Advancing to the finals!

At the edge of the arena.

Kurenai Yuhi watched with shining eyes, her little face flushed. "Lin Ze is amazing! He's completely overwhelming that Uchiha!"

Asuma stood beside her and curled his lip, but he had to admit it. "This guy's taijutsu... really is ridiculous."

Remembering how he had traded blows with Enta Uchiha earlier and still lost in the end, he felt even more frustrated.

In the arena, Enta Uchiha grew more alarmed and frustrated with every exchange. He had plenty of chakra and ninjutsu, but Lin Ze stayed on him so relentlessly that he could find no chance to form hand seals.

"Damn it!" Enta Uchiha tried to force his way through the hand seals, taking a side kick from Lin Ze head-on.

"Too slow!" Lin Ze snapped coldly. Before Enta could finish his seals, an even faster, sharper knife-hand strike chopped precisely onto his wrist.

"Argh!" Enta Uchiha cried out in pain. His chakra instantly fell into disarray, his hand seals failed, and he nearly dropped his kunai.

Seizing the opening, Lin Ze flowed inside his guard and slammed his shoulder into Enta Uchiha's chest.

Bam!!

"Gah!" Enta Uchiha felt his chest seize, as though a massive rock had struck him. His body flew backward uncontrollably and crashed heavily to the ground two or three meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

He had only just struggled to his feet when Lin Ze's next attack arrived. A knife-hand strike, swift as lightning, chopped lightly against the back of his neck.

Enta Uchiha's vision went black and his body went limp as he collapsed flat on the ground. Though he remained conscious, he could no longer get up and fight for the time being.

From start to finish, the match had lasted only a minute or two.

Silence fell around the arena, followed by an even louder uproar.

"It's... over?"

"That fast? The Uchiha lost just like that?"

"He couldn't fight back at all! That Lin Ze's speed and strength are ridiculous!"

"He didn't even... use that really powerful Fire Release, did he?"

Kurenai Yuhi's little face flushed bright red with excitement as she pumped her small fists. "He won! Lin Ze won! He's amazing!" It was as though she had won the fight herself.

Asuma watched with the corner of his eye twitching. Though displeased, he had to admit that Lin Ze's strength far surpassed the students in their class.

After stepping forward to check Enta Uchiha's condition, the referee announced loudly, "The winner is Lin Ze! He advances to the finals!"

The Medical Team came forward and helped Enta Uchiha off the field.

Enta Uchiha bit his lip, his face filled with unwillingness and disappointment. But as he looked at Lin Ze, some of the fighting spirit in his eyes had given way to awe and... bewilderment.

He had thought that perhaps the gap between him and Lin Ze was not so great, that he could at least force Lin Ze to reveal more of his strength. He had never expected such a clean, decisive defeat, one that looked even more "helpless" than Ryota Uchiha's had.

Watching Enta Uchiha being helped away, Lin Ze felt little stir within him.

The Uchiha's strength lay in the Sharingan! Once they awakened those eyes, their strength would undergo a qualitative leap.

As he was now, Enta Uchiha could not yet be called a true Uchiha. Beating him gave Lin Ze little sense of achievement, because that was how it should have gone. Losing would have been a problem.

Before long, the match between Hikaru Hyūga and Ibiki Morino began.

Lin Ze sat in the rest area, watching the two on the platform and silently analyzing them.

In Lin Ze's memories, Ibiki was better known for his interrogation skills and Summoning Technique. But to become a Special Jōnin and later the Interrogation Department Director, his basic strength, willpower, and combat intelligence had to be first-rate.

Ibiki's fighting focuses more on endurance, analysis, and finding openings. He's a little like a weaker version of Kakashi, but better at handling pressure.

And Hikaru Hyūga... his Gentle Fist is a natural counter to taijutsu, specifically targeting internal organs and chakra pathways. He's fast, too, and precise at striking chakra points. If Ibiki can't find an effective way to counter those strikes, he'll be on the back foot.

Ibiki chose the same tactic Namiashi Raidō had used against Lin Ze, trying to create distance and attack from range, but his speed could not keep up with Hikaru Hyūga at all.

"Gentle Fist: Body Strike!"

Smack! Smack! Smack!

In barely a dozen seconds, Ibiki had already taken several hits. Though his kunai clashed with Hikaru Hyūga's palms several times, the damage it inflicted was limited.

Ibiki's movements grew slower and slower, and cold sweat covered his forehead.

"Ibiki's being completely overwhelmed..."

"He can't even touch Hikaru Hyūga!"

"Those eyes are such a cheat. He sees through every move!"

Waves of discussion rose from the spectator stands.

Below the stands, Lin Ze frowned slightly.

Hikaru Hyūga's mastery of Gentle Fist really is profound. His speed and precision at striking chakra points are far beyond an ordinary Genin's.

Ibiki's tactics aren't wrong, either, but the gap in sheer speed is too great, and Gentle Fist counters his defense. He's just an R-B-Q...

In the arena, Ibiki gritted his teeth, enduring the pain coursing through his body.

Just then, a harsh glint flashed through Hikaru Hyūga's eyes, as though he had tired of this game of chase.

Spotting an opening in Ibiki's defense, he aimed a fierce knife-hand strike straight at Ibiki's shoulder, near the collarbone. An important chakra point lay there. If the strike landed, his entire arm would likely be temporarily disabled!

The strike was incredibly fast, its angle treacherous!

Yet at that very instant, Ibiki did something no one had expected!

Rather than trying to withstand the blow or barely dodge it, he kicked hard off the ground. Instead of retreating, he used the force of Hikaru Hyūga's descending palm to send himself flying backward!

He flew backward extremely quickly, controlling his direction so well that he fell straight out of the ring!

Thud!

Ibiki landed heavily on the ground below the ring and rolled twice before coming to a stop.

The entire venue instantly fell silent.

Everyone froze, including Hikaru Hyūga, who had been about to strike hard. The smile on his face stiffened briefly, as though he had not expected his opponent to "concede" this way.

The referee also froze for a moment before coming to his senses and immediately announcing loudly, "Ibiki Morino has fallen out of bounds! The winner is Hikaru Hyūga!"

Watching this, Lin Ze's opinion of Ibiki rose further.

He really is no ordinary person. Even this young, he knows how to assess the situation and decisively sacrifice a match to avoid serious injury. With that mindset... there's a reason he becomes the head of the Interrogation Department in the future.

Ibiki struggled to his feet, clutching his aching shoulder. A trace of blood even seeped from the corner of his mouth, but his gaze toward Hikaru Hyūga was exceptionally calm, carrying even a hint of barely perceptible mockery.

In his own way, he had avoided being severely injured by Hikaru Hyūga. Though he had lost the match, he had kept himself safe.

That calm judgment and decisive choice in an overwhelmingly unfavorable situation showed maturity far beyond his age.

All one could say was that, true to the world of Naruto, everyone matured early...

Looking at Ibiki below the platform, disheveled yet defiant-eyed, Hikaru Hyūga finally lost his gentle smile. A trace of gloom and irritation took its place.

He had clearly understood Ibiki's intention and felt he had been played.

"Tch. Boring." Leaving those cold words behind, Hikaru Hyūga turned and walked out of the ring without sparing Ibiki another glance.