Victory

Facing the incoming Great Fireball, Matsushita quickly formed hand seals to unleash Water Release: Water Wave. A massive torrent of water surged from his mouth, gathering into a wave that not only extinguished the fireball but possessed enough residual force to rush toward Nawaki!

Little did he know, Nawaki had already completed a second ninjutsu in that split second. He slammed his hands onto the ground, causing the earth before him to shatter and rise into a wave of soil that charged at Matsushita. It not only blocked the water flow but instantly formed a circular wall around Matsushita, sealing him inside a dome of earth—Earth Release: Earth Prison Dome.

Because Nawaki's hand-seal speed was so rapid, he had completed two ninjutsu in under a second. The second technique was launched almost simultaneously with Matsushita's water technique, and due to the principle of elemental affinity, Earth Prison Dome easily neutralized the Water Wave and trapped the caught-off-guard Matsushita inside.

This was a tactic he had planned before even using the Fire Release: a Ninjutsu Duet executed by utilizing his superior hand-seal speed and the principle of elemental counter-affinity!

Any ninja whose hand-seal speed and chakra reserves did not vastly exceed his own would fall for this. This Ninjutsu Duet could be combined with many different elemental properties, making it incredibly versatile. As long as the opponent was not a Kekkei Genkai user, it was highly effective in battles below the Kage level, and even in Kage-level combat, it could produce miraculous results if used by surprise.

The Ninjutsu Duet, and even the Quintet, were tactical techniques Nawaki had tailored for the Senju Clan, based on their five-element chakra nature and vast chakra reserves. Using it for the first time today, it had proven its worth.

Had Nawaki chosen an offensive Earth Release for his second technique, such as Earth Spear or Antlion Hell, Matsushita would likely be dead by now.

Nawaki kept one hand pressed against the earth prison, controlling the barrier to absorb Matsushita's chakra to reinforce the walls, while moving in a slow circle around the dome to ensure the chakra within the walls remained uniform.

"Teacher Matsushita, please concede! With your strength and taijutsu, you cannot break this barrier; you will only end up with your chakra exhausted!"

Matsushita, trapped inside, heard Nawaki's words and dug a deep groove into the wall with his kunai, only to find the earth wall recovering as if it were alive, while his own chakra drained away rapidly.

With no other choice, Matsushita conceded.

The battle between the two lasted less than three minutes. This was the nature of a ninja's fight: a constant stream of bizarre ninjutsu, where one never knew how many trump cards an opponent held or what methods they might use in the next second. A moment of carelessness could lead to a desperate situation or even death.

The Third Hokage watched Nawaki with an appreciative look and said, "You have already mastered ninjutsu of multiple elements? And your hand-seal speed and timing are both perfect. It seems this child is truly gifted in ninjutsu and is very suitable to be my disciple."

Tsunade curled her lip at this and said, "I think those taijutsu moves of Nawaki's have more potential. I wonder if the training requirements are difficult? If I could learn them and combine them with my Strength of a Hundred Fist, I'd have the confidence to fight even you, Teacher Hiruzen!"

"Uh..." Hiruzen was speechless. With his eye for talent, he could naturally see the true power of the Konoha Six Powers. If not for the fact that Nawaki was still young and his physical strength and stamina couldn't keep up with the consumption of high-intensity combat, he could have defeated Matsushita using nothing but the Shunpo to launch continuous surprise attacks.

Jiraiya, hearing Tsunade's words, shouted, "Are you kidding me? Tsunade's strength is already exaggerated enough! You're basically dead if you get hit once. If that's combined with that kind of flash-step taijutsu, plus flight capabilities, wouldn't there be nowhere to run in heaven or on earth?"

Orochimaru added with an evil smile, "It's more than that. If you add that defensive taijutsu that can deflect shuriken attacks, the weaknesses in defense are also covered. I suspect the other three forms must have offensive capabilities as well. The Konoha Six Powers truly is a perfect taijutsu style. Tsunade, your brother possesses talent far beyond the ordinary!"

"That goes without saying!" Tsunade said, looking proud after hearing Orochimaru's words.

The current Orochimaru was only thirteen. Although he had already embarked on the path of pursuing immortality due to the death of his parents, he was far from the madness he would display during the Third Great Ninja War, when he would use village comrades for human experimentation. He had only performed snake-cell modifications on himself and hadn't even begun to study the forbidden techniques in the Scroll of Sealing. In the end, he was just a slightly stronger Jonin; if not for his status as the Third Hokage's disciple and his connection to the Senju Clan, he would be no different from an ordinary Jonin.

Lacking immense power and status, his ambition had not yet swelled to the point of insanity! Therefore, although he was filled with desire and greed for Nawaki's power, he didn't have the slightest thought of making a move against him.

Not to mention the importance the Third Hokage and the Konoha leadership placed on Nawaki, even his sister Tsunade—a notorious brother-complex—was someone he couldn't handle right now. Furthermore, Nawaki's current strength was not weak, and he had Wood Release as a trump card; Orochimaru had no absolute certainty of victory.

With Orochimaru's intellect, he had already extinguished the idea of forcibly seizing Nawaki's power and was considering how to obtain what he wanted through trade and cooperation.

Given Nawaki's talent and status, he was fully qualified to stand on equal footing with him. And for some reason, although Nawaki's outward image appeared very sunny and perfect, Orochimaru always felt that he, like himself, possessed a greedy ambition!

This must be an excellent partner for cooperation, the young Orochimaru, who had not yet been betrayed by Danzo, thought to himself.

However, with his current strength, he had no achievements that could impress Nawaki, so he couldn't reveal his hand prematurely. He planned to continue lurking and observing, waiting for the right moment to test Nawaki.

"Hehehe... it really is enviable, Tsunade!" Orochimaru said with a meaningful smile.

"Hmph! Nawaki should have been my disciple! To think he was snatched away by Teacher Hiruzen! What a cunning old man!" Jiraiya complained loudly from the side, drawing the attention of the high-ranking officials.

A vein popped on Hiruzen Sarutobi's forehead, and he raised his hand to deliver a sharp chop to the top of Jiraiya's head.

Jiraiya crouched on the ground, clutching his head and yelling in pain: "Old man! What are you doing?"

"Shut up, Jiraiya!" Hiruzen barked angrily: "In a few years, you might not even be Nawaki's match; what qualifications do you have to take him as a disciple? Get out of here and train! You brat, you have no respect for your master!"

"Lord Hokage, has Jiraiya made you angry again? But please don't always hit him on the head; he'll get dumber the more you hit him." Nawaki walked over to the group, smiling as he spoke.

The Third Hokage immediately changed to a kind expression when facing Nawaki—he couldn't help but be kind; this kid was too black-bellied. "Nawaki, congratulations on becoming a ninja capable of standing on your own. Tomorrow, you will begin your ninja career under the guidance of a Jonin. Are you ready?"