Victory

Victory

Ayato and Iruka looked at each other, as though both could see that the other was ready. They moved at the same time.

However, in the next instant, Iruka vanished from Ayato's sight, startling him. He did not recognize that hand seal. If it was not one of the Three Body Techniques...

"Bang!"

Iruka once again knocked a wooden post to the ground and quickly searched for Ayato's figure. Even though he had seen it once already, he could not help marveling at how proficient Ayato's Substitution Technique was. He had not even noticed when Ayato had finished forming the seals. Staying alert, Iruka also reached into his ninja tool pouch.

He had originally thought he would not need to go this far. Now, it seemed he had underestimated Ayato.

Soon, the faint sound of pebbles cutting through the air alerted Iruka. He immediately pulled out the pebbles he had prepared beforehand and threw them, colliding with the incoming stones.

As for why they were using pebbles, this was only a spar, and Ayato was still young. It would not be good if he got hurt somewhere. Besides, Ayato did not have any shuriken on him.

Originally, Iruka had intended to ban shuriken during this battle. But Ayato quickly explained that he had practiced throwing techniques by using pebbles as substitutes for shuriken, so they could use pebbles instead.

Iruka figured that pebbles had limited power. Even if they struck someone, as long as they did not hit a vital spot, it would be no big deal—just painful. Unlike shuriken, which would very likely leave a wound if they hit. It was indeed a good choice.

So Iruka agreed. At the time, he had even marveled that Ayato had trained in this as well. However, he had grown used to being shocked by Ayato, so he was not overly surprised.

Thus, the reason Iruka felt he had underestimated Ayato was that he had not expected to need much throwing, so he had not prepared many pebbles. There were pebbles scattered across the Training Ground, but even the specially prepared ones could easily shatter, let alone those picked up at random.

Still, while Ayato's throwing accuracy was good, it was somewhat immature. Iruka finally felt a little relieved. At last, there was something his opponent was not quite so skilled at.

That Ninjutsu just now was the Body Flicker Technique, right? As expected, practically every Chunin and above knew this Ninjutsu. Looking at the pebbles that had been knocked away, Ayato was not surprised. He had never expected his throwing technique to accomplish much.

Still, it was not completely useless.

Ayato's eyes flickered. He did not know how many pebbles Iruka had in his ninja tool pouch, but he had prepared plenty himself. Still, he did not intend to waste them like this. Pure throwing would not be enough to defeat his opponent.

Ayato took the Silver Kunai from his ninja tool pouch and gripped it in his hand. When his strength was completely inferior to his opponent's, a weapon was his best choice.

At the same time, Iruka had also drawn a kunai. Kunai were sharp, but relatively easier to control and easier to hold back with, so he did not need to worry about accidentally injuring Ayato.

Besides, he did not have many pebbles left. If Ayato kept throwing pebbles, then the best approach would be to block them with his kunai, then use Ninjutsu to evade any he could not block.

However, it seemed Ayato did not intend to keep throwing pebbles, which made Iruka breathe a sigh of relief.

In the next moment, the larger and smaller figures collided. Within several exchanges, Ayato had fallen into an absolute disadvantage.

Just as Iruka had said before the fight, Iruka was a Chunin. No matter how one looked at it, Ayato's current level could not compare to his.

Their physical skills were not all that different, but the gap in their strength left Ayato extremely passive.

This battle seemed to be over.

But was Ayato willing to accept that? Did he not know that he was at an absolute disadvantage in almost every aspect? That close combat would only make him lose faster?

If he only wanted to stall for time, then creating distance and fighting with throwing techniques would indeed be the best choice. But Ayato's goal was not to stall. He was thinking about how to win this battle.

And whether he could win depended on his hidden trump cards. If he exposed them too early, Iruka would be prepared and on guard, making victory difficult. That was why, even in such a passive situation, he had not rushed to use them.

"It's over, Ayato. It's true that you're a genius, but you simply haven't had enough time to grow," Iruka said. Though he was fighting seriously, he had not used his full strength. The fact that he could still speak proved it.

