It wasn't long before Nawaki had recovered completely. If not for the bloodstained clothes lying nearby, no one would have guessed what had just happened.
The Senju clan members watching from the side noticed something was off. "Isn't this the Medical Ninjutsu Lady Tsunade has been learning? How does he know it?"
"Looks like he and Lady Tsunade have a very special relationship."
Listening to the onlookers, Shangguan Yue couldn't help feeling puzzled. Isn't Medical Ninjutsu pretty ordinary? Why does everyone seem so surprised?
He pushed his way through the crowd. The Senju clan members were far too enthusiastic, and he couldn't take much more. As for how Nawaki felt, he couldn't care less.
I need to hurry back and master the Three Body Technique. That Substitution Technique was so cool—it's a lifesaving skill!
Watching Shangguan Yue disappear, Senju Nawaki got to his feet and shouted defiantly, "I won't give up! Just you wait! I'm going to train right now!!!"
Senju Nawaki leaped from branch to branch, and soon reached a secluded residence. "Knock, knock, knock."
"Who is it?"
"Teacher, it's me."
"Nawaki, come in. Didn't you go home? Why are you back again?"
Orochimaru flicked his tongue and looked at Nawaki with a sinister smile.
"Teacher, I want to get stronger! I want to defeat that man!!!"
"I understand. What an enviable bond. Come with me."
Senju Nawaki followed Orochimaru into the dim basement.
Meanwhile, Shangguan Yue made his way to Tsunade's residence. Fortunately, it was Tsunade's place, which counted as forbidden territory within the Senju clan compound. Usually, no one came by to bother them.
Shangguan Yue eagerly opened another scroll. The first thing it introduced was Hand Seals.
Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig
The hand seals for the Clone Technique were "Goat-Snake-Tiger." Then, with a shout of "Hah!" the clone would take shape. The whole process took two seconds.
Shangguan Yue twisted his fingers. "Goat...Snake...Tiger...Hah!" His chakra surged along with them. "Poof." "Huh? Why didn't anything happen?"
"...Did I fail?"
Unwilling to give up, Shangguan Yue tried again.
"Poof."
"Poof."
"Poof."
"Forget it. You have to accept your fate."
Shangguan Yue lay down on Tsunade's bed and focused his mind. "Enter."
The next moment, he was inside the Balance of God's control room, with a log appearing before him.
"Defeated Senju Nawaki. Rating: Average. Received 1 challenge opportunity. "Defeated Senju Nawaki. Rating: Excellent. Received 3 wager opportunities."
"Not bad. That gives me four opportunities. Too bad they're all trainee ninja this month; there's no one worth challenging. I'll try the standard mode first.
"But there aren't any more bugs to exploit now. From here on out, I'll have to rely on my own strength. What a pain."
"Select a challenge opponent."
"Let's go with Senju Nawaki."
"Selection successful."
Shangguan Yue went to the Balance and looked at Nawaki standing across from him. Nawaki had a dead-fish stare and an expressionless face. What surprised Yue was that the Balance tilted toward Nawaki.
"Battle begins"
The next moment, the two of them appeared atop Kage Rock.
"Water Release: Water Bullet Technique"
A Water Dragon flew toward Shangguan Yue, moving pretty fast. Yue hurriedly retreated.
"An ambush?!"
Nawaki didn't say a word. He launched another Water Dragon Bullet.
"Water Release: Water Consecutive Bullets Technique"
Shangguan Yue could only dodge the stream of Water Bullets coming straight at him.
Before he knew it, the ground beneath his feet had become a vast pool. Nawaki controlled the entire pace of the fight. As Shangguan Yue dodged once more, Nawaki formed Hand Seals and slapped the ground.
"Water Release: Earth Snake Technique"
The puddles around them churned and turned into water snakes, which instantly lunged at Shangguan Yue. Nawaki had sealed off every escape route; even overhead, Water Dragon Bullets continued to shoot through the air.
There were simply too many of them to fend off. Water snakes coiled around Shangguan Yue, biting him in several places.
Before he could think of a way out, Nawaki shouted, "Earth Release: Swamp Technique!"
The ground beneath Shangguan Yue's feet suddenly turned soft, and he sank into the mud. "Damn it."
The next moment, Nawaki finished forming his Hand Seals. ""Water Release: Water Cutter Technique"."
A thin stream of water shot from Nawaki's mouth. He swung his head, sweeping it horizontally toward Shangguan Yue.
The threat of death circled through Shangguan Yue's mind. "I'm done for."
Shangguan Yue's mind went blank. A moment later, he staggered and fell to his knees.
"Did I just die?"
Shangguan Yue looked around. He was back in the control room, which meant the challenge was over. He had lost.
"Haah, haah... damn it." Shangguan Yue gasped for breath and swallowed hard. The feeling of facing death just now had left him suffocating.
"I was careless. I didn't expect a copy with nothing but combat instincts to be this strong.
"This is only D-plus rank, yet a single elite Genin can create an AoE effect. That's ridiculous.
"Damn it, I want to be an AoE mage too! I want to unleash attacks across the whole map!"
"Again!!! Start battle mode."
Back on the dueling arena, Shangguan Yue stared at Nawaki's stern face across from him. This time, he wasn't holding back.
""God Slayer: Full Power," "Void Step: Explosive Flash: Draw-Sword Strike." Die!!!"
White flames of energy burst from Shangguan Yue's whole body. He was hurled forward like a cannonball, and his clothes tore apart.
In an instant, he was in front of Nawaki. One slash, a flourish of his sword, then he planted it in the ground and dropped to one knee.
"Battle won"
"Obtained C-rank Ninjutsu: Water Release: Water Bullet."
The dueling arena shattered like a mirror and vanished. Shangguan Yue returned to the control room.
"Huh? My clothes and body are back to normal? But my mental energy's pretty depleted.
"But still, this is... Then couldn't I use some kind of suicide attack from now on...?"
At the thought, Shangguan Yue was delighted. He stood there for a long while, and when the Balance of God still gave him no prompt about fixing a bug, he finally relaxed.
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