Sound Waves and Lightning in Fierce Battle

Dosu Kinuta's "Resonating Echo Drill" tore through the air like an invisible venomous thorn. This was no ordinary sound attack, but a conversion of chakra into a specific high-frequency vibration that acted directly on the opponent's nerves and sense of balance. Many spectators in the stands did not even see what had happened; they only felt a strange wave of irritation and dizziness.

However, in Uchiha Ling's sensory world, the instant Dosu Kinuta raised his hand, a sharp, condensed chakra fluctuation carrying a special destructive frequency was already as conspicuous as a beacon in the night. His training in the Forest of Death made his body react before his mind did—Lightning Release chakra, this nature transformation he had only just begun to grasp, was forcibly constrained with unprecedented precision and spread over both ears and the surrounding acupoints and meridians, forming a thin but dense layer of electromagnetic interference. At the same time, chakra erupted beneath his feet. Instead of retreating, his figure advanced, but not in a straight line. He slid sideways in a strange arc imbued with the essence of Hidden Leaf Style Swordsmanship footwork, deviating as much as possible from the most concentrated axis of the sound wave's impact.

"Bzzzt—humm!"

The high-frequency vibration and the Lightning Release barrier scraped violently against each other, producing a tooth-aching noise. Uchiha Ling felt as if his eardrums had been pierced by countless fine needles. Agony stabbed through his brain, and the colors in his vision distorted for an instant. But he clenched his teeth. The effect of Physique Enhancement and his tenacious will worked together, allowing him to forcibly withstand an attack that would have been enough to rob an ordinary genin of combat power. His sliding steps only grew slightly sluggish before he steadied himself again.

"How is that possible?!" Dosu Kinuta's pupil abruptly shrank in his single eye. His secret technique had never failed so completely against someone his own age! The other party had not only sensed it, but had also used such an unheard-of method to defend effectively!

High in the stands, Kakashi's lazy posture withdrew slightly, and a gleam flashed through his exposed right eye. "Using Lightning Release for precise localized defense... that level of chakra control has already touched the threshold of a jonin." Beside him, Might Guy also put away his joking expression and said in a low voice, "It's not just control, Kakashi. The moment he endured the attack, his core was as steady as a rock. That isn't something training alone can give you. It's a foundation that can only be tempered through true life-and-death combat."

In the VIP seats, the Third Hokage nodded slightly, and even the smoke rising from his pipe seemed to carry a hint of approval. Meanwhile, Orochimaru, hidden in the shadows, curved his lips into a dangerous arc, his long tongue licking the air. "Hee-hee... as expected, he's an unexpected delight. It isn't just the Sharingan; even the way he uses his body and chakra has an unusual flavor... such a precise defensive reaction is almost like an instinct formed after experiencing similar attacks thousands of times..."

Dosu Kinuta's thoughts raced. Since a long-range surprise attack was ineffective, he immediately changed tactics. He pushed off the ground and charged forward in a low crouch, the sound-wave device on his right arm glowing with a dim light once more. This time, the light was even brighter. Clearly, he intended to engage at close range, combining sound waves and taijutsu to create an unbroken suppression. His speed was not slow either, and his sprint kicked up a fierce wind.

"You want to close the distance? Just what I wanted." Uchiha Ling's gaze sharpened. He knew full well that defending for too long would inevitably lead to defeat. Against such a bizarre opponent, he had to seize the initiative. He took a deep breath, and the chakra in his body surged with unprecedented efficiency. He drove Wind Release: Speed Attack Technique to its limit. At the same time, he cautiously drew out a trace of the energy leaking from the curse mark suppressed by the system—faintly stimulating and abnormally active—and carefully merged it into the chakra meridians in his legs.

"Boom!"

An even stronger explosive force surged up from beneath his feet. His speed abruptly increased, and his figure seemed to become a lightning afterimage skimming close to the ground as he charged head-on toward Dosu Kinuta without the slightest fear! This sudden second acceleration drew a wave of startled cries from the stands.

"You dare come closer on your own? You're courting death!" Though Dosu Kinuta was shocked, he did not panic. Close combat had been part of his plan from the beginning. His right fist shot straight out, the wind from the punch howling and faintly carrying a sonic boom as it went directly for Ling's face. At the same time, the sound-wave emitter at the elbow of his right arm adjusted slightly, locking onto Ling's chest and abdomen, poised to deliver severe internal damage the moment they exchanged blows.

