Getting Stronger, Déjà Vu, and Acting

The fourth-round match ended quickly, but anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Sakura was no pushover.

Temari tried to assess her. "That pink-haired girl looks frail, but she's incredibly strong."

Gaara watched Sakura for a few seconds. "The Sand Shield couldn't stop her fists."

Temari immediately looked surprised. "If even you say that, then if I face her in a later exam, I might as well forfeit..."

"Kakashi!"

Might Guy hurried over to Kakashi, looking excited. "Why have you never told me about this girl? There's such a promising talent in the village, and you haven't sent her to learn Taijutsu from me!"

"No."

Kakashi shook his head and explained, "Sakura's greatest strength isn't her physical power, but her chakra control. She's currently studying medical knowledge, and I plan to ask Lady Tsunade to take a look at her."

"You want to ask Lady Tsunade? You must think very highly of that girl."

Might Guy smiled. "In that case, I'll have to give up."

"Actually... those three might someday achieve as much in Taijutsu as you have."

Kakashi hesitated, then said it anyway. "Naruto in particular. If he went all out, he might be able to overwhelm you with Taijutsu alone."

"You just said something unbelievable."

Might Guy didn't doubt Kakashi, but he was curious about what made Kakashi reach that conclusion. "The Naruto you mean is Uzumaki Naruto, right?"

Kakashi didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Do you remember what Lord Third said a few days ago?"

Might Guy furrowed his brow. "You mean, the..."

"Shh."

Kakashi held a finger to his mask. "Don't talk about it here."

Might Guy quickly stopped himself. "Of course I remember something that important. But what does it have to do with Naruto?"

Kakashi said, "That day, Anko and the Anbu followed the trail to a section of the Forest of Death that had been completely destroyed. After checking, they determined it was along the route those three had taken."

Might Guy said, "That still doesn't prove they were the ones who did it, does it?"

"Their ninja tools were found at the scene."

Kakashi continued, "The day before yesterday, some Anbu came to question them, and I was there. We confirmed that the traces at the scene were left after Naruto fought that person. Naruto also turned a special Sealing Jutsu over to the village. Later, you and your students might owe Naruto a favor."

"What does a Sealing Jutsu have to do with me?"

Might Guy furrowed his brow, then thought of a possibility. "Can that Sealing Jutsu be used for Taijutsu?"

"It can improve Taijutsu tremendously."

Kakashi nodded. "From what I understand, the theoretical potential of that Sealing Jutsu is no lower than that of the Eight Inner Gates."

"!!"

Might Guy's eyes widened, and he broke into a brilliant smile. "So my strength is about to increase by leaps and bounds, and then I'll surpass you, my eternal rival—Kakashi!"

Kakashi visibly stiffened for a moment, then slowly nodded. "That's right."

Sakura and Ino were still chatting like close friends when the screen on the wall displayed the next match:

Tenten VS Temari

This fight lasted only a little longer than Sakura and Ino's.

After Gekko Hayate announced the start, Tenten was downed by Temari in less than three minutes.

The Sunagakure shinobi looked calm, as though this outcome had been expected.

The Konoha side wasn't too upset. Tenten had done well; she'd just had a terrible matchup. She mainly fought with ninja tools, while Temari used the Giant Fan in her hand along with Wind Release to blow away every tool Tenten threw.

Even so, Tenten never gave up. She fought on until Temari's Wind Release left her battered and unconscious.

This one-sided fight, caused by a bad matchup, reminded everyone of the earlier match between Kankuro and Shino Aburame. And since the opposing sides were Sunagakure and Konoha again, the sense of déjà vu was even stronger.

Temari was wary of the strength the other Konoha contestants had shown and didn't hit Tenten too hard, but seeing their teammate injured still made Rock Lee and Neji angry.

The match continued, bringing them to the sixth round:

Kabuto Yakushi VS Choji Akimichi

With Asuma promising him all-you-can-eat barbecue, Choji's fighting spirit was stronger than ever.

Kabuto, meanwhile, was a little conflicted.

Now that all his teammates were out, he had to defeat his opponent and qualify for the third exam if he wanted to fulfill his duties as a "spy."

"With the strength I've shown so far, I probably can't beat the Akimichi Clan's secret techniques."

Kabuto's expression grew serious as he slowly walked toward the arena, doing his best to figure out how to win without revealing his true strength.

"Both sides, get ready."

Gekko Hayate gave a brief reminder, then announced, "Begin."

Choji immediately formed Hand Seals and shouted, "Multi-Size Technique!"

His already round body swelled until it became a giant meatball more than two meters in diameter, with arms, legs, and a head. Then his limbs and head tucked into the mass of flesh, and chakra propelled him forward at high speed—Taijutsu: Human Bullet Tank!

At first glance, the Ninjutsu and Taijutsu move looked a little ridiculous, but it had tremendous defensive and destructive power.

"Kunai and shuriken would bounce right off, and even a Chakra Scalpel wouldn't get through that layer of fat to damage his organs."

Kabuto couldn't see an opening. "This fatso is unexpectedly hard to deal with. I guess I can only make him crash into a wall or keep this up until he runs out of chakra."

Having made up his mind, Kabuto kept running laps around the arena.

"Is he planning to wear down my chakra like this?"

Choji thought to himself, but he couldn't come up with a better way. He could only keep spending chakra and roll faster.

As time passed, Choji rolled faster and faster, and the destructive force he built up grew stronger by the moment.

"That's about the limit of what I've shown so far."

Kabuto silently gauged the situation. He pretended to be on the verge of exhaustion, then turned back with feigned reluctance to look behind him, naturally ignoring what was ahead. Just as he was about to crash into the wall, he turned around, feigned alarm, and threw himself sideways with all his might.

Thanks to his precise control, only Kabuto's foot was grazed by the Human Bullet Tank, leaving him with a minor injury. But Choji was going too fast to stop in time. He crashed through the wall, got stuck inside, and came to a halt.

Kabuto got up and saw Choji's condition. He froze for a moment, then quickly drew a kunai and went over to Choji's neck, placing the blade against it. Delighted, he said, "I-I win!"

Gekko Hayate sensed something subtly off about Kabuto, but couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. "Sixth round winner: Kabuto Yakushi."

"It's a little unfortunate, but he did his best."

Asuma smiled at Shikamaru. "Aren't you going to help him up?"

Shikamaru sighed. "I'm going..."