Chapter 114 – The Slap in the Face Comes Too Fast
Ikeya Yu finally saw one of his best students and smiled.
"Obito is in my class. He's very strong. Before the special training, he was already ranked second in the Fourth Grade. After Mugetsu's training, I wonder just how much stronger he's become."
"I've seen Obito fight—he's definitely capable," another teacher agreed.
"Obito is indeed strong, but his opponent is even stronger," Kimura Sugito said. "Although Asuma only graduated as a Genin this year, he consistently ranked first in his grade before graduating."
He had watched Obito rise from dead last, but he still didn't hold high expectations. After all, his opponent today was the son of the Third Hokage.
Obito might have been second in his year, but Asuma had been first for years.
Ikeya Yu nodded. Logically speaking, Asuma had the greater chance of winning.
The teachers who had taught Asuma began praising his school performance, making him sound almost on par with Shisui and Kakashi.
The Third Hokage kept a pleasant smile, but inwardly, he didn't take the flattery seriously. He knew his son's limits.
Asuma wasn't bad, but comparing him to Shisui and Kakashi was unrealistic.
He ignored the chatter and focused on the upcoming battle.
---
"Obito, how's your condition today?" Asuma asked, forming the Confrontation Seal.
"Pretty good. Slept well last night. Why? Even if your father's watching, I won't go easy on you," Obito replied, also forming a seal.
"Who asked you to go easy? Use your full strength," Asuma shot back.
Winning would be difficult, but fighting Obito would let him show his true strength.
Both were similar types—decent in Fire Release, Taijutsu, and other skills.
The last time he lost to Obito—back when Obito wasn't at his peak—was due to carelessness. He hadn't expected Obito's Taijutsu to improve and was caught off guard.
---
"Begin!" Mugetsu called out once the two had taken their stances.
Whoosh!
They vanished with the Body Flicker Technique, leaving a rain of shuriken behind.
The shuriken missed. Both charged in again, starting a fierce close-quarters exchange.
For a while, neither could gain the upper hand.
Hiruzen nodded slightly. Asuma's Taijutsu had clearly improved, and he now looked more like a competent ninja.
Kimura Sugito's eyes widened. "Obito's improved again!"
In the last grade exam, Obito had relied on movement, but now his close-combat ability had grown stronger.
Then came the surprise—Asuma began to fall behind.
Obito's mastery of Shave made him faster than an ordinary Body Flicker. The moment Asuma left an opening, Obito struck.
Mugetsu had to admit—this localized version of Shave was an excellent technique. Its only drawbacks were high chakra consumption and user fatigue. But those were the limits of the user, not the skill itself. With a strong enough body, it posed no problem.
Asuma's richer combat experience prevented the gap from widening too quickly, but the pressure mounted.
---
Unable to settle it with Taijutsu, they exchanged a kick and pulled back, quickly forming hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Obito gathered chakra into roaring flames and launched a massive fireball.
"Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!" Asuma countered with his own intense flames.
The two streams collided, fighting for dominance.
In the end, Obito's fireball overpowered Asuma's flames, pushing forward.
Asuma gritted his teeth, trying to pour in more chakra, but he couldn't overcome the pressure and had to dodge.
Whoosh!
Obito seized the moment, using an even faster Shave to strike at Asuma mid-dodge.
"He's lost," Hiruzen thought, shaking his head.
Asuma had made too many unnecessary mistakes. When outmatched in speed, he should have focused on finding a counter instead of stubbornly clashing head-on. And choosing to pit his flames directly against Obito's Great Fireball Technique had been a decisive error.
If Hiruzen had Asuma's current strength, he could think of a hundred ways to defeat Obito.
Still, Asuma had improved. In the past, he would have lost during the Taijutsu phase.
As expected, after several more exchanges, Asuma couldn't withstand Obito's relentless offense.
"Uchiha Obito wins!"
---
"How is that possible? Asuma actually lost…" The teachers were stunned. They had just been praising him, and now he'd been beaten by a student still in school. The embarrassment was palpable.
"Obito is very good. If he keeps this up, he'll become an excellent ninja," the Third Hokage said with a smile.
"You're right. I also have high hopes for Obito," Ikeya Yu said quickly, sounding more confident now.
---
"Number twenty-one, Ebisu, and number twenty-two, Shiranui Genma, prepare for battle."
Hearing Ebisu's name, several teachers remembered the… unique scene from Group C earlier.
"Isn't that the most creative student?" a Chunin joked to the Fourth Grade, Class Six homeroom teacher.
Even the Third Hokage looked curious, wanting to see what made Ebisu so special.
Noticing the crowd's attention, Ebisu felt a rush of excitement. If he performed well here, his ninja path could be smooth sailing.
Though weaker than Genma, Ebisu showed everything he knew, only narrowly losing.
But the fight disappointed many. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what they had been expecting.
The Class Six homeroom teacher slipped away from the group, found Ebisu, and gave him a scolding.
Ebisu was baffled. He'd lost, sure, but he thought his performance was fine. Besides, he often lost to Genma—it was nothing new.
---
The Third Hokage and the teachers stayed until all the battles ended, checking other groups as well.
The more they watched, the more surprised they became. Many of the students who had undergone Mugetsu's special training had changed so much in just over a month that their former teachers barely recognized their strength.
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