"What...?"
Uzuki Yugao didn't understand what Gekko Hayate meant.
But just then,
as the thick smoke swirling wildly across the field gradually cleared,
a figure suddenly appeared in everyone's sight!
It was Sasuke!
His first strike had failed, but Sasuke didn't lose heart.
Instead, he reached to his waist with his right hand.
The next moment, a scroll appeared in his hand.
He flicked his wrist, unfurling it.
It billowed in the wind like a flag.
He bit his thumb. A sweet taste filled his mouth. With a bang, Sasuke slapped his palm onto the sealing formula on the unfurled scroll!
White smoke exploded. A sword rang out, its cry soaring to the heavens!
Before anyone could make out what kind of weapon had burst from the smoke,
the Sword of Indra appeared in Sasuke's hand!
With a clang, the sword's shrill cry grew louder. In Sasuke's grip, it seemed almost alive, its edge gleaming fiercely.
The next instant,
Sasuke leaped down from midair, one man and one sword, as if Hamura himself had possessed him. Wrapped in an overwhelming aura, he thrust at Kakashi, who stood frozen on the ground not far away!
Dance of the Crescent Moon, First Form: Wind Slash!
"Uh..."
As Kakashi looked up at the figure growing larger and larger in his vision, he was stunned.
Is this kid trying to kill me?
The air grew thick with killing intent.
Like a river surging backward, the incoming sword strike grew more and more overwhelming!
Seeing this, Kakashi stopped holding back.
Even an elite Jonin couldn't withstand such boundless killing intent!
If he took the attack head-on, he'd be dead on the spot...
Besides, this was just an official Konoha exam.
Why risk my life for a few hundred a month?
With that thought,
Lightning Release Chakra surged wildly around Kakashi.
The next moment,
he swept his left hand across, and arcs of lightning burst across the Kunai, crackling and leaping.
Like a veil, they wrapped tightly around the Kunai in his hand.
Clang!
The shrill clash of metal rang across Konoha's rear training ground.
Then,
centered on Sasuke and Kakashi,
a terrifying shock wave burst in every direction!
From a distance, it looked like a small stone dropped into a still lake,
sending out wave after wave of ripples without end!...
"Th-this chakra!"
"As far as swordsmanship goes, I, Gekko Hayate, declare you the strongest!..."
Shielding Uzuki Yugao with both arms,
Gekko Hayate ignored his own safety.
He shouted wildly like a man possessed!
"S-so this is his true strength?"
"No wonder Sakura likes him. I mean, if I were Sakura, I'd probably feel the same way..."
"Hey, wait! Naruto, what are you thinking?"
"You're a man who's vowed to become Hokage. How can you let the obstacles in front of you defeat you?"
"I'm just temporarily weaker than Sasuke. One day, I'll be stronger than you. Hmph!..."
Sasuke was already handsome. Naruto didn't want to admit it, but his eyes wouldn't lie.
And now, seeing the strength Sasuke was showing,
Naruto even had an absurd thought.
If I used the Harem Jutsu to turn into a beautiful woman Sasuke liked, could we live happily together from now on...?
"Sasuke! Sasuke! Sasuke!"
"This is the real you! The man I've sworn to marry!"
"I love you so much! Teehee..."
Sakura turned away.
The shock waves battering her made her body sway from side to side.
But even so,
she trembled all over, her cheeks burning.
She felt as if she'd married Sasuke, the man as free as the wind, right there on the spot. Her happiness was beyond words.
She wanted to melt herself into Sasuke,
feel his warmth, take his shape, and never leave his side for the rest of her life...
Boom!
Sasuke's ability to use such astonishing swordsmanship at his age was already remarkable.
But even so,
it couldn't hide the enormous gap between him and an elite Jonin!
Perhaps, given the talent Sasuke had shown,
he would one day surpass the already renowned Kakashi.
But that day wasn't today!
Boom!
At last, Sasuke lost the contest of strength and was sent flying by Kakashi's enormous chakra!
Kakashi's lightning-coated Kunai had been shattered into pieces by the Sword of Indra,
but it hadn't hurt Kakashi in the slightest!
Clang!
The Sword of Indra flew away and plunged into the thick trunk of a nearby tree.
It hummed and quivered violently!
Its afterimages seemed almost solid!
"Ah... The gap in strength is still too great..."
Uzuki Yugao sighed, her beautiful eyes full of unwillingness!
Gekko Hayate clenched both fists, too.
Sasuke had lost.
At that moment, he wished he could rush forward and challenge Kakashi himself with the Dance of the Crescent Moon!
But in the end, he held back.
First, his Dance of the Crescent Moon was nowhere near as accomplished as Sasuke's.
He couldn't even reproduce the murderous aura of the First Form: Wind Slash Sasuke had just unleashed.
Second, even though he was a Jonin,
he couldn't beat Kakashi.
If he acted on impulse, he'd only humiliate himself...
"Sasuke!"
"Is he going to be okay...?"
Sakura and Naruto were both shocked.
Even Naruto, who was always at odds with Sasuke, had a trace of anxious unease in his bright blue eyes.
His resentful look was as haughty as a young wife's...
But just as Sakura and Naruto were about to rush forward to catch Sasuke, who was still tumbling through the air,
suddenly,
poof!
Sasuke, who should have continued flying helplessly,
turned into a cloud of white smoke and vanished in an instant!
"What?!"
"What?!"
"What?!"
All five of them were stunned!
After all that, the astonishing sword strike had been delivered by a Shadow Clone!
But before they could recover from their shock,
there was another poof!
Then the four watching saw a cloud of white smoke burst behind Kakashi.
The Shuriken that had been stuck in the ground disappeared in an instant.
Then,
Sasuke suddenly appeared!
He swayed and leaped high into the air.
His fingers curled into the shape of an eagle snatching a rabbit.
With irresistible momentum, he reached for the pair of bells swaying at Kakashi's waist!
A sly smile curled his lips, and he boasted:
"Kakashi-sensei, I'll be taking those bells, Sasuke's way!..."
Before you continue