Starting the Relay Battle

"Asuma..."

Watching Asuma being carried away by the medical team, his appearance miserable, the Konoha Rookies turned their gazes towards Yue, revealing shock and unease.

Yes, even with their skill levels, they could tell that the ability to defeat Asuma in an instant meant that most of the other contestants present probably couldn't defeat this 'sole survivor' from the Grass Village.

After all, Asuma's strength was already quite good among them.

Hiashi Hyuga glanced at Naruto's expression and chuckled.

His own son had been beaten, yet he remained so calm and composed, making no move or statement.

This indicated that the match was to continue.

Even if they weren't Yue's match, these Konoha brats couldn't back down; they could only grit their teeth and press on.

This was the moment to demonstrate the backbone and courage of not fearing strong enemies as members of the village.

"He's letting this Fuma Yue take the opportunity to teach these kids a lesson..."

Hiashi Hyuga looked again at Minato Namikaze beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, swept his gaze over Kakashi and Guy, and mused.

As the next head of the Hyuga Clan, he already understood many things 'very clearly'.

"Damn it, don't get cocky!"

Obito, having regained his senses, said indignantly.

At that moment, another person landed on the field.

Indeed, Yue's performance had 'intimidated' many of the Konoha Rookies.

But that didn't mean they had become timid.

The newcomer was Hayate Gekko.

He was a close friend and childhood playmate of Asuma and Genma Shiranui.

He couldn't 'turn a blind eye' to Asuma's fate.

Although his strength was at the bottom among the participants in this round, and getting to this stage had a bit of luck involved.

He still had to challenge Yue.

"Meaningless."

Yue flipped a page of his book, his gaze unwavering, not even looking up, and said indifferently.

"I know I can't beat you." To his surprise, Hayate Gekko gave a suave smile and generously admitted, "You indeed have the strength and the right to be arrogant, but don't forget... you are the only one left in the Grass Village, while we... still have a group."

"Even a relay match will wear you out."

Saying this, Hayate Gekko drew his sword, which was much smaller than a normal blade.

For him, the size and weight were just right.

"I just need to force out more of your techniques and expend more of your stamina... even if it's not me, someone will eventually defeat you."

Hayate Gekko said confidently.

This was his confidence in Konoha, in his comrades.

Moreover, what he said was the truth.

This, however, made Yue look at him with a bit more respect. For Hayate Gekko at this age to have such awareness and strategic thinking was already far superior to children his age.

The scent of self-sacrifice was very strong.

Yue raised his head and looked directly at Hayate Gekko, "You're right, but unfortunately... sheep are sheep. No matter how many gather, they pose no threat to a true beast."

"At most..."

Yue sneered and slowly said, "It will just waste a bit of time... when they get eaten."

The latter's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

Over there, Obito Uchiha had 'gnawed his teeth raw', wishing he could personally go down and join Hayate Gekko.

He just couldn't stand Yue's arrogance.

However... he had already been eliminated.

He hadn't even put himself in the right position; even if he went up, he would just be more food.

"Brother Obito... it's actually a good thing you didn't face him."

Shisui said quietly from the side.

Obito Uchiha became even more displeased upon hearing this, his nose not being his nose and his eyes not being his eyes.

"I didn't watch very carefully, but I can feel that this person and you are fundamentally not the same 'species'."

"Shut up, why are you turning your elbows outward... What do you understand, you little brat?!"

Obito rolled his eyes dramatically and said in a huff.

Shisui smiled slightly and obediently shut his mouth.

Begin!

As the referee's arm fell, Hayate Gekko didn't charge forward recklessly like Asuma. Instead, he adopted a different tactic.

He immediately leaped back, creating distance between himself and Yue.

First, he tested Yue with projectile attacks. When Yue either dodged or quickly closed the distance, he would then employ Konoha-style sword techniques for defense... That's right, his swordsmanship wasn't even focused on offense. Just as he had said, he perfectly executed his strategy: stalling for time and draining Yue's stamina.

At the same time, he hoped to force Yue to reveal some of his abilities.

This would provide intelligence for his teammates.

However, it was a pity... Observing from outside the battlefield was entirely different from being immersed in the fight, feeling the pressure Yue exerted.

