"The fifth match, Higashino Shinichi VS Might Duy!"
As the examiner's loud voice rang out, the two stepped into the center of the field and stood facing each other.
"Shinichi!" Might Duy took a deep breath, crossing his arms before his chest. His eyes were more serious than ever before. "Let us have a—resounding clash of youth!"
Before his words had even finished—
Might Duy spread his hands, and his entire body shook!
Boom!!!
A violent surge of chakra erupted from him as the center, instantly blasting apart the fine sand and gravel on the ground!
His skin rapidly flushed an abnormal red. Pale green waves of visible energy steamed around his body, and his hair rose slightly under the surging flow of chakra.
Gate of Opening, Gate of Healing, Gate of Life, Gate of Injury—four gates, opened simultaneously!
Opening four gates at the very start—this was the greatest respect he could show the boy before him, and also the way he upheld his vow of "youth."
A wave of exclamations erupted from the stands. Even ordinary spectators who did not understand ninjutsu could feel the suddenly surging, oppressive fluctuation of energy.
On the high platform, the Third Kazekage's eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh? Using a burst secret technique of this level right from the start… It seems the pressure your village's young genius places on his companions is not small."
The Third Hokage looked at the imposing Might Duy in the arena, and a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes as well.
He knew of the Eight Gates Formation, yet he had never expected that this man—usually inconspicuous in the village and teased as a perpetual genin—could master and wield this technique to such an extent.
He had indeed overlooked this hidden talent and tenacity in the past.
In the arena, facing that overwhelming momentum directly, Shinichi's gaze grew completely calm.
He lowered his center of gravity slightly. With no intention of forming hand seals or drawing a blade, he assumed the purest taijutsu opening stance.
"I'm coming, Shinichi! Youth—burst forth!"
Might Duy's figure blurred instantly.
Fast!
Even faster than when he fought Sunamaru!
Almost at the same moment his voice reached them, a fist wrapped in pale green energy waves had already arrived before Shinichi's face.
Shinichi neither dodged nor retreated. His right arm swung up like an iron whip, meeting fist with fist!
Bang!
A heavy muffled explosion burst forth. The ground beneath their feet cracked simultaneously, and shockwaves spread outward in rings.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
The first strike failed. Using the rebound, Duy spun with the motion, his left leg sweeping across Shinichi's waist like a battle-axe.
Shinichi took half a step back. His left knee snapped up, precisely ramming the outside of Duy's lower leg and deflecting the force off-line. At the same time, his right hand formed a palm and knifed in like lightning toward Duy's ribs, which had opened up slightly from the turn.
Duy reacted instantly. He used the sweeping leg as a pivot, and his other leg whipped out in midair, driving straight at Shinichi's wrist.
Smack!
Hand and foot collided. Using the impact, they both separated—then, in the blink of an eye, crashed back together again.
"Leaf Gale!"
Duy launched another assault. The wind howled; the chakra airflow he kicked up was like a miniature storm.
Shinichi's footwork was nimble. His body slipped through the dense barrage of attacks—sometimes parrying with the edge of his palm, sometimes meeting blows head-on with his elbow—each contact producing a solid, heavy impact.
His movements did not look as wildly violent as Duy's with four gates open, but they were more precise and efficient. Time and again he neutralized attacks at the last possible instant, and returned them in kind.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The muffled impacts of fists and feet came in an unbroken rush like a driving rain. It was pure taijutsu, yet it was fought with a terrifying intensity and presence!
Shinichi had not activated any burst secret technique, but the foundation forged by years of training—and the additional bonuses from various Entries—meant he did not fear trading blows head-on with Duy in a four-gate state.
"So fast… My eyes can't keep up at all!"
"Is this really a taijutsu duel? It looks like two shinobi trading ninjutsu head-on!"
Exclamations erupted across the stands. Many spectators stared wide-eyed, struggling to track the two figures weaving at high speed, shockwaves bursting out around them again and again.
More than a dozen exchanges of high-speed offense and defense flashed by in the span of a few breaths. Their understanding and application of taijutsu had already reached a realm many genin and chūnin could not hope to match—clean, decisive techniques, with precise and ruthless power generation.
After one fierce crossing punch exchange, the recoil of force made both of their bodies stall for the slightest moment.
In that instant, Shinichi's eyes sharpened. He keenly caught the tiny stiffness at the very moment Duy's old strength had just faded and new strength had not yet formed.
His body dipped with the flow, narrowly slipping past the pressure of a heavy punch that followed, meant to suppress him. Then, like a spring that had been wound tight for ages, his right leg snapped up from below in a lightning-fast whip!
A low side kick—fierce, brutally simple, yet unbelievably fast—landed solidly between Duy's chest and abdomen.
Thud!
Amid the muffled impact, Duy was sent flying backward as if struck by a giant hammer. His feet plowed two deep furrows across the rocky ground, stretching dozens of meters, before he finally managed to steady himself. His chest churned violently.
Shinichi did not pursue. He stood where he was, his breathing still even, his eyes bright. He called out clearly, "Duy-senpai, your strength… should not be limited to this, should it?"
Duy slowly straightened, wiped the corner of his mouth, and looked at the youth opposite him—his gaze blazing, clearly not yet fighting at full strength. He fell silent for a moment.
That feeling—of being acknowledged, being expected, and yearning to bloom with all his might—finally overwhelmed all his concerns.
A nearly radiant, yet incomparably serious smile appeared on his face.
"You're right… Shinichi."
"Then let my youth run completely wild, just this once!"
"Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit, Open!!"
An even more surging torrent of green energy shot skyward. His hair stood on end, and spiderweb-like cracks began spreading across the ground around him.
Yet it was not over.
Before everyone's stunned eyes, the chakra around Duy rose madly once more. The green aura deepened in color, faintly revealing a sharp trace of blue radiance within it!
"Sixth Gate: Gate of View, Open!!!"
Rumble—!!!
A terrifying shockwave several times stronger than before erupted violently. Fragments of stone were swept into the air, and the entire arena seemed to tremble faintly.
At this moment, Might Duy was like a war god wrapped in green blazing flames. The oppressive aura he radiated made many spectators in the stands feel short of breath.
"Six gates…" Old Master Chen adjusted his sunglasses and muttered in a low voice, his tone grave.
On the high platform, the Third Kazekage's pupils tightened with gravity. The Third Hokage's hand holding his pipe paused as well, his expression likewise turning solemn.
In the arena, Shinichi felt the overwhelming, almost suffocating momentum and gale-force pressure rushing toward him. His clothes clung tightly to his body, snapping loudly in the wind.
Yet his eyes shone with astonishing brightness amid the oncoming violent energy.
Good. Good. Good!!!
This is how it should be!
Let these ignorant Sunagakure bumpkins truly broaden their horizons!
"Senpai, it seems this move places a great burden on you." Shinichi assumed his stance, his voice cutting clearly through the howling pressure of energy. "Since that's the case, let us end this quickly! And let me show you my full strength as well—next move, we decide the victor!"
"Good! Shinichi, then with the next move—we decide the victor!"
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