Chapter 68: Who Can Be the First?
"Might Guy, do you remember me? Your strength isn't bad, but now that you've run into me here, this is where it ends for you," Hyuga Homura said calmly, forming the Confrontation Seal.
Even though Might Guy had ranked second last time, facing the first-place Hyuga Homura in the second round meant he had little chance of moving forward.
"Uh... who are you again?" Might Guy scratched his head, trying hard to recall, but couldn't quite place his opponent.
"Are you… Hyuga Daimon?" he guessed, remembering the name the proctor had called out earlier.
His fists tightened.
Hyuga Homura's expression darkened. He felt like he was being mocked.
"I'm Hyuga Homura! The one who defeated you in the last exam! Not Daimon—Homura!" he snapped, unable to hold back.
"I see," Might Guy said earnestly, forming the Confrontation Seal with a nod.
"Begin the exam!"
The moment the proctor gave the signal, Homura activated his Byakugan. Veins bulged around his eyes, giving his face a fierce, almost feral appearance.
Through the Byakugan, he could clearly see everything—Might Guy's Chakra flow, his tenketsu, every subtle movement.
Homura gathered Chakra in his palm and moved first.
With Byakugan and Gentle Fist—two of the most powerful close-combat tools in the Hyuga clan—he believed no one in the Academy could match him at close range.
The Byakugan would let him see through Guy's movements. Gentle Fist would allow him to strike precise Chakra points and shut down his opponent's flow.
But then—something unexpected happened.
As Homura's palm shot forward, Guy caught it.
Startled, Homura attacked with his other hand—only to have that caught as well.
Panicked, he shifted into kicks, but that was Guy's specialty.
Guy immediately released Homura's arms and launched a blindingly fast Leaf Great Whirlwind, sending him flying three meters back.
"How… how is this possible?" Homura stared at his trembling hands in disbelief. "I saw everything… but my body—"
He had clearly seen Guy's movements, but his body couldn't keep up. It was the first time he'd experienced anything like it.
"Hyuga Homura is losing in Taijutsu?" gasps echoed among the watching students.
Ever since Kakashi's graduation, Homura had dominated their year. Anyone who dared to challenge him in close combat always learned a painful lesson.
"Is Might Guy really this strong? He ranked second last time, but is he going for first now?!"
Guy's explosive performance left everyone stunned.
"Let's go, Might Guy!" Ikeya Yu, seeing his student overpower last exam's top scorer, couldn't help but cheer.
He could almost smell the bonus money.
"Ahem, Ikeya-sensei, you're the proctor for this match. Please remain impartial," the proctor beside him whispered quietly.
Realizing his mistake, Ikeya quickly shut his mouth—but the grin on his face was impossible to suppress.
"Even if Guy has the advantage, the outcome isn't certain. If he gets hit by Gentle Fist even once, the momentum will shift instantly," a teacher commented.
Several others nodded.
If Homura made a mistake, the worst he'd suffer was a few bruises. But if Guy got struck by Gentle Fist, Chakra would be forcibly injected into his tenketsu—something far more dangerous.
In other words, Homura could afford to make mistakes. Guy couldn't make a single one.
Ikeya glanced sideways. The teacher who spoke was Homura's homeroom teacher.
He didn't argue. Homura had earned first place too many times. Even Ikeya wasn't fully confident.
But what happened next left even the teachers speechless.
Homura tried desperately to land a hit, but every strike missed.
Not only that—he got caught again and kicked back again by Guy.
"Wow… if you covered their eyes, you'd think Guy had the Byakugan!" someone muttered.
Usually, it was Homura who read his opponents and dodged with ease. This time, it was the reverse.
"You only see Guy's movements now," Obito said quietly, overhearing the students' chatter. "But you don't know what he's been through."
He remembered all too well the brutal training sessions they endured.
One hit meant two extra math problems. The fight started with dozens of problems. You had to hit the opponent and not get hit to avoid more homework.
It was through that torment that Guy's body flicker had been forged.
Obito still had a few "installment problems" left to finish from those days.
"Damn it, what's going on?" Homura's face was flushed with frustration.
He couldn't understand it. Guy hadn't been this strong last time. How could he have improved this much in just two months?
His anxious attempts to regain control left more openings.
Might Guy gathered Chakra in his leg and exploded forward, seizing the opportunity to unleash his best technique.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
Bang!
A spinning, high-speed kick enhanced with Chakra struck Homura dead-on, sending him crashing to the ground—completely unconscious.
"Contestant number four, Might Guy, wins!" the proctor announced.
All the grading proctors gave Guy a perfect 10 for Taijutsu.
Homura was given 9.9.
But everyone knew the difference between them was far greater than 0.1.
"It was a tough matchup for Guy. Good thing he avoided getting hit by Gentle Fist, or things could've gone south quick," Ikeya said, smiling. The scent of a hefty bonus was now unmistakable.
Homura's homeroom teacher opened his mouth… but said nothing in the end.
---
"It looks like this year's top spot is going to Might Guy. Even Homura lost to him," murmured one student.
"Not necessarily," Uchiha Tekka chimed in. "Obito's Fire Release is insanely strong. No matter how good Guy's Taijutsu is, can he really withstand Fire Jutsu at this level?"
Tekka had just lost to Obito again during class combat. He was hoping Obito would rise to the top.
And soon enough, Obito proved that Tekka's words weren't just hopeful noise.
Shiranui Genma, the top student in Class Six, was effortlessly defeated.
Obito's powerful Fire Release and solid Taijutsu made him the new front-runner for first place—replacing the fallen Hyuga Homura.
If he didn't have to proctor, Ikeya would've already dragged Mugetsu out for drinks at the nearest izakaya.
With these two students in hand, what was there to fear?
Bonuses were practically guaranteed.
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