To Repay My Debts, I'll Become Hokage!

Nagano Aka dared not move, his throat bobbing as that cold, sharp aura made his hair stand on end and cold sweat stream down his back.

"I surrender! I surrender! I lost!"

Nagano Aka raised both hands high, conceding immediately with a dejected look on his face.

He had known this outcome all along; how could a civilian ninja like him ever hope to defeat a clan ninja?

That incredible shurikenjutsu alone had been far beyond his reach, not to mention the fact that his opponent had already mastered high-level ninjutsu like the Shadow Clone Technique...

Nagano Aka wore a mournful expression, the more he thought about it, the more it stung.

"First match, Mikoto Uchiha, winner!"

The second duel featured two other examinees.

Team Tsunade watched their battle from the floor above, and well, how should one put it?

It was a very traditional genin battle.

They used kunai and shuriken to probe, clashed with taijutsu, flexibly utilized the Body Replacement, Transformation, and Clone Techniques along with smoke bombs to create openings, and then pulled out their trump card ninjutsu to secure victory.

To Uchiha Chonhua, this was a battle between two novices pecking at each other.

But to the already eliminated Nagano Aka, it was a high-level fight; he watched with rapt attention, comparing their moves to his own and learning from the experience.

After a "fierce" battle, both were panting heavily, their gazes toward one another filled with complex emotions.

"Liuzang!"

"Koji!"

The two roared, throwing "friendship-shattering" punches straight at each other's faces.

With a dull thud, both were struck, and both flew backward, collapsing onto the ground unconscious.

"Uh, this..."

Uchiha Chonhua watched the scene below, speechless. You two are certainly passionate.

The proctor was also stunned for a moment before checking their conditions and raising a hand to announce.

"Both eliminated!"

A battle ending in mutual destruction was something no one present had anticipated.

The two instructors arrived in the arena with grim faces to carry their students away.

What a lucky draw it had been, avoiding both the Uchiha and the Hyuga.

The instructors had thought at least one of them would advance to the next round, yet they had ended up knocking each other out?

Weren't they supposed to be good friends? Why fight so ruthlessly in a duel?

The instructors didn't understand, but they were deeply shocked!

Unable to bear the embarrassment, the instructors took their two students and left the High Tower immediately.

Then, only the final pair remained.

Uchiha Chonhua and Hizashi Hyuga exchanged a glance, then leaped into the arena together.

Up above, Mikoto Uchiha shouted, "Good luck, Chonhua, Hizashi!"

"Uchiha Chonhua vs. Hizashi Hyuga, begin!"

As the proctor's voice fell, Uchiha Chonhua and Hizashi Hyuga formed the Seal of Confrontation.

Veins bulged around Hizashi Hyuga's eyes as he activated his Byakugan, his formidable insight piercing through Uchiha Chonhua's body to reveal the locations of his chakra points.

He spread his arms like a wild goose, focusing his energy and calming his spirit.

Uchiha Chonhua was already within the observation range of the Byakugan.

"Ha!"

With a low shout, Hizashi Hyuga stepped forward to attack, his arms sweeping out as his fingers suddenly struck!

Uchiha Chonhua lacked Hizashi Hyuga's stance; he stood lazily, appearing full of openings at first glance.

Just as Hizashi Hyuga closed in and his hands were about to strike his chakra points, Uchiha Chonhua moved. Faster than his opponent, he thrust his palms out like a dragon, grabbing Hizashi Hyuga's wrists and pinning his hands in place.

Sitting on the platform, Sarutobi Hiruzen marveled; the opening speed of Hizashi Hyuga's Gentle Fist Art was very fast. If one could not block it, being struck in the chakra points would lead to a state of stagnation.

Once the flow of chakra was disrupted and the body stiffened, the opponent's storm-like finger strikes would follow.

This was the Hyuga Clan's ancestral Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

Hizashi Hyuga's attack speed was high, but Uchiha Chonhua was faster, striking after the opponent to neutralize his opening move.

Not a single one of the sixty-four palms had been landed; the rhythm was ruined.

Seeing this, Hizashi Hyuga hurriedly changed his technique.

He transformed his finger strikes into palms and thrust them violently forward.

Uchiha Chonhua raised an eyebrow, kicked off the ground, and vaulted over Hizashi Hyuga's wrist.

BOOM!

The wall behind him exploded, sending stone fragments flying.

Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!

Had Hizashi Hyuga already mastered the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm at this point? This was something Uchiha Chonhua had not known.

He was hiding a trick up his sleeve.

"Hiss."

Uchiha Chonhua suddenly frowned and released Hizashi Hyuga's wrist. He looked at his hands, where tiny beads of blood were seeping out.

Just now, a sudden burst of spikes had erupted from Hizashi Hyuga's wrist, feeling just like needle pricks.

Was he projecting his chakra outward into needles?

Seeing Uchiha Chonhua look at his wrist, Hizashi Hyuga explained, "Thanks to the pointers on shape transformation you taught me, this is my own realization: turning chakra into needles."

The corners of Hizashi Hyuga's stoic face suddenly tugged upward, and he looked at Uchiha Chonhua's hands with a playful smirk. "Surprised? The feeling of being pricked by needles isn't very pleasant, is it?"

"It certainly isn't pleasant."

