"Impossible! I refuse to believe it!"
"My dream will never be a joke!"
"Ever since I was little, I've wanted to become Hokage, protect my sister, and safeguard Konoha! I want to become someone like my grandfather."
"No matter how hard I have to work, I'll keep moving toward that goal."
Nawaki overcame the paralysis caused by Lightning Style: Chidori Senbon and struggled to his feet.
"I don't need Teacher Orochimaru to protect me. I'm not going to rely on being a member of the Senju Clan. I'll make it through my own efforts—"
"Step by step, all the way to the top. I'll become Hokage!"
A stubborn flame burned in Nawaki's eyes.
"Water Style: Water Bullet Barrage!"
Nawaki gave a low shout and rapidly formed Hand Seals. He pointed at Bai Lin, and dozens of water bullets shot toward him like bullets from a gun, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle.
The water bullets pierced Bai Lin's body, spraying blood everywhere as he was knocked back through the air.
"Great!"
At the sight of Bai Lin being hit, Nawaki couldn't hold back a delighted grin.
He'd taken the full force of Nawaki's ninjutsu. Surely he'd lost the ability to fight.
"Arrogant brat. Let's see if you still dare to spout nonsense in front of me."
"You're still too naive."
Before the words had fully left his mouth, the "Bai Lin" struck by the water bullets turned into a log. It had only been a substitute created with the Substitution Technique.
Bai Lin had appeared beside Nawaki. With an amused look, he watched the smile still lingering on the boy's face.
"You let your guard down and left yourself wide open just because you hit your opponent?"
"Is this what you call 'bearing'? Is this what gives you the confidence to think you can become Hokage?"
"If that's all you've got, the battlefield isn't the place for the childish games you played at the Ninja Academy, or the easy cleanup of bandits and thugs."
"On the battlefield, you can never let your guard down." Bai Lin's voice was tinged with coldness and exasperation. "You think you've won just because you hit your opponent? You couldn't even see through the simplest Substitution Technique. You're fit for nothing but dying by an enemy's blade."
Nawaki's face flushed red, from his ears all the way down to his neck. Shame swept over him like a rising tide.
"Again," Bai Lin said calmly.
Though Bai Lin had his own plans to make money during this mission, they weren't something he could accomplish overnight.
While he worked toward his plans, he also wanted to keep Nawaki by his side and train him.
After all, Nawaki would be his brother-in-law someday. If he really died an undignified death to an Explosive Tag, Tsunade would be heartbroken—and Bai Lin's pride as her "brother-in-law" would take a hit, too.
"Again!" Bai Lin retreated ten meters, folded his arms, and regarded them with a calm gaze that brooked no argument.
"Mikoto, you join in too. I want to see how much your Sharingan has improved your abilities."
Nawaki understood that Bai Lin didn't mean to hurt him. He took a deep breath, pushing down his shame and impatience.
His gaze turned serious as he returned to a proper combat stance.
Hearing Bai Lin's words, Mikoto realized that he wanted to help her familiarize herself with her own abilities through combat.
She flashed over and quietly took her place beside Nawaki.
Her Sharingan activated at once. The red Tomoe spun rapidly in her eyes, forming three in each. She fixed her gaze on Bai Lin's body, tracking his every subtle movement. "All right. You'd better watch out, Rin."
Bai Lin lightly pushed off the ground and charged at them like an arrow loosed from its bow, moving so fast that only a blur remained.
He didn't use Lightning Release Chakra, relying purely on Taijutsu to push them to their limits.
After a brief exchange of Kunai, Nawaki was the first to break the stalemate.
His Taijutsu was certainly up to standard. With Uchiha Mikoto's Sharingan supporting him, he could hold his own against Bai Lin.
Nawaki threw a Smoke Bomb. Thick white smoke instantly blanketed the battlefield, blocking everyone's view.
At the same time, three Shuriken flew straight toward Bai Lin.
Bai Lin casually deflected them with the Kunai in his hand, then scanned the area.
When the smoke cleared, Nawaki and Uchiha Mikoto had vanished.
"Good work, but not good enough!"
Bai Lin smiled and nodded. Nawaki reminded him a lot of the young Naruto: carefree and impulsive, but quick to grow once he understood himself.
Still, he'd never reach Naruto's level. Naruto had cheats, after all.
Bai Lin dodged Mikoto's Kunai and swept his leg across the ground, forcing Nawaki back as he approached. "Your reactions are quick."
"Water Style: Water Wall!" Nawaki seized the chance to form Hand Seals. A wall of water rose through the smoke, trapping Bai Lin in a confined space.
As expected of someone from the Uchiha Clan, Mikoto's reactions in battle were swift.
While Nawaki used Water Style: Water Wall to limit Bai Lin's movements, she rapidly formed Hand Seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Mikoto deliberately held back the power of her ninjutsu, afraid she might hurt Bai Lin.
Bai Lin saw what she was doing and decided to stop holding back.
With her Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Uchiha Mikoto's Chakra reserves were already at the level of an elite Jonin, but her ninjutsu and battle experience hadn't caught up yet.
Once she adjusted, she'd soon be able to match an elite Jonin in combat.
"Not good—Lightning Clone!"
The Bai Lin struck by the Great Fireball turned into a blue afterimage of Lightning Release Chakra, exploding with a sharp crackle of electricity.
"Behind you!" Mikoto's Sharingan instantly caught the real attack's trajectory, and she shouted a warning.
Nawaki almost instinctively dove to the left. A figure wreathed in lightning skimmed past his back. It was Bai Lin.
The moment the Water Wall rose, Bai Lin had created a Lightning Clone to keep them occupied. His real body had used the smoke and the Great Fireball as cover to circle around behind them.
"Nawaki, look at your feet. You're already out."
Nawaki looked down and saw his right foot standing on a burning slip of paper. Bai Lin hadn't used an Explosive Tag, but the result was no different from if he had.
"In battle, you have to watch not only your opponent's movements but also the terrain beneath your feet and any changes in Chakra." Bai Lin spoke seriously. "You were focused on my frontal attack and didn't notice the Chakra trap I left behind when I circled around. On the battlefield, that's a fatal mistake."
"All right, Nawaki. Take a break for now."
"You don't have much Chakra, and you'll need it to keep moving later."
"Watch my fight with Mikoto carefully."
Mikoto took a deep breath and tightened her grip on her Kunai. Chakra coursed rapidly through her body, and the red glow of her Sharingan deepened. "I won't let you down."
Before the words had fully left her mouth, Bai Lin vanished.
This time, he held nothing back. With his Lightning Release Chakra at full power, he moved too fast for the naked eye to follow, leaving only a trail of pale blue lightning in the air.
"Left!" Mikoto's Sharingan fixed on the streak. Her hands formed Hand Seals almost in sync. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Bai Lin's voice rang out at the same time as Mikoto's. The same scorching flames burst from his mouth, and his Great Fireball collided with hers in midair.
The two fireballs were equally powerful. The heat from their collision swept across the area, scorching fallen leaves and pebbles until they turned black. Even the air shimmered and warped.