"Start a normal match. Select Senju Nawaki."
"Battle begins."
The two appeared in the arena again.
"This time, I have to make the most of my chance. Challenge opportunities can only be earned through real battles, and from what I can tell, I have to win.
"But reality isn't practice. One loss could be the end.
"So every chance to challenge someone is hard-won. If I want a life-or-death battle, I have to play on normal mode and learn everything I can about my opponent.
"With preparation on my side and none on his, my chances of winning are pretty good."
"'Water Style: Water Bullet Barrage,' 'Water Style: Water Whip,' 'Earth Release: ...'"
Senju Nawaki unleashed a barrage of attacks from the very start, while Shangguan Yue kept dodging.
"I didn't have any experience the first time. If I use the God-Slaying Art at full power, my speed, boosted by my mental energy, will be too much for him to keep up with.
"Come on, Nawaki. Let's see how many jutsu you know."
As Shangguan Yue kept dodging, Senju Nawaki fired off one ninjutsu after another, blanketing the arena.
In that cramped battle space, it really was like a natural disaster had struck. The arena echoed with a continuous roar.
A while later, Shangguan Yue said, "Huh? Why'd he stop?"
Looking at Nawaki across from him, Shangguan Yue saw that he stood motionless, no longer using ninjutsu.
He spread out his mental energy to sense what was happening. "Haha, that's it? You're out of chakra. So all I had to do was hold out a little longer the first time, and you'd have been done for."
Shangguan Yue stepped forward. "'Explosive Flash: Draw-Sword Strike'—you're dead!"
"Battle victory. Obtained Water Style: Water Bullet Barrage."
Shangguan Yue vanished and reappeared at the Central Control Console.
"Phew... Don't rush me. Let me think."
"I don't know how this life-or-death battle works. Are our strengths the same?
"Could something change? What if I lose...?"
After a long pause, he said, "Damn it. Fortune favors the bold. I'm going for it. I've already died once, so I've got nothing to lose."
"Begin life-or-death duel."
"Select a challenger."
"Senju Nawaki!"
"Hmph. I refuse to believe I can't win. He has no conscious mind, only the will to fight.
"I've already figured out your combat rhythm. Come on, Nawaki."
Standing once more on the Battle Platform, Shangguan Yue looked at Senju Nawaki across from him and froze in disbelief.
"Wait, his expression, his movements... He's become real? Damn it, I was too careless."
"Crack, crack, crack."
Senju Nawaki rolled his joints, looked at Shangguan Yue, and formed the hand seals for a duel.
Shangguan Yue formed hand seals too. When he lowered his hands, Senju Nawaki clasped his hands behind his back and charged.
As Nawaki closed in, Shangguan Yue crouched. Longque appeared in his hand. He drew and swung his blade. "'God Slayer: Draw-Sword Strike!'"
"Even though I don't know how to use the Draw-Sword Strike, with my mental energy boosting it, this slash is already far faster and stronger than an ordinary one."
Shangguan Yue's blade struck Nawaki as he charged forward. With a bang, a log split in two.
"I knew it wouldn't be that simple. When did he use the Substitution Technique?"
He immediately spread out his mental energy to sense his surroundings. Chakra suddenly appeared behind him, and Shangguan Yue hurriedly used Void Step to get out of the way.
"Boom!"
At some point, Senju Nawaki had formed hand seals. As soon as his Substitution Technique ended, he fired off another Water Style: Water Bullet Barrage.
The spot where Shangguan Yue had just stood was now a massive crater, with sand and dust scattering everywhere.
"Huh? Where is he?"
Shangguan Yue hurriedly scanned the area and used his senses, but he couldn't find Senju Nawaki.
"'Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!'"
A hand suddenly shot out from beneath Shangguan Yue and grabbed his ankle. A powerful force dragged his body into the ground.
"Damn it, I'm in danger."
A sense of impending death welled up inside him. Shangguan Yue unleashed his mental energy and combined it with chakra, forming a storm several meters around him.
Shangguan Yue blasted himself out of the ground, soaring into the air. Senju Nawaki had just closed in.
The sudden explosion sent Nawaki flying, leaving his head ringing. Shangguan Yue didn't waste the opportunity.
"'Explosive Flash: Draw-Sword Strike!'"
"This time, I'm not using the back of my blade, Nawaki."
"Battle victory. Obtained Senju Bloodline and Gift of Senju Hashirama."
The two vanished, and Shangguan Yue returned to the Central Control Console.
"Nawaki definitely had intelligence just now. He didn't speak, but his attack rhythm was different. He started looking for my weaknesses and setting the pace of his attacks."
Shangguan Yue's musings were bound to go unanswered. With only one battle to go on, he couldn't figure out much.
Shangguan Yue left the space, and his consciousness returned. The next second—
"Ah!!! It hurts!"
Shangguan Yue felt as if his body were being cut apart by knives. The pain was unbearable. "My body... What's happening...?"
Just as Shangguan Yue was struggling to endure the pain, Tsunade was racing along outside Konoha, weaving through the trees.
"Why did the teacher have Big Brother Sakumo come back in my place?"
Still confused, Tsunade soon reached the Hokage Building. She didn't even knock, but kicked the door open and strode inside.
"Teacher, why did you call me back?"
"Ah, Tsunade, you're back."
Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, looking awkward as he hid the crystal ball in his hand behind his back, covering it with its lid.
"That disciple of yours, Shangguan Yue, has been causing quite a stir. I called you back to teach him properly. He even beat Nawaki today. And... Never mind. You'll understand when you get home, Tsunade."
"Huh? Shangguan Yue?"
Tsunade turned and hurried home.
"It's probably nothing serious. Whatever, I'll see when I get back. I'll wash up properly once I'm home. All that rushing around for nothing."
Before you continue