"Those two, meeting in the first round."
The fourth-year students watching felt it was a pity. Might Guy and Obito were the top two in actual combat among fourth years. Even in the strongest Group A, they had the strength to advance to the semifinals.
But meeting each other this early meant that one of them was destined to be eliminated prematurely.
"Whether Obito or Might Guy wins, there'll be one less formidable opponent afterward," Asuma thought as he watched Might Guy and Obito face off in the first round.
He wasn't as familiar with Might Guy as he was with Obito and didn't know Might Guy's precise practical combat ability. However, since Might Guy had beaten Obito in a combat exam, his strength could certainly not be underestimated.
Thinking of this, Asuma put on a serious expression, prepared to gather information on both Obito and Might Guy through this battle.
"The very first match is against Guy..." Obito showed a troubled expression.
Might Guy had already completed his cultivation of Soru, while Obito had not, still unable to stack it three times simultaneously.
However, Obito didn't think he had no chance of winning.
Their current strength was still not enough to support multiple consecutive uses of Soru in a short time, as it put too much pressure on the leg muscles.
So he could only say he was at a slight disadvantage, not helpless.
When Might Guy saw that his first opponent was Obito, he felt a surge of excitement.
The two swiftly moved to the combat zone, ready to begin the battle.
"Begin!" As soon as the two were in position, Mokgetsu quickly announced the start of the battle.
As Mokgetsu's voice fell, Might Guy's figure vanished from where he stood.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
Might Guy's passionate voice echoed throughout Group A.
His opponent was Obito, with whom he trained daily, so they understood each other very well. Therefore, Might Guy didn't opt for a probing attack and went all out from the start.
He instantly completed the speed-boosting tripled Soru and charged towards Obito, delivering his strongest kick.
"So fast!" The surrounding students were amazed by Might Guy's speed.
They felt like Might Guy had just teleported, his figure disappearing instantly from where he stood.
"What incredible Instant Body Jutsu!" Asuma was even more astounded.
He could also use Instant Body Jutsu, but his speed was nowhere near as fast as Might Guy's and required hand signs.
Obito's thoughts were the opposite of Might Guy's. While Might Guy wanted to close in with close combat, Obito aimed to use Soru to increase the distance and cast Ninjutsu.
However, since Obito was slightly slower, he was still hit by Might Guy's heel kick. Though he managed to block it with his arm, the kick had already sent his arm trembling uncontrollably.
Falling behind from the start made Obito's mind race, knowing that falling into Might Guy's rhythm of attack meant certain defeat. Therefore, Obito decisively used Soru twice in succession, creating a large gap between them.
Might Guy quickly followed, but Obito still managed to widen the distance because Might Guy only used Soru once.
"I've won," Might Guy judged in his heart.
Counting the first exchange, Obito had used Soru three times in a minute. Even though Might Guy's body was much stronger than Obito's, he didn't dare to use it like that. Afterward, Obito couldn't even run fast, let alone use Instant Body Jutsu.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Enduring the pain from his legs, Obito quickly formed seals to use Fire Release Ninjutsu, and a three-meter-high fireball shot out from his mouth.
The blazing fireball charged menacingly toward Might Guy.
Might Guy didn't panic, but instead, he focused on his surroundings, cautiously guarding against other attacks.
Having faced the Great Fireball many times, Might Guy knew that the technique was powerful but easy to dodge; the real concern was any other attacks that might come during that time.
But to Might Guy's surprise, Obito didn't attack during that time. When Obito re-entered Might Guy's sight, there were five of him on the field.
"Used the fireball to obscure vision and create Shadow Clones?" Might Guy quickly deduced Obito's plan.
The five Obitos spread out running, making it hard for Might Guy to distinguish the real one from the illusions.
Until Might Guy noticed one Obito running somewhat slower, with an occasional peculiar expression on his face.
"Found you!" Might Guy immediately gathered Chakra in his legs and used Soru to charge toward the slightly slower Obito, intending to catch him off guard and eliminate him directly.
Obito's recent successive uses of Soru had put a tremendous strain on his legs, making such issues quite expected.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Might Guy executed a Tornado Kick directly at Obito.
Obito seemed unprepared for Might Guy to discover him so quickly, and Might Guy's speed was so fast that he didn't have time to react, not even getting into a defensive stance.
Just as Might Guy thought the battle was over, his expression changed dramatically in the next moment.
Because at the instant he kicked Obito, the attacked Obito vanished.
"It's a trap, just a clone!" Might Guy quickly turned to search for the real Obito.
At that moment, the real Obito had already completed his Fire Release Ninjutsu not far from Might Guy.
"Fire Release: Mighty Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
Obito spit out a half-person-tall fire dragon, which charged rapidly toward Might Guy.
At close range, Might Guy could soon feel the dragon's heat, forcing him to use Soru, even with only two times its acceleration, ignoring the pain in his leg muscles to avoid the jutsu.
But the Mighty Dragon Fire was different from the Great Fireball. The dragon could change direction. As Might Guy's figure disappeared, Obito immediately controlled the Mighty Dragon Fire to turn and continue charging toward Might Guy.
"Water Release: Water Array Wall!"
Just as the dragon was about to reach Might Guy, a water wall rose, blocking the dragon.
Mokgetsu intervened.
Although Obito should have controlled the dragon to stop in front of Might Guy, Mokgetsu worried that Obito's poor condition would cause the jutsu to go out of control, so he directly preempted the dragon with a water barrier.
"Uchiha Obito wins!" Mokgetsu directly announced the result.
It's unclear whether Obito's previous training paid off or if Obito couldn't perform well when at a disadvantage. Still, when the odds were fifty-fifty, which he couldn't win, Mokgetsu thought Might Guy had a much greater chance of winning this time, but Obito turned the tables.
"Guy, this time I win," Obito expressed with a proud, laughing smile as he heard the battle result.
He had finally achieved victory over Might Guy in actual combat, and it was by turning the tables from a disadvantage!
But before Might Guy could say anything, Obito fell to the ground in the next second, fainting directly.
"Obito, are you alright?" Might Guy quickly rushed up to check his condition.
Mokgetsu appeared on the field, picked up Obito, and said, "It's likely due to excessive Chakra consumption leading to extreme physical fatigue. I'll take him to Konoha Hospital for a check-up."
Mokgetsu left a Shadow Clone behind to continue overseeing the actual combat test while he took Obito to the hospital.