Two-Tails vs. Ice Release

After returning to the stone chamber, Liumu walked over to Kakashi.

Under Kakashi's questioning gaze, Liumu explained Suiguang's situation to him.

"What? You mean Lady Tsunade..."

Before Kakashi finished, he wisely shut his mouth.

Tsunade and the other two might have appeared in Kumogakure simply to protect Konoha's examination team.

As they were the future mainstays of Konoha, in this turbulent era, the village had to guard against any possible mishaps.

Only six examination participants, including Liumu, still had winning records.

In other words, after Liumu finished his second match, one of the remaining five would receive a bye in the third round.

"Next match: Liumu of Konoha versus Cheng of the Land of Crafts."

"You're up, Liumu!" Looking at the names on the screen, Kakashi told him, "Try to stick to close combat."

Liumu scratched his chin awkwardly at that and replied, "Even if you wanted me to use ninjutsu, I'd have to know some first."

Kakashi: ...

Cheng of the Land of Crafts had defeated a Kumogakure ninja in his first match, and Liumu still vividly remembered his blunt sword.

"Too bad I don't know any ninjutsu. What are you going to absorb?"

"Begin!"

At the Kumogakure Jonin's command, Cheng swung his blunt sword, immediately sidestepping as he brought it crashing toward Liumu's forehead.

Seeing this, Liumu shook his head slightly and shifted his feet, dodging it outright.

The heavy, powerful blunt sword smashed cracks into the stone beneath Liumu's feet.

As his opponent prepared to attack again, Liumu casually raised his right foot and pinned the blunt sword beside him beneath it.

At the same time, a palm whistling with tremendous force had already closed in on Cheng's cheek.

Smack!

"Urgh..."

Everyone heard Cheng cry out in pain before he immediately spun through the air and fell to the ground.

"Cheng!"

Seeing this, the Land of Crafts ninjas below the platform immediately shouted.

But...

When Cheng remained motionless for a long time, the Kumogakure Jonin stepped forward to check on him.

His eyes had rolled back, foam spilled from his mouth, and his expression had already gone blank.

"I declare Liumu of Konoha the winner of this match."

"Haha, that's Liumu for you."

The blond man on the second floor looked at Liumu on the platform, praising him repeatedly. "No wonder Master Jiraiya told me not to treat Liumu like a child."

"So he's Jiraiya's new disciple!" the sinister-looking, yellow-eyed man replied hoarsely. "With that tremendous strength, he'd be just right as Tsunade's disciple. What can Jiraiya teach him?"

Although displeased to hear this as one of the Sannin, the blond man did not argue.

Even Jiraiya could not clearly gauge Liumu's strength. Judging by the power he had displayed so far, he really did seem to be working toward Lady Tsunade's style.

"Next match: Han of Kirigakure versus Yugito Nii of Kumogakure."

"Now this is interesting."

Looking at the names on the screen, Liumu sat down with a smile and muttered, "This is clearly a Kekkei Genkai versus a Jinchūriki."

On the platform.

Once the match officially began, Han was the first to form hand seals. As she activated "Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique," thick mist immediately rose over the platform.

Most of what Yugito Nii had demonstrated in combat consisted of fierce close-range attacks. Moreover, her flaming cat claws seemed capable of cutting through anything, making them daunting.

Han had used the Hidden Mist Technique at the outset precisely to conceal her movements.

Then everyone saw an enormous frost dragon suddenly rise from deep within the area obscured by the ninjutsu, roaring as it charged toward one corner of the platform.

Boom!

The platform shattered, sending countless stones and chunks of ice flying in every direction. Kakashi, who was near the platform, reacted fastest, immediately leaping sideways and narrowly avoiding a meter-wide block of ice.

Having safely avoided the danger, he looked at the ice and discovered that its edges were exceptionally neat, as though cut by a blade, and it reflected his image.

Just then...

"Fire Release: Fire Rat Ball!"

Whoosh...

A powerful pale-blue fireball suddenly appeared. As it shot toward the tail of the erupting dragon, its searing heat instantly evaporated the mist over the platform.

The mist dispersed, restoring everyone's view.

The fireball Yugito Nii released shot straight toward Han's face. However, just before it reached her, it seemed to strike something and exploded.

But that explosion also allowed the ninjas below the platform to see the ice wall before Han, with several cracks running through it.

"When did she cast that ninjutsu? I didn't even see her form hand seals," Kakashi muttered in shock.

"Hey, it's normal that you didn't see any," Liumu teased. "Do you think everyone dutifully forms hand seals when they cast ninjutsu like you lot?"

"Isn't that normal?" Kakashi turned to stare at Liumu. "How can you draw out the chakra in your body without forming hand seals?"

Liumu: ...

Looking at Kakashi's innocent expression, Liumu thought it would be better not to tell him the truth, lest he damage Kakashi's worldview.

Seeing Liumu fall silent, Kakashi said nothing more.

As Kakashi saw it, Liumu specialized in Taijutsu, after all, and Taijutsu indeed did not require hand seals.

In practical use, ninjutsu involved a ninja forming hand seals to mobilize the chakra within their body, then releasing it through ninjutsu in a tangible form.

This was the first lesson taught at the Ninja Academy. There was no way Liumu and Kakashi did not know it.

Techniques with short seal sequences, or ones a ninja was extremely proficient in, could perhaps be cast with one-handed seals. But casting ninjutsu directly without needing hand seals, as Han did, was essentially unheard of.

Facing Han's absolute defense, Yugito Nii crouched and leaped, nimbly reaching the center of the platform like a cat. Forming hand seals, she called softly, "Rat Tail Ball!"

Everyone saw dozens of blue fireballs immediately appear overhead as Yugito Nii completed her ninjutsu. Under the control of her ten fingers, they whistled toward Han.

Seeing this, the chakra around Han surged violently. Then another ice wall gleamed into being, shielding her, but...

"Hmph, you can't dodge this."

As Yugito Nii spoke, she rapidly tugged with both hands. The Rat Tail Balls speeding through the air suddenly changed course, circling straight around the ice wall to surround Han.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

A string of explosions rang out, and the continually rising smoke completely swallowed Han's figure.

No one had expected Yugito Nii to be able to control the direction of the fireballs' attacks through the fine chakra threads on her ten fingers.

Only Liumu, in the corner, smiled wryly and murmured to himself, "Isn't this thing just a fireball version of the Spirit Ball?"