Winning this challenge meant another 30 EXP. And more EXP meant more strength. With war looming on the horizon, Natsume Yō needed every drop of power he could squeeze out of the System.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The Uchiha chūnin flung out his hands, weaving signs with fluid precision. A roaring fireball, over three meters wide, exploded into being and barreled straight toward Yō.
Yō just stood there, motionless, like a rabbit frozen in headlights.
"Tch. Trash." The chūnin sneered. He was already planning to dash in and pull Yō out. After all, the order was to capture the boy, not burn him to ash. Not that killing him would've been difficult.
But—
"Poof!"
The Yō standing there vanished into a puff of smoke. The real Yō appeared at the chūnin's flank, his leg snapping out in a vicious arc, the kick slicing the air like a blade.
"What?!" The chūnin's eyes widened. The wind pressure alone made his skin prickle.
"Bang!"
He barely got his arm up to block, but the force still sent him stumbling back four or five steps. His arm went numb, trembling uncontrollably.
"Impossible! How can you be this strong?!"
Yō smirked, voice dripping with scorn. "Why not? Is genius some Uchiha-exclusive bloodline? Ever think maybe other people can grind their way up too?"
He lunged forward again.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
The chūnin inhaled sharply, his hands flashing through seals. He spat out a storm of small fireballs, their flight paths curving like scattershot seeds. They rained down on Yō with merciless precision.
"Get roasted!" the chūnin snarled, certain his attack would overwhelm the boy.
But Yō wasn't panicking. He'd just broken through to chūnin rank. He didn't even know his new limits yet. And now, an arrogant Uchiha had volunteered himself as the perfect test dummy.
"Bang!"
The fireballs struck true, detonating in a blazing bloom. The chūnin's lips curled into a grin—until the burning silhouette crumbled into a broken log.
A substitution.
"Whoosh!"
Yō reappeared behind him, blade already drawn—
—but before he could strike, three phoenix fireballs whipped around like guided missiles, slamming toward him in a perfect three-star pattern.
"Ha! Idiot! Didn't anyone teach you? Phoenix Sage Fire can be controlled! I knew you'd pop up behind me. Walked right into it!" The chūnin laughed triumphantly.
And then—
"Poof!"
The second Yō dissolved into smoke as well.
The real one was nowhere to be seen.
The chūnin froze, eyes darting around, sweat prickling down his neck. He hadn't expected this brat's combat sense to be so sharp, his experience so rich.
"Where is he?!"