A Spectacular Duel 2/2

The rising sun dispelled the morning mist.

The graduation exam was held at the Ninja Academy's training ground.

There had been no deliberate publicity, nor any deliberate secrecy or restrictions, so many Konoha residents came with their families and snacks to watch, as if attending a festival.

This was very different from the Chunin Exams. The audience for those included not only Konoha villagers and citizens of the Land of Fire, but also guests who had traveled from distant countries.

"First match: Hyuga Neji versus Nara Chinai."

Aburame Shishin leaned toward Hayato and asked, "What do you think of this match?"

Hayato said, "That guy Chinai isn't going to forfeit outright, is he?"

Nara Chinai looked utterly listless, with eye gunk hanging from his eyes as though he had not woken up yet.

"Byakugan!"

Hyuga Neji activated his Byakugan.

"Wait." Nara Chinai raised a hand. "I have something to say."

Scratching his head, Nara Chinai said, "From the moment we drew lots until now, I've probably simulated around two hundred battles, but I don't seem to have found a way to beat you..."

Aburame Shishin said, "You were right. Chinai really does want to surrender right away!"

Hayato said, "I don't think so now. This guy hates trouble most of all. If he wanted to surrender, he wouldn't bother saying so much nonsense."

Aburame Shishin thought about it. "That's true."

Hyuga Neji lowered his hands. "What do you mean?"

Nara Chinai said, "We're all classmates, and we'll all be ninja in the future. We might even become teammates, so... could you go easy on me?"

Pfft! Cough, cough...

Aburame Shishin choked, clutching his chest as he said, "Did this guy come here to be funny and act cute?"

Hyuga Neji looked at Shimizu Shunsuke.

Shimizu Shunsuke glared at Nara Chinai and shouted, "Begin!"

Nara Chinai was the first to throw out two kunai.

Aburame Shishin said, "Well, isn't that guy pretty fired up?"

Hayato said, "The Nara Clan uses shadow secret techniques to fight. The weather is clear and the terrain is open, which puts Chinai at a disadvantage."

A ninja's battles also depended on timing, location, and conditions. For instance, rain was unfavorable for Fire Release ninja, while watery environments favored Water Release ninja.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The two kunai missed.

Taking advantage of the opening, Neji closed the distance between himself and Chinai.

"Shadow Imitation Technique: Cobra Shadow Dance."

The two kunai that had landed on the ground sprang back up and shot toward Neji's back.

Neji twisted aside to dodge, but the two kunai refused to let up. They paused midair, then changed direction and continued their pursuit.

Aburame Shishin said, "The kunai are connected to steel wire, right? The wire's painted in camouflage, so it's hard to spot. And the Byakugan is way too useful."

If not for the Byakugan's 360-degree vision, Chinai's attack would have succeeded nine times out of ten.

Hayato said, "Yeah, Chinai is strong when he gets serious. The steel wire is wrapped in shadow too."

That was why the kunai could move as flexibly as cobras.

There was another thing Hayato did not mention. After several attacks, Chinai seemed to have noticed the blind spot in the Hyuga branch family's Byakugan. The proportion and frequency of attacks aimed at that blind spot had clearly increased.

However~~~

Hyuga Neji rapidly tapped the steel wire twice with his fingers, as if striking a snake's vital point. Gentle Fist's chakra point strikes could not sever steel wire, but they could cut off the shadow wrapped around it.

Clang! Clang!

The two kunai fell to the ground again.

By the time Nara Chinai reconnected his shadow and controlled the kunai again, Hyuga Neji had already closed in on him.

Nara Chinai was already within the range of Hyuga Neji's Eight Trigrams Palm.

Aburame Shishin sighed. "Chinai did well, but it's over."

"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms."

"Shadow Imitation Technique: Sunflower Bloom!"

Pitch-black shadows transformed into sunflowers. Their petals were black and sharp as they bloomed outward from Nara Chinai.

Smack!

"Two Palms!"

Hyuga Neji struck out, ruthlessly crushing the flowers. The shadows, which should have been shapeless and intangible, were shattered by Neji's two palm strikes.

"Shadow Imitation Technique: Sunflower Close!"

Nara Chinai shouted. The black petals suddenly curled inward, turning the blooming sunflower into a bud that swallowed both of them.

"Four Palms!"

"..."

"Thirty-Two Palms!"

Faint sounds came from within the black flower bud.

Aburame Shishin anxiously asked, "What happened? What happened...?"