And while his swordsmanship was indeed exquisite among his peers, possessing strong deceptive and hidden qualities, with tricky angles and swift strikes, the problem was that Bleach and Naruto, despite their largely different power systems, had surprisingly similar principles when it came to swordsmanship.

Trying to coerce Yue with sword techniques, or rather, swordsmanship, was the most difficult approach.

The most direct reaction was that some of Hayate Gekko's sword techniques couldn't even graze Yue's clothes.

The trajectory of his sword strikes and the changes in his moves were completely seen through and predicted by Yue.

Mid-combo, his attacks would be forcefully disrupted by Yue's counter-measures.

Furthermore, with the overwhelming physical stats, even combining swordsmanship with ninjutsu couldn't bridge the gap in raw power.

Fortunately, the engagement strategy he adopted allowed him to last longer than Asuma.

But not by much, only a little over half a minute.

As Hayate Gekko prepared to use the Body Flicker Technique to get behind Yue and launch the only surprise attack of the match with a sharp sword gleam, as he raised his sword, with a bang, the weapon in his hand was instantly knocked away, spinning a few times in the air before falling to the ground.

Hayate Gekko was stunned.

His hand holding the sword went numb, and his skin turned bright red.

Before he could react, Yue's yet-to-land foot, carrying immense force, kicked him square in the stomach.

Hayate Gekko was sent flying several meters, tumbling to the ground and curling into a ball, unable to stand.

"Next one."

Yue retracted his leg, tapped his toes, and turned to urge them on.

"..."

Although it took a bit longer, his performance in the fight was the same as the previous one.

Konoha's complete defeat!

In the stands, the Jonin from Grass Village's mouth hung slightly ajar.

He couldn't believe it.

Was this the new generation of their Grass Village?!

Was it really?

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought he was dreaming.

How could they be so strong?

Did the village elders know?

He swallowed hard. When Yue defeated the first opponent, while there was some surprise, he felt more apprehension, thinking Yue might have gone too far.

He was worried about angering the people from Konoha, especially the Hokage.

He had even prepared to apologize on Yue's behalf, but seeing that Konoha had no reaction and being shocked by Yue's strength, he abandoned the idea.

"If he keeps winning like this..."

The Jonin from Grass Village pondered. For him, the priority wasn't the surprise Yue brought.

It was the potential trouble.

Now wasn't the time to think about why Yue was so powerful. This was Konoha, after all. If they caused Konoha's higher-ups to lose face and something happened on their turf, who would his group of four turn to for recourse? It wasn't even certain if they could return alive.

Konoha had every reason to disregard Grass Village's standing.

He even had the absurd thought of having Yue intentionally lose the match.

Meanwhile, Kakashi, who had been resting his upper body on the railing, prepared to make his move.

He clearly understood the current situation.

In his estimation, Yue's level was comparable only to his own or Guy's, and it was hard to say who would win. But he couldn't let Yue keep winning like this.

If others continued to fight, they would likely all lose.

He needed to step in.

Most importantly, Konoha was fighting in a relay style, which was already an advantage.

It would look bad if word got out.

However, just as Kakashi was about to move, a hand landed on his shoulder, signaling him to stop.

Kakashi turned his head and saw Minato Namikaze gently shaking his head at him.

He was signaling him not to enter the arena yet.

Kakashi froze.

In that brief moment of delay, someone had already taken the 'baton' from Hayate Gekko and stood opposite Yue.

It was Ryuzaki Hyuga of the Hyuga Clan.

He was a year older than Yue and a bit taller and more solidly built.

Several rising stars of Konoha, inheritors of secret techniques and Kekkei Genkai, could no longer sit still.

Yue finally closed his book and gave it a sharp flick.

He tossed the book towards the Jonin in charge, who was standing far away.

It seemed the upcoming exchange was worth him taking it a bit more seriously.

The seriousness was only because he was quite interested in the 'Byakugan'.

"My eyes aren't what they used to be with age... Go ask that Grass Village Jonin what book Yue is reading."

"It's rare to see children who are so eager to learn nowadays..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled and instructed a subordinate beside him.

"Yes."

The subordinate nodded and hurried to find the Jonin from Grass Village.

He intended to borrow Yue's book for a look.