"Sora Uchiha versus Asuma Sarutobi."
After several rounds of matches, the final exam once again came around to Sora Uchiha.
As for his opponent, he was an old acquaintance—more or less a friend, and someone we all knew well: Asuma.
The young man before him had long black hair and wore black clothes. Red Anbu insignia marked his shoulders and back, and the Land of Fire's crest was stamped at his waist.
Sora Uchiha stood with his hands in his pockets, a faint smile in his eyes as he watched the son of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The young Asuma Sarutobi lacked the gentle nature he would have in the future. Instead, his eyes were sharp, and he was unruly and proud—a perfect fit for someone of his status at that age.
When the two met, they didn't immediately start fighting. Instead, they chatted.
"Asuma, it's been a while," Sora Uchiha said first.
The defiant look in Asuma's eyes softened. He rolled his arms and twisted his neck. "Yeah. I couldn't beat you last time, so I've been training hard ever since."
When they graduated from the Ninja Academy, Asuma had been unhappy with Sora Uchiha and challenged him to a match.
The result, of course, was that Asuma got beaten up.
At that, Sora Uchiha tugged at his collar and said helplessly, "Asuma, there's really no need to compare yourself to me."
"What do you mean? Are you looking down on me?" Asuma clenched his fists and glared at him.
Sora Uchiha paused, at a loss for words. That clearly wasn't what he meant. Why had Asuma taken it that way?
Well, it looked like Asuma still had a long way to go before he became the gentle man he would be in the future.
Yumeno and the other Chunin watched the two chat like old friends, their mouths twitching slightly. One was a genius of the Uchiha Clan, the other the Lord Third's son. They couldn't afford to offend either of them.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat twice, reminding them that they were in the middle of the Chunin Ninja Exams.
Asuma raised his fists into a fighting stance. A Chakra Blade, formed from Chakra, appeared in his hand.
"Sora, come on. Let's see the results of my training."
Sora Uchiha nodded and drew a Kunai from his waist.
In an instant, Asuma used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside him. The Chakra Blade in his hand drew a perfect arc through the air.
Clang!
A crisp collision rang out.
Feeling the powerful force in his hand, Sora Uchiha quickly assessed the situation.
Asuma had clearly improved during his training. His Chakra control and strength had both increased noticeably.
He was almost unable to keep up...
Sora Uchiha sighed softly.
Sure enough, he really did have a major weakness when it came to strength.
But it didn't matter. The Uchiha weren't like those brutes from Kumogakure, spending every day building their biceps. What the Uchiha had was the Sharingan—a "cheat."
And Sora Uchiha had an even more overpowered cheat.
He pressed his thumb with one hand.
Secret Scroll: Protective Shuriken!
In an instant, two Shuriken flew out from his sleeve and began spinning rapidly around him.
Asuma was startled, but he reacted quickly.
Chakra Blade Consecutive Slash!
He swung the Chakra Blades rapidly with both hands, repeatedly clashing against the Shuriken.
The clattering continued without pause. Sweat slowly beaded on Asuma's forehead. He wanted to end the fight quickly, but he couldn't get past those two Shuriken.
The rain soaked both boys' hair. The moment raindrops touched the Chakra, they evaporated.
Sora Uchiha narrowed his eyes and formed Hand Seals, drawing Chakra from throughout his body up to his chest. He made the signature Tiger Seal of the Uchiha Clan.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!
There was a reason the Great Fireball Technique was jokingly called the technique that couldn't kill anyone.
The moment Sora Uchiha exhaled the Great Fireball, Asuma's expression changed. He stopped trying to break through the Protective Shuriken and quickly retreated.
With a rumble, the steam gathered into a thick mist amid a constant sizzling hiss.
The two returned to the distance between them at the start of the match.
Just as before, Sora Uchiha was completely unharmed.
Asuma coughed twice, looking battered and dusty.
They had seemed to unleash move after move and fight for a long time, but in truth, only a few seconds had passed.