After a brief silence, the sunflower rapidly withered. Its petals fell one after another, revealing Hyuga Neji and Nara Chinai once more. Neji's fingertips rested against Chinai's chest, while Chinai lay on the ground with a resentful look in his eyes. "Didn't you say you'd go easy on me~~~?"

With a sigh, Nara Chinai said, "I really couldn't win. But Mom probably won't keep nagging me now, right? So annoying."

Neji said, "Can you get up?"

Chinai struggled to his feet. "Ow, ow... hiss. Thanks for going easy on me."

With Chinai's physique, being able to stand after taking the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms naturally meant that Neji had held back.

Neji gave a proud snort and helped Chinai off the field.

Aburame Shishin said, "Congratulations, Neji. You just gained a best friend. It's my turn now, so cheer for me."

Hayato said expressionlessly, "If you add more oil to Aburame, wouldn't that make you Oily Aburame?"

Aburame Shishin said, "What a cold joke."

Shimizu Shunsuke announced, "Second match: Aburame Shishin versus Eguchi Jun."

"I'm going."

After forming the Sign of Confrontation, Eguchi Jun rushed in, intending to engage Aburame Shishin in close combat.

Aburame Shishin looked like a ninja who was not good at close combat, and in fact, he was not.

Aburame Shishin hurriedly retreated while throwing out a kunai.

Eguchi Jun knocked aside the kunai and ultimately got close to Aburame Shishin.

"Got you! Gale Ten-Hit Barrage!" Eguchi Jun threw ten punches in an instant. The first nine were dodged, but the final punch smashed hard into Aburame Shishin's face.

Bang!

Aburame Shishin turned into a swarm of black insects.

Insect Clone.

Aburame Shishin appeared a short distance behind Eguchi Jun. "I may look like someone who isn't good at taijutsu, but actually, I... really am not good at taijutsu, so you were right."

He had thought he had won, only for his opponent to emerge completely unharmed. Eguchi Jun flew into a rage from embarrassment. "Again! Let's see how you dodge this time!"

Aburame Shishin said, "As the saying goes, don't hit people in the face, and don't show off too much. What you did really made me lose face—"

"Konoha Leg Kick."

"Konoha Rapid Leg Kick."

"Konoha Flying Leg Kick!"

Eguchi Jun answered Aburame Shishin with a series of kicks, all aimed at Aburame Shishin's face.

Aburame Shishin shook his head. "Can't you let me finish properly? Fine, I've delayed long enough."

Eguchi Jun landed, bracing his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath. He panicked. "What's going on? I barely used any chakra, so why is it gone? It was you!" He pointed at Aburame Shishin. "What exactly did you do?"

Aburame Shishin smiled. "The Insect Clone. When you struck down my insect clone, my little darlings took the chance to crawl onto you. You were too careless."

Black Kikaichū crawled out from Eguchi Jun's collar, sleeves, and pant legs, growing more and more numerous until they formed a dense black mass.

Eguchi Jun rolled around on the ground and screamed, "I surrender! I surrender!"

Shimizu Shunsuke announced, "Aburame Shishin wins!"

Aburame Shishin smugly said, "Well? Why isn't anyone applauding? Why does everyone look so strange?"

Hayato covered his face. Did Shishin really have to make the Kikaichū crawl out of his crotch?

That guy really was suited for humanitarian destruction.

"Third match: Aso Kako versus Shibasaki An."

The battles continued.

Aburame Shishin's sunglasses glinted as he said, "Two girls fighting. This should be interesting."

Hayato quietly moved two steps away.

This guy's whole style completely clashed with the Aburame Clan's. Was he picked up from a trash can?

Still, Aburame Shishin was right. The two girls were about equally strong, trading blows back and forth. Their faces were flushed, and they panted prettily. It really was interesting.

In the end, Shibasaki An ran out of chakra first and could only admit defeat.

Hayato said, "An is pretty strong. It's a shame for her to be eliminated like this."

Aburame Shishin looked at Hayato strangely. "Eliminated? The graduation exam isn't an elimination tournament. It uses a scoring system. Although An lost, she fought well, so her score should be pretty high."

Hayato truly had not known that. The moment he thought of a combat exam, he instinctively thought of the Chunin Exams' single-match elimination format.

Thinking about it carefully, if this were an elimination tournament, wouldn't either Hayato or Rock Lee have to be eliminated?

That was definitely not something Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to see.

Aburame Shishin said sourly, "You're in the final match, right? Heh, heh, the grand finale."

PS: Thanks to Windbreaker Joke for the recommendation vote. Updates are steady. Please add this to your collection and vote. The next chapter will be at 8:00 tomorrow morning. The climax is coming, so stay tuned.