Battle Against Ino-Shika-Cho!

Several days had passed since Lihuo and Kakashi began sparring together.

On this day, while Guy was in class, Lihuo and Kakashi both skipped school to train at the training grounds, using shadow clones in their stead.

Just as the two were deep into their training, Lihuo suddenly clutched his head and let out a pained cry. "Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

Before Kakashi could ask what was wrong, he let out a muffled grunt himself, then began rubbing his own head.

It turned out that Oshima-sensei had decided to hold the midterm exam tomorrow and required everyone to attend "in person." He had dispelled Lihuo and Kakashi's shadow clones, utilizing the fact that shadow clones could transmit information back to the original to deliver the message.

"Oshima-sensei's methods are way too barbaric."

"He definitely hated that we were using shadow clones to attend class and is just using this as an excuse for revenge."

Just then, a green blur sped toward them—it was Guy, who had just finished school.

"Hey! My dear friends! There's a youthful gathering tomorrow!"

"We know about the midterm exam, let's just get back to training," Lihuo said, slapping Guy on the shoulder to cut off his monologue, and the three resumed their usual training.

The next day, the midterm exam was held as scheduled, with Oshima-sensei presiding over it personally.

When Lihuo and Kakashi arrived at the classroom together, Oshima-sensei walked up "kindly" and gave each of them a sharp rap on the head.

"Ah! How could you do that, Oshima-sensei!" Lihuo protested indignantly.

"How else would I be able to tell if you two were just shadow clones? After all, I'm old and dim-sighted, I can't tell the difference," Oshima-sensei said with a chuckle before walking away.

Lihuo looked at Kakashi. "This is definitely a personal vendetta. Oshima-sensei really has a twisted sense of humor, don't you think, Kakashi?"

Kakashi, however, wore a grave expression. "I couldn't dodge it. I couldn't dodge it at all. With our skills, we could hold our own against an average chunin, so why couldn't we dodge Oshima-sensei's fist?"

Lihuo dropped his usual relaxed demeanor, his expression turning serious. "You're right. The ninja world really is full of hidden talents; we can't afford to underestimate anyone."

With that, the two returned to their respective seats.

Just then, a pleasant voice called out to Lihuo. "Yo, isn't this the Uchiha genius Lihuo, who insists on attending class via shadow clone?"

Lihuo looked at the person approaching; it was Nara Lumiao. Her beautiful, large eyes were fixed on Lihuo, filled with teasing.

"Yo, look who it is. If it isn't the Nara sleeping god Lumiao, who insists on sleeping eight hours during class every day."

Neither of them was willing to lose a war of words, so their conversation was particularly sharp and pointed.

"I was going to use this secret to squeeze a big meal out of you, but now that Oshima-sensei has exposed it, you'll have to treat me to a Three-Color Dango to make it up to me."

Lihuo found it amusing. "Fine, follow me after school."

"Great, the boss is generous!"

Ding-a-ling! A sharp school bell interrupted their conversation.

The midterm exam had officially begun!

The exam consisted of two parts: a written test and a practical exercise. They started with the written portion, which covered the basic knowledge from the past two months, with the test papers prepared by Oshima-sensei himself.

"This paper of mine has both simple questions and advanced ones. If you studied hard, getting an 80 shouldn't be a problem, but getting a 100 won't be so easy," Oshima-sensei said confidently.

However, thanks to the "Basic Knowledge Mastery" he had acquired from Ebisu, the questions on the paper were a breeze for Lihuo.

His pen flew across the paper, and he finished the entire set of questions with fluid ease.

While Obito next to him was still scratching his head in frustration, Lihuo had already set his pen down, relaxed and at ease.

Suddenly, Obito nudged Lihuo with his elbow, requesting a private chat. "Brother Lihuo, do you know these? Please, give me the answers."

"Didn't I tell you to study hard a long time ago?"

"Oh, come on, let me tell you a—"

Thwack! A piece of chalk flew through the air, striking Obito squarely on the forehead like a kunai.

"Uchiha Obito, what are you whispering about down there? Get back to writing!" Oshima-sensei scolded.

Seeing Obito get shut down made Lihuo incredibly happy.

"I was talking to him, not you. Are you done with all the questions?"

Lihuo walked up and gently placed his paper on the podium. "I'm going to prepare for the second part of the exam."

