Chapter 234: Unmatched Fire Style?
"We can leave after watching this fight; whoever wins is definitely taking first place."
"I heard both of them interned under Teacher Mugetsu. Obito's taijutsu has clearly improved. Might Guy hasn't shown his yet, but he must've gotten stronger too. I just don't know if his improvement matches Obito's."
The students were buzzing with excitement. Battles between Might Guy and Obito were always fierce and unpredictable—sometimes one won, sometimes the other. Their strength far surpassed their peers, making every clash a spectacle worth seeing.
"Guy, you remember the restrictions, right? Don't get too excited and open the Gate of Healing," Obito warned before the match.
He could guarantee he wouldn't use his Sharingan, but he was worried that Guy's enthusiasm might get the better of him and he'd accidentally open the Second Gate.
"Don't underestimate me in that regard! I've already engraved that rule into my heart!" Might Guy grinned, giving himself a confident thumbs-up.
After a brief exchange, both of them formed the Seal of Confrontation, ready to begin.
Seeing them take their stances, the proctor called out after twenty seconds, "Begin!"
As soon as the signal was given, both Obito and Guy adjusted their breathing, entering their Breathing Technique states.
"Flame Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing!" Obito declared, entering the demanding Total Concentration state, which drained stamina quickly.
Having trained in maintaining Constant Breathing, he was confident his stamina could now handle it.
Bang! Bang!
Their figures flickered across the field, fists and kicks colliding in rapid succession.
Although they had fought countless times before—both during Academy exams and in the sparring sessions arranged by Mugetsu—this time they started with cautious probing.
They both knew the other had grown much stronger. Even though Obito couldn't activate his Sharingan, his chakra reserves and mastery over both Breathing and Yin Release had improved dramatically.
Meanwhile, Guy's physical strength and Breathing Technique had advanced as well, even without using the Second Gate.
After a series of quick exchanges, they each gauged the other's condition.
"Eight Gates—Gate of Opening, open!" Guy shouted, releasing the first gate to boost his physical power even further.
In response, Obito swiftly retreated, widening the distance.
Since the battle area was flat and not particularly large, he needed enough space to prepare ninjutsu. Otherwise, a single full-power kick from Guy could end the match instantly.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Obito inhaled sharply, compressing chakra in his throat before exhaling a massive fireball that roared toward Guy.
Guy didn't flinch. He knew Obito's Great Fireball was just a distraction—the real danger would come after.
Whoosh!
Chakra flared around Guy's legs as he accelerated, dodging the blazing fireball in an instant.
"So fast! It's like he vanishes and reappears somewhere else!" one of the students exclaimed, astonished by Guy's speed.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Obito followed up with a barrage of shuriken, his right hand moving rapidly to keep Guy from closing in. But Guy dodged them all, steadily reducing the distance.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Obito suddenly spat out a cluster of small fireballs, scattering toward Guy in unpredictable arcs.
Guy's eyes widened for a moment. He knew this jutsu required hand seals.
Then he noticed Obito's left hand hidden behind his back—and immediately understood.
Previously, Obito had often used a kunai to perform one-handed seals while executing Phoenix Sage Flower Claw Crimson. This time, he had dropped the weapon entirely, altering his form to catch Guy off guard.
Guy realized it instantly, but the students watching were completely shocked.
"What just happened? I didn't see Obito form any hand seals! How did he use Fire Release? Don't all ninjutsu require hand seals?" one student cried out.
"Yeah! He was still throwing shuriken with one hand—how could he suddenly breathe fire?" Genma said with a frown, deep in thought.
Even the teachers exchanged confused looks.
"How can Uchiha Obito perform Fire Release without using hand seals?" one instructor muttered, bewildered.
"Teacher Ikeya, he's your student. Do you know what technique that was?" another teacher asked.
"Uh… his progress has mainly come from his own hard work," Ikegaya said awkwardly. "Perhaps it's an advanced Fire Release application technique unique to the Uchiha clan."
Since he didn't actually know, it was the only reasonable explanation he could come up with.
"That sounds right," another teacher agreed. "The Uchiha clan are masters of Fire Release, after all."
"Calling it an advanced application technique isn't wrong," Mugetsu interjected calmly. "But it's not ninjutsu without hand seals—it's one-handed hand seals. Remember, Obito was throwing shuriken with only one hand."
