"Shimura Kizaru, Hyūga Tōda!"
As soon as Yamakawa Seiji called their names, Kizaru stepped out from the back of the crowd under everyone's watchful gaze.
Standing near the front, not far from Yamakawa Seiji, Hyūga Tōda fixed his eyes on Kizaru as well.
He quietly took a deep breath and steadied himself.
After seeing Kizaru's performance just now, Tōda understood one thing perfectly clearly—he was definitely no match for this great demon king.
Still…
Shimura Kizaru, I admit it—you're a true genius. You're really strong. But I won't just give up! I'll use the Hyūga Clan's Gentle Fist, the greatest taijutsu in the shinobi world, and I'll defeat you with my own two hands!
Tōda's heart burned with tragic determination as his clenched fists trembled at his sides.
Of course, Kizaru couldn't read minds.
If he could, he definitely would've complained on the spot.
The greatest taijutsu in the shinobi world? That's a pretty bold claim. In front of the future man who could almost kick out the ending, who dares say their taijutsu is number one?
"Kizaru-san," Tōda said seriously, staring straight at him, "I'll be giving this everything I have. I hope you'll do the same."
Kizaru looked down at the boy, who seemed like he'd already ignited from sheer passion, and scratched his head.
What's with these kids in the ninja world? Why are they already this deep into their chunibyo phase?
Looking at Tōda's tragic, passionate expression, Kizaru could tell without even thinking that the boy had completely cast himself as the righteous hero challenging the villain.
Honestly… kids really shouldn't read so many weird novels and manga. It did things to their brains.
Still, a complaint was a complaint. Kizaru had no intention of crushing the boy's spirit.
With a faint smile, he nodded and said, "The Hyūga Clan's pretty impressive, you know~"
"Of course!" Tōda replied immediately, his face full of conviction.
"Alright, you two," Yamakawa Kiyoshi said, looking between them as he motioned them forward. "Get into position. The match is about to begin."
As he spoke, he kept shooting Kizaru meaningful looks, the message obvious enough.
Mind your manners.
Kizaru caught the hint at once and answered with a small smile and a nod.
Under the eyes of their teacher and all their classmates, the two walked to the center of the field and stopped, facing one another.
"Go, Toda-san!"
Maybe it was because people naturally sympathized with the underdog, but quite a few students began cheering for Hyūga Tōda.
Tōda didn't think too deeply about it. Hearing his classmates' voices rise all around him only strengthened his resolve.
He had to defeat Kizaru.
Yamakawa Seiji looked at the two students in the field, took a breath, and shouted loudly:
"Begin!"
The instant the signal was given, Tōda moved.
He didn't back away to widen the distance. Instead, he charged straight at Kizaru.
Kizaru's overwhelming performance in the shuriken test had made one thing painfully clear to Tōda: if he wanted even the slightest chance of winning, he had to close the distance immediately and drag Kizaru into close combat.
That was where his only hope lay.
Tōda knew Kizaru had also displayed abnormal physical ability during the entrance test, so even in taijutsu he might not hold the advantage. But compared to facing Kizaru's Wind Release ninjutsu head-on, Tōda still believed that getting in close and fighting hand-to-hand was his best shot.
Facing Tōda as he rushed toward him, Kizaru remained where he was, his hands still in his pockets.
That response instantly made Tōda angry.
Without hesitation, he activated his Byakugan mid-sprint. Chakra surged into his palms. The moment he closed the distance, Tōda struck with the Gentle Fist he had trained so hard to master.
His right palm shot forward, aiming straight for Kizaru's lower abdomen.
Got you! That's what you get for underestimating me!
The moment he thought his strike was about to land, joy flashed through Tōda's eyes.
"It's really scary~" Kizaru said as he lowered his gaze, watching the incoming palm.
In that split second—
Kizaru finally moved.
His body twisted with perfect timing, narrowly slipping past Tōda's palm by the slimmest margin.
And then, almost in the same instant, Kizaru's right leg lashed out.
His kick was so fast it left an afterimage behind as it slammed directly into Tōda and sent him flying.
That fierce counterattack made the watching teachers and students cry out in shock.
What a display.
Whether it was the absurd precision of Kizaru's dodge or the terrifying speed of the kick he launched in return, everyone present could see it now.
Shimura Kizaru, the great demon king, wasn't just absurdly talented with ninjutsu.
His taijutsu was monstrous too.
Seeing Tōda sent hurtling through the air, Yamakawa Seiji instinctively opened his mouth, ready to stop the match and declare Kizaru the winner.
But Tōda, still airborne and with his eyes wide open, noticed that movement and shouted in a panic:
"I can still—!"
Bang!
Before he could finish, he crashed hard onto the ground.
Suppressing the pain tearing through his body—especially the pain in the part Kizaru had kicked—Tōda ignored both the shame and the anger, scrambled to his feet, and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"I can still fight!"
Seeing the stubborn fire still blazing in the boy's eyes, Yamakawa Seiji hesitated for a moment… then slowly closed his mouth.
The moment he saw that, Tōda turned back toward Kizaru and shouted again,
"I told you to use your full strength, bastard! Don't look down on me!"
And with that, he charged once more.
"What a scary kid," Kizaru said in admiration.
Then, as he spoke, his hands began to move through seals.
"Be careful now~ If you can't block this, you might actually die."
"Kizaru!" Yamakawa Seiji barked the moment he heard those words, his whole body tensing instantly.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
Kizaru drew in a breath, then spat out a large amount of Wind Release chakra already transformed in nature, compressing it into a massive, nearly transparent sphere of wind in front of him.
The huge sphere looked like an air cannonball as it shot straight toward Hyūga Tōda.
I'm going to die.
I'm really going to die.
For the first time in his life, Tōda was facing a ninjutsu this terrifying head-on.
In the middle of his charge, his body froze on instinct.
"Move!" Yamakawa Seiji roared as he rushed forward.
He wasn't the only one.
The Hyūga branch family jōnin who had been secretly watching from outside the Academy grounds gave up hiding at once and flashed toward the field with the Body Flicker Technique.
Even faster than that Hyūga jōnin were the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Shimura Danzō.
The moment Kizaru started forming seals, both of them had already moved.
In the blink of an eye, the compressed wind projectile Kizaru released had already reached Tōda.
Yamakawa Seiji, being the closest, managed to get in front of him—but when faced with the sheer power of Kizaru's attack, there was no clever solution left.
He could only throw himself forward and use his own body to shield his student.
As for Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzō, even though they had rushed in from outside the field at top speed, they were still just a step too late.
At that moment, it seemed like nothing would make it in time.
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