He didn't even give Lee a chance to fight back. Suigetsu moved cleanly, without wasting a second—like a slippery water snake locking him down.
Fights can turn in an instant. As long as he catches that moment where defense turns into offense, Suigetsu can go straight for the kill.
He *is* flowing water. If there's even a sliver of opportunity, he'll drown his enemy without hesitation.
"...He didn't even get a chance to use the Lotus?"
Guy took a deep breath as he watched Lee trying to pry Suigetsu's arm off.
His tactics are really tricky.
They were still trying to figure out the rules of Suigetsu's liquefying ability, but now it looked like water mode was just a tool to avoid getting hit.
Gekkou Hayate took a slight step forward. He really hated situations like this—if this happened on the actual exam, it'd be a huge headache since it's hard to judge what's going on.
"...?"
Suigetsu pushed the kunai a bit closer and turned his head slightly, completely focused.
For just a moment, Gekkou Hayate clearly felt a sharp killing intent from the boy—one who wasn't even as tall as Lee.
So these are the Genin from Kirigakure, huh...
"Winner, Hozuki Suigetsu."
There was no point in dragging things out. If Lee made even the slightest move, Suigetsu would've struck immediately.
That's the whole point of assassination—no matter how strong someone's skills are, if you don't give them the chance to use them, it's all over quickly and quietly.
"Yes! I won!"
Suigetsu instantly brightened up, his gloomy mood gone. With a big cheerful grin, he raised both hands over his head and jumped down from the stage.
"Hahaha… well, that was a bit unexpected, Suigetsu."
Hatake Satoru couldn't help but rub his chin and smile as he looked at Suigetsu.
Originally, Suigetsu was only brought in to fill numbers—he was tagging along because of his brother.
Who would've thought he'd grow this much? It was honestly surprising.
Putting aside the whole "Lotus" move or whatever, the way Suigetsu won really suited his style.
He didn't hurt anyone, but still managed to completely shut his opponent down.
Compared to Kimimaro, it's clear that Suigetsu and Haku are more skilled in stealth and surprise attacks.
Maybe he pushed Kimimaro too hard...
"Assassination, huh? Your skills don't really suit that kind of work. I mean, you've got bones sticking out everywhere—kind of hard to miss. And you hate small talk, so you can't sweet-talk your way into setting up an ambush~"
"So just kill anyone who sees you. That's your version of assassination~"
That's what Hatake Satoru had confidently told Kimimaro once.
Young Kimimaro had nodded seriously, and from that day on, followed that advice to the letter—walking further and further down the path of wiping out every single person in sight.
When Kimimaro first became a Genin and started taking solo missions, there was a time when the daimyos of Kirigakure blacklisted him completely.
They couldn't hire someone who killed everyone without caring who was who.
"I definitely won't lose during the actual exam..."
Lee said with full confidence as he followed Guy back to the spectator area.
But then he couldn't help glancing again at Suigetsu, who was walking away.
Such a strange guy—both his skills and his way of fighting were really weird.
Still, people always said Kirigakure ninjas were strong, and clearly, that wasn't just talk.
Suigetsu didn't even seem to be going all out most of the time, and he was already that strong. The other two on his team must be seriously scary.
But this was just the prelims. No telling who they'd end up facing in the real Chunin Exams.
Lee took a deep breath. He really didn't want to go up against any of those three...
"Whoa... bushy-brows actually lost to that shark-teeth guy?"
"I didn't think he was that strong. He doesn't even look like he matches the other two on his team."
Looks like he's the "mascot" type in his squad, just like me.
Naruto frowned and squinted. So... he really is the mascot. That kinda stings.
"They were too fast... both of them moved so quickly."
"And watching closely, Suigetsu's really good at catching openings. The moment you slip up, he'll flip the whole fight."
At first, they seemed evenly matched. Lee might've even had the upper hand.
But fighting styles here were completely different from Konohagakure.
Kirigakure ninjas were all about finding that one shot—and finishing the fight with it.
They weren't unbeatable. If you had overwhelming power, they couldn't do much. But if they got even the tiniest chance, you'd have no way to fight back.
Sasuke scratched his head and frowned. Compared to them, he still felt like he was one step behind.
Aside from unexpected changes like Suigetsu, most of the matches were still being arranged according to the original exam setup.
So far, everything was still under control—nothing too wild had happened yet.
"...Whatever. You guys want something to eat? I'm gonna grab something."
"Just sitting here watching this is kind of boring."
"Kakashi, you've got to keep an eye on your student, so you can't leave. And it probably wouldn't be great if the Mizukage suddenly vanished either!"
Hatake Satoru lightly tapped the railing with his fingernail and peeked toward the entrance.
This guy really was just here to enjoy the show... What kind of teacher goes off to buy snacks at a time like this?
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, clearly not impressed, and gave Satoru a look like, "I've got nothing else to do now anyway."
"There are still a bunch of Anbu outside. If you're trying to sneak past them to get snacks, you might as well stay here until it's over."
Kakashi gave a friendly heads-up.
"…?"
Hozuki Mangetsu tilted his head slightly at Kakashi, a little confused.
(What's he thinking?) His teacher Satoru was someone who could go head-to-head with a Tailed Beast Bomb—he's the one who took down the Three-Tails!
There's no way a few Anbu from the Leaf could actually stop him, right?!
"Oh, I get it. You don't want any~ What about you?"
Hatake Satoru completely ignored what Kakashi said and shifted a bit to block the view between Kakashi and Hozuki Mangetsu.
Then he turned and asked the confused Mangetsu.
"I'm not picky, Sensei."
Mangetsu didn't think too much about it and just answered honestly.
Maybe Satoru was trying to hide his strength from everyone here. Either way, Mangetsu had long since stopped trying to figure out what was going on in his teacher's head.
Right after that, he and Kakashi watched as Hatake Satoru vanished from sight, leaving the two of them standing there staring at each other.
…Was Sensei really hiding his strength?
---
Read 30 advanced chapters on my patreon
patreon.com/GustinaKamiya
---