Oshima-sensei exclaimed, "He got them all right!"

He knew that if Lihuo had cheated, he wouldn't have been able to escape the eyes of a former Anbu member like himself, so he must have answered them on his own.

"So, using Shadow Clones to attend class actually improves learning efficiency!"

Only Obito wailed, "Once, a perfect test paper was placed before me, and I didn't cherish it properly (ToT)/~~~"

Not long after, the exam ended. Teacher Oshima collected the papers, concluding the first subject. After a short break, the second exam officially began.

The rules of the exam were simple: form three-person squads freely, then have the squads face off against one another. The assessment wouldn't be based on winning or losing, but rather on scoring based on performance during the trials.

Lihuo, needless to say, teamed up with Kakashi and Guy, aiming to breeze through the exam and return to training.

However, the three of them were so intimidating that the other squads were unwilling to face them in combat.

Facing the same predicament was the New Ino-Shika-Cho squad, led by Nara Lumiao.

Unlike Lihuo and his team, whose strength lay in their formidable individual prowess, no one wanted to face Lumiao's team because of their powerful team coordination.

Consequently, the two remaining squads naturally became opponents, and this particular matchup drew the most intense attention.

The exam proceeded in full swing.

"Next match: Uchiha Lihuo, Hatake Kakashi, and Might Guy versus Nara Lumiao, Yamanaka Iwen, and Akimichi Dai."

Both sides took the field and performed the Sign of Confrontation. Without much small talk, the battle was on the verge of erupting.

The Ino-Shika-Cho combination had already risen to fame back in the Warring States period. It was precisely because of their powerful coordination that Lihuo knew he could not underestimate this battle.

Lihuo recalled the intelligence he had on the three of them.

Lumiao went without saying; her C-rank rating in the ninja system was a testament to her outstanding ability. Furthermore, what was truly terrifying about the Nara Clan was never their raw strength, but their minds.

Yamanaka Iwen was usually silent, and his true strength was unknown.

As for Akimichi Dai, he was, unsurprisingly, a chubby boy. However, unlike others in the Akimichi Clan, Dai sported a punk-style hairstyle and wore an expression of defiance. Yet, Lihuo had an intuition that Dai might be the strongest of the three.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio stood in a triangular formation. Lumiao, leading them, smiled and said, "We've all learned our family's secret techniques. You'd better be careful, don't lose!"

Lumiao turned her head to the two behind her and said, "Hold them off for three minutes."

As soon as she finished speaking, Iwen and Dai erupted into motion, sprinting toward the three of them.

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with gravity, simply because Lihuo and his team appeared to be standing in a loose, disorganized manner, yet in reality, they were completely flawless!

Lihuo tilted his head slightly. "Guy, Kakashi, you two go."

"Don't order me around!"

Despite his words, Kakashi and Guy still charged forward immediately.

At this moment, the long-silent Lumiao moved. She quickly threw shuriken to create a distraction. Lihuo had known all along that Lumiao wouldn't just sit and wait for death; after all, with such a large gap in strength, only strategy could change the tide of battle.

"Whatever you're planning, I just need to make sure you don't succeed."

As Lihuo spoke, he used a kunai to knock away Lumiao's shuriken one by one.

However, he didn't notice that Lumiao had used those few moments to set up a trap in front of her made of explosive tags.

"Ah!" Iwen and Dai, who were fighting in the front, let out cries of pain. After all, Kakashi and Guy were too strong, and they had dealt with their opponents in a few quick moves.

Lumiao's expression turned stern as she whispered, "Do you understand?"

"Understood!" Dai and Iwen said in unison.

Lihuo realized that Iwen was using the Yamanaka Clan's secret technique to temporarily construct a communication network, allowing for truly encrypted conversation.

He saw Iwen retreat with difficulty behind the trap, mobilizing his chakra and standing ready.

"Dai! I need you to block their line of sight!"

"Understood! Multi-Size Technique!"

Dai's body expanded rapidly, and a dangerous power surged from within him.

"Human Bullet Tank!" Dai's body came hurtling toward them! It forced Kakashi and the others to dodge and weave, but Dai's attacks couldn't harm them in the slightest!

"As long as it doesn't hit, this technique is meaningless," Guy said proudly.

"No, the dust on the field has been kicked up—we've lost our line of sight!"