!

Tejima Shinichi had unleashed his full firepower!