Jingxin vs. Sasuke

Indeed, a few minor incidents had occurred.

But only two people were affected by them.

The headache-stricken Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The bewildered Naruto Uzumaki.

In the arena, Karin and Rock Lee arrived at their respective positions.

"Then, let the match begin," Hayate Gekko announced.

Rock Lee lowered his stance and charged toward Karin like an arrow released from a bow, his speed so immense it whipped up a gust of wind.

In the second-floor spectator area, Might Guy gripped the railing, his eyes filled with anticipation.

He knew just how terrifying Rock Lee's speed was.

Behind her glasses, Karin's eyes narrowed slightly as she fully unleashed her Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

The flow of chakra within Rock Lee's body became clearly visible.

The contraction rhythm of his muscle fibers, the subtle shifts in his center of gravity, and even the inclination of his next move were all reflected in her mind.

"Right leg initiates force, left fist is a feint, the real attack is the right elbow."

Karin whispered to herself, shifting her body to the side half a second in advance.

Rock Lee's left fist grazed past her, his right elbow following closely behind, but it struck only air.

A flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

Karin's predictions were chillingly precise.

Rock Lee pivoted his body, his right leg sweeping toward Karin's waist like a whip.

This strike was faster and more ferocious, his leg muscles erupting with astonishing power.

Karin had already anticipated it and lightly jumped backward to avoid it.

Her red ponytail traced an elegant arc in the air; she landed with light footsteps, her breathing steady.

"The speed is a full fifteen percent faster than estimated," Karin analyzed as she retreated, a hint of shock flashing in her eyes. "And the gap between his move transitions is only zero point three seconds."

If even dodging is this difficult, I absolutely cannot engage him in taijutsu!

I am facing a true master of taijutsu.

While retreating to create distance, Karin quickly formed hand seals, mobilizing the chakra within her body.

Rock Lee charged over as usual.

"Sealing Technique: Four-Limb Heavy Seal!"

Four small sealing formations condensed in the air, precisely imprinting themselves onto the joints of Rock Lee's limbs.

Rock Lee felt his hands and feet grow heavy, as if pinned down by invisible weights.

Every movement now required several times the effort.

He gritted his teeth, trying to force his way through, his muscles bulging and veins popping on his forehead.

But the power of the seal bound him firmly.

Rock Lee cast his gaze toward Might Guy on the second floor, who gave him a thumbs-up.

"Go! Rock Lee! Let your youth bloom!"

Rock Lee nodded vigorously: "Yes! Guy-sensei!!"

However, this was a battle; under the condition of being sealed, there was no room for such exchanges.

Karin was not the type of contestant like Gaara who enjoyed watching enemies struggle in vain against insurmountable odds.

While Rock Lee and Might Guy were communicating, Karin had already closed the distance, tapping her finger lightly against his chest: "This is the end."

Chakra penetrated his body, causing the meridians throughout Rock Lee's frame to go numb, and he collapsed straight onto the ground.

Hayate Gekko's voice rang out: "The winner is Karin Uzumaki."

The battle concluded.

"Waaaah!" Might Guy began to wail at the sight: "Rock Lee, I should have warned you not to get distracted during a fight!"

Rock Lee also began to cry: "Waaaah! Guy-sensei, I will learn from this lesson! I'll do ten thousand push-ups right now! If I can't do that, then..."

Karin turned away to avoid looking at this bizarre scene and walked toward the stairs.

"Not bad," Jingxin said, looking at Karin as she hopped toward him.

Receiving praise from Jingxin, a brilliant smile immediately bloomed on Karin's face.

Might Guy carried Rock Lee up, and Neji activated his Byakugan to observe his acupoints, his pupils shrinking slightly.

This technique was actually quite similar to that of the Hyuga Clan.

But the opponent did not have the Byakugan; how did she manage such precision?

Neji unsealed Rock Lee's pressure points while pondering: Could this be some sort of high-level sensory ninjutsu?

