Hyūga Hiashi stepped forward and shouted, "I will help you!" Then, a Bagua Diagram appeared under his feet, and Namikaze Minato happened to be standing right at the edge of the diagram.
Akimichi Chōza used the Multi-Size Technique, transforming into a fleshy ball, and quickly moved, charging towards Hyūga Hiashi.
Hyūga Hiashi was startled. His original target was Namikaze Minato. Just as he threw the first strike of the Gentle Fist Technique: Thirty-Two Palms of the Bagua Diagram, the fleshy ball blocked the path of his palm.
The powerful centrifugal force dissolved the hidden force in Hiashi's strike, instead making his hand feel a burning sensation. Hyūga Hiashi looked at his palm and couldn't help but blow on it.
"Chōza, you are really troublesome!" Yamanaka Inoichi sighed.
Akimichi Chōza released the technique. His goal had been achieved, which was to save Namikaze Minato.
The Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist Technique: Thirty-Two Palms of the Bagua Diagram allows the user to instantly rush in front of an enemy within the diagram and unleash the strikes!
If Hyūga Hiashi had completed the full Gentle Fist Technique, the Thirty-Two Palms, Namikaze Minato's chakra would have been completely sealed by Hyūga Hiashi, and then their defeat would be certain.
Although Akimichi Chōza looked rough, he was meticulous in his heart. "No choice, I couldn't just stand by and watch my teammate's chakra get sealed without doing anything."
After saying this, he smiled at Namikaze Minato, who returned the smile. "Chōza, thank you."
"It was nothing," Akimichi Chōza replied.
Hyūga Hiashi gritted his teeth, his hands preparing to continue with the remaining Bagua Palm strikes. But then, Uchiha Fugaku activated his Sharingan and cast an illusion!
Hyūga Hiashi froze. Sarutobi Shinnosuke shouted, "Be careful, don't look into his eyes!" However, it was too late. Hyūga Hiashi had looked directly into Uchiha Fugaku's eyes.
He suddenly fell into a dazed state. The corner of Uchiha Fugaku's usually icy face turned up into a smile. Just as he was about to seize Hyūga Hiashi and capture him, Yamanaka Inoichi rushed in.
Inoichi thrust a kunai towards Uchiha Fugaku, forcing him to withdraw his move. Sarutobi Shinnosuke stepped forward with a sweeping strike, forcing the three back. Yamanaka Inoichi quickly grabbed Hyūga Hiashi and pulled him back.
He then punched him in the abdomen. The intense pain made Hyūga Hiashi break free from the illusion's control, and he bent over, clutching his stomach.
"I just..."
"You were just under an illusion cast by Uchiha Fugaku. I had no choice but to resort to this," Yamanaka Inoichi said calmly. Now, neither of them owed the other anything.
"Cough, thank you," Hyūga Hiashi said, slowly standing up, his face serious as he looked at Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Fugaku clicked his tongue in annoyance and stood side-by-side with Namikaze Minato and Akimichi Chōza. The expressions on all three faces remained grave.
Across from them, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Hyūga Hiashi, and Yamanaka Inoichi were similarly serious.
Finally, Namikaze Minato faced Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Uchiha Fugaku faced Hyūga Hiashi, and Akimichi Chōza faced Yamanaka Inoichi.
Namikaze Minato stepped forward, chakra quickly gathering in his hands. Wind Release: Gale Palm! He thrust his palm towards Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke's hair was blown back by the strong wind. He immediately put away his iron staff and formed hand signs. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Namikaze Minato did not retreat. He moved his palms, cutting through the flames of the Great Fireball, and charged towards Sarutobi Shinnosuke. Sarutobi Shinnosuke's expression changed, and he formed hand signs again. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Boom! Namikaze Minato's Gale Palm struck the Earth-Style Wall, leaving a very deep palm print. Then, the wall cracked from the palm print outwards, turning into pieces of broken earth.