Just as the two were about to collide, Uchiha Ling's figure flickered ever so slightly in that flash of lightning and fire. It was not a simple sidestep, but an exquisite change of direction that fused two-sword-style footwork with the Hidden Leaf Style Movement Technique. It was as if he had lost all inertia, forcibly shifting by a tiny angle while moving at high speed. Dosu Kinuta's seemingly certain punch grazed past the tip of his nose, the sharp fist wind scraping his cheek painfully.

At the same time, the kunai in Uchiha Ling's left hand darted out like a viper leaving its hole. It did not block, but instead slanted upward with incomparable precision. With a crisp clang, it struck accurately at the metal joint connecting Dosu Kinuta's right-arm sound-wave device to his arm! This was one of the key nodes where the device transmitted chakra and released sound waves!

Sparks flew! Dosu Kinuta felt his right arm suddenly go numb. The flow of his chakra froze for an instant, and the faint preheating sound wave emitted by the device also went into disorder. Horror filled his heart. Were this guy's eyes rulers? How could he locate such an insignificant connection point so precisely?

[Ding! Interaction level with Dosu Kinuta detected to have increased (intense confrontation + tactical breakthrough).]

[Sign-in rewards being issued...]

[Congratulations, host. Obtained: Sound Wave Resistance (minor increase)!]

[Congratulations, host. Obtained: Chakra Concentration Technique (slight increase)!]

[Congratulations, host. Obtained: Combat Instinct (faint enhancement)!]

A cool sensation flowed through his ears and brain, and his tolerance for sound-wave attacks clearly increased. At the same time, subtle techniques regarding how to gather chakra at specific parts of the body more efficiently and quickly for attack or defense poured into his mind, and his combat intuition also seemed to become sharper.

Uchiha Ling did not let up after gaining the advantage. His footwork shifted in rapid succession, clinging tightly to Dosu Kinuta like a maggot in the bone. His dual-blade style unfolded completely. The two kunai became two interwoven arcs of death, no longer pursuing wide, sweeping strikes, but instead focusing specifically on Dosu Kinuta's joints, acupoints, and the various connection points of the device on his right arm! Every one of his swings carried the numbing effect unique to Lightning Release chakra. Though faint, it continuously interfered with Dosu Kinuta's chakra circulation and neural responses. What frightened Dosu Kinuta even more was that his opponent's attacks seemed to contain a trace of barely perceptible, irritating, savage aura that constantly battered his mind.

Dosu Kinuta possessed strength and a full arsenal of secret sound-wave techniques, but under this storm-like, precise, and tricky barrage of rapid attacks, he was forced into a desperate, miserable defense. He tried to pull away, but Uchiha Ling's speed and stickiness far exceeded his expectations. Several attempts were driven back by swift advances and strange flashes of blade light. Because the connection points of the sound-wave device on his right arm had been struck repeatedly, its operation had already begun producing unstable static.

"Bastard! Don't get too cocky!" Dosu Kinuta was thoroughly enraged, his reason gradually drowned by frenzy. He suddenly leaped backward, forcibly opening a distance of several meters. Both hands pressed tightly against the sound-wave device on his right arm, and all the chakra in his body poured madly into it like a broken dam! The dim light on the device's surface instantly became dazzling, and it even let out an overburdened hum! "Fall completely asleep! Ninja Art: Demonic Sound Piercing Ears: Chaos!"

This time, it was no longer an attack in a single direction! With Dosu Kinuta at the center, countless twisted, chaotic, invisible sound waves carrying a powerful mind-polluting effect spread and swept wildly in all directions like an out-of-control tide! Wherever the sound waves passed, visible ripples surged through the air. Fine cracks were shaken into the solid ground, and even the protective barrier at the edge of the arena fluctuated violently, giving off a buzzing tremor!

The spectators in the front rows of the stands screamed as they covered their ears and curled up in pain. Some with weaker constitutions even fainted on the spot. The range of the sound-wave attack covered almost half the arena!

"It's over!" Dosu Kinuta gasped for breath, his single eye bloodshot and filled with hysterical madness. He believed that no one could remain conscious and capable of fighting within this indiscriminate, all-encompassing sound-wave storm!

