Nawaki's Death!

"Impossible, I absolutely refuse to believe it!"

"My dream will never be a joke!"

"Ever since I was a child, I've wanted to become Hokage, to protect my sister, to guard Konoha! To become someone like my grandfather."

"No matter how much effort it takes, I will keep moving toward this goal."

Nawaki overcame the numbness caused by Lightning Style: Chidori Senbon and struggled to climb up from the ground.

"I don't need Teacher Bai Lin's protection. I am no longer just acting as a member of the Senju Clan; I want to rely on my own efforts,"

"Step by step, I will reach the very top. I will become Hokage!"

A stubborn flame burned in Nawaki's eyes.

"Water Style: Water Bullet Barrage!"

Nawaki let out a low shout, his hands moving rapidly through seals. Pointing at Bai Lin, dozens of water droplets shot toward him like bullets leaving a chamber, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound.

Dozens of water bullets pierced Bai Lin's body, spraying blood everywhere, and he was sent flying from his original position.

"Great!"

Seeing Bai Lin struck, a look of ecstatic joy couldn't help but appear on Nawaki's face.

Having been hit squarely by his own ninjutsu, he must have completely lost his ability to fight.

Arrogant brat, let's see if you dare to spout nonsense in front of me again.

"Still too naive."

Before the words had even faded, the "Bai Lin" struck by the water bullets instantly transformed into a wooden log; it was merely a substitute he had created using the Substitution Technique.

Bai Lin's figure had already appeared at Nawaki's side, watching the lingering smile on his face with a playful expression.

"You let your guard down and left such an opening just because you hit your opponent?"

"Is this your so-called 'capacity'? Is this the foundation of your desire to become Hokage?"

"If this is all you have, the battlefield is not the petty squabbles of the Ninja Academy, nor is it the easy cleanup of bandits and thugs."

"On the battlefield, you must never let your guard down." Bai Lin's voice carried a hint of coldness and a touch of frustration. "You think you've won just because you hit your opponent? If you can't even see through the simplest Substitution Technique, you are only fit to be a ghost under an enemy's blade."

Nawaki's cheeks flushed a deep red, the shame spreading from his ears to his neck like a tidal wave.

"Again!" Bai Lin said indifferently.

Although he had his own money-making plans for this mission, they were not things that could be easily accomplished overnight.

During this time, besides wanting to complete his own schemes, he also had the intention of training Nawaki by keeping him close.

After all, the boy would be his future brother-in-law; if he really died such a pathetic death by an Explosive Tag, not only would Tsunade be heartbroken, but he would also lose face as her "brother-in-law."

"Again!" Bai Lin retreated ten meters away, arms crossed, his gaze calm yet carrying an unquestionable sense of pressure.

"Uchiha Mikoto, you come too. I want to see to what extent your Sharingan has helped your strength grow."

Nawaki understood that Bai Lin had no intention of hurting him, so he took a deep breath and suppressed the shame and impatience in his heart.

His gaze turned serious, returning to a proper combat state.

Hearing Bai Lin's words, Uchiha Mikoto also understood that he wanted to familiarize himself with their strength through combat.

She flashed forward and quietly stood by Nawaki's side.

Her Sharingan activated instantly, scarlet tomoe spinning rapidly in her pupils. Each eye formed three tomoe, her gaze locking onto Bai Lin as she captured his every subtle movement. "Alright, Bai Lin, you'd better be careful."

Bai Lin tapped his foot lightly, his figure rushing toward the two like an arrow from a bow, his speed so fast that only a blur remained.

He did not use lightning chakra, relying purely on taijutsu, wanting to force out their limits.

A moment later, after a bout of kunai sparring, Nawaki was the first to break the stalemate.

His taijutsu was indeed up to standard, and with the cooperation of Uchiha Mikoto's Sharingan, he was able to trade blows with Bai Lin.

Nawaki threw a Smoke Bomb, and thick white smoke instantly shrouded the battlefield, blocking everyone's line of sight.

At the same time, three Shuriken were thrown straight toward Bai Lin.

Bai Lin casually blocked the Shuriken with the kunai in his hand, using his eyes to scan the surroundings.

As the thick smoke dissipated, the figures of Nawaki and Uchiha Mikoto had already vanished.

"Well done, but it's not enough!"

Bai Lin nodded with a smile; Nawaki was very much like the early Naruto, reckless, but once he saw himself clearly, he would grow very quickly.

However, he wouldn't reach Naruto's level of achievement—after all, that guy was a cheater.

He sidestepped Uchiha Mikoto's kunai while sweeping his leg, forcing back Nawaki who was trying to close in, his tone carrying approval: "Fast reaction."

"Water Style: Water Wall!" Nawaki seized the opportunity to weave seals, and a wall of water rose within the smoke, trapping Bai Lin in a narrow space.

Uchiha Mikoto was truly worthy of the Uchiha Clan; her combat reactions were indeed swift.

While Nawaki used Water Style: Water Wall to restrict Bai Lin's space, she quickly wove seals with both hands, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Uchiha Mikoto intentionally controlled the power of the ninjutsu, fearing she might hurt Bai Lin.

Bai Lin saw through her intentions and no longer felt the need to hide his strength.

Having activated her Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Uchiha Mikoto had already reached the standard of a Jonin in terms of chakra, though her ninjutsu and combat experience had yet to catch up.

As long as she could adapt, she would soon possess combat power rivaling a Jonin.

"Oh no, a Lightning Clone!"

The Bai Lin struck by the Great Fireball Technique instantly transformed into a blue afterimage of Lightning Release chakra, exploding amidst the screeching sound of electricity.

"Behind you!" Mikoto's Sharingan instantly captured the true trajectory of the attack, and she shouted a sharp warning.

Nawaki lunged to the left almost by instinct, and a figure wreathed in lightning grazed his back—it was Bai Lin.

It turned out that the moment the Water Wall rose, Bai Lin had created a Lightning Clone to distract them, while his true body used the smoke and the Great Fireball Technique as cover to circle behind the pair.

"Nawaki, look at your feet; you're already dead."

Nawaki looked down to see his right foot planted firmly on a burning piece of paper. Although Bai Lin hadn't used an Explosive Tag, the result was no different.

"In battle, you must not only watch your opponent's movements but also pay attention to the terrain and chakra fluctuations beneath your feet," Bai Lin said seriously. "You only focused on my frontal attack and failed to notice the chakra trap I left while circling behind you—on the battlefield, that is a fatal oversight."

"Alright, Nawaki, take a break for now."

"You don't have much chakra, and you'll need it for the journey later."

"Watch my battle with Mikoto closely."

Mikoto took a deep breath, gripped the Kunai in her hand, and circulated her chakra rapidly. The scarlet glow of her Sharingan intensified: "I won't let you down."

Before the words had even faded, Bai Lin's figure vanished.

This time, he held nothing back. With his Lightning Release chakra fully unleashed, his speed broke the limits of the naked eye, leaving only a pale blue trail of electricity in the air.

"Left!" Mikoto's Sharingan locked onto that trajectory, her hands forming seals in near-perfect synchronization: "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Bai Lin's voice rang out at the same time as Mikoto's. An equally scorching flame erupted from his mouth, colliding head-on with Mikoto's Great Fireball in mid-air.

The two flames were equal in power, and the heatwave from their collision swept through the surroundings, scorching the fallen leaves and gravel on the ground until they were charred black, causing even the air to distort.