Chunin Showdown

A ninja battle was often decided in an instant.

Kakashi separated Obito and Uchiha Retsu, while Hideki charged straight at Uchiha Retsu with a Rasengan in hand.

But the gap in their strength was right there. Facing the charging Hideki, Uchiha Retsu remained remarkably composed.

He planted his feet, shifted aside to evade Hideki's attack, then drove a knee into him.

The knee landed solidly, striking Hideki square in the face and sending him flying backward. Yet Uchiha Retsu frowned.

"A clone..."

Sure enough, in the next moment, Hideki's body vanished in a puff of white smoke.

Kakashi's Earth-Style Wall fell away, revealing three boys standing side by side.

The trio that had improved in the little grove, and Konoha Ninja School's first-year class-cutting squad, had arrived!

"Hideki... Damn it, Kakashi..."

Still somewhat dazed, Obito stared blankly at the two who had appeared beside him and muttered under his breath.

Kakashi's face darkened. Why was this guy still so punchable at a time like this?

"Your cleanup is a little abstract, Obito." Hideki smiled calmly. "Did your grandma know?"

"Hideki, I..." Obito's eyes reddened, and his voice choked up.

But Hideki's expression turned serious. "I'll settle the score with you later. Pull yourself together and deal with this bastard first."

Though the one defeated had only been a clone, part of the pain had still transferred back to him. It hurt badly. Combined with that unexpected speed, the guy in front of them was definitely no pushover.

Hideki felt rather stifled.

First there had been Uchiha Beiying and his cousin Uchiha Ruohuo, and now there was this guy.

These characters who did not even deserve names in the future kept appearing one after another. First a cousin, then an older brother—it had given him a headache more than once.

A real headache.

"His name is Uchiha Retsu. He's Uchiha Ruohuo's older brother, at least a Chunin, and possibly even a Jonin."

Obito finally came back to his senses. The choked-up tone had vanished; whenever there was a fight, especially a group fight, Obito could always get fired up.

"Probably not a Jonin. Otherwise, your clone wouldn't have had any chance to get close." Kakashi analyzed, "He's an Uchiha. Don't forget the Sharingan and genjutsu."

The Uchiha Clan's three great trademarks: Fire Release, Sharingan genjutsu, and their hairstyles... Uchiha Kenjutsu.

Hideki nodded in agreement. "But even if he isn't a Jonin, he might have awakened the Sharingan. Be careful!"

Not everyone was as bizarre as Obito.

He had not awakened the Sharingan even after becoming a Chunin, and before his "death," he had only possessed two tomoe.

Yet afterward, he had jumped straight from two tomoe to the Mangekyo Sharingan, practically a medical miracle.

Hideki was not sure whether this Uchiha before them had awakened the Sharingan, but he could not exactly fight with his eyes closed, so all he could do was gamble.

Uchiha Retsu looked at the three before him.

He neither mocked them nor showed fury. As always, he remained cold and aloof, faithfully carrying out the Uchiha way.

His gaze swept over Obito and Hideki without concealing his disgust, but when he looked at Kakashi, it carried a trace of caution.

Yes, caution, though it was not obvious. He merely cared about Kakashi's status as the White Fang's son, but did not take it too seriously.

This was Uchiha territory!

He was only teaching a few brats a lesson. There was no need to be overly cautious.

Still, Uchiha pride meant that Uchiha Retsu would not be taking this too seriously.

"You three were the ones who injured Beiying and Ruohuo... Even the White Fang's son is here. Then it makes sense."

Uchiha Retsu crossed his arms, looking as though he had no intention of making the first move.

Kakashi's expression immediately became a little strange.

What should he do? He was starting to regret coming along.

They were the ones fighting, not him!

If his father found out... Well, given his father's twisted sense of humor, he would probably ask whether Kakashi had fought over a girl.

Kakashi sighed, feeling as though he had boarded a pirate ship.

"Kakashi..." Hideki called out to him in a complicated tone, causing Kakashi to pause.

Is he planning to let me leave? Does he not want to drag me into this?

It was normal for Kakashi to think that way. The situation before them was obvious. Though Obito was unreliable, he was loyal.

Hadn't he come here alone to protect Hideki?

Kakashi naturally assumed Hideki was the same sort of person—seemingly scheming, but actually loyal.

But Hideki was destined to disappoint him.

"This guy won't be easy to handle. We may only get one chance to attack. Obito and I have an incredibly badass move. It's our strongest strike!"

"But it needs some time, so... I'm counting on you, Kakashi!"

Hideki spoke with complete sincerity.

In fact, he was already thinking that he needed to quickly coordinate Hydrogen Release with Kakashi afterward.

There was strength in numbers. That was the only way to bring out Hydrogen Release's power as much as possible.

But Kakashi still knew nothing. He was only at the stage of knowing that it was not an Explosive Tag, so there was no way Hideki could have him use it together with them.

