On the panel visible only to him, a brand-new line of text was radiating a gentle green glow:
[Taijutsu Proficiency (Green): Your understanding of taijutsu and your body's learning ability have significantly increased. In actual combat, your transitions between techniques are fluid, almost becoming instinctive reactions, allowing you to handle complex taijutsu combinations with ease.]
It leveled up!
The taijutsu Entry, which had shown no movement for nearly three years, had finally undergone a qualitative leap in this highly anticipated, utterly unembellished, extreme taijutsu showdown, advancing to green!
Moreover, Shinichi had a premonition that green was not the endpoint. Once the details of this exam spread through the mouths of the thousands present—not only within Sunagakure—when the news flowed back to Konohagakure, even if the shock would not match that in Sunagakure, it would certainly stir discussion within the village.
The [Taijutsu Proficiency] Entry would very likely usher in another rise, touching the blue domain that represented a higher tier of talent.
A short while later, Shinichi helped the nearly exhausted Duy to the edge of the rest area.
At that moment, a familiar scent drifted over—fresh ingredients blended with the clean note of medicinal herbs.
"Worn out, aren't you? Here, this old man timed it and casually made something. Eat it while it's hot and replenish yourselves."
Maruboshi Kōsuke had, at some point, already set up his signature large iron pot in a corner of the rest area. Charcoal burned steadily beneath it, and the pot bubbled vigorously with steam rising. In the rich white broth, plump chunks of meat and vegetables rolled and simmered, the aroma inviting.
Holding a long ladle, he called out with a smiling face, his demeanor so relaxed it was as if he were not at the tense scene of the Chūnin Exams, but on an outdoor picnic.
After more than half a year of working missions together day and night, this perceptive veteran ninja had long since grasped certain traits of Shinichi.
For instance, his appetite far beyond the ordinary, and what seemed like a special physique akin to that of the Akimichi Clan, enabling him to rapidly replenish expenditure and restore stamina and chakra through the intake of large amounts of high-quality food.
"Thank you for the trouble, senpai." Shinichi accepted the food, offered his thanks, and then dug in without the slightest restraint. The high-calorie jerky and the medicinal herbs mixed into the meal quickly converted into the energy he needed, and the fatigue gradually ebbed away.
As he ate, his gaze also shifted toward the arena. At this moment, a new match was already underway.
Shinichi's eyes settled on a young woman on the field—shoulder-length, sandy-yellow short hair; a gentle, composed, tranquil aura. Compared to a ninja charging into the fray, she looked more like a civilian staff worker.
Her fighting style was highly distinctive. She herself simply stood quietly in place, hardly moving her feet, yet it was as if she had merged into the sand and grit around her.
Under her exquisite chakra control, vast amounts of sand surged like a living yellow tide—sometimes forming a gigantic hand to smack down, sometimes scattering into nimble tendrils to entangle and intercept—forcing her opponent to dart up and down in misery.
And the attacks her opponent occasionally forced through the sand tide—whether thrown kunai, ninjutsu launched after forming seals, or close-range taijutsu thrusts—always ended up being steadily blocked about three meters from her body by a layer of sand shield that looked thin, yet was incomparably solid.
The sand seemed to have a will of its own, always coalescing in an instant at the exact angle where she most needed protection. That kind of effortless, as-if-it-were-her-own-limb control left a deep impression.
Karura.
Shinichi silently repeated the name to himself.
This seemingly gentle young woman was the future Fourth Kazekage Rasa's wife, and Temari, Kankurō, and Gaara's mother.
In the memories of his previous life, Karura's true strength—or even whether she counted as a "real" ninja at all—was shrouded in mystery.
But according to Rasa's later statement, the sand that protected Gaara and automatically defended against attacks did not originate from the One-Tail Shukaku's power, but from Karura's love and strength.
That alone was enough to show that Karura had been anything but ordinary in life, because an ordinary mother would have absolutely no way to turn so-called "love" into such a concrete defensive force—one so powerful it could nullify the vast majority of ninjutsu attacks.
What he had not expected was that this woman—who, in the future trajectory, existed more as background—would actually appear on the arena floor in this Chūnin Exam.
"This Sunagakure kunoichi who manipulates sand is very strong." Kōsuke had, at some point, already come to Shinichi's side. His gaze was likewise fixed on the field as he analyzed in a steady voice. "Just in terms of the scale, precision, and defensive strength of her sand control, at the level of hard power, she has already solidly reached the jōnin tier."
He paused, then continued, "From a comparison of paper strength, if you face her, your chances of victory are slim. However…"
"She lacks combat experience, and… she doesn't seem to like fighting." Shinichi almost spoke at the same time, finishing the part Kōsuke had left unsaid.
This was not the first time he had observed Karura's fighting. Including the earlier scroll contest in the Desert of Death and the match that had just ended, this was already the third time.
Her combat pattern was quite fixed: she would open with large-scale sand waves to cover and pursue, forcing her opponent to keep dodging and draining stamina; when the opponent was cornered or exposed a flaw, the sand waves would suddenly close in, forming a solid Sand Binding Coffin to firmly restrain the enemy—the battle would end there.
She had never, like her future son, followed the restraint with a cold and fatal Sand Waterfall Funeral.
"Correct." Kōsuke nodded in approval. "Victory and defeat between ninja have never been merely a comparison of chakra quantity and the power of techniques. Combat experience, on-the-spot judgment, grasp of timing, even a clash of will—all of these are crucial."
He narrowed his eyes slightly and analyzed more precisely, "I have observed that automatic sand shield of hers. Its reaction speed is indeed extremely fast; an ordinary ninja's attack rhythm would be very difficult to break through. However, Shinichi, with your speed, you have a good chance of creating a sliver of an opening before that sand shield fully closes."
"Her weakness lies precisely in her lack of experience and her unfamiliarity with seizing battle opportunities! You can use speed to carry out high-frequency feints and changes of direction, disrupting her judgment and forcing her defensive system into momentary confusion or overconcentration. Your chance of victory may lie in that fleeting instant—torn open by extreme speed—when you can strike her true body."
Shinichi slowly swallowed the last mouthful of food. After remaining silent for a moment, he suddenly said, "Absolute Defense! That's what the people of Sunagakure called it earlier, wasn't it?"
Kōsuke was slightly taken aback, then immediately understood his intent. "Hm? You intend to…"
Shinichi turned his head to look at his senior. The corner of his mouth curved into a faint arc, yet one imbued with sharp resolve: "I want to try."
He paused, then said word by word, "to see whether I can break this so-called Absolute Defense."
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