As the words fell, Seiji Ito shot forward like lightning. It was a straight thrust — lacking the intricacies of traditional sword techniques.
But this was something carefully considered by Seiji. Competing in skill against a Jonin who had mastered Sword Training was clearly a wrong approach.
"It seems Seiji is quite decisive!" Hayate Gekko remarked in a praising tone. Although he planned to go easy on them, he wasn't going to let Shiki and the others succeed so easily from the outset.
The next moment, Hayate's figure vanished instantly. Ito's blade struck empty air!
At the same time, another blade slashed down from behind Seiji. Compared to Seiji's thrust, this downward cut, though equally simplified, still revealed the attacker's steady control.
Nothing seemed capable of resisting where the blade flashed!
Every Jonin had at least one technique refined to perfection.
Even Shiki believed that if it were him, he wouldn't have been able to dodge either.
But—
Shiki's right fist was already filled with power!
He had anticipated Seiji might fail and was ready for it.
Almost simultaneously with the blade's strike, without hesitation, he threw out his punch with all his strength!
Even Hayate Gekko would surely feel the pain if hit directly.
Only Shiki knew there was no hope of actually hitting Hayate with this punch. What he aimed for was simply forcing Hayate back, then searching for an opportunity to seize the bell.
Just as Shiki's fist nearly reached Hayate—
A calm reminder suddenly came from beside him, "Even when rescuing your teammates, you should still be clear about where your enemy is."
[Boom!]
The Hayate in front of Shiki dissolved into smoke!
Shadow Clone Jutsu!
When did he…?
Shock flooded Shiki's face—he hadn't even seen Hayate perform the hand seals.
Seemingly at the same time, a sword now hovered above him too, ready to claim his life.
It was over. Though Shiki understood Hayate wouldn't really hurt him, the exam still continued. He could still make a move for the bell.
But the fact remained—he was utterly helpless.
Last time against Fu Yamanaka, he had opened the Eight Gates — forcing open the fifth at the end — just to close the gap in power.
Suddenly, Shiki heard a familiar sound behind him again.
Was this the sound of a shadow clone being destroyed?
Chapter 84: The Madman
Now that the threat was gone, Shiki naturally wouldn't wait idly by. He forcefully stepped forward, counteracting the inertia from his momentum.
After shifting into a defensive stance, almost simultaneously, both he and Seiji turned around. What—or who—had destroyed Hayate's other Shadow Clone?
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the forest canopy, illuminating a girl whose delicate appearance evoked an instinctive urge to protect her. Yet despite such fragile beauty, her eyes burned with unyielding resolve.
Her gaze never wavered!
While everyone else ignored her, she reached out her hand and saved the team from danger. Even within this team, where everyone regarded her merely as someone needing protection.
Rather than true teammates.
Were there moments that cut straight to the heart?
In truth, things shouldn't have gone this way. What appeared before Shiki was simply Yuuma Akimoto reaching out to destroy a Shadow Clone that had tried to attack him.
Just how had such a frail girl gained reaction speed like this?
Shiki wracked his brain, trying to piece together every memory he had of her.
Yet in every memory he held, there was only that same sorrowful little girl, whose eyes always seemed lined with tears.
"[Chakra Scalpel]," Shiki murmured softly.
He didn't even know when this delicate girl had learned to use it.
However, unlike Shiki's, Yuuma's Chakra Scalpel was formed directly in her palm. That slender, seemingly boneless hand now held such power.
"I learned it last month," Yuuma said, fluttering her eyelashes playfully, her sweet laughter bubbling out like a child begging for praise.
In reality, she truly was still a child.
"Hmm, looks like I underestimated Yuuma," Hayate Gekko raised his eyebrows slightly, clearly surprised. Yuuma's performance had indeed been quite impressive. He originally thought she was just a pretty but useless ornament on the team, yet he hadn't expected her to possess such combat strength.
"This time, I need to personally apologize to Yuuma."
"My little crier has actually become a real little assassin now," Shiki teased.
Yuuma's eyes turned serious. "After all, I can't keep lagging behind Nii-san forever."
Shiki wanted to reply but found himself at a loss for words. When had he gotten so bad at talking, just like Ito?
"Hey hey, looks like you guys are forgetting something?" Hayate Gekko interrupted, noticing Shiki and Sena acting as though they planned to sit down and chat for hours. "You haven't grabbed the bells yet."
"That goes without saying!" Shiki turned around confidently.
"Now that Yuuma showed off such strength, I naturally must do better too! After all, I'm her older brother!"
"Was the fighting spirit finally ignited?" Hayate wondered. Well, perhaps this was better—it made the game more interesting after all.
Moreover, it seemed the purpose of this test had already been fulfilled. Members of Team 9 clearly valued their comrades highly.
Still, the formal process needed to be followed—they hadn't retrieved the bells from him yet. It would depend entirely upon just how much slack he'd give them before allowing them to obtain those bells.
And another necessary part of the ritual—tying someone to a post. This was also mandatory, so who among them would end up tied to the wooden stake?
As he mulled all this over, Hayate realized he was actually starting to look forward to what happened next.
Shiki lifted his leg slightly. The previously heavy weights now felt like a natural part of his body.
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