Thus, he could only have Kakashi buy them time!

"..." Kakashi was speechless.

He looked at Hideki with utter disdain, only to see eyes full of sincerity. Not just Hideki's—Obito's too.

You two planned this, didn't you? Damn it!

Kakashi nearly burst into curses. Why had he given up being a perfectly good top student to join these two idiots?

Still, Kakashi resisted the urge to turn around and leave. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Then hurry up!"

With that, he bent forward slightly like a small cheetah, his helpless gaze fixed on Uchiha Retsu.

"Come. Let me see just how great the difference is between Ruohuo and the White Fang's son."

Uchiha Retsu still did not draw his sword, as though the long blade were nothing more than decoration.

Kakashi sighed, then charged forward beneath Hideki and Obito's admiring gazes!

"Excuse me, senpai!" Kakashi remained polite, not forgetting to greet him before attacking.

Uchiha Retsu responded with the Uchiha Clan's distinctive etiquette, raising a hand to block Kakashi's fist before kicking at Kakashi's chest.

"You haven't reached the level where you can offend me."

"..." Kakashi was speechless again. He nimbly spun aside to evade the kick, turning his hand into a blade as he unleashed the Hatake Swordsmanship he had trained in since childhood.

Yet inwardly, he was baffled. Why were all members of the Uchiha Clan so full of themselves?

Compared to the guy in front of him, Obito was almost cute... Damn it! Obito was even more punchable!

Kakashi fought fiercely despite his frustration.

Meanwhile, Hideki and Obito had finished their preparations!

"Kakashi! Move!"

Hideki shouted. The Hydrogen Release: Atmospheric Balloon, which had consumed nearly all his chakra, was ready!

Obito puffed out his cheeks and formed the seals. His Great Fireball was poised to launch!

Kakashi immediately stopped fighting and hurriedly retreated, rubbing his arms as he landed.

This guy truly was from the Uchiha Clan. He was incredibly strong, his taijutsu was vicious, and every strike was precise. And that was without even activating the Sharingan!

At the same time, Kakashi could not help feeling anticipation.

"So that technique is their combined ninjutsu."

"Hideki said that ideally, it would be used by three people together. Then in the future..."

Before Kakashi could think further, the two boys' combined ninjutsu had already targeted Uchiha Retsu!

First came Hideki's Hydrogen Release: Atmospheric Balloon. It was a full size larger than before, yet moved even faster.

Obito's Great Fireball followed close behind. Both controlled their techniques with great precision, avoiding the possibility of an early explosion.

Obito was serious about this, because last time he had made an operational error. He had not thrown away the cotton swab used to ignite it properly, nearly cooking Hideki's right hand.

There was a hint of worry in Hideki's eyes, but far more confidence.

He held nothing back. The explosion's power was no less than that of ten Explosive Tags.

He could practically see the light of victory already!

However, Hideki had still thought ninja battles too simple.

Ninja fights used every means available. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, swordsmanship, and genjutsu were merely tools of a ninja.

And in a ninja battle, besides strength, the most important thing was intelligence.

Although Uchiha Retsu did not know Hydrogen Release's molecular formula, he knew exactly how his younger brother had been blasted into the hospital.

"You're overthinking it, brat."

Uchiha Retsu stood unmoving, forming hand seals so quickly that his hands became afterimages.

Wind Release: Wind Assault Technique!

In an instant, fierce winds surged. Before Hideki's astonished eyes, his Hydrogen Release: Atmospheric Balloon was blown back a considerable distance, colliding with Obito's Great Fireball. The explosion and fire wave bloomed together!

BOOM!!!!

The explosion rang out as expected, but its effect fell far short of expectations.

Uchiha Retsu raised one hand before him, blocking the limited force of the blast. His sleeve had been scorched to tatters, but...

That was all.

The combined technique that had always worked flawlessly for Hideki and Obito was shattered on the spot by one ordinary Wind Release technique from Uchiha Retsu!

This was what it meant to be a Chunin.

Even if he was still some distance from becoming a Jonin, and was not particularly outstanding in the Shinobi World or Konoha.

His strength and experience still far surpassed those of two brats who had not even graduated.

If Hydrogen Release's power had struck Uchiha Retsu in full, perhaps this would have been another story.

But there were no such ifs. Uchiha Retsu was a Chunin. He had both strength and brains.

In fact, the fact that Uchiha Retsu had suffered even a minor injury was already enough for Obito and Hideki to be proud of.

But before the two could come to their senses and congratulate themselves.

"It's over. Remember this in the future: when you meet an Uchiha, stay far away."

A cold voice sounded from behind them.

At some point, Uchiha Retsu had used the Body Flicker Technique and appeared behind them!

He raised both hands in knife-hand strikes, and in the next instant, he could knock them both down on the spot!

But just then.

A hoarse yet captivating voice quietly sounded...

Ninja Art: Great Serpent.