Chapter 329: The Battle of Fire and Lightning
Seeing Kisame Hoshigaki, the last Hidden Mist examinee, eliminated, Genji's expression turned sour.
His own contestant was gone, yet he still had to sit and watch Konoha ninja fight among themselves for first place. As one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, to end up with only one representative in the top four was a bitter pill to swallow.
"It is truly a pity. This ninja from your village possesses Water Release skills far beyond his peers. He was only a hair's breadth away from victory," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, his tone full of appreciation.
Even Danzo, who rarely showed a pleasant face, nodded in satisfaction at Konoha's current advantage. All the dirty and exhausting work he had done for Konoha suddenly felt worthwhile. Under his and Hiruzen's efforts, the village was growing stronger and stronger.
Although Genji felt deeply uncomfortable, he could only force a smile and echo Hiruzen's words.
Down below, Might Duy wore the same wide grin as his son, giving Might Guy a thumbs up from the stands.
He did not entirely understand the intricacies of the Chunin Exams, but after such a performance from Might Guy, they could not possibly deny him a Chunin rank, right?
"Guy is still Guy. He never disappoints," Shiranui Genma and Ebisu both exhaled in relief.
The battle between Might Guy and Kisame had made every ticket worth its price. It had been high intensity from start to finish, every exchange a spectacular moment.
Many Konoha ninja firmly engraved Might Guy's name in their minds. In that water sphere just now, some Konoha jonin felt even they would have struggled to fight Kisame, yet Guy had defeated him head on inside it.
"But why didn't he use ninjutsu?" one ninja suddenly realized that in all of Guy's matches, he had not used a single ninjutsu.
"Maybe his ninjutsu skill is a bit weak. But when taijutsu is that strong, a slight deficiency in ninjutsu does not matter," another ninja answered.
A ninja was supposed to develop comprehensively in ninjutsu, taijutsu and genjutsu. But if one aspect became strong enough, it could make up for the rest.
Most ninja would never go beyond Chunin in their entire lives, yet Might Guy's taijutsu could instantly defeat ordinary Chunin. With taijutsu like that, who needed anything else?
As for those who had mocked Might Duy when he first appeared, cold sweat was already soaking through their backs. Might Duy's son was terrifyingly strong.
"Uchiha Obito versus Kakashi Hatake."
As Hiruko's announcement reached the waiting room, Kakashi and Obito glanced at each other, then walked together toward the arena.
"No matter what you say, the outcome of a battle is the most straightforward answer, Kakashi. I want to see what excuse you'll make if you lose this time," Obito said mockingly.
He was very dissatisfied with Kakashi's usual attitude. Even though Kakashi was someone he had already defeated, he still spoke as if he were constantly lecturing Obito.
Obito wanted to use this match to prove to Rin that he, Uchiha Obito, was more talented and more reliable than Kakashi.
"You should say that to yourself. Think in advance about what excuse you'll use if you lose, so you won't be too flustered when the time comes," Kakashi replied calmly.
He was overflowing with confidence now. He was the genius Kakashi. As a genius, how could he lack confidence in his own strength?
He did not plan to stop with Obito. He wanted to defeat Might Guy, and then defeat Shisui, announcing his overwhelming return as a genius. He wanted to be Mugetsu's strongest disciple.
"Hmph, I'll show you the power of my flames soon enough," Obito snorted, ending the argument.
He would let his strength do the talking. That was exactly what Kakashi wanted.
As their match was about to start, many spectators sat up straighter, ready to focus.
Some onlookers felt that the winner did not matter much, since first place was guaranteed to go to Konoha anyway. But for those who knew the contestants personally, victory mattered a lot. They naturally wanted to see their own side win.
"Obito has already activated his Sharingan. Kakashi may be fast, but this should not be a problem for Obito," Uchiha Yashiro judged from the stands.
Kakashi had a record of instantly defeating a Byakugan user, but Yashiro did not believe the Byakugan could be compared to the Sharingan in combat. Besides the kekkei genkai, Obito's overall strength was also far beyond that of Gangi Hyuga.
Obito had already reached the top four. Yashiro, of course, hoped Obito could enter the final and take first place, to show everyone the power of the Uchiha.
"Kakashi is not just fast. It is hard to say who will win," the stronger Uchiha Fugaku shook his head.
Anyone who reduced Kakashi to only speed was making a mistake.
Even though the white mist earlier had blocked their view, the slash marks Kakashi left on the ground had clearly shown how powerful his sword blows were.
"Battle start."
