Watanabe, You've Lost

"Believe it or not, I really was holding back."

Watanabe said expressionlessly. His hand seals changed, and hundreds of Shadow Clones appeared on the arena once more.

Hyuga Rei bit down on her red lips, scanning the arena, now packed with Shadow Clones. She cursed Watanabe for being despicable and shameless.

Like hell I believe you!

You threw every random jutsu you could think of at me, and you call that holding back?

Hyuga Rei had to admit that she'd underestimated Watanabe. The boy was far more complicated than she'd imagined. Not only was his talent monstrous, but his schemes were terrifyingly deep.

Even so, she still had a reason she absolutely had to win this fight.

"This kind of jutsu might work on other people, but it won't work on me!" Hyuga Rei said coldly. She'd completely dropped the sweet, innocent act and made no effort to hide her hostility toward Watanabe.

"Then let's see."

Watanabe decided to let his actions speak for themselves and sent every Shadow Clone to attack Hyuga Rei.

"Gentle Fist Style, Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

Hyuga Rei gave a sharp cry, gathering Chakra in both fists as she employed the Hyuga Clan's secret technique.

In an instant, an Eight Trigrams formation appeared beneath her feet. The area within five meters became her domain, where her superb Taijutsu crushed every Shadow Clone that entered its range.

"Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam..."

Hyuga Rei was like a rose in full bloom on the battlefield, her every movement graceful, almost like a dance. Not a single Shadow Clone could withstand even one of her strikes. They kept bursting apart beneath her Gentle Fist.

[Damage received: Vitality +11, Defense +7, Pain -3...]

[Damage received: Vitality +9, Defense +6...]

The damage from the shattered Shadow Clones transferred back to Watanabe's real body, continuously strengthening his vitality and defense.

"Her Taijutsu is incredible!"

Watching Hyuga Rei cut through the Shadow Clones, Watanabe was secretly astonished.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have minded sparring with Hyuga Rei a little longer, letting her help him improve. But right now, all he wanted was to defeat her as quickly as possible.

"As expected of Clan Leader Tenfu's daughter. She's already mastered the Gentle Fist to this degree!"

In the judges' seats, the Nara Clan Leader praised her with a series of clicks of his tongue.

The Gentle Fist Style was a secret art passed down only within the Hyuga Clan, and its power was immense. Ordinary ninjas couldn't hope to match a Hyuga in Taijutsu. Watanabe's Shadow Clones might seem overwhelming in number, but to Hyuga Rei, they were nothing more than toys.

"The Byakugan can see through Shadow Clones. If those are all the tricks Watanabe has, he won't be able to beat Hyuga Rei," the Hatake Clan Leader said, offering his opinion.

To be fair, Watanabe and Hyuga Rei were both extraordinary geniuses. When two strong fighters faced off, victory came down to who had the greater skill.

Hyuga Tenfu watched the battle on the arena without blinking. His daughter's performance kept his heart in suspense.

"Something's off!"

Uchiha Chiri furrowed her delicate brows, suddenly sensing something unusual.

The Byakugan wasn't the only eye that could distinguish Shadow Clones from the real thing; her Sharingan could do so too. Chiri watched closely and noticed that some of the Shadow Clones Hyuga Rei struck down didn't burst apart right away. Instead, they took several hits before finally dissolving into white mist.

It was as if Watanabe's Shadow Clones had a certain degree of defensive power.

But how could Shadow Clones have defensive power?

That went against everything a ninja knew. It was absurd even to imagine.

Meanwhile, at Arena Five.

Seeing that the sheer number of Shadow Clones wasn't working against Hyuga Rei, and that she was charging toward his real body with unstoppable momentum, Watanabe decisively recalled ten Shadow Clones. They lined up neatly beside him, and together they formed hand seals to cast jutsu.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."

"Water Release: Water Severing Wave."

"Earth Release: Earth Spear Technique."

Jutsu of every kind rained down on Hyuga Rei from all directions, as freely as water from a tap. The spectacle was magnificent.

"There are too many jutsu! She can't dodge them all!"

Gasps rang out from the stands.

"It's a shame. At last, someone who could stand up to Watanabe appeared, but she's still going to lose."

"It can't be helped. Watanabe knows too many jutsu. He can overwhelm his opponent just by piling them on."

Just as the crowd lamented that the battle between the two geniuses was about to end, the next moment—

Hyuga Rei parted her cherry-red lips and slowly uttered two words:

"Rotation."

"Boom!"

She poured everything into driving her Chakra out through the Chakra points throughout her body. Spinning in a circle like a top, she made every jutsu that hit her crash apart.

"What!"

"She blocked every single one of those jutsu!"

The spectators sucked in a collective breath. Their initial shock soon gave way to a surge of excitement, their blood rushing as they grew restless and energized.

"This graduation exam is way more exciting than the Chunin Ninja Exams!"

"They're trading blows evenly! This is a real, evenly matched battle!"

"I can't wait to see which one of them wins."

"..."

Unlike the spectators, who were only there for the spectacle, the clan leaders in the judges' seats saw what was going on.

"Clan Leader Tenfu, isn't Rotation only taught to the Main Family?" the Hatake Clan Leader asked, puzzled.

"Mm."

Hyuga Tenfu nodded, his expression calm from beginning to end.

"I never taught her. Rei figured it out on her own."

Everyone was moved. To master Rotation without anyone teaching her, Hyuga Rei must have endured unimaginable hardship—and her talent must be exceptional.

"Now that she's used Rotation, Watanabe has no chance of winning," the Nara Clan Leader said with a sigh.

Rotation was also known as the Hyuga Clan's absolute defense. It could repel any physical attack. No matter how much Chakra Watanabe had or how many jutsu he knew, he couldn't break through Hyuga Rei's defense.

Even Spirit Transformation Technique would be repelled by Rotation, and his soul might be seriously damaged in the process.

"At this point, there'd be no shame in Watanabe losing. After all, he and Hyuga Rei are both young, with plenty of room to grow in the future..."

Chiri, however, wasn't convinced by the Nara Clan Leader's assessment.

She didn't think Watanabe was certain to lose. The boy had surprised her far too many times today.

"Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!"

The fierce battle continued on Arena Five.

After using Rotation, Hyuga Rei went completely berserk. She charged through the Shadow Clone army as if no one could stop her, then closed in on Watanabe's real body with a Body Flicker step.

"Watanabe, you've lost."

Hyuga Rei spoke sweetly, picking up the act she'd already been found out for.

When a ninja skilled in jutsu was caught at close range by one skilled in Taijutsu, it was like a mage being caught by an assassin. The outcome was easy to imagine. That was why Hyuga Rei felt sure of her victory.

Watanabe's heart tightened. Hyuga Rei's Taijutsu was far superior to his; he couldn't react in time.

"Gentle Fist Style, Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms!"

Her voice was sweet, but Hyuga Rei showed no mercy. The Eight Trigrams formation appeared beneath her feet once more, enclosing both her and Watanabe as she struck him fiercely, palm after palm.