At the sight of Noji Daishi charging toward him, Takizawa Dan's face grew grave.
He knew that Noji Daishi might be a rotten person, but he was strong. Just judging by the speed and force of his charge, he was nothing like Miki Ichiro, whom Takizawa Dan had luckily killed earlier!
Noji Daishi was a true powerhouse with the strength of an Elite Jōnin!
If Takizawa Dan didn't handle this carefully, things could really go wrong. He might even lose his life here today!
Drawing a deep breath, Takizawa Dan quickly adjusted his condition.
"Brat! Die!!!"
Seeing Takizawa Dan stand there as if stunned instead of panicking and running from his attack, Noji Daishi's grin grew even more vicious!
So what if you were born with great strength? You were just a Genin. Did you really think you could stand against a Jōnin?
You might have shown talent, but once you were dead, Lord Hokage would have no reason to punish him!
Noji Daishi wasn't a fool. He knew that his behavior earlier had already drawn the attention of Tsunade and the other higher-ups.
If he didn't kill Takizawa Dan on the spot today, he would surely face severe punishment. After all, he had broken far too many rules today!
He might even be secretly taken care of by Anbu the moment he left the exam grounds, never living to see tomorrow morning!
So while he truly did hate Takizawa Dan, there was another, more important reason for his actions: Noji Daishi wanted to survive!
If Takizawa Dan died, then a dead man would have no value.
At that point, even if Tsunade and Anbu wanted to deal with him, they would have to consider the cost.
Jōnin were different from Chunin, the village's backbone. They were an important part of a hidden village's combat strength. Especially with the villages currently locked in open and covert struggles, Konoha couldn't afford to lose even one Jōnin.
Noji Daishi had been able to throw his weight around Konoha because the higher-ups had always turned a blind eye.
If he killed Takizawa Dan, then the Hokage and the other higher-ups would surely go easy on him for his transgressions today, just as they had in the past. Even if he was punished, he would at most spend a few days in the small, dark room. It wouldn't amount to much.
And to keep Tsunade and the others from rescuing Takizawa Dan, Noji Daishi unleashed his full strength from the very start, kicking out with all his might.
Whoosh!
With a fierce rush of wind, the air seemed to split in two as a powerful roundhouse kick swept toward Takizawa Dan!
Judging by its force, if this blow landed, Takizawa Dan would surely die on the spot!
Everyone watching held their breath. Tsunade was already focused intently on the field, ready to rush in and save him at any moment.
Without a moment's hesitation, just as the kick was about to hit him, Takizawa Dan used Wind Release: Floating Catkin Jutsu!
Whoosh!!!
A violet flash lit up inside Takizawa Dan. He twisted his body at an almost unbelievable angle, narrowly avoiding the blow!
Boom!!!
Noji Daishi's attack slammed into the ground, smashing a bottomless crater into it!
Webs of cracks spread across the entire exam grounds!
"Noji Daishi!"
Tsunade shot to her feet and shouted, "You used that much force. Were you really trying to kill Takizawa Dan?!"
Seeing the destruction caused by Noji Daishi's blow, the onlookers were also horrified.
Was a Jōnin's full-power strike really this terrifying!?
No wonder their elders always warned them never to look down on the Jōnin in the village, let alone treat them with the slightest disrespect. Every Jōnin was one in a thousand, a battle-hardened expert!
Any one of them would probably lose half their life if they took a hit like that. They might even die on the spot!
"So... so strong! Is this the power of a Jōnin?" Rock Lee swallowed hard. "I thought I'd trained hard enough, but now I see I'm nowhere near good enough!"
Sasuke and Neji had also witnessed the scene, but their attention was focused on something else entirely.
"Takizawa Dan really has been hiding his strength. The village knows far too little about him," Neji said with a sigh.
"Exactly. Dodging a full-power attack from Noji Daishi, a Jōnin, using nothing but pure bodily reflexes—that's not something just anyone can do," Sasuke added.
Both were famous prodigies in Konoha, and they had always competed and vied with each other. They had never agreed on anything before.
But for the first time, they shared the same opinion.
And it was all because of Takizawa Dan!
Konoha's two great talents, Sasuke and Neji, had both acknowledged Takizawa Dan's strength!
Meanwhile, the most astonished person in the field was Noji Daishi!
He couldn't believe that Takizawa Dan, a mere Genin, had dodged his full-power attack!
How was that possible?
He had just tried to kill Takizawa Dan, so he hadn't held back at all. That had been his strongest burst of power!
And yet Takizawa Dan had easily neutralized it.
Noji Daishi was beginning to doubt himself. Was the other boy really just a Genin? Was he some ancient monster in human form?
"W-who are you?"
Noji Daishi stumbled backward, his eyes filled with horror.
In his mind, Takizawa Dan was no longer a thirteen-year-old boy. He had become a monster!
"I'm Takizawa Dan," he replied calmly.
"N-no! That's impossible! You must be a monster in disguise! I'll stop you! I have to stop you!!!"
Shouting, Noji Daishi rapidly formed Hand Seals as he retreated!
Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!!!
A torrent of water crashed down from above, surging like a flood that threatened to engulf the entire exam grounds!
"Madness! This is madness!"
"Help!"
"Run! We're going to drown!"
The examinees panicked and scattered in every direction!
Takizawa Dan's heart sank. Why was Noji Daishi just like Hyuga Niuda earlier, losing his mind at the drop of a hat and dragging everyone into the chaos?
But all he knew was Wind Release and Taijutsu. He didn't seem to have any way to deal with the crisis before him.
Was he supposed to use Multi Shadow Clone Technique and fill the flood with people...?
At last, the Jōnin on guard stepped in to deal with the danger.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Four figures dropped straight from the sky and landed in the field!
Earth Style: Earth Wall!!!
One Jōnin shouted. A massive stone wall rose in front of him, stretching across the entire exam grounds and dividing it in two!
Bang!!!
The raging flood slammed into the stone barrier and was stopped dead by its powerful resistance!
Yet under the tremendous force of the water, cracks spread across the wall's surface!
"Sanai! Hurry up! I can't hold out much longer!"
The ninja shouted. Jōnin assigned to guard the Chunin exams were usually around the middle of the pack in terms of strength, and he was roughly equal to Noji Daishi, who had attacked first.
So using one large-scale jutsu to stop another was no easy feat.
"Got it!"
The ninja called Sanai nodded, then pushed off the massive earthen wall with his foot and shot into the air!
Midair, Sanai formed Hand Seals and shouted toward the flood below:
Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet Technique!!!
He spat out several fire dragons that roared down toward the flood. Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, they turned the water into a sea of flames!
Sizzle!
Terrifying heat spread in an instant, leaving everyone's mouths dry. The enormous flood below was completely evaporated by the intense heat!
The moment the water dried up, a masked ninja formed Hand Seals, and a glowing rope made of chakra appeared in his hand.
The moment it appeared, the rope twisted twice in the air like a snake. Then the masked ninja pointed at Noji Daishi, and the rope shot up with a whoosh, binding him tightly from head to toe!
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