Matsuzaki Wins

Another fierce battle began.

Just as the lightning-clad right hand was about to hit the puppet's waist, it instantly sidestepped, narrowly dodging the blow and leaving behind a black, scorched mark.

The puppet clenched its fist and punched Uchiha Matsuzaki in the waist, where he had left himself open.

Uchiha Matsuzaki was sent flying and spat out a mouthful of blood.

In midair, Uchiha Matsuzaki twisted his body, found his balance, and landed safely on the ground.

But his waist had taken a heavy blow, and it felt as if two of his ribs were broken.

"Damn it, I let my guard down... That hurts!"

The students watching the fight from below were all dumbstruck. They had never seen a battle like this.

The difference between fighting an examiner and fighting a puppet was that an examiner had human instincts, while a puppet did not.

Before Uchiha Matsuzaki could recover, the puppet charged at him again.

"Not good!"

He drew a Kunai to block the attack.

Blade clashed with fist again and again, each impact ringing out with a booming sound.

"I can't keep this up."

As he fought, Uchiha Matsuzaki kept looking for an opening in the puppet's defenses.

Hard work always paid off in the end.

When the puppet attacked with both hands, Uchiha Matsuzaki seized his chance.

Whoosh!

He slashed with the Kunai.

The puppet's left eye cracked, leaving a gash that exposed the wires inside.

The puppet's attacks stopped.

Seeing this, Uchiha Matsuzaki immediately retreated to the side, panting.

"Strong... Last time was just luck. I don't know how this'll end."

Standing off to the side, Uchiha Matsuzaki clutched his waist, thinking of the spot where his ribs were broken.

"Rasengan..."

Suppressing the pain, Uchiha Matsuzaki held out his right hand and gathered chakra into a blue Rasengan.

But just then, he infused the Rasengan with his lightning-nature chakra.

Just as the system had explained, lightning now crackled around the Rasengan in his hand. It had become a new technique: Lightning Rasengan.

Uchiha Matsuzaki saw that the puppet wasn't reacting and instantly accelerated toward it.

The puppet quickly turned and reached out to block him.

The Lightning Rasengan struck the puppet's blocking hand.

After holding on for a few seconds, Uchiha realized the puppet was simply too rigid to break through.

"Damn it, break...!"

Uchiha Matsuzaki shouted, then gathered more chakra and poured it into the Rasengan in his hand.

Boom!

A tremendous blast sent Uchiha Matsuzaki flying backward.

But when he looked at the puppet again, he saw that its arm had snapped off and vanished without a trace.

The puppet stood motionless, its arm broken off.

But it still had power.

A faint smile appeared on Uchiha Matsuzaki's face.

"Sharingan, Big Ball Rasengan..."

Ignoring the pain, Uchiha Matsuzaki seized the opportunity, activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan again, and charged at the puppet with a Rasengan.

The entire crowd was now worked up beyond belief.

They all understood that if this attack hit the puppet, it would mean victory in the match.

"Come on!"

"Come on, brother! I'm rooting for you!"

"Come on, brother!"

Everyone watching from below was now fired up.

"Die!"

Uchiha Matsuzaki thrust the Big Ball Rasengan between his hands toward the motionless puppet.

The moment the Rasengan touched the puppet's body, it tore through it bit by bit.

Boom...

After the tremendous blast, all the dust on the field billowed into the air.

When the dust finally settled, Uchiha Matsuzaki stood on the field, gazing up at the sun and smiling.

His arm had also been badly injured. His Sharingan had deactivated, and two trails of blood ran from the corners of his eyes.

His legs gave way.

His eyes closed.

He collapsed to the ground.

He had passed out.