Seated atop the high platform, Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the green figure suddenly appear in the middle of the arena and couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Hideaka, you're finally back...
The task of suppressing the Uchiha's arrogance was all in your hands!
"You... you're Sato Hideaka?"
The jonin officiating the match stood in the middle of the arena, glanced at the photo on the contestant's file, then looked at the short figure in a rain cape and hat that concealed his face. He asked uncertainly, "Is that really you?"
The spectators also turned their attention to the newcomer who had suddenly appeared in the arena. His face was hidden by a rain hat, and his entire body was covered in a thick cape made of rain grass. He looked somewhat mysterious and out of place. Had this guy really prepared carefully for the competition?
Why did it feel as if he'd only just returned and had entered without preparing at all?
Standing under the gaze of the crowd, Sato Hideaka took off his rain hat and casually tossed the cape aside. He revealed choppy blue hair, blue eyes, and a sharply defined face. After many days of training, most of the fat on his body had been transformed into muscle.
Now full of energy, he no longer had the childish air he'd once carried. He seemed a little more mature!
"Wow, how old is that kid? He doesn't even look ten!"
"How could he stand out in the Genin Exam at that age? Does he have some kind of powerful backer?"
"Wow, look at his blue eyes. They're as clear as the sky. He's not very old, but he still seems so cool. He's got such a great look!"
The audience erupted in chatter. They discussed not only Sato Hideaka's entrance, clothes, and age, but even his appearance. Some of the other "foreign visitors" watched him intently, too. A child of about six being rated outstanding might be an important piece of intelligence...
The jonin officiating the match was a little confused. Sato Hideaka looked refined in the photo, but in person, he seemed somewhat cold and stern. Their features were similar, but their temperaments were very different. Were the person in the photo and the one standing before him really the same person?
After carefully comparing them for a moment, the short-sword-wearing host finally confirmed it. "Uh, there is a bit of a resemblance... W-well, let the match begin!"
Aburame Hakushou and Sato Hideaka faced each other and raised their right index and middle fingers, forming the Seal of Confrontation to signal that the match had begun--
The match had started, but neither of them rushed to seize an advantage!
Sato Hideaka placed his left hand behind his back and held his right hand, wrapped in white bandages, in front of him. His feet were set one ahead of the other, and he assumed the standard stance of a Taijutsu fighter.
Aburame Hakushou also stood in place. Countless Kikaichū poured out from all over her body, as if a billowing black mist had appeared from nowhere. It surged toward Sato Hideaka, seeming ready to swallow him whole.
Seeing the countless Kikaichū rushing toward him, Sato Hideaka bent his body like a shrimp curling into a bow. A green aura suddenly burst around him. He stamped his feet against the ground and vanished in an instant.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
His rapid movement brought Sato Hideaka instantly to Aburame Hakushou's side. He pivoted on his left foot, spun around, and lashed out with his right, striking Aburame Hakushou with a kick that carried a rush of wind.
Aburame Hakushou's body scattered on impact, transforming into countless Kikaichū that swarmed in every direction...
A Bug Clone?
The real one was... underground!
Sato Hideaka closed his blue eyes and instantly sensed Aburame Hakushou's location. It was thanks to the new sensory ninjutsu he had developed: Lightning Release: Electric Net Technique.
Every living creature released electric waves into its surroundings. They were extremely weak, but they did exist. After using Lightning Release: Electric Net Technique, the user became a large receiver, capable of picking up every electric wave nearby.
Now there was a human-shaped signal right beneath his feet, and countless tiny signals were swirling, about to burst through the ground...
"Secret Technique: Bug Tornado!"
Countless Kikaichū flew out of the earth, spinning rapidly and whipping up a whirlwind that swept Sato Hideaka inside. The Kikaichū were greedy insects. They not only sucked out chakra, but also devoured flesh. Those beset by a swarm were often sucked dry without a trace left behind.
But from the information transmitted by her Kikaichū, Aburame Hakushou realized that her carefully prepared attack had missed. Her target had been nothing more than an afterimage. Sato Hideaka had already left that spot...
With the first three gates of the Eight Inner Gates open, Sato Hideaka was far faster than Aburame Hakushou, who was only at Chunin level—or perhaps not even that. Her eyes could barely follow his movements.
Sato Hideaka stood twenty meters away. A green aura seemed to burn all over his body. Yet, despite having opened the first three gates, he wasn't flushed like Rock Lee. Instead, he looked completely normal, as if the strain didn't affect him at all.
This was, of course, also the result of improving the Eight Inner Gates. By using the Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique he had developed to increase his own gravity, then strengthening his body through gravity training, he had made his body fully adapt to the strain of opening the third gate.
In other words, after his improvements, as long as one's body was strong enough, one could adapt to and freely open and close any of the other seven gates besides the Gate of Death!
"You're no match for me, Aburame Hakushou," Sato Hideaka said calmly, watching her emerge from underground.
Aburame Hakushou, wearing mysterious-looking sunglasses, shook her head. She gathered all the Kikaichū around her as countless more poured out of her body, filling the space in front of her...
"Secret Technique: Kikaichū Cluster!"
The Kikaichū surrounded Sato Hideaka from every direction, swarming around him and trapping him in place, restricting his movements. Aburame Hakushou spoke:
"Secret Technique: Kikaichū Erosion."
The countless Kikaichū clustered together, transforming into five flowing streams that surged toward Sato Hideaka!
"Do you think restricting my speed will let you beat me? Aburame Hakushou, you've misjudged me!"
Sato Hideaka showed no change in expression as he stood surrounded by the Kikaichū. Suddenly, boiling lava welled up below his hairline. His arms were completely covered in searing lava streaked with black and red, and thick smoke billowed from it and drifted upward. He looked just like Akainu, one of the three admirals in the One Piece anime, in his fighting form.
The Kikaichū, which had been about to attack, were affected by the lava's scorching heat. Their attack paths veered off as if beyond their control. They circled around Sato Hideaka but didn't dare attack!
"I surrender!"
Seeing the situation, Aburame Hakushou turned and walked out of the arena. The Kikaichū also seemed to heed her call. They left Sato Hideaka's side and turned into clouds of black insects that returned to her body.
The Kikaichū couldn't withstand the high temperatures of lava. Even if they could endure the heat for a short time, they would have to sacrifice countless insects to adapt. Rather than waste the Kikaichū she had carefully nourished with chakra on a battle she was highly likely to lose, she might as well surrender outright!
"W-what kind of ninjutsu is that? How did lava come out of his body?"
"Lava Release! That's Lava Release! I can't believe Konoha has a Kekkei Genkai user with Lava Release. He's incredible!"
"Wow, that kid isn't even ten, but he's really strong! I couldn't even see that kick just now. And he has Lava Release, too. No wonder he was selected as an outstanding candidate!"
"..."
The audience erupted into cheers. Though this match hadn't been as straightforward as the previous one between Uchiha Kenichi and Shimura Masao, both of whom had fought like textbook ninja, the Bug Tornado and Lava Release ninjutsu had still opened their eyes. They really were the elite of the new generation.