On the viewing platform,
Though Kurenai Yuhi had said she hoped Sora Uchiha would lose, she was still cheering him on.
"Go, Sora!"
Obito curled his lip. "With Sora's skills, does he even need cheering on? I mean, that summoning dog could just use its signature Summoning Technique, and this fight would be over in a second."
That was right. Sora Uchiha's strongest move was that practically unbelievable Summoning Technique.
Back when they were still learning the Shadow Clone Technique, they had once seen Sora use the Summoning Technique to call forth a toad bigger than a house.
That was when they realized Sora was a monster.
"I wonder what Asuma's thinking, challenging Sora like that," Obito grumbled.
"Does Asuma know that Sora can use the Summoning Technique?" Rin suddenly asked.
The moment she said that, the whole group fell silent. The atmosphere instantly turned awkward...
After a long while, Obito said, sticking out his tongue, "He probably—maybe—more or less doesn't know. The day Sora summoned his creature, Asuma seemed to have been called away by the Lord Third. Did any of you tell Asuma afterward?"
"No," Kurenai Yuhi said, shaking her head.
"Me neither," Rin said, shaking her head too.
"My only goal is to surpass Kakashi." Might Guy's eyes were filled with the spirit of youth.
Asuma had been too arrogant in his younger days, so everyone's relationship with him was a little complicated.
"Haha..." Obito laughed awkwardly. "Looks like Asuma doesn't know about Sora's Summoning Technique. No wonder he thought he could beat him..."
The group ended their conversation and, as if on cue, looked down at the fierce battle below.
Or, more accurately, at Asuma fighting fiercely all by himself.
"Sora! Don't hold back. Let me see your true strength!" Asuma shouted sternly as he rapidly formed Hand Seals.
Shadow Clone Technique!
In an instant, three Asumas charged at Sora Uchiha from different directions, each holding a Chakra Blade.
Seeing Asuma charging from three directions, Sora Uchiha's lips curled into a smile. He rolled backward, putting some distance between them.
"Since Asuma's so eager, I'll gladly oblige."
With that, he slapped his right hand against the ground. Black markings spread rapidly like a web.
Summoning: Blue Snake!
With several loud rumbles,
A dozen thick, blue snakes, each as wide as a column of water, burst from the ground. They churned through the air amid flying dust and shattered rocks, savagely biting at everything around them.
With two wet thuds,
The snakes mercilessly tore apart two Shadow Clones. As for the last one—the real Asuma—he managed to stop himself mid-charge and stared blankly at the mass of Blue Snakes before him.
After a long silence, he dismissed the Chakra Blade in his hand, turned around, and walked toward the exit.
"Um, the match isn't over yet," Yumeno Chunin reminded him.
Asuma roared, "Fight, fight, fight—how the hell are you supposed to fight this thing?! What kind of monster did you summon?!"
Yumeno Chunin choked on his words. He stared at the Blue Snakes flying around the arena and fell silent too.
Could he beat that thing...? He had no idea. Probably—maybe—he couldn't.
After clearing his throat twice, he announced the result.
"Sora Uchiha wins."
"Hahaha! Did you see how furious Asuma looked? 'Fight, fight, fight—how the hell are you supposed to fight this thing?!'" Obito repeated in Asuma's voice.
He couldn't hold it in anymore.
"If Asuma finds out you're making fun of him behind his back, he'll come after you," Kurenai Yuhi said with a laugh. "Asuma can't beat Sora, but he can easily beat you."
Obito's expression stiffened. Then he said indignantly, "Once I awaken my Sharingan, I'll leave all of you in the dust."
That future fact made everyone burst into laughter...
The Chunin Ninja Exams came to a quiet, cheerful end.
This also meant that
their generation was about to step onto the battlefield of the Third Shinobi World War...
Under the setting sun, Shio Nara stood on a rooftop, silently watching the departing boys. His gaze was distant.
"The Uchiha..."
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