In the next moment, Iruka tightened his grip on the kunai, preparing to give Ayato the final blow. This strike would decide the winner of the battle!

And this was precisely the moment Ayato had been waiting for.

Electric arcs constantly crackled around his legs. At that moment, Ayato felt something different in them—greater strength and faster speed.

That was right. After an entire semester, Ayato had barely learned to use Lightning Release to temporarily strengthen his physique. The increase was not great, and compared to Lightning Release Chakra Mode, it was worlds apart. Still, after so long spent massaging himself, he had gradually mastered the Lightning Release stimulation method most suited to his body.

This method had basically been tailored specifically for Ayato's body. Even if he told someone else about it, they would not be able to use this strengthening method the way he did. At most, they could use it as a reference, then learn Void State and slowly observe the method best suited to their own bodies...

The reason Ayato had not used Lightning Reinforcement earlier was that the gap between his physique and Iruka's could not be overcome by the enhancement he currently possessed. Even if he used it, he would still be inferior to Iruka, so it would only waste Chakra.

Now, Ayato had only strengthened his legs. What he sought was not greater strength, but... faster speed!

The sudden increase in speed caught Iruka completely off guard. His final strike missed, but Iruka immediately realized something was wrong. It seemed he had fallen into a trap.

Sure enough, after Ayato dodged that "final blow," he gripped the Silver Kunai Iruka had personally given him and stabbed toward Iruka.

Iruka had no time to think about why Ayato's speed had suddenly increased so much. His body had become unbalanced from the previous final strike, so facing Ayato's seemingly simple thrust, it was unexpectedly difficult to evade.

But a Chunin was still a Chunin. At the last moment, Iruka still managed to dodge the stab in a slightly disheveled manner. As he rapidly retreated, his hands began forming seals.

The moment his stab missed, Ayato immediately pursued him. This was the final exchange he had prepared. If he missed this chance, then once Iruka learned about his burst speed, victory would become almost impossible. The outcome would be decided now!

Ayato's speed had not been much slower than Iruka's to begin with. With the boost from Lightning Reinforcement, he was naturally faster than Iruka.

This forced Iruka to change the seals he had intended for the Body Flicker Technique into the Substitution Technique.

But Ayato clearly would not give Iruka time to form seals. Although his speed was not enough to interrupt Iruka's hand seals directly, there was another way...

Electric arcs danced over Ayato's right hand and arm as he threw several pebbles. These pebbles were faster and more accurate than any he had thrown before.

Having already gauged Iruka's seal-forming speed, Ayato was certain that even if Iruka formed seals a little faster, if he tried to continue, the pebbles would directly strike the arm forming the seals. That alone would count as Ayato's victory. Not to mention that Iruka was holding a kunai, which would slow his seal-forming speed even further.

Iruka naturally understood this as well. Looking at the pebbles, he helplessly stopped forming seals and could only tighten his grip on the kunai again to block them.

As he blocked them, Iruka realized Ayato would follow up. Although he had lost the initiative, Ayato had mainly enhanced his speed. His strength was still weaker than Iruka's, so there was still a chance.

But this was taking... a little too long. Given Ayato's speed, he should have already closed in. After knocking down the pebbles, Iruka suddenly realized something and looked toward Ayato.

Sure enough, he saw that Ayato had formed the final seal, and then Iruka saw the wind wrapping around Ayato's body...

This was Wind Style: Gale Palm? But it felt like something was wrong.

Iruka soon understood what was wrong, because Ayato vanished before his eyes. He had not used the Body Flicker Technique. His speed had simply surged once again, and Ayato had already appeared above him. All Iruka could do was raise both arms in front of himself.

Actually, using his kunai to block would have been the most suitable choice. But Iruka's reason told him he could not use the kunai. He understood that under the protection of Wind Style, an ordinary kunai like this would basically be unable to hurt Ayato. But better safe than sorry, so Iruka chose to take the kick with both arms.

Clearly, Gale Palm was no longer an appropriate name for this Ninjutsu. What Ayato had used was—Wind Release Gale Leg!