However, Uchiha Ling, who stood at the very center of the storm, faced this unavoidable killing blow with an unprecedentedly calm flame burning in his pitch-black eyes. In the instant before the sound waves were about to completely engulf him, he made a move that no one expected—

He did not try to defend or escape the range of the sound waves. Instead, he took nearly half the chakra in his body, especially his highly active Lightning Release chakra, and with unprecedented concentration, madly poured it through Chakra Concentration Technique into both feet. Then, like two lightning stakes, he stomped them hard into the earth beneath him!

"Lightning Release: Earth Flow (Modified): Thunderclap!"

"Rumble—!!!"

Blinding lightning several times stronger than before instantly exploded and spread from his feet as the center like raging lightning serpents! This was not to attack the enemy, but to inject violent electrical energy into the ground without reservation, triggering intense tremors and a powerful electromagnetic interference field! The muffled roar produced by the collision of lightning and earth even temporarily overpowered the piercing demonic sound!

The next moment, the chaotic sound waves and the complex force field generated by the violent grounded Lightning Release slammed fiercely into each other!

There was no earth-shaking explosion, but an even more heart-stopping phenomenon of energy annihilation occurred. When the chaotic sound waves came into contact with the violently trembling ground and the surrounding space filled with strong electromagnetic interference, their precise vibration frequencies were forcibly disrupted, twisted, and canceled out! Countless fine, invisible ripples burst in the air like shattering glass, producing crackling strange noises!

The entire arena seemed to tremble under this bizarre collision!

"Pfft—" His technique was forcibly broken, and Dosu Kinuta suffered a severe backlash. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning as pale as paper in an instant. The sound-wave device on his right arm also emitted black smoke and failed completely. He stared ahead in disbelief, his eye filled with despair and confusion.

The dust and turbulent energy slowly dispersed, and Uchiha Ling's figure appeared once more. He was kneeling on one knee, supporting his body with a kunai, panting violently. A streak of crimson blood hung at the corner of his mouth, and his clothes were torn in many places, making him look rather battered. That last strike had almost drained more than half of his chakra and placed no small burden on the meridians in his legs. But he still forced himself to stand, wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth, and locked his gaze onto Dosu Kinuta, who had lost his greatest support and whose mind had collapsed, like a blade drawn from its sheath.

He walked forward slowly, each step carrying heavy pressure. When he reached Dosu Kinuta, the tip of the kunai wrapped in faint but stable lightning gently touched the latter's unprotected throat. The icy sensation and the threat of death made Dosu Kinuta freeze completely, unable to muster the slightest thought of resistance again.

"You lost." Uchiha Ling's voice was somewhat hoarse from the enormous consumption, but it carried unquestionable decisiveness.

Genma Shiranui appeared in the field with a Body Flicker at just the right moment. After checking the situation and confirming that Dosu Kinuta no longer had the strength to continue fighting, he loudly announced, "Winner, Uchiha Ling!"

After a brief silence, cheers and applause erupted from the stands like a crashing mountain and roaring sea! The brilliance of this battle had far exceeded everyone's expectations. It was not merely a clash of ninjutsu, but the ultimate display of intelligence, willpower, and adaptability in the moment! Through this battle, the name Uchiha Ling was deeply imprinted in many people's minds.

Uchiha Ling bowed slightly toward the stands, then dragged his exhausted yet firm steps back toward the contestants' passage. He could clearly feel gazes from the VIP seats, from Teacher Kakashi, from Orochimaru hidden in the darkness, and from countless others—admiring, wary, or curious—falling on his back as if they had substance.

When he returned to the lounge, he was greeted by Naruto's excited cheers and Sasuke's complicated, scrutinizing gaze. Uchiha Ling said nothing more. He only walked to a corner, sat cross-legged, quickly swallowed a soldier pill, and began adjusting his breathing to recover. The curse mark behind his left shoulder faintly radiated a burning sensation because of the high-intensity chakra output and emotional fluctuations just now, but he suppressed it again with even stronger willpower.

The first battle had been difficult, but he had won. And he understood that this was merely an appetizer before the storm arrived. The true powerful enemies, such as Gaara and possible unforeseen changes, were still waiting ahead. He had to seize every minute and every second to recover his strength and prepare for the coming fierce battles.

(End of Chapter Twenty-Two)