At Hiruko's shout, the spectators fell silent and turned their eyes to the arena.
"Flame Breathing, Total Concentration."
"Thunder Breathing, Total Concentration."
Obito and Kakashi both focused their Breathing Techniques, raising their physical abilities to the limit.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."
Obito finished hand seals and exhaled a massive fireball straight at Kakashi.
Kakashi was all too familiar with this pattern. After the Great Fireball would come one of two things: ninja tools infused with flame, or Obito rushing in for close combat.
Just as he expected, the moment he dodged to the left, Obito immediately followed up, throwing several shuriken wreathed in flames.
While running, Kakashi tossed Lightning Shuriken to intercept them.
Boom.
The two sets of chakra infused shuriken collided and exploded, canceling each other out.
Using the smoke as cover, Kakashi instantly burst forward, his Thunder Breathing driving his speed to its peak as he rushed straight toward Obito.
Obito had long since prepared for this. He knew Kakashi was fast, so he had not held back his chakra. He had already activated his Sharingan when he threw the shuriken, capturing Kakashi's movements from the very first instant.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."
Obito gathered chakra in his throat and spat out a stream of small fireballs, cutting off Kakashi's path forward.
Forced to dodge the high temperature fireballs, Kakashi had to adjust his movement, his pace slowing.
For him, Obito was a troublesome opponent. With that level of visual perception, Kakashi could not casually attempt Thunderclap Flash.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall."
Kakashi finally chose to defend with ninjutsu. A thick earthen wall topped with a dog's head rose up between them, blocking all of Obito's fireballs and temporarily cutting off Obito's line of sight.
"This again? You think I'm still the same as before?" Obito laughed.
In battles between them, Kakashi often used cover to hide his real body. He would send a Shadow Clone to draw attention, while the true body slipped underground and launched a surprise attack.
After falling for it several times, Obito would not be fooled again.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet."
He gathered a huge amount of chakra in his throat and unleashed broad sheets of flame, bathing the entire area in front of him in fire.
Earth Release could tunnel through the ground, but not too deeply. With the temperature of his flames, Kakashi would suffer regardless.
Enhanced by Flame Breathing, Obito's Fire Dragon Flame Bullet had terrifying power. The flames spread out, smashing even the Earth Flow Wall and revealing the figure behind it.
"Hmm? A Shadow Clone?"
Obito narrowed his eyes. His Sharingan saw Kakashi clearly, but solid Shadow Clones were difficult to distinguish from the real thing by vision alone.
However, when he noticed that Kakashi was dodging like normal and no other Kakashi emerged from underground, Obito realized he had fallen into a trap.
Kakashi's body had been standing behind the Earth Flow Wall the entire time. The one who had wasted chakra on the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet was himself.
Obito was glad he had not used Flame Breathing Chakra Mode to cast that technique. The consumption would have been enormous.
Even so, he did not intend to waste what he had already released.
Taking advantage of the flames burning across the field, he began to compress Kakashi's space to maneuver.
"Flash."
Just as Kakashi was almost forced to the edge of the arena, he suddenly exploded into motion, releasing the chakra stored in his legs.
He drew the White Fang Short Blade in an instant, his whole body turning into a yellow electric flash as he slashed toward Obito.
"Flame Breathing Chakra Mode."
The moment the Sharingan caught Kakashi's movement, Obito instantly shifted his Breathing Technique up a gear, burning chakra to enter Flame Breathing Chakra Mode and further boosting his body.
Otherwise, even if he saw the attack, he might not be able to react in time.
With the combined boost of Flame Breathing Chakra Mode and the Sharingan, Obito narrowly avoided the slash. At the same time, he released a surge of Fire chakra from his palms, sending a wave of flames crashing toward Kakashi.
The speed of Flash was still within Kakashi's control. Sensing the counterattack, he used Shave to slip away.
"If even Thunderclap Flash cannot finish him head on, then this time I will lose," Kakashi thought, brows slightly furrowed.
The Sharingan really was troublesome.
But Obito was just as vexed.
Kakashi's speed was insane, and his flame based ninjutsu could not blanket the entire arena the way Kisame's Water Release could.
At the beginning of the exams, there had been trees all over the field, which he could use to expand his fire coverage.
Now, after so many battles, there was not a blade of grass left. The field had been turned into naked earth.
He had no time to dwell on it. Relying on the boost of Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, he kept firing Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, pushing Kakashi toward close combat.
Flame Breathing Chakra Mode burned through chakra at a terrifying rate. He had to end the fight quickly.