Uchiha Chonhua's palms glowed with a verdant light. He pressed his hands together and rubbed them, and as the blood beads dissipated, the small puncture wounds healed instantly.

"Let's go, Hizashi!"

Chapter 50: Team Tsunade Sweeps the Top Three!

Hizashi Hyuga threw a palm strike.

The compressed chakra carried the air with it, roaring forward like a cannon blast.

Uchiha Chonhua dodged to the side, and the wall behind him exploded, his hair whipping in the wind.

With one strike failing, Hizashi Hyuga unleashed a barrage of Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palms.

Uchiha Chonhua swayed left and right, evading every one of Hizashi Hyuga's attacks as he walked toward his opponent step by step.

Watching Chonhua's leisurely stroll, Hizashi Hyuga frowned. Knowing the other's immense sensory capabilities, he realized the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm would not be enough to deal with him.

He had to close the distance to land an Eight Trigrams palm strike and seal Chonhua's chakra points.

Hizashi Hyuga fired another Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, rushing toward Uchiha Chonhua in the wake of his own attack.

Uchiha Chonhua swayed slightly to bypass the strike, making no move to dodge the incoming finger strike.

Hizashi Hyuga felt a flicker of doubt. Was he really leaving himself wide open to attack?

The Gentle Fist of the Hyuga Clan was different from hard styles; it focused on internal damage. The seemingly soft technique could inflict massive trauma on the internal organs.

Furthermore, they possessed the Byakugan, allowing them to see the location of an enemy's chakra points. A single strike could inject their own chakra to seal the opponent's meridian nodes.

This would lead to disrupted chakra flow, rendering the opponent unable to utilize their techniques and leaving them defenseless.

Uchiha Chonhua knew all of this, so for him to leave himself so blatantly exposed...

Hizashi Hyuga suddenly stopped in his tracks, watching him with caution.

"Why the sudden stop?"

Uchiha Chonhua wore a smile, but it made Hizashi Hyuga's heart tighten. There must be a trap, he thought.

He watched Uchiha Chonhua slowly raise his right hand, preparing his chakra to deploy a Rotation defense if anything went wrong.

SHING!

Suddenly, a flash of light flickered. Hizashi Hyuga's eyes widened in horror as he looked at his left shoulder, where a Lightning Blade, formed into the shape of a sword, had sliced through his white robe.

It hadn't cut into his flesh, but Hizashi Hyuga's throat bobbed, and he broke into a cold sweat.

So fast! He hadn't even reacted before the Lightning Blade was at his neck. If they were mortal enemies, and this strike had been aimed directly at his heart...

At the thought, Hizashi Hyuga felt even more terrified.

"Is this a technique based on the Chidori with added shape transformation?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes lit up. He knew of the Chidori that Uchiha Chonhua had created, and he had been shocked when he first heard of it.

To create a ninjutsu at such a young age—Uchiha Chonhua's talent had once again refreshed his understanding, leaving even Sarutobi Hiruzen sighing at how terrifying the younger generation had become.

He hadn't expected Uchiha Chonhua to surprise him again; he had actually added shape transformation on top of nature transformation.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had studied many techniques, and upon seeing the Lightning Blade, he realized that this was likely not the only extension Uchiha Chonhua had developed for the Chidori.

"Chidori Current: Chidori Sharp Spear."

Uchiha Chonhua calmly announced the name of the ninjutsu.

He smiled at Hizashi Hyuga. "I have chakra needles too, Hizashi. Why don't you try them?"

As the words fell, Uchiha Chonhua tugged his right hand, and the Chidori Sharp Spear shattered, transforming into a barrage of lightning-attribute chakra needles that streaked toward Hizashi Hyuga.

"Chidori Current: Eight Direction Needles!"

Hizashi Hyuga felt goosebumps rise across his skin, triggered by the chakra needles that now surrounded him.

He hurriedly spread his arms, spinning his body as a torrent of chakra erupted from within.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin!"

The chakra transformed into a protective veil, deflecting all the needles; a ceaseless clanging sound rang out, like the striking of gold and iron.

Chakra as tangible as kunai—this requires no small amount of control.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stroked his beard, glancing at Tsunade, who was watching the stage with unblinking eyes.

That level of chakra control was a direct result of her training him in medical ninjutsu.

Faced with Hizashi Hyuga's "tortoise shell," Uchiha Chonhua chose to meet it head-on.

He raised his right palm, and a gale began to howl as a sphere the size of a basketball condensed in an instant.

"Big Ball Rasengan!"

Uchiha Chonhua hoisted the Big Ball Rasengan and smashed it fiercely against the iron wall of the Heavenly Spin!

Sarutobi Hiruzen leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the scene without a single blink.

That was another of Chonhua's offensive techniques, and a hand-seal-less ninjutsu at that.

He truly wanted to crack open Uchiha Chonhua's skull just to see how he had ever conceived of techniques like the Chidori and the Rasengan.

In the eyes of the well-traveled Sarutobi Hiruzen, both of these ninjutsu were at least A-rank in terms of learning difficulty!

Bang!

The Big Ball Rasengan slammed down, instantly shattering Hizashi Hyuga's Heavenly Spin defense.

Hizashi Hyuga stumbled back several steps, and unable to offset the sheer force of the impact, he collapsed onto the ground with a thud.

Hizashi Hyuga shook his head; the roar of the impact had left his brain dazed and spinning.