This astonishing attack, which made the air tremble and created continuous, loud explosions, instantly crossed the distance between the two fighters, closing in on Ōnoki to within two meters. The violently fierce fist wind was so powerful that it blew Ōnoki's clothes and hair backward.
Ōnoki could no longer maintain a calm expression. He pushed off the ground, rapidly retreating while flashing through several complex hand signs!
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
The ground vibrated and roared, then suddenly split open. A ground fissure several meters long extended outward, and a wall of rock, several meters long and condensed from hard stones deep underground, erupted from the earth, blocking Ōnoki's path.
Boom—
The violent punch slammed fiercely into the rock wall. The thick defensive barrier resisted for only a breath before the fierce punch roared through it.
Ōnoki's pupils contracted slightly. He wove hand signs again!
Earth Release: Earth Flow Divide!
The ground directly in front of Ōnoki, a patch of grass and dirt about three to four meters long and five to six meters wide, suddenly flipped up, forming another solid wall that stood before him!
Boom—
The immense power of the Mountain Collapse once again pierced through this barrier. However, after being blocked by the two Earth Release Ninjutsu, the originally violent punch had been severely weakened. Ōnoki easily dodged it, and the remaining force detonated behind him, leaving a crater over ten centimeters deep.
As he dodged, Ōnoki suddenly realized that Hyūga Bluebird, taking advantage of Ōnoki's focus on defending the Mountain Collapse, was sprinting toward him at high speed. The surging chakra and contained fist energy clearly indicated that Bluebird was preparing the next wave of attack.
If Tsuchihara, the other Stone ninja examinee, possessed a proficient and mature mastery of Earth Release Ninjutsu, then Ōnoki's understanding of the technique had reached a terrifying level of continuity and effortlessness—a terrifying mastery that was no weaker than that of a Jōnin!
In the stands, Orochimaru frowned slightly, raising his estimation of Ōnoki's power yet another notch.
In the arena, Ōnoki, who had just been on the defensive, suddenly shook his entire body. Surging chakra poured out, accompanied by a rapid succession of hand signs, and the magnificent Earth Release Ninjutsu struck again!
Earth Release: Stone Slab Coffin!
Ōnoki precisely predicted Bluebird's path of attack. Four towering earth walls simultaneously rose from the ground around Bluebird, instantly stalling his charge and slowly collapsing inward to crush the trapped Bluebird!
The moment he controlled Bluebird's offense, the hand signs in Ōnoki's hands instantly switched to a new set!
Earth Release: Earth-Rising Spikes!
The ground beneath Bluebird's feet instantly erupted with numerous earth spikes, as thick as soup bowls but incredibly sharp at the tips, continually thrusting toward Bluebird.
In this crisis, Bluebird remained completely calm. He stood his ground, adopting an absolutely standard Gentle Fist starting stance, as firm as a pine tree rooted in stone. His chakra system suddenly boiled, and a deep blue chakra flowed over his body!
Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation!
Bluebird, clad in his pure white uniform, suddenly spun 360 degrees in place. Deep blue chakra rapidly emitted from the subtle, profound chakra points all over his body. As Bluebird rotated, a massive, solidified deep blue chakra defense sphere revolved around him, centered on his body.
Under the force of this rotational technique, which was essentially an absolute defense, the sharp earth spikes and the collapsing earth walls shattered and disintegrated amidst a roaring sound. The originally powerful Earth Release offense vanished into nothingness!
As the flying debris and smoke cleared, the solid ground beneath Bluebird's feet had been gouged into a circular pit half a meter deep by the force of the Rotation. Heavy, ragged breaths, "Huff, huff—" emanated from the pit. This high-intensity combat, all taking place in a short amount of time, had instantly drained about half of Bluebird's chakra, leaving him feeling a clear exhaustion.
Ōnoki keenly seized this excellent tactical opportunity. The chakra in his body surged out again, clearly intending to launch another powerful Earth Release Ninjutsu!
Bluebird's reaction was swift. The moment chakra began to surge from Ōnoki, he made a standard evasion maneuver. His lithe and agile body leaped out of the pit, constantly changing direction and turning sharply to disrupt Ōnoki's judgment, all while resolutely charging toward him.
Ōnoki unleashed his attack fiercely: Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!
The ground in front of Bluebird instantly transformed into a sticky, slippery, sinking swamp of yellowish-brown mud. Bluebird, who was sprinting at high speed, suddenly stalled as his foot unexpectedly landed in the mire, causing his center of gravity to instantly lose control.
In a flash of thought, Bluebird slammed a palm heavily into the mud. "Boom—" Using the reactionary force from the strike, he kicked off and leaped into the air.
In the stands, Orochimaru, seeing Bluebird's movement, subtly shook his head.
Sure enough, just as Bluebird was about to jump out of the swamp's range, Ōnoki launched yet another jutsu!
Earth Release: Earthen Spear Projectiles!
Five yellowish-brown, sharp earthen spears, several meters long, suddenly separated and levitated from the solid ground in front of Ōnoki. Under Ōnoki's precise control, they sped toward Bluebird in mid-air with a "swoosh swoosh swoosh—" sound of rushing wind.
Bluebird's face changed drastically as he watched the oncoming attack.
In his desperation, Bluebird waved his hands, rapidly firing seven or eight Eight Trigrams Air Palms. The punches struck the air, but since Bluebird was unstable in the air and had nowhere to push off, the force of his strikes was significantly weaker than before.
The fierce punches collided with the incoming earthen spears. "Boom—" Although the punches were weaker, they managed to break four of the spears. However, one spear pierced through the flying smoke and dust, "Pffft—" harshly impaling Bluebird's left shoulder.
A streak of crimson blood sprayed into the air. "Thump—" Bluebird fell from the sky, and with a gasp of "Ugh!" he spat out a mouthful of blood foam.
Bluebird stumbled, then struggled to stand up, using his right hand to slap and break the earthen spear still embedded in his left shoulder.
The violent action and sheer force ripped the damaged muscle tissue around the wound. "Pfft—" A spurt of blood shot out from the injury.
"Huff, huff—" Bluebird was panting heavily, his eyes fixed intensely on Ōnoki across from him.
Bluebird's determined, unwavering gaze suddenly shot up to Orochimaru in the stands.
Orochimaru, who was intently watching the match, clearly caught Bluebird's eye, understood his meaning, and nodded faintly.
Having received permission, a confident smile appeared on Bluebird's face, which was already showing the activated Byakugan.
🗒️NOTE:
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