"The essence of hand seals lies in guiding chakra," he continued. "If one truly understands a jutsu's principles, it's possible to perform it with one hand—though the power might be slightly reduced."
This knowledge about one-handed hand seals was obscure in the ninja world, but not unheard of. The main advantage of using one hand lay in the element of surprise—it allowed for stealthy activation of ninjutsu. True masters could perform hand seals so fast that few could even track their movements, and with strong taijutsu, there were rarely situations where they couldn't use ninjutsu at all. The truly exceptional could even simplify seals—or abandon them entirely—without losing power.
Obito's version, however, was more of a clever trick, powered by the amplification of Flame Breathing.
"Teacher Mugetsu, you're as sharp as ever," Ikeya Yu said after a moment, realizing Mugetsu's explanation made perfect sense.
"Speaking of which," another Chunin instructor interjected, glancing at him in surprise, "isn't Uchiha Obito your intern, Director Mugetsu? Could this technique be…"
"It's not that amazing," Mugetsu replied with a calm smile. "With enough practice, anyone can learn it."
Times were changing. He needed to steadily build his visible influence within the village, and explaining battles like this was a perfect way to demonstrate his deep understanding of ninjutsu theory.
"Rock Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing!"
At close range, facing the oncoming cluster of fireballs, Might Guy focused his breathing, drawing in power from deep within his body.
He had already unleashed nearly everything except the Second Gate of the Eight Gates.
With Total Concentration Breathing activated, Guy's aura surged with intensity. The technique's power wasn't fixed—it scaled with mastery. And Guy's mastery had advanced immensely since he first learned it.
He gathered chakra in his legs and kicked out, smashing apart the first two fireballs before bursting forward in a blur. The remaining flames he couldn't avoid, he simply met head-on.
Rock Breathing didn't just enhance strength and speed—it fortified every part of the body. In a sense, it increased not just attack power, but also endurance and defense.
With his body reinforced by chakra and Rock Breathing, Guy looked battered but remained completely unfazed.
"Guy's body is insane! He just kicked away several fireballs and kept charging! Isn't he burned at all?" one of the students shouted, eyes wide in disbelief.
If Obito's one-handed Fire Release had shocked them, Guy's ability to confront fire with sheer physical might left them speechless.
Just when it seemed the battle might turn, Obito suddenly formed a new series of hand seals while retreating.
"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"
He launched a Genjutsu he had recently mastered, casting it straight at Guy.
Everything was unfolding according to his plan. The Great Fireball had forced Guy to reposition, the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique had drained his stamina and caused minor injuries—and now, the illusion would seal his victory.
In Guy's vision, a massive tree erupted from the ground, wrapping around him and binding his limbs tightly. He couldn't move at all.
"Haha, I saved this just for today—to secure first place in the exam," Obito said with a triumphant grin.
He had intentionally withheld this technique during their previous spar, waiting to reveal it during the Grade-Level Practical Exam for maximum impact.
Obito approached slowly, kunai in hand. To the spectators, the tree was invisible—it looked as if Guy had suddenly frozen mid-run.
Once the kunai touched Guy's throat, the proctor would declare his victory.
"What happened? Why did Guy stop moving?" Genma muttered, frowning.
"He's under Genjutsu," Ebisu said immediately. "Looks like Obito's got him."
Though his combat skills were average, his theory was sharp enough to recognize it instantly.
"Genjutsu: Release!"
Obito's smirk froze. Guy's eyes suddenly regained focus, his chakra flaring violently.
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
He exploded forward, unleashing a blinding whirlwind kick.
Having suffered from Genjutsu before, Guy had specifically trained under Mugetsu to learn how to counter illusionary techniques.
Caught off guard, Obito barely had time to cross his arms in defense.
Bang!
Guy's kick slammed into him, sending him flying backward. Not stopping there, Guy leapt into the air and delivered a crushing elbow strike from above.
Boom!
Obito hit the ground hard, raising a cloud of dust as he landed.
When it settled, he was lying motionless on the ground, while Guy stood tall beside him—the outcome was obvious.
"Might Guy wins!" the proctor announced.
"It seems Obito's battle sense still needs refinement," Mugetsu thought to himself.
The terrain had given Guy an advantage, but Obito had skillfully turned the tide mid-fight and had a real chance to win. Yet in the final exchange, he got careless—and lost it all in an instant.
There was still much for him to learn.
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