Kitsuchi of Two Heavens Plateau vs. Inuzuka Kawa of Konoha

Konoha—Inuzuka Kawa vs. Iwagakure—Kitsuchi of Two Heavens Plateau.

Perhaps out of consideration for their last shred of dignity, the people from Kumogakure were too embarrassed to directly arrange for Kitsuchi and Kakashi to face each other in the elimination rounds.

Otherwise, with the two strongest contestants from outside villages fighting each other to the death, people would have spat accusations even if the match had not been rigged.

Seeing the bracket beside him, Inuzuka Kawa's expression fell as well.

Kawa had originally held onto a sliver of hope of advancing. He had even planned to support Kakashi in the final free-for-all and create an opportunity for him to win.

He had not expected to draw such a dead-end matchup instead.

Having just witnessed Kitsuchi fight, even someone as easygoing as Kawa knew exactly how wide the gap between them was.

"I'd rather have drawn you. I could've surrendered right away and saved you some chakra..." Kawa said listlessly.

"...Forget it. This competition isn't that important. Did you forget what Minato-sensei told us? Getting back safely is what matters most."

Knowing that Kawa's personality meant he needed no encouragement, Kakashi answered indifferently.

"Fine. I'll be responsible for draining some of that Stone Village guy's chakra for you."

Having quickly adjusted his mindset, Kawa headed into his second elimination match.

The process was somewhat eventful, but the result was no surprise.

With Kitsuchi deliberately holding back, the seamless coordination between Kawa and Dairiki bloomed in full.

The ferocity and aggression of the Inuzuka Clan's Beast Mimicry Combat Method were displayed to perfection.

The audience, who had thought this would be another one-sided match, feasted their eyes and ultimately gave them thunderous applause.

Slightly drained, Kawa limped back to the preparation area.

There was not a trace of a loser's look on his face. Like a fighting cock that had barely won, he strutted about with his head held high.

"Well, no need to comfort him now. Haru, you should learn from Kawa's shameless personality."

"Damn it, Kakashi, do you even know how to talk?" Kawa snapped, pretending he was about to fight Kakashi to the death.

"Pfft..." Haru, standing nearby, finally showed her first smile of the day.

"Whew."

The two male actors who had worked together to put on that little show both let out a sigh of relief.

That was what bonds were: built up from little things in everyday life.

During this time, Haru had always tirelessly fought to take on reconnaissance and guard duty during missions, claiming that she could practice her Insect-Control Technique while she was at it.

Yet through one sleepless night after another, she silently protected her teammates. Her efforts were hidden behind her quiet high collar.

Kakashi was placed in the final match of this round.

His opponent was a Kumogakure examinee named Tomu, who had shown in the first round that he specialized in taijutsu.

The two took their positions in the arena.

Tomu's expression was grave. The opponent before him was Konoha's genius youth. Even if he went all out, he would likely still lose, but the strong-willed Tomu showed no fear.

Kakashi, meanwhile, remained neither pleased nor upset. From watching his opponent fight in the first round, he had learned that Tomu possessed exceptional durability. The rest was still unknown.

Kakashi would never underestimate any opponent.

As before, the match opened with a cautious taijutsu exchange, each side holding something in reserve.

Kakashi's speed suppressed his opponent, and his strength had a slight edge. His opponent's durability truly was outstanding.

Kakashi had struck Tomu in the abdomen twice, yet Tomu's movements remained unaffected.

Across from him, Tomu's expression grew increasingly grim. Only by facing his opponent directly could he truly feel the difference in strength.

Ross and the others underestimated this Konoha ninja. Since I have no chance of winning this match, then I'll make at least some contribution for my companions!

Having made up his mind, Tomu immediately stopped hesitating.

He drew upon most of his chakra, and in an instant, chakra covered his entire body.

This was the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, which he had yet to fully master. By channeling Lightning Release chakra through his body, it activated his muscles and stimulated rapid cell division.

The strength of this technique lay in its ability to temporarily increase the user's speed, neural reaction time, durability, and recovery ability.

The drawback was that once the technique ended, the user would enter an extreme state of weakness and completely lose the ability to fight.

In the preparation area, Tomu's companions felt their hearts tremble when they saw him use Lightning Release Chakra Mode right at the start.

"Too reckless! How could he use it this early?"

"Shut up! Tomu isn't someone who acts without considering the consequences." Ross, who understood Tomu's personality better, cut off his teammate.

Asui, whose face was filled with worry, said with certainty.

"Tomu must have judged that his opponent is someone he can't defeat. What he's doing now... is weakening the next round's competitor for Ross and me..."

The Hidden Cloud Village contestants around them who had already lost their matches were greatly shocked upon hearing this. They stared at Tomu in the arena, whose strength had surged dramatically.

The moment Tomu's chakra became abnormal, Kakashi sensed that something was wrong. Without hesitation, he abandoned his excellent suppressive position and swiftly pulled away.

"What a pity... Is his sense of danger really that sharp?"

Seeing Kakashi's decisive action, Tomu sighed inwardly in regret.

He had intended to use the instant he entered Lightning Release Chakra Mode, taking advantage of the explosive power and overall strength that surged in that split second, to catch his opponent off guard. Now, he could only proceed step by step.

Kakashi watched Tomu from afar. At this moment, Tomu looked as though he were wearing a coat of Lightning Release chakra.

For the first time since the third round began, Kakashi frowned.

If he wanted to end this quickly against someone in that state, it would consume quite a bit of stamina.

But what worried him most was what Shimura Ran, now sitting in the stands, had clearly told the three of them before today's matches.

Once this round ended, they would set off back to the village overnight, unless someone was too injured to travel.

Kakashi could not deliberately let himself get injured in a match just to rest for two extra days.

That meant he had to prepare for the possibility that he would be unable to perform at full strength in the final round. His first choice was to keep himself in the best possible condition.

He had to conserve some strength to deal with anything that might happen on the road back to the village.

Of course, the ideal outcome would be for Orochimaru-sensei to receive his message and arrive in time.

Having made his decision, Kakashi no longer dwelled on it. He patiently fought Tomu in a battle of attrition, avoiding unnecessary injuries.

Although Lightning Release Chakra Mode had originally been developed by Kumogakure, it had leaked out long ago over the years.

The only technique still held by Kumogakure and never leaked was the Strongest Lightning Armor Technique, said to be mastered only by successive Raikage.

It was an upgraded version of Lightning Release Chakra Mode. While enhancing abilities across the board, it also minimized the backlash from using Lightning Release chakra.

With Kakashi's knowledge, he naturally understood the strengths and weaknesses of ordinary Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

Tomu's current state could not last long. At most five minutes. Since he had clearly not fully mastered Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he would inevitably collapse after that. Then would come Kakashi's victory.

I just have to endure these five minutes!

Kakashi held the short blade in his hand horizontally before him and assumed a defensive stance.

The balance of offense and defense on the field had shifted!