Then Fight

Uchiha Isho shoved his hands into his pockets, his expression neutral and his tone flat as he looked toward the group from the Sound Village.

"Uchiha Isho, I live next to the ninja tool shop on Konoha East Street. By the way, I prefer death matches; that way, I can let loose completely. Hehe!"

As he spoke, a domineering killing intent radiated from Isho, spreading toward the examinees. Some of the older candidates felt as if they had encountered a natural predator, sensing the surrounding temperature plummeting rapidly while their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

Gaara narrowed his eyes, re-evaluating the ninja before him who didn't seem merely arrogant, but rather possessed a thirst for slaughter and a ferocity equal to his own.

Hidden at the very back, Orochimaru licked his lips in excitement, his expression sinister as he mused to himself, This brat is Uchiha Isho. He has already awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan; he is even more outstanding than Itachi's younger brother or Itachi himself. I can hardly resist grabbing him right now to study his bloodline... Heh... Heh.

Regardless of what the others were thinking, Isho suddenly glanced toward the last few rows of ninjas. He had already felt the sensation of being watched by a venomous snake—that suffocating feeling like a python constricting its prey—and who else could it be but Orochimaru?

Isho turned and walked away, preparing to wait for challengers on the training ground. The purpose of releasing his killing intent earlier was to discourage the weaker ones. Otherwise, if a real fight broke out, it might become troublesome, and it would be difficult to control the force of his blows.

A few hours later, examinees had gathered one after another to surround Isho on the training ground. Yet, no one dared to make the first move, all intending to observe his strength first. After all, it wasn't every day one encountered someone of this age with such powerful killing intent.

"Are we just going to watch this brat?! Let's all attack together. There are over twenty of us here; I don't believe we can't beat this arrogant, conceited kid."

The ninja wearing a Sunagakure headband saw that there were enough people and immediately proposed the idea.

Just then, Kakashi appeared between the two sides. His tone was extremely solemn as he said, "You may fight to your heart's content, but since you are guests, there must be no ninja deaths. I will be watching from the sidelines, and I will intervene to save anyone in critical danger."

Kakashi looked at Isho a few times, and seeing him nod, he felt slightly relieved and went to find a suitable spot to observe the battle.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Over a dozen shadow clones appeared beside Isho and immediately charged toward the enemies from all directions. Isho's original body seized the moment, dodging several volleys of hidden weapons, and body-flickered onto a thick tree trunk.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique!"

This technique consumed a massive amount of his own chakra in an environment without water, but it was one of the most suitable ninjutsu for dealing with being swarmed. It was also one of the techniques he had learned from Zabuza through his Sharingan and his own comprehension.

The item he had obtained after that experience card ended was the Kubikiribōchō. However, fearing it would be too eye-catching, Isho hadn't brought it. After all, once that blade was drawn, how could he not let it taste some blood?

The ninjas who hadn't managed to stop Isho from using this technique were all filled with regret. They had been prepared, knowing this move was best for scattering a crowd. Unfortunately, Isho's hand seals and speed were too fast; he had finished it in mere seconds.

"Isho, just knock them out; don't take their lives. Otherwise, things will get very troublesome, and the little money you have won't be enough to pay the damages!"

Seeing Isho use this move again, Kakashi felt it would be difficult to stop him. He was amazed by Isho's learning talent, thinking to himself, What he has displayed so far includes Fire, Earth, and Water; he might even possess Lightning, but just hasn't learned ninjutsu in that area. It is truly astonishing—the Uchiha clan, which produces geniuses, and the incredible Isho.

"Understood."

Isho's voice came from all directions; the ninjas trapped in the mist couldn't tell where his real body was at all.

The ninjas possessing Wind-style chakra continuously used ninjutsu to blow away the mist around them, watching their surroundings with vigilance, causing the mist to grow thinner and thinner.

"Don't move, it's me. I don't have Wind-style chakra, so I have no way to detect that brat's position. He will definitely come to take you out first, so I can just guard your side."

The burly man dressed as a Sunagakure ninja explained immediately.

The Amegakure ninja who could use Wind-style nodded, then spat out a wind bullet from his mouth. But the moment he turned around, the Sunagakure ninja body-flickered behind him and struck his neck with a sudden chop.

The Amegakure ninja collapsed to the ground instantly.

"No wonder he finished the exam so quickly; it turns out his intelligence is lacking."

This scene played out repeatedly around the ninjas who could use Wind-style. The others were worried about hurting ninjas from their own villages, so they didn't use wide-range hidden weapons. They also understood that if they killed indiscriminately, Kakashi, who was monitoring the area, would not go easy on them.

Under Isho's omnipresent sneak attacks, only six people remained, huddled together to protect the two Wind-style users. The view around them was no longer blurred, and the sunlight clearly illuminated a ten-meter radius centered on them.

"There are only a few of you left. Are you not planning to admit defeat? I can't guarantee how much blood will be splattered on you next!"

"Hmph! After such a long time, your chakra should be just about exhausted."

"That's right, just wait another minute or two, and your chakra will surely be depleted. It's already surprising enough that a Genin like you could perform such a large-scale ninjutsu."

The remaining ones were not lacking in experience or wisdom compared to those who had fallen early, and they didn't believe Isho still had the strength to fight them.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

As Isho chanted in a low voice, four massive fireballs, each two meters in diameter, formed in an instant and roared toward the front, the sides, and above them.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Seeing that his chakra was bottoming out, and that the opponent had blocked his ninjutsu with an earth wall and a combined blast of wind, Isho had no intention of continuing the fight. He wasn't truly bloodthirsty.

Fighting and killing is such a hassle. Besides, there should be more good people among these guys, so I definitely can't cripple them.

After thinking on the bright side for a moment, Isho shouted to the people below, "I'm done, you win. It's almost dinner time, so I'm going back to eat."

"Bye-bye."

Ignoring the stunned expressions of the group, Isho, whose strength was at most at the peak of Chunin level, body-flickered away.

"This guy, he clearly acted like he wouldn't stop until one side was defeated. And now, he just ran off?!"

"Damn it! We've all been played by him! Since when did Konoha have such a shameless brat!"

"He seemed to mention his home address; let's go find him. We must humiliate him thoroughly to vent our hatred!"

Seeing that the group was about to go after Isho aggressively, Kakashi had to step in as the peacemaker, "I advise you not to go. If he hadn't wanted to avoid taking your lives, you wouldn't have lasted a few minutes. He likely still has more than half of his chakra left.

Killing you is much simpler than controlling his power to only give you minor injuries. If you insist on going, then don't blame anyone if you end up dead!"