"I think you were just thinking about me a moment ago."
"Ah, really?" Shiki pointed at his own nose, acting as if nothing had happened.
"Didn't you?" Tenten tilted her head slightly, her eyes unwavering.
"That's not true at all. I was just thinking about Sasuke's fight—fine, you won." At first, Shiki maintained the look of someone whose thoughts hadn't been discovered, but eventually he couldn't hold it in any longer and gave in.
Tenten smiled faintly, her cute buns emitting a sweet scent. "So what were you thinking about me?"
"This..." Shiki really didn't want to say it out loud in front of everyone.
He couldn't help looking visibly nervous.
Yuuma, standing beside him, shrugged with a sigh. "Big brother Shiki, I guess this is the only time you'd show such youthful shyness—and only around big sister Tenten."
Tenten quietly stood by with both hands behind her back, obediently watching the battle below alongside Shiki in her white qipao that made her seem especially petite.
Actually, if Shiki had actually said it out loud, it would've been even more embarrassing for her.
But still, she stuck out her tongue playfully and stood beside Shiki.
However, after this brief moment, Shiki turned his attention back down to the battlefield, frowning deeply.
Sasuke was already battered and bruised, repeatedly struck by surging water bullets. Yet he looked like a mere target, taking the hits without resistance.
He followed Kakashi's orders strictly and had never used the Sharingan throughout the fight.
Moreover, he realized he could no longer summon Chakra. As soon as he attempted to channel it, the Cursed Seal on his neck aggressively began spreading through his entire body.
Even worse, it wasn't just physical—another voice began speaking within his mind.
"Aren't you supposed to be an avenger? Or are you truly just as weak as this guy claims? Take power! Didn't you say you were ready to die for revenge anyway? Then what exactly do you fear now? Your very purpose in life is revenge."
Sasuke suddenly stopped evading—like a deer caught in headlights, frozen just as danger approached from behind.
"Heh, a loser's still a loser. Can't even dodge anymore, huh? Not that it mattered much before, but are you finally giving up now?"
Ryohta Yamazaki laughed arrogantly. He suddenly thought the person in front of him was utterly worthless. What he had just said wasn't even mockery—it was just cold, hard truth.
"Is Sasuke going to lose?" Sakura helplessly uttered these words while everyone watched intently.
"No, he's going to win," Shiki briefly replied, indicating his stance.
The drizzle kept falling. Who's to say when a startled antelope might become a fierce lone wolf?
Chapter 146: Sasuke's Awakening
"What do you mean? Sasuke's in this condition—how can he possibly still win?"
Kiba Inuzuka voiced his objection immediately.
Yet at this moment, his words undoubtedly reflected what everyone else was silently feeling too.
Sasuke stood on the battlefield, already battered and bloodied. No one saw him as that prodigy anymore.
Only Sakura watched him with helpless eyes, hugging herself tightly.
She didn't want Sasuke to keep fighting — the cursed seal terrified her, and with good reason. Yet when the battle resumed and she saw Sasuke still fighting against all odds, she knew there was no turning back.
What frightened her more was the possibility of Sasuke losing this match. If he truly lost, he would have absolutely nothing left — not even a shred of confidence as a prodigy.
But how could such a severely wounded person win?
Opposite him, the ninja from Amegakure remained always composed. In fact, so far, Sasuke had been purely defending passively. He hadn't landed even a single hit on the enemy ninja.
Ryohta Yamazaki's mocking laughter still rang across the battlefield, each echo grinding down Sasuke's will a little more.
How could he possibly win?
Yet that figure stood firm amidst the drizzling rain. He was no longer like a defeated stray dog moments ago.
He stood tall now, radiating the proud defiance of a lone wolf — nothing like the broken figure from moments ago. At this moment, there was a qualitative change in him.
"Youngster, even if you pretend to be like this now, you still can't escape your fate of being defeated by me," Ryohta Yamazaki sensed an inexplicable difference in front of him, realizing somehow this guy wasn't the same escaping child as just earlier. But he couldn't quite describe it, blaming himself for being too suspicious. After all, how could someone so severely wounded defeat him? When he couldn't even win while unharmed, then how could victory come in such a battered condition?
Forget these ridiculous scenarios.
"Let this move end you."
Without hesitation, Yamazaki formed hand seals. Water quickly gathered in front of his mouth.
Though it was only a C-ranked Water Release jutsu, in such a water-rich environment, its power would be greatly amplified.
"Thank you very much, Sasuke Uchiha. Without fighting you, I probably wouldn't have had such a great opportunity to gradually create this kind of moist environment. So now, witness the might of my jutsu!"
Three hand seals were completely formed: Rat, Ox, and Rabbit. The familiar motion immediately triggered a memory in Shiki. "[Water Release: Wild Water Wave]."
Intense, high-pressure water gathered swiftly before Yamazaki, the air itself seeming clearer due to this C-ranked technique.
All the moisture coalesced there.
A torrent of pressurized water surged toward Sasuke, seemingly unstoppable.
"Sensei, call off the match!" Seeing the rushing torrent, Sakura cried out involuntarily.
Tears glistened in her eyes. If only he still had a chance to win.
If he loses this match, Sasuke will no longer be seen as a genius.
He'd be nothing but trash—someone even a weakling could take down.
Darkness would consume him. Believing himself to be an avenger, striving to grow stronger—would he ultimately fall into despair?
"What was once lost shall come again."
"What has gone astray shall be revealed."
"We refuse to bear the weight of hatred."
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