In that state, Phoenix Sage Fire Technique became faster and stronger. Even with Kakashi's speed, dodging completely was hard, because Obito could see his every move.
When the distance between them shrank to only six meters, lightning suddenly exploded around Kakashi.
"Lightning Blade."
Yellow lightning wrapped around his right arm. As he swung the arm forward into the White Fang Short Blade, the lightning extended out into a much longer blade.
Using the combined force of his Breathing Technique and Nature Transformation, Kakashi unleashed a slash.
Rumble.
A streak of blazing yellow lightning carved forward, tearing a long, narrow scorch mark into the ground as it rushed toward Obito.
Lightning Blade was a variation Kakashi had developed after fighting Zabuza. Its power was slightly lower than Thunderclap Flash, but it was safer to use.
"Blazing Flame Fist."
Obito immediately fused Blazing Impact and Flame Fist, igniting his entire body and throwing a fiery punch. A tide of flames surged out to meet the lightning slash.
Even so, Kakashi's attack was still stronger.
Obito used Flame Fist to throw out Fire Release chakra as a shield, then used Blazing Charge to cloak himself in flame, yet he still could not completely escape and ended up with a bloody wound.
Kakashi pressed the advantage. He would not give Obito a chance to breathe.
"Flash."
The chakra cost of Lightning Blade was similar to Thunderclap Flash, and Kakashi had already used ninjutsu and Flash earlier. He no longer had the reserves to use a full Thunderclap Flash, only the weaker Flash.
Even so, his speed was still terrifying.
Against an already injured Obito, it was enough.
Another line of blood appeared on Obito's body.
"Damn it, it shouldn't be like this," Obito roared inwardly as he took hit after hit.
Rin was still up there watching. Mugetsu was watching. So many Konoha ninja and villagers were watching.
Was he really going to lose to Kakashi in front of all of them?
No. He refused.
He was no longer the Uchiha dead last he used to be.
The flames around Obito grew hotter, his aura surged, and chakra burned faster and faster. He glared at Kakashi, then clasped his hands together and spat out a sea of fire.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet."
Seeing Obito unleash such a fierce Fire Release, Kakashi's first instinct was to dodge.
But he immediately realized there was nowhere to go.
The flames roared across almost the entire field like a rampaging Tyrannosaurus. Fire surged in from the front, left and right. Behind him was the arena wall.
"He still was not going all out before? His Fire Release can be this strong?" Uchiha Yashiro was stunned.
To think he was only nine years old.
Even Fugaku's usual calm cracked at the sight.
This level of Fire Release talent was absurd. Even without the Sharingan, Obito could have become a monster of a Fire Release specialist.
Asuma was already numb.
Was he practicing Fire Release in the womb?
He felt Obito's Fire Release was stronger than that of some jonin.
"Minato, be ready to save him," Hiruzen said quietly to Minato.
He was very familiar with Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. If Kakashi handled this badly, his life could be in danger.
He had not expected Obito, at such a young age, to train this high level Fire Release to this point.
"Was it Mugetsu who taught him?" Hiruzen wondered. Minato did not know this technique.
Minato stared down at the arena and nodded, prepared to intervene at any moment.
Kakashi exhaled long and slow, his expression changing from shock to calm.
Obito had grown from dead last to someone who could defeat him. A bit more power was hardly surprising.
"You may be strong, but I am not going to lose," Kakashi murmured, eyes suddenly sharp as his Breathing Technique tightened.
He had promised Might Guy they would fight in this Chunin Exams. He had no intention of breaking that promise.
As a genius, he could not afford to lose to Obito twice.
Kakashi pushed his body to its absolute limit and tried to call on Thunderclap Flash one more time.
Sparks crackled to life around him.
The yellow lightning crawling over his body grew brighter and brighter until he was completely wrapped in it.
Kakashi's face turned pale, but his eyes only grew more resolute.
Boom.
Thunder roared.
A bolt of yellow lightning tore through the world of flames.
It broke through the encirclement of the three fire dragons in an instant and rushed straight to Obito.
Blood splashed.
A long blackened slash carved itself into the ground beside Obito.
The flaming torrent that had trapped Kakashi vanished.
"I'll win it back," Obito muttered his final words before losing consciousness and collapsing.
"That will be very difficult, because I am a genius," Kakashi replied quietly, still standing.
"Kakashi Hatake wins."
Once Hiruko confirmed that Obito had truly passed out, he announced the result.
The moment the words left his mouth, Kakashi's body finally gave out.
He fell to the ground beside Obito, the victor collapsing only after the battle was officially decided.
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