Facing Kisame Hoshigaki!

"The third match will now begin."

"The contestants are Mu Feng Uchiha of Konoha!"

"And Kisame Hoshigaki of Kirigakure!"

In the arena, the chief examiner announced the two contestants.

Mu Feng and Kisame Hoshigaki then emerged from their respective entrances. Kisame Hoshigaki still carried a Ninja Blade on his back.

Mu Feng had brought the Demon Blade Muramasa as well.

This match would mark the Demon Sword's first appearance in the Naruto world.

In the stands, the spectators' expressions changed as they watched Mu Feng and Kisame Hoshigaki. Both carried Ninja Blades out of proportion to their builds, and neither looked like someone to mess with.

Judging purely by appearances, Kisame Hoshigaki's powerful physique looked more aggressive, like that of a warrior.

Though Mu Feng was not tall, he stood straight and poised, looking more like an agile assassin.

Had ninjutsu not existed here, people would surely have assumed this was a swordsmanship contest. Unfortunately, this was the Naruto world.

In a sense, although both carried swords, neither was particularly skilled in swordsmanship.

Mu Feng had yet to fully absorb Hozuki Mangetsu's swordsmanship, while Kisame Hoshigaki's own swordsmanship had never been especially good.

Their presence alone, however, seemed to intimidate the entire arena the moment they appeared.

The noise in the stands died down considerably. Even those still talking kept their voices low.

"Is that the Uchiha prodigy everyone's been talking about lately? Why does he look so young?"

"They say he just graduated from the Ninja Academy, and even Kakashi is no match for him!"

"What? Even Kakashi can't beat him? The Uchiha Clan really is strong! Does that mean he's awakened his eyes?"

"I think so! I'm not sure. We'll find out soon enough!"

Some civilians began discussing him in the stands.

Just then-

"Mu Feng! Mu Feng! Look over here!"

A young voice suddenly rang out across the arena as Kurenai Yuhi stood and waved at Mu Feng.

Hearing Kurenai Yuhi's voice, Mu Feng turned to look.

"Kurenai, what are you doing? Keep quiet!"

A woman beside Kurenai Yuhi who bore some resemblance to her immediately pulled her back down.

After sitting down, Kurenai Yuhi still clenched her little fists toward Mu Feng, cheering him on.

Then Mu Feng spotted Guy and the others in the stands. Almost everyone in his class had come to watch his Chunin exam.

But in the arena, Kisame Hoshigaki was hardly pleased to see that Mu Feng still had the leisure to look around.

Even after spotting Guy and the others, Mu Feng continued scanning the stands.

He was searching for Orochimaru.

Soon, Mu Feng found Orochimaru near the center of the stands. He sat not far from Hiruzen Sarutobi, watching the examination grounds with interest.

Seeing that Orochimaru had indeed come, Mu Feng frowned.

Just then-

"Begin!"

A voice interrupted Mu Feng's thoughts.

As the chief examiner's words rang out, Mu Feng withdrew his gaze, placed his hand on the Demon Sword, and looked at Kisame Hoshigaki.

"Konoha sent a little brat like you to fight me?"

Kisame Hoshigaki stared at Mu Feng, but instead of attacking, he spoke with a smile.

"Weren't you eager to fight me earlier? Why say that now?"

Mu Feng's gaze turned cold.

"Heh, Konoha brat, do you think your friends would be shocked if I cut you in half?" As he spoke, Kisame Hoshigaki drew the Ninja Blade from his back.

"You're welcome to try!"

With a metallic click, Mu Feng pushed his thumb against the Demon Sword's guard, but did not draw it yet.

Trading trash talk before a fight was clearly not Mu Feng's strong suit, so he chose to act instead.

Seeing Mu Feng's movement, Kisame's pupils contracted.

The next instant, he darted forward, drawing his blade as he charged straight at Mu Feng.

Thud, thud, thud-

Kisame moved fast, every forceful stride pounding against the arena floor.

The enormous Ninja Blade in his hand was considerably taller than Mu Feng. The sight of him wielding such a weapon against Mu Feng was so overwhelming that every spectator's brow twitched and their hearts clenched.

Shing-

But just then, Mu Feng moved too.

Kisame was fast, but Mu Feng was faster. Gripping the hilt with his right hand, he drew the Demon Sword at a speed ordinary eyes could not follow.

A black blur flashed through the air.

Clang-

The next instant, steel rang against steel as Mu Feng met Kisame's attack head-on with a single stroke.

Feeling the force transmitted through his blade, Kisame was startled. He had never imagined that Mu Feng's seemingly small body could possess enough strength to match his own.

Kisame was much older than Mu Feng, and both were still in their normal stages of growth. Moreover, Kisame's physique gave him an additional advantage in strength.

An ordinary Genin would have had to dodge that strike. Even if they managed to block it, their arms would surely ache and go numb.

Yet Mu Feng had taken Kisame's strike head-on, which meant he possessed an equally powerful physique.

At the same time, Kisame noticed something else. He hurriedly stepped back, putting distance between himself and Mu Feng.

Then Kisame looked down at his Ninja Blade.

The clash had left a notch in his Ninja Blade, cut straight into it by Mu Feng. Yet the Demon Sword in Mu Feng's hand remained completely undamaged, its edge and body as pristine as new.

There's something wrong with that blade!

Kisame Hoshigaki's heart trembled, and he was already planning to abandon the swordsmanship contest.

Just then-

Bzzzz-

An unusual sound came from Mu Feng's direction. The chakra in his body began flowing, transforming into Wind Release Chakra that coated the Demon Sword.

A blue-white glow instantly enveloped the Demon Sword, emitting a continuous buzzing sound caused by the wind-nature chakra vibrating at high frequency.

"This is..."

"He's coating his weapon with chakra, and he's even transformed its nature!"

"It's wind-nature chakra! It can make a Ninja Blade sharper!"

"How is that possible?"

Before Kisame Hoshigaki even had time to be shocked by Mu Feng's display, the Jonin in the stands froze, looking as though they had seen a ghost.

Chakra nature transformation was far from easy to master, let alone applying it to a Ninja Blade.

In the original story, Sasuke had only mastered this three years later, while Naruto had not sought Asuma's advice on it until he was developing the Rasenshuriken.

By then, they had been older and already possessed a certain degree of strength.

But how old was Mu Feng now? Mastering chakra nature transformation at his age went beyond what the word "genius" could describe.

"What an interesting boy!"

In the stands, Orochimaru watched the Demon Sword in Mu Feng's hand and smiled. Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated nearby, silently smoked his pipe, looking deeply contemplative.

Back in the arena, after coating the Demon Sword with Wind Release Chakra, Mu Feng darted straight toward Kisame Hoshigaki.

The Demon Sword was clearly of a much higher grade than the Ninja Blade in Kisame's hand. Relying on that advantage, Mu Feng intended to press his attack and defeat Kisame Hoshigaki with swordsmanship alone.

At the sight, Kisame Hoshigaki's pupils abruptly contracted.

But the next instant, Mu Feng had already appeared right in front of him.