Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A volley of water needles shot forth.
For an instant, Kazama Etsu's figure was riddled like a sieve.
Boom!
Earth and spray exploded, the bursting droplets shattering into a fine mist.
The shadow he had left behind gradually dissolved.
Through the haze, Konome's pale eyes fixed steadily ahead.
Not far away, borne on the whisper of wind, Kazama's tall and lean figure reappeared. The arrogance had vanished from his gaze.
Whoosh
The water mist in the air stirred as if swept by invisible gales.
It twisted into the shape of a dragon, coiling protectively around Konome without her taking a single step, roaring silently at the jōnin across from her.
"That girl… Water Release without hand seals? Am I seeing this right, brother?"
"…I'm not sure myself."
Around the training grounds, teachers murmured in disbelief.
They had come only because they'd heard rumors that the Academy's most admired instructor, Kazama Etsu, had a secret daughter.
Instead, they were witnessing something unheard of a six-year-old blind girl casting Water Release without seals.
Mitsuda, one of the older teachers, cast a doubtful glance at Guy standing nearby.
The same Guy who, as a child, could barely form the basic Three Body Technique without tangling his fingers yet his "daughter" could wield unsealed Water Release?
Something didn't add up.
His eyes lingered on Guy's bright green jumpsuit, then on his honest, simple face.
Then he looked back at Konome, cloaked in mist like some ethereal spirit.
Tch… there was definitely a story here.
"Guy."
Lost in thoughts of how to counter Konome's jutsu, Guy turned blankly at the sound of his old teacher's voice.
Mitsuda's gaze was complicated as he said, "This daughter of yours… she came out of nowhere. Why didn't you ever mention her before?"
"Uh… well, it was kind of sudden. I didn't expect it to happen this fast…"
Guy scratched his head in confusion, still not grasping the deeper meaning. Mitsuda sighed and turned his eyes back to the fight.
At the center of the field, Kazama's brow furrowed.
This blind girl, guarded by her swirling water dragon, was far more troublesome than he had anticipated.
Unsealed ninjutsu? A kekkei genkai?
He couldn't tell.
But speed, power, and control her Water Release had all three in abundance.
Getting close with taijutsu would be difficult.
And his own Wind Release was too destructive. This was still a child, not an enemy on the battlefield. He couldn't unleash lethal force.
That left only one path: high-speed assault.
If he could break through her water defenses and get close, a single strike would be enough. She was small, frail she wouldn't endure even one blow.
But he'd need to beware her cane.
It looked ordinary, wood with a metal tip.
Yet she had cracked the marble tiles in his office with it, and her unsealed Water Release seemed connected to the staff as well.
It couldn't be taken lightly.
Kazama ran through every detail in his mind.
Meanwhile, Konome tilted her head in mild confusion.
The Byakugan didn't read thoughts.
Why was this man staring at her cane like it held the secrets of the universe?
She stood calm and still, waiting for him to move, analyzing him in turn.
That speed he used to evade her water needles earlier likely some variation of the Body Flicker Technique, enhanced by Wind Release.
Fast. Too fast.
Unless she poured all her strength into raw speed, she'd never catch him. But her stamina was limited.
If she wanted to win against a jōnin instructor here, she would only have one chance.
Her mind sharpened.
Kazama moved.
A single seal, and his body blurred.
Wind whipped.
On Konome's left, his figure appeared, fist already surging toward her.
Wind Release: Wind-Style Body Flicker!
Her Byakugan locked on.
The mist dragon condensed into a solid wall of water.
Bang!
His fist struck, denting the barrier.
Konome lifted her hand, fingers curling.
Crash!
The wall reversed like a wave, surging to engulf Kazama.
He leapt aside with a burst of speed, dodging as more water gathered at her command. His hands blurred, weaving seals.
Before the next torrent could strike, he finished.
Whoosh!
The wind roared again.
This time, Kazama reappeared at her right.
Splash!
The water redirected just in time, blocking him once more.
"She's losing."
"Kazama-sensei figured it out already. He found the flaw in her Water Release."
"What a pity…"
The surrounding teachers whispered, their opinions startlingly unanimous.
In the crowd, Guy frowned. "Flaw? What flaw?"
Mitsuda sighed, glancing at him. His suspicions deepened.
"Water Release's flaw is in its direction."
"Direction?" Guy blinked, baffled.
"Honestly, Guy… I always told you to study more," Mitsuda said, exasperated. He explained patiently:
"Water Release depends on flow. Its power comes from pressure and momentum. Overwhelming force.
Look Kazama's Wind-Style Flicker constantly changes direction. To keep up, the girl must redirect her water again and again.
But water isn't wind. Every time it shifts, the force and pressure she's built up is wasted. Even if she redirects in time, she loses strength.
It's like a marriage. The husband goes out every day for missions. The wife, bored at home, starts finding her own amusement. The two stop pulling in the same direction. Do you think that family will last?
Outwardly, they may seem fine but the conflict will explode sooner or later."
Mitsuda's analogy was clumsy, his eyes flicking sideways at Guy as he spoke.
Guy scratched his head, vaguely sensing a hidden jab, but unable to decipher it. He just nodded as if he understood.
Mitsuda sighed again and turned back to the fight.
Whoosh!
Kazama shifted once more, darting in from behind.
Splash!
Water reshaped to block.
But this time, the flaw showed.
The momentum inside the stream had already been drained away.
Though a wall still formed, Kazama sensed its weakness instantly.
Now!
The chance he had been waiting for.
Chakra surged, reinforcing his muscles.
He drove his fist forward.
Crash!
The brittle water wall shattered.
At last, the blind girl stood exposed.
In Kazama's green eyes, her small figure reflected as his fist swept in an upward arc.
A clean, perfect uppercut.
Victory was his!
His fist was too close she couldn't evade.
The teachers all thought the same in that instant: it was over.
But then… the unexpected happened.
Facing Kazama's blow, Konome didn't flinch.
Her Byakugan had already mapped every detail his chakra flow, his muscles coiling.
Whoosh.
She moved.
Her left foot slid back half a step, avoiding his strike. At the same time, her right leg bent, muscles tightening like a drawn bow.
Her waist twisted.
Her hips drove forward.
Her shin whipped out like an iron rod. The fabric of her pants tore the air with a shrill crack.
Her brown boots blurred into an afterimage, slamming into Kazama's chest with thunderous force.
Everyone saw it.
The sole embedded into his chest.
His eyes bulged, bloodshot, nearly bursting from their sockets.
Boom!
The mist exploded apart.
His body shot back in a V-shape, hurled across the training ground.
He slammed down more than ten meters away, rolling and gouging a long furrow in the dirt before finally skidding to a stop.
The teachers froze, wide-eyed.
They stared dumbly at the blind girl standing calm in the center, slowly retracting her leg.
The sole of her boot was scorched black from friction.
Hissing steam rose where it touched the wet ground.
Sssss!
The puddles beneath her feet boiled, evaporating in a cloud of white vapor.
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