Chapter XVII

Chapter XVII

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Kumano first meticulously organised the participants, matching them with their strengths to preserve a semblance of balance and carefully weighing the repercussions of subordination for the defeated.

Recognizing the inherent unfairness, he dismissed the idea of pitting civilian children against clan kids, understanding that it could exacerbate ego and power imbalances.

However, Kumano faced a dilemma as he pondered, 'Where should I place the Hyuga brat?' His gaze swept across the arena, searching for the most fitting position.

Observing Shikamaru on the left, Kumano dismissed him, deeming him lacking in firepower and motivation due to laziness. Evaluating Kiba and Choji, he concluded they lacked the necessary brainpower, as they were too much of a idiot.

Turning his attention to the girls – Sakura, Ino, and Hinata – he swiftly shook his head, expressing disdain with a dismissive, "Tsch," as he considered them fangirls who might intentionally lose to the Hyuga brat.

Finally, Kumano reached the hard hitters of the class, eyeing Neji, Sasuke, and Yumiko. Contemplating his options, he prepared to make a choice from this formidable trio.

Neji stood out as a strong candidate, given his expertise in the Hyuga clan's fighting style and the advantage of the Byakugan. However, Kumano hesitated, recognizing the potential issue of Neji's reluctance to accept subordination from Tatsuya, which contradicted tradition. So whether he wins or loses, it might not bring the desired outcome for them.

Turning attention to the Uchiha sibling duo, both Sasuke and Yumiko emerged as promising options, boasting similar strength and talent. Kumano mused, 'It seems Kami left the Uchihas with some exceptional seedlings after their tragic fate.' And they both seemed quite eager to fight him from the fire in their eyes.

He was about to let Sasuke pair with Tatsuya, since he seemed the most eager out of everyone, but suddenly a shout interrupted his decision. "Sensei, let me fight Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, bursting with enthusiasm.

"Are you sure, Naruto? You know the losing condition, right?" Sensei asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Hehe, don't worry, I am not going to lose to him, believe it," Naruto said, grinning.

"Sure, if you want that," Kumano shrugged. He knew Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and possessed an unbelievable amount of power, but controlling that power was another thing.

Kumano took command, instructing everyone to form a circle. Directing his attention to Tatsuya and Yumiko, he ordered them to stand in the center. Yumiko and Tatsuya complied, leaping to the middle as the others formed a surrounding circle.

Sasuke, displeased with the outcome, furrowed his brow and shot a glare at Naruto, who grinned in response.

In the heart of the arena, Yumiko addressed the imminent battle, teasingly remarking, "Excited much about the fight? I didn't know we were lucky enough to be paired first as well," a playful glint in her eyes.

Tatsuya, unfazed, expressed his anticipation, smirking as he assumed his battle stance. "I am sure excited to see what is giving you confidence for sure. So don't disappoint me," he declared, ready for the impending clash.

Confidence radiated from Yumiko as she assured, "Don't worry, you won't be," accompanied by a confident smile. Assuming her fighting stance, her eyes underwent a mesmerizing transformation, swirling from onyx black to blood red, adding an air of anticipation to the arena as the two ninjas prepared for their match.

At Kumano's command, "Fight!" echoed through the arena, prompting immediate and swift action from Tatsuya and Yumiko. Their movements left onlookers in awe as they dashed towards each other with remarkable speed.

Tatsuya initiated the exchange, launching a straight and precise palm strike aimed at Yumiko's solar plexus. Demonstrating quick reflexes, Yumiko deftly blocked the strike with her left hand. Seizing the close proximity, she swiftly maneuvered her right hand, gripping Tatsuya's shoulder and pulling him closer.

Then in a seamless motion, she leaped slightly into the air, aiming a knee strike directly at his face. Tatsuya, displaying quick footwork, skillfully shifted his weight backward, narrowly evading Yumiko's knee.

However, capitalizing on the still-close proximity, Tatsuya retaliated with a swift elbow strike aimed at Yumiko's ribs.

Yumiko, relying on the enhanced perception of the Sharingan, anticipated Tatsuya's incoming elbow strike, realizing its potential for intense pain upon impact. Reacting swiftly, she jumped backward to evade, only to be caught off guard by Tatsuya's well-timed leg manoeuvre, tripping her unexpectedly.

As she fell onto her back, Yumiko recognized the feint in Tatsuya's strategy. Anticipating the real attack, she braced herself for the impending strike. Just as expected, a palm strike hurtled toward her face, leaving behind a bluish chakra trail in its wake.

"Bam! Poof~"

The Yumiko on the ground dissipated into smoke.

"You've become quick," he acknowledged, turning to his side where another Yumiko stood, smirking confidently.

"You are not any slower," she retorted with a hint of amusement.

And then without taking a moment, Yumiko continued the offensive, swiftly throwing a flurry of shurikens at Tatsuya from various angles.

'Won't work on me, Yumiko,' Tatsuya thought as he skillfully employed the Gentle Fist to redirect every shuriken back at her.

Without affording Yumiko time to react, Tatsuya swiftly dashed towards her while simultaneously summoning three shadow clones to support him.

"Back me up," he commanded his clones, anticipating Yumiko's next move as she began forming hand seals after dodging the shurikens.

'Those hand seal sequences?... It's a water release.' Just as he made this realization, Yumiko completed her hand seals, conjuring a substantial water dragon behind her. The majestic creature loomed, at least twice the size of her body, with a swirling ball concentrating at its mouth, poised for a powerful and potentially formidable attack.

Amidst the astonishment of onlookers, a voice exclaimed, "That's the same technique as Takashi sensei previously showed."

A civilian boy, clearly surprised, stammered, "Did she just copy sensei so easily?"