Namikaze Minato had broken through two of his techniques with just one jutsu!!! Sarutobi Shinnosuke's heart jumped. Namikaze Minato remained calm and composed, his gaze fixed on Sarutobi Shinnosuke, anticipating his next move.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke gritted his teeth, pulled out a kunai, and slashed at Namikaze Minato. He had no other choice, as his chakra was almost depleted and he couldn't perform another jutsu.
However, Namikaze Minato's lips curved into a smile. "Is it over?" He raised his kunai in an upward flick. Because he had charged power in advance, he sent Sarutobi Shinnosuke's kunai flying.
He executed the Gale Palm. The Wind Release chakra made both their clothes flutter noisily. Namikaze Minato's Gale Palm stopped just one centimeter away from Sarutobi Shinnosuke's neck.
Both of them understood who the winner of this match was! This time, however, Sarutobi Shinnosuke smiled and shook his head. "Minato, you are very skilled. I admit defeat."
Namikaze Minato withdrew the Gale Palm and also smiled. "Actually, after using that last Gale Palm, my chakra is also exhausted."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke couldn't help but sigh. Namikaze Minato was really kind. Even though he had been so arrogant this morning, Minato was still willing to show him mercy.
Ryun smiled, appeared on the competition ground, grabbed both of them, and took them to a location outside the combat area.
"You two both performed very well. Keep working hard!" Ryun had seen the entire battle between the two. Currently, it seemed Namikaze Minato was slightly superior.
Although Sarutobi Shinnosuke lost, he didn't lose by much, and it wasn't an unjust loss. This defeat made him even more convinced that his training was insufficient, that he had been negligent in his practice.
"Next, let's watch the remaining few." Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chōza's battle began to turn unfavorable for Inoichi. Apart from his clan's Mind Body Switch Technique, his taijutsu was inferior to Akimichi Chōza's. Regarding ninjutsu, at such close range, based on his understanding of Chōza, he would definitely stick to him, not allowing him to use ninjutsu to wear him down.
Finally, after more than twenty minutes of taijutsu combat, Akimichi Chōza won. Similarly, both were grabbed by Ryun and moved away from the competition ground.
Now, only the one with the activated Sharingan, Uchiha Fugaku, and the one with the activated Byakugan, Hyūga Hiashi, remained on the field.
Hyūga Hiashi had now heightened his focus, so he could temporarily be immune to Uchiha Fugaku's Sharingan illusions.
But the abilities of the Sharingan were not limited to illusions; they also included meticulous observational power and strong memorization ability.
Hyūga Hiashi charged at Uchiha Fugaku, his arms moving widely as he unleashed the Thirty-Two Palms of the Bagua Diagram. Uchiha Fugaku, through the detailed observation of his Sharingan, dodged Hyūga Hiashi's attacks.
Through being trained by Ryun in the clan, not just once, Uchiha Fugaku had learned many dirty tricks, such as switching hands during a straight punch!
Hyūga Hiashi saw Uchiha Fugaku attacking with his right hand and hurriedly blocked. But right after he blocked, Uchiha Fugaku struck out with his left hand.
Hyūga Hiashi was stunned by this punch. Seriously, dude, what the heck!
Just as Uchiha Fugau was eagerly preparing to continue his attack, Ryun quickly jumped out. "Stop, stop, stop! The match is over!"
Then Ryun glared at Uchiha Fugaku. Uchiha Fugaku pursed his lips and didn't speak. 'Isn't this all learned from you!'
Ryun was afraid he would say he learned these dirty tricks from him, tarnishing his own glorious and lofty image.
He looked at Hyūga Hiashi and said, "Hiashi, you did great. Later, I'll teach you a few moves, guaranteed to help you turn defeat into victory next time!"
Hyūga Hiashi was startled, then quickly said gratefully, "Thank you, Hokage-sama!"
The others also looked at Ryun with eager eyes. Ryun rubbed his forehead. "You'll all get some. But before that, the winners are dismissed from school. The losers run laps."
Upon hearing this, the Sarutobi team sighed, while the Minato team was overjoyed. Getting out of school early! So great!
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━