If he was going to strengthen something, he had to strengthen his strongest point. At this moment, Ayato's legs, empowered by Lightning Reinforcement, were clearly more suitable than his arms for carrying the force of Gale Palm.

If Lightning Release strengthened Ayato's own power, then Gale Palm was an external enhancement state. In this state, Ayato's speed surged once more. All the previous setup had been for this moment—to make it impossible for Iruka to evade, forcing him to face Ayato's Gale Leg head-on.

"Bang!!"

Even though Ayato was only in First Grade, his constant training, the strengthening from Lightning Release, and the instantaneous burst of the C-Rank Ninjutsu Gale Leg combined to produce power that had already exceeded a certain limit.

Iruka could not even put up a brief resistance before being sent flying.

At that moment, if this had been an enemy, Ayato would definitely have followed up with another Wind Style: Wind Cutter Technique. But his opponent was Iruka, so Ayato merely used the remaining force of Gale Leg to chase after him.

Looking at Ayato before him and the kunai in Ayato's hand, Iruka understood. He had probably truly lost this battle. Even knowing how much of a genius Ayato was, he had never expected to lose like this.

How long had it been? Ayato had already reached this level?

Thinking back on what Ayato had used just now, that earlier increase in speed had definitely been Lightning Release. The electric arcs around Ayato's body explained everything. And afterward, Iruka had never expected Ayato to have mastered the C-Rank Ninjutsu Gale Palm, much less become so proficient with it. He was not confined to using his palm; he could transfer Gale Palm's power to his legs, further strengthening an area that had already been enhanced.

This was not as simple as one plus one. The resulting power was completely beyond what Iruka could resist.

"Iruka Sensei, I won," Ayato said with a slight sigh of relief and a smile.

"Yeah, you won," Iruka replied, his feelings complicated. He had truly lost to his own student—and that student was only in First Grade.

"Yes, I only barely won this time because I hid so much. If we fought again, I definitely wouldn't be able to win," Ayato said after seeing Iruka's expression, trying to comfort him.

What Ayato said was true. If they fought again, Iruka would know everything Ayato could do. A prepared Iruka would not fall for the same tricks as easily as he had today. In that case, the gap between them would still be enormous.

After all, although Ayato's Chakra had grown, he still did not have much. Lightning Reinforcement could not last long, and Gale Palm lasted even less time. Moreover, he had not practiced it much, so he had to form every seal in full. Once Iruka knew about it, it could no longer serve as a trump card, and defeat would be the natural result.

Even this time, victory had not come easily. He had used nearly all his Chakra during that final stretch, and it had only barely been enough. At most, he could use Wind Cutter Technique one more time.

This was a Chunin—and a teacher-type Chunin who was not skilled in combat at that. If he had faced a combat ninja, it would be another matter whether Ayato could have won.

"Don't worry. A win is a win. On the battlefield, no one gives you time to understand your opponent. Your teacher isn't that fragile," Iruka said with an amused smile. He had merely been reflecting for a moment. After thinking it over, he added, "Come with me."

"Okay," Ayato said, also relieved. It would have been bad if Iruka had been so discouraged by the defeat that he shut himself away. Ayato only wanted to test his current combat ability; he had not intended to crush anyone's confidence.

Soon, Iruka took out a Scroll and handed it to Ayato.

"This is..." Ayato's eyes lit up. It felt similar to when he had received the Three Body Technique. Could it be...?

"The Body Flicker Technique. Consider it your reward for defeating me," Iruka said with a sigh. The Third Hokage had previously told him to teach Ayato more, but even so, Iruka had thought he would not hand over this Scroll until at least Second Grade. Yet now, it seemed there was no need to wait until Second Grade.

Ayato was immediately thrilled when he heard that. It really was the Body Flicker Technique!

Though it was also a basic Ninjutsu, it was extremely useful. Ayato had long wanted to learn it. The Substitution Technique was far too passive, while the Body Flicker Technique was much more proactive! Most importantly, it was one of the Ninjutsu he absolutely planned to master!

Neither the delighted Ayato nor the still-reflective Iruka knew that their battle had been watched from start to finish by someone using a Crystal Ball.