Kiba, expressing his thoughts, murmured quietly, "Sharingan is just cheating."

While Kumano, with a smirk and a thoughtful rub of his chin, observed the unfolding scene. "She's got Kakashi's talent at copying. Maybe he would be interested to be her Jonin teacher," he mused.

Undeterred by the commentary, Yumiko maintained a confident smile as she faced the oncoming Tatsuya, her thoughts echoing, 'Let's see how you deal with this.'

[Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique]

The unleashed water dragon, with its formidable power, hurled towards them like a missile, capable of tearing a human body to shreds upon direct impact.

Surprisingly, Tatsuya made no attempt to evade the jet stream, opting to collide with it directly. Yumiko, witnessing this, felt a tinge of worry, but she chose not to alter the water's direction. She had learned not to dwell on worries, especially concerning an opponent, understanding that Tatsuya was, for the moment, her adversary in this spar. Her confidence in his abilities reassured her that this formidable attack wouldn't completely incapacitate him.

{You are quite confident in him?,} echoed the hollow voice in her mind once more.

'Yes, of course. And what's the point of asking when you already know it,' Yumiko retorted with unwavering certainty.

{...} The voice fell silent.

As the thick jet stream of water neared, Tatsuya, analyzing the situation, noted its proximity – just 5 meters from colliding with his face. 'Her affinity in Water is quite extreme,' he observed.

Giving a side glance to his clones, Tatsuya swiftly commanded, "Now!" In response, two of his clones materialised in front of him, their hands glowing with bluish chakra.

[Gentle Fist: Twin Mirage Cyclone]

Both clones moved their hands in a swirling motion, breaking the water stream into two parts. But the action didn't stop there; they redirected the now two broken parts back at the user.

Capitalizing on the diversion, Tatsuya leaped into the gap formed by the breaking jet stream. Simultaneously, the third clone applied wind release on his legs, propelling Tatsuya towards Yumiko's position with the speed and precision of a bullet.

Caught off guard by Tatsuya's sudden appearance, Yumiko found herself unable to react in time. His fist cocked and a smirk on his face, Tatsuya swiftly closed the distance, leaving her hairs standing on end.

As she tried to comprehend the unfolding situation, Tatsuya's fist closed in on her face.

"Wha–?"

A resounding "BOOM!!" echoed through the arena. Yumiko was launched like a paper bag, hurtling towards the opposite end of the arena. Colliding with the wall, she somehow managed to stop herself, yet there was no respite. Without a moment to catch her breath, the redirected streams of water from her own technique struck her, skillfully manipulated by Tatsuya.

A resounding "BOOM!" filled the arena, triggering a stir of dust in the air. Spectators, fearing the worst, either closed their eyes or engaged in speculative murmurs about the outcome.

"Do you think Yumiko has lost?" Sakura inquired, expressing concern.

"...I don't think so. Even though she isn't stronger than him, she's not that weak to lose so easily," Ino reasoned, attempting to gauge the situation.

"But did you see the attack? I don't think anyone here can handle the same," Sakura murmured, voicing her doubts.

"Just wait for the dust to settle. Why are you two wasting your already low brainpower?" Shikamaru retorted, his nonchalant demeanor intact as he leaned lazily over Choji's back for support.

"You!! Shikamaru, I am going to kill you! Whom are you calling an idiot?" Sakura immediately erupted in anger, responding to Shikamaru's characteristic quips.

"Hey, shush. Don't shout, Sakura. Kumano sensei is glaring at us," Ino quickly intervened, acting as the voice of reason to calm Sakura down, acknowledging the disapproving gaze of their sensei.

Amidst the settling dust, Tatsuya suddenly moved towards the aftermath of the battle without waiting for it to fully clear.

"Is he that eager to finish the battle?" Sakura questioned.

"He might be worried about her condition," Ino suggested, offering a perspective on Tatsuya's actions.

"Did you see how he punched her? He showed no mercy," Sakura remarked, rolling her eyes at the intensity of the spar.

Suddenly, their attention shifted to someone being launched into the air at least 20 metres from the dust-filled area.

"That's Tatsuya?!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, recognizing the figure.

Even Shikamaru, typically composed, expressed surprise as he scrutinized the aerial figure. "... What happened?" he pondered, intrigued by the unexpected turn of events.

Just as he contemplated the situation, a massive fire erupted from below, hurtling towards Tatsuya in mid-air, leaving him seemingly trapped with no room to escape.

However, instead of panic, Tatsuya smirked and shook his head. "You really, of all Jutsu, tried to use the most useless one."

Palming his hand, Tatsuya focused his chakra, forming a protective bluish membrane around it. Confidence exuded from him. "This should be good enough," he thought.

Decelerating, Tatsuya concentrated his Byakugan on the incoming fire, swiftly identifying its weak point. In a seamless motion, he moved his hand in an axing motion, slicing the large flame in two.

A solid "Thud" marked his landing on the ground. Tatsuya smiled at Yumiko, who stood before him, her eyes adorned with two tomoes but she looked very haggard. "That was quite a neat trick there, using the Body Flicker expertise on Body Replacement Technique to confuse everybody that your water dragon hit you. But you were clearly just hiding in the dust cover for an ambush.".

"Sadly, even with you entering the dust cloud, it didn't do much. Where did you learn that Jutsu Slicing Technique?"

"My Mom, of course. Who else?"

"Hmm… So it was Auntie's technique. No wonder you were able to easily slice it apart," she said, recognizing the familial connection.

Yumiko then summoned a katana from a small scroll and swiftly assumed a sword stance, a slightly eerie smile playing on her lips. "Let's fight more! Ok~."

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