Hit him

"So fast!"

Straight punches, side kicks, elbow strikes, knee strikes-every move was fierce and forceful, fast as an afterimage. Might Guy's relentless assault completely shut off every route Obito Uchiha could take and left him no room to form hand seals and use ninjutsu. With no other option, Obito Uchiha could only force himself to match Might Guy in taijutsu.

Yet every move Might Guy made sent the wind howling with overwhelming pressure. In mere moments, several purple bruises had appeared on Obito Uchiha's body.

With no other choice, Obito Uchiha gritted his teeth and tried to force his way out of the close-quarters exchange. He kept one hand in front of his face to protect his vital areas while forming hand seals with the other, unleashing his chakra at full power as sparks gathered in his mouth.

"Fire Release...!"

Faced with Obito Uchiha forming hand seals, Might Guy answered with nothing more than a steady, powerful palm strike, landing it precisely on Obito Uchiha's chest.

Thump!

A sharp, muffled thud rang out. The chakra gathering in Obito Uchiha's chest abruptly stalled, and the tremendous force sent him flying. He tumbled several times through the air before crashing heavily to the ground, his breath catching slightly as wisps of black smoke escaped his mouth. His body kicked up a cloud of dust as it hit the ground.

The outcome was decided!

Yes, Obito Uchiha could form hand seals with one hand. Hahahahaha. Perfectly normal.

Yes, this was a fight between two ninja students who had yet to graduate. Perfectly normal.

Among the spectators, Uchiha Gen looked calm. Beside him, Rin Nohara watched Obito Uchiha fly backward, her eyes filled with worry as she unconsciously clenched her small hands.

"First match, Might Guy wins! Combat score: 60 points. Obito Uchiha, combat score: 76 points. Guy, the reason I gave you such a low score is that taking ninjutsu head-on is extremely dangerous.

"If Obito Uchiha had awakened the Uchiha Clan's bloodline ability, the Sharingan, his release techniques would carry additional Yin Release Chakra capable of damaging the soul.

"You might be able to kick flames apart, but some additional damage brought about by bloodline abilities is very difficult to defend against. I remember teaching you this just a few lessons ago, didn't I?!

"Keep that in mind next time. Obito did well, both in casting ninjutsu and in his use of the Substitution Technique. However, when you used the Substitution Technique to gain an opening to attack, you stood there showing off your ninjutsu instead. That cost you a lot of points! You two, perform the Seal of Reconciliation. Next match, Rin Nohara versus Qingcheng Pijiu."

With the battle over, Sarutobi Ichino wore a stern expression as he treated Obito Uchiha with Medical Ninjutsu and commented on their fight. Yet the information revealed in his words made the corner of Uchiha Gen's mouth twitch slightly.

Uchiha Gen had also learned from the Uchiha Clan's books that awakening the Sharingan allowed an Uchiha to add a soul-eroding Yin Release power to their release techniques.

When he learned this, Uchiha Gen had fallen completely silent. He had thought turning Susanoo into armor was already invincible. Who could have imagined there would be another powerhouse like the ability to strike the soul directly?

Yin Release Chakra struck the soul directly, making the target experience the agony of a wounded soul, followed by genjutsu that left them completely unable to defend themselves... Yes, perfectly normal.

The next fight, between Rin Nohara and some random nobody, was somewhat more normal, aside from the fact that the combat power they displayed was nothing like that of ordinary ninja students either.

However, it was worth mentioning that Rin Nohara seemed to have an invisible, formless, semi-humanoid summoned beast.

"Next match, Asuma Sarutobi versus... Uchiha Gen!"

Sarutobi Ichino looked at Uchiha Gen with an unreadable expression and spoke softly.

Uchiha Gen, teach Asuma a proper lesson. Perhaps only after you crush him completely will this child truly understand the meaning of hard work.

He had deliberately paired Asuma Sarutobi with Uchiha Gen, but not because he wanted to give Asuma Sarutobi a chance at revenge.

As a former elite jonin who had been forced to leave the battlefield, Sarutobi Ichino knew very well that Asuma Sarutobi was absolutely no match for Uchiha Gen.

Although Uchiha Gen rarely showed his abilities at school, certain everyday details made it clear that he was a genius not far behind Kakashi.

"I didn't think my second uncle would actually put us together. You damned Uchiha, you're finished this time. I'll show you what the Sarutobi Five Release Secret Technique is!

"Today, I'll make you understand that being good-looking and having a little skill with shuriken is useless. Strength is what matters!"

Asuma Sarutobi stood before Uchiha Gen with an arrogant expression and spoke viciously.

Looking at Uchiha Gen, Asuma Sarutobi could almost see the scene of him sprawled on the ground, crying out his surrender.

"Heh."

Hearing these taunts, Uchiha Gen merely gave a soft chuckle, completely ignoring Asuma Sarutobi's bluster as he walked toward the training ground.

But as he passed Sarutobi Ichino, a whisper suddenly reached his ear.

"Give Asuma a thorough beating. If you succeed, you won't have to do classroom duty anymore."

At those words, the corners of Uchiha Gen's mouth began to rise.

Wonderful. The stakes just kept rising.

"You bastard... You'll pay for your arrogance."

Seeing Uchiha Gen's contemptuous look, Asuma Sarutobi flushed red and spoke angrily.

"Are you ready? I'm about to attack."

Looking at the flushed boy making childish threats, Uchiha Gen raised his hand and spoke calmly.

"Behold the Sarutobi Five... What?!"

Asuma Sarutobi raised his hands to form hand seals and glared at Uchiha Gen. He was about to say something more when he realized that Uchiha Gen had vanished from in front of him. When he appeared again, he was already right before him.

Having rushed up to Asuma Sarutobi, Uchiha Gen swung a slap at him before he could react.

There was nothing fancy about it, just an extremely simple palm strike.

The sharp pain in his face instantly interrupted Asuma Sarutobi's hand seals. As Uchiha Gen's palm struck, Asuma Sarutobi staggered and fell flat in front of him.

The current Asuma Sarutobi was far from having the mature, steady temperament and sense of responsibility as a ninja that he would possess in the future. Right now, he was nothing more than a brat who spent all day defying his father, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Feeling the burning pain in his face, Asuma Sarutobi was first shocked, then enraged.

Asuma Sarutobi abruptly stood up, raised a hand, bit his finger, and immediately began forming hand seals. The Summoning Technique's formula spread out!

Poof!

A cloud of white mist burst forth, and an ape-like summoned beast immediately appeared beside Asuma Sarutobi.

"Sarumaru, turn into a staff! I'm going to get him!!"

His eyes red with fury, Asuma Sarutobi roared the instant he summoned the ape.