Chapter 46: Changes in the Nature of Yin Chakra
Kakashi appeared on the arena in a flash.
"Kakashi, you can do it!" Rin cheered loudly from the sidelines.
Seeing Kakashi use the Body Flicker Technique just to enter the stage, Obito couldn't help but feel annoyed. Show-off… He clenched his fists. Fine. I'll learn the Body Flicker Technique too.
"Contestant Kakashi Hatake is no ordinary ninja—he's a well-known genius of Konoha. If I'm not mistaken, this is your second time joining the competition, right?" the host introduced with extra flair, clearly influenced by Kakashi's reputation.
"Mm." Kakashi nodded coolly, saying nothing more. He kept his usual calm, aloof demeanor.
"Contestant Kakashi Hatake, what Ninjutsu will you be demonstrating today?" the host asked.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall," Kakashi replied.
Once the host stepped back, Kakashi swiftly formed a series of hand seals. A surge of Chakra exploded from his body.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
With a deep rumble, the ground trembled. Then, behind Kakashi, a massive earthen wall began to rise—thick, solid, and formidable.
"This level of Earth Release…" One of the judges stared at the long and sturdy wall, falling into thought.
Ordinarily, a performance like this would be an easy perfect score. But now, after Obito had already scored a perfect thirty, another one would raise a dilemma. Two first-place winners?
Still, after a moment of hesitation, the judge raised the card with a bold '10' written on it. He decided to let the organizers deal with the consequences.
"This guy is still as abnormal as ever." Asuma wasn't surprised by Kakashi's strength.
"To beat Kakashi in a Ninjutsu duel… I've still got a long way to go," Guy muttered, recalling their last battle—where he had been completely crushed. Aside from one surprise kick with the Leaf Whirlwind, he had no chance to counter.
When Obito saw one of the judges raise a perfect score, he immediately felt a wave of dread. If Kakashi gets a thirty too… then who gets first place?
"Ten points, ten points, ten points! Contestant Kakashi Hatake scores a total of thirty points!"
The host's excited voice echoed across the venue.
"Incredible! This is the second perfect score of today's competition, and the first time since its founding that we've had two perfect scores appear!"
The competition had never been this intense before. In previous years, someone like Tekka would have been more than enough to win first place.
"Just my luck..." Tekka muttered in frustration. He'd gone from aiming for first to barely clinging to third.
Still, he couldn't complain. Both Kakashi and Obito had shown strength that was far beyond his own.
"If only Shisui had participated, he definitely would've gotten a perfect score too," Tekka sighed.
Though he was two years older, he was well aware that he couldn't match Shisui.
Shisui smiled and said nothing. He didn't care much about the competition. Besides, Obito seemed so determined to win first place—he had no intention of getting in the way.
"Happy now? If you want to beat me, you'll need a few more years," Kakashi said as he stepped off the stage, directing the words at Obito.
"Don't act so smug! We both got thirty points, and I got mine first. Logically, that makes me the winner," Obito argued, clearly dissatisfied.
"You got thirty because that's your limit. I got thirty because that's the maximum," Kakashi replied calmly.
"You…" Obito flushed with frustration, unable to come up with a proper retort.
"Alright, you're both really strong—no need to argue," Rin said, stepping between them with a helpless smile.
Not far from the competition stage, a few organizers and merchants had gathered to discuss the unexpected outcome.
"Two perfect scores? Now what? Who takes first place?"
"Should we do a tie-breaker and let them compete with another Ninjutsu?" one merchant suggested.
"That's one way to decide, but… one of them is still a student. Just mastering that Fire Release is already remarkable," another merchant countered.
"Can't we just have co-first place?"
A new voice suddenly joined the conversation.
The merchants turned to see a blond man with a forehead protector standing beside them—no one had noticed when he arrived.
"We could use the idea of a 'dual first place' as a gimmick," Mugetsu suggested with a casual smile. "Host a celebration, offer discounts. It'll attract more people to the shops."
"That's… actually a great idea." The merchants looked at one another, nodding.
After all, the competition was partly meant to draw crowds to the commercial street. If this 'dual champion' twist attracted more shoppers, even better.
Even a small bump in profit would cover the prize money. The first-place reward was only eight thousand ryō, after all.
"Hey, Ninja-sama, ever considered opening a shop here?" one shopkeeper asked, impressed by Mugetsu's business instincts.
"No, no, I'm just a passing Chunin. Still, your event's doing a great job—it's really inspiring the youth of the village to train hard," Mugetsu replied before turning to leave.
If there had been a tie-breaker, he thought, Obito wouldn't have stood a chance against Kakashi.
He had worked hard to secure this first place for Obito—pulling every string, going the extra mile. Hopefully, the reward wouldn't disappoint.
In the matches that followed, no one else came close to a perfect score. Not even higher than Tekka's. The next best was only twenty-three points.
Once all the contestants had finished, it was time to announce the results.
"Uchiha Obito, first place! Kakashi Hatake, first place! Uchiha Tekka, second place..." the host declared.
Mugetsu's suggestion had been adopted. Obito and Kakashi were both listed as first place—officially a draw.
"You just got lucky this time. Next time, I'll definitely beat you!" Obito declared, practically glowing with pride.
"When your strength matches your mouth, we'll talk," Kakashi replied dryly.
Obito couldn't out-talk him—but with a silver-plated kunai and eight thousand ryō in hand, he didn't need to.
He held his prize with both hands, grinning from ear to ear.
And at the same moment, Mugetsu's training mission finally triggered completion.
The rewards that appeared brought a wave of relief to Mugetsu's face. His twenty days of hard work hadn't gone to waste.
Eight hundred Chakra—he'd need forty B-rank evaluations to get that much by grinding.
A Skill Proficiency Scroll—able to instantly raise any mastered Ninjutsu to the proficient level.
But best of all…
The Yin Release Chakra Nature Transformation.
Of all the rewards, this one pleased him most—even more than the Chakra. Yin and Yang Release were notoriously difficult to master.
And as soon as he received it, a flood of memories relating to the cultivation of Yin Release poured into his mind.
Without delay, Mugetsu opened his panel to check the newly updated stats.
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