Beside him, Hiruzen Sarutobi, having temporarily recovered from his headache, sighed, "Iwagakure truly knows how to gather talent from across the world."

As he spoke, he felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

There was a time when the relationship between the Uzumaki Clan and Konoha could only be described as inseparable.

"We merely provide a true home for those who need one," Ōnoki said, his words carrying a hidden meaning, before following up with a bit of mutual flattery: "Isn't that the same for your Konoha?"

This was a jab at the past incident between Konoha and the Uchiha.

However, because Ōnoki's intelligence operations regarding Jingxin were so thorough, Hiruzen Sarutobi still did not know that Kintsuchi was Jingxin, and he completely missed the implication.

Below, Hayate Gekko glanced at the screen: "Next match, Kintsuchi vs. Sasuke Uchiha."

Jingxin looked up at Sasuke not far away, who happened to be casting a gaze in his direction.

"Sa... Sasuke," Sakura Haruno whispered a reminder, "Maybe you should just forget it."

Sasuke frowned, ignoring Sakura Haruno.

What did she mean by "forget it"?

He was a man carrying a mission; with his blood feud unavenged, how could he retreat without a fight just because the enemy was strong?

"Let me see your true strength," Sasuke said to Jingxin before turning and walking toward the center of the arena.

When Jingxin sparred with Orochimaru earlier, both Naruto and Sasuke had been unconscious.

At this moment, the little guy had no idea what level of enemy he was facing.

Soon, both sides stood their ground.

Sasuke struck first, launching three shuriken in a triangular formation toward Jingxin.

The angles were tricky, sealing off all room for evasion.

His Sharingan had already locked onto Jingxin's potential movement trajectory the moment he fired; this was a perfectly calculated attack.

Jingxin flipped his right hand, holding three shuriken between his fingers, and with a light flick of his wrist—a movement that appeared casual yet struck after the opponent's—he sent them flying, carving three silver lines through the air.

Ding, ding, ding! Three crisp sounds rang out almost simultaneously.

Sasuke's shuriken were precisely knocked down, while Jingxin's kunai continued on, flying toward Sasuke without losing momentum.

Sasuke pulled out a kunai, blocking three times before he could barely manage to stop them.

The opponent's throwing technique was far superior to his own.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, his hands moving rapidly through seals as chakra gathered in his throat: "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball roared out, over three meters in diameter, with heat waves sweeping across the entire arena, causing the air to distort from the high temperature.

Jingxin performed the same seals, his speed even faster, his movements simplified to the extreme.

It was the same technique.

Jingxin's fireball formed instantly, over five meters in diameter, its color deeper and its temperature higher.

The two fireballs collided in mid-air, and Jingxin's fireball swallowed Sasuke's with overwhelming superiority.

The massive fireball, its momentum undiminished, pressed toward Sasuke, the heat wave rushing into his face.

Sasuke rolled to the side in a sorry state.

The hem of his clothes was grazed by the high heat, instantly turning charred and curled.

He gritted his teeth and stood up, his Sharingan spinning wildly.

Impossible... It's the same technique, why is the gap so large? Unwillingness surged in Sasuke's heart.

He lunged forward, unleashing the taijutsu he had copied from Rock Lee with his Sharingan at full power.

His fists and kicks turned into afterimages, his offensive like a violent storm.

Jingxin did not move, raising one hand to block two strikes before smoothly grabbing his wrist, twisting, lifting, and hooking his leg.

Everything looked as if an adult were playing with a child.

Sasuke lost his center of gravity, stumbling and falling behind Jingxin.

He propped himself up and looked back, just in time to see Jingxin turning around slowly, the cold Anbu mask facing him, yet he did not launch an attack.

Why...

Sasuke felt a deep sense of frustration.

He had trained so hard.

Yet, facing a peer, he was completely outmatched.

At this moment, Jingxin was observing Sasuke, thinking: With emotional fluctuations this intense, won't he increase the strength of his Sharingan because of this?