Nawaki felt something was wrong the moment his elbow strike was blocked. Based on their previous sparring sessions, Kyuushin's strength was much greater than his, and he should have had no problem catching the strike with one hand. Moreover, he had launched this attack in a hurry and hadn't used his full strength, yet Kyuushin had used both hands to block.
When Kyuushin locked his hands, Nawaki finally turned his body completely. The sinister smile on Kyuushin's face confirmed his ominous premonition. Suddenly, he saw something white stuck to Kyuushin's body.
An explosive tag.
The next moment, he was scared out of his wits, looking at Kyuushin with an incredulous expression. It was just a spar; did he have to play so ruthlessly? He wanted to question Kyuushin, but the current situation didn't allow him a moment to think. One of his hands was locked, and it was clearly too late to struggle free.
In this critical moment, his will to survive ignited. He manipulated the Water Whip ninjutsu he had just released, quickly enveloping Kyuushin entirely, along with his trapped arm. With the buffer of the water and his own chakra defense, an explosive tag shouldn't cause too much damage.
That was his thought.
However, as the water completely enveloped Kyuushin, his opponent suddenly disappeared, leaving only an explosive tag floating in the water sphere. Subsequently, the tag detonated, but the damage was much smaller than anticipated. It was basically just a tremor and didn't harm him at all.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu..." Nawaki muttered.
"That's right, it's the Shadow Clone Jutsu." Kyuushin walked out from behind the large tree where he had been hiding. The one who had sparred with Nawaki was his shadow clone all along. Upon reflection, Nawaki realized the clone had never engaged him in a direct confrontation, precisely to prevent it from being destroyed prematurely. It was only at the very end that it made physical contact, at which point the killing move was already set.
Using a shadow clone for close-quarters combat, locking one of the enemy's hands, and then using an explosive tag to finish the job. Although this set of tactics wasn't particularly complex, it was just right for Nawaki, who had only ever studied at the Ninja Academy. The explosive tag itself was a weakened version Kyuushin had prepared. Even if it had exploded directly on Nawaki, it would have at most made him look a bit disheveled without causing actual injury.
When fighting Nawaki, how could he not use an explosive tag? It was a tribute to the tag's greatest moment of glory in the original story. Besides, Mito and Tsunade were watching from the side. If there had been any real danger, they would have intervened long ago.
However, the final outcome was good. Nawaki handled the critical situation at the end quite well. Even if it had been a real explosive tag, he probably would have escaped harm.
But at this moment, Nawaki felt utterly defeated. He had originally thought that while Kyuushin was stronger, he could at least exchange dozens of blows. He had even used ninjutsu this time, hoping to turn the tide. But he hadn't expected to be played so completely. If Kyuushin had been an enemy, he would probably have died several times over by now. For the first time, he wondered if graduating now was too early.
However, Mito and Tsunade, who were watching, were quite satisfied. They never expected Nawaki to defeat Kyuushin. Seeing him capably defuse the killing move, even in his disheveled state, filled them with satisfaction. It meant that even on a real mission, he had a high probability of surviving. That was enough. They never demanded that Nawaki achieve great glory as a ninja; they only hoped he could survive every mission.
"Nawaki, Nawaki!" Seeing Nawaki standing there motionless, Kyuushin called to him twice.
"Huh?" Nawaki woke up as if from a dream. "I feel like I should practice more. I had no power to fight back at all," he said, scratching his head as he looked at Mito and Tsunade.
Hearing his uncharacteristic words, Mito felt somewhat relieved, but she still shook her head. "Your current level is already sufficient to be a Genin. The tactical thinking Kyuushin displayed just now is a quality possessed by Chunin and above. You don't need to belittle yourself. Your ability to react in time and avoid injury is, in my opinion, already passing."
Tsunade also walked over and gave him a thumbs up. "Well done, Nawaki!"
Kyuushin also nodded. "Your final actions indeed exceeded my expectations. They were truly excellent." But then he added, "In the future, when on missions, it's best to first use a Shadow Clone to scout the enemy. The Second Hokage's original purpose in creating this ninjutsu was to gather intelligence. Never risk your main body when the enemy's situation is unknown. You only have one life."
"I understand. I will remember," Nawaki said, bowing solemnly to Kyuushin.
At this moment, Tsunade walked over. She took off the necklace from her neck and placed it around Nawaki's. "This is my grandfather's relic. I'm giving it to you as your graduation gift."
It was a beautiful crystal necklace, one of Tsunade's most precious treasures. But Kyuushin held his forehead. In the original story, whoever Tsunade gave that necklace to met a bad end. He could only hope Nawaki would take care of himself.
Just then, Mito waved to Kyuushin, signaling him to come over.
"Kyuushin, do you want to graduate early?" she asked directly as soon as he walked up to her.
He was a little puzzled. Graduating or not didn't seem to have a big impact on him. Even if he didn't go to the battlefield, with the Gene Lock, growing to Kage-level wouldn't be a problem. But from Mito's tone, it seemed she intended for him to graduate now.
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