"Speaking of which, who's the class champion of Class Two this time?" Shiranui Genma asked with curiosity on his face.
"It's Guy," Nohara Rin answered.
"Obito lost? Then it seems this time's actual combat champion is still Guy," thought Shiranui Genma after getting the answer.
The class combat was just yesterday. There's no way someone who lost yesterday could win today, right?
As time kept passing and battles continued to unfold, soon only Uchiha Obito and Might Guy were left for the final showdown.
Might Guy and Obito drew good lots this time; they didn't encounter each other early and both made it to the end.
"Student Might Guy, Student Uchiha Obito, prepare for the exam!" the proctor shouted.
"Obito, go on. Do your best!" Nohara Rin encouraged Obito with a smile.
Obito nodded back with a smile, not saying much as he seriously walked onto the battleground.
Yesterday's failure left Obito unwilling to accept it. He could perceive that in terms of strength, he wasn't weaker than Might Guy, possibly even stronger.
After going back and summarizing the reasons for his failure, Obito realized he had underestimated Might Guy, thinking that just leading in progress guaranteed victory.
In reality, the gap between them wasn't that wide.
"Guy, thank you for going all out yesterday, but today is different," Obito said, regaining a confident smile on his face.
Today, he would absolutely not underestimate Guy, nor would he lose the battle in front of Nohara Rin and Mokgetsu!
"Youth is all about this, fighting with all one's strength!" Might Guy gave Obito a thumbs-up, as he could already feel Obito's fighting spirit.
"The battle starts!"
Whoosh!
As soon as the proctor finished speaking, Might Guy's body instantly vanished from where he stood.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
An enthusiastic shout came from Obito's side, along with an incredibly fast Tornado Kick.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Instead of dodging, Obito quickly kicked out a Tornado Kick of his own.
Bam!
The two legs collided, the powerful impact creating a gust of wind that swept the dust off the ground.
"Starting with the Breathing Technique already, huh." Feeling Obito's unusual strength, Might Guy understood Obito had entered the Breath of Flame state.
Under the force, both retreated slightly.
But this distance was too short for them. Obito wrapped energy around his leg, concentrated chakra on his foot, and instantly appeared in front of Might Guy with a fierce punch.
Might Guy raised his arm to block, feeling the strength from Obito's arm, revealing a look of excitement. No wonder it's a secret technique that took two months of hard practice; under the Breathing Technique's boost, Obito's Taijutsu could now contend with him.
"I can't hold back either." Might Guy concentrated chakra in his hand, then punched Obito back, drastically changing his breathing pace.
A large amount of oxygen rushed into Might Guy's body, strengthening every cell. He could feel endless power welling up, overflowing within him.
After using the Breathing Technique, Might Guy's speed and power both surged, with just punching and kicking bringing gusts of wind with them.
"How did they become so strong!" Hyuga Kamon looked shocked as if he'd seen a ghost.
He astonishingly realized that the Might Guy who defeated him with just one kick and punch hadn't even been fighting at full strength in their bout.
The speed and power displayed in Might Guy and Obito's battle far exceeded what he'd faced.
He even felt like now, Obito could defeat him with Taijutsu alone, knowing Obito was actually more skilled in Ninjutsu.
"It's been less than three months. How did it become like this..." Hyuga Kamon couldn't accept it.
Last semester, he had even been the top of his grade, but this semester, he had fallen so far behind, even with his uncle's help in training.
"Haven't you noticed? Everyone's gotten much stronger," Kamon's friend said.
"During the last holiday, didn't the school organize a summer training camp led by Teacher Mokgetsu? It worked really well; Teacher Mokgetsu is genuinely strong."
Hyuga Kamon recalled today's class combat, noticing everyone's overall strength had indeed increased. He'd encountered Shiranui Genma in the first round before and won handily, but today he had to fight tooth and nail.
"By the way, Kamon, why didn't you go? I remember everyone else seemed to?"
Hyuga Kamon didn't answer his friend. Listening, he wondered if making the same choice as everyone else would've been better.
He had troubled his uncle to spare time to help him train, yet instead of closing the gap, his distance from Might Guy and others only grew larger.
At this moment, the battle between Might Guy and Obito reached a fever pitch, with both using their Breathing Techniques and giving it their all.
"Fire Release: Impatiens Fire Jutsu!"
With the Breath of Flame's boost, Obito's nature transformation speed increased, spitting out many small fireballs, forcing Might Guy to almost never stop moving.
After casting Impatiens Fire Jutsu, Obito paused briefly while Might Guy seized the moment to charge forward.
"Fierce·Leaf Vajra Whirlwind." He concentrated a large amount of chakra on his leg, covering it with chakra's glow, executing his most powerful kick.
Before learning the Breath of Flame, Obito would've distanced himself using Soru, but now apologies, the faster nature transformation really helps.
Obito extended his palm, wrapping it with chakra first, then quickly concentrated chakra for nature transformation.
Masses of flames erupted from Obito's palm, swinging it towards Might Guy's leg.
Obito felt immense pressure on his palm but trusted Might Guy felt similar discomfort; his flames weren't something to mess with.
Feeling the flames' temperature, Might Guy's expression changed. Quickly switching stances, his right fist swung towards Obito.
Obito used Soru to dodge instantly, and Might Guy also used Soru to give chase, but Obito noticed Might Guy pause momentarily.
Though brief, Obito still caught it, familiar as he was with Might Guy.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Obito seized the opportunity to launch another Fire Release Ninjutsu, a massive fireball over three meters tall hurdling towards Might Guy.
Strike when the iron is hot; while Might Guy was injured, Obito feigned an attack with the Great Fireball, then combined the Breathing Technique with Soru, forcing Might Guy into continuous retreat.
The sporadic flames from his palm and mouth made it hard for Might Guy to cope. The more injured he got, the more he fell behind. Despite his strong fighting will, his increasingly tired physique couldn't sustain the battle. His breathing became erratic.
"Uchiha Obito wins!" Finally, the proctor declared Obito's victory.
"How did Obito lose yesterday? Didn't he win beautifully?" Shiranui Genma was puzzled.
Throughout the battle, Obito rarely ended up at a disadvantage; he seemed stronger than Might Guy.
"Who knows, maybe he lacked information on Might Guy yesterday?" Ebisu wasn't certain, but information indeed plays a crucial role in battles.
"They're truly outstanding students. Uchiha Obito has excelled in both Taijutsu and Ninjutsu to an exceptional degree. Though Might Guy didn't show off his Ninjutsu skills, his Taijutsu level is something unheard of for a student," the proctor sighed.
The teachers beside him nodded in agreement, recognizing that the two had pulled far ahead of the other students.
Although Might Guy lost, they also felt his strength was beyond what a typical student could rival.
"Obito, you finally got first place," Nohara Rin smiled, feeling happy for Obito.
Teacher Mokgetsu, who had been silently watching the battle, also smiled with satisfaction. Obito this time didn't mess up at the crucial moment, demonstrating his true strength by defeating Might Guy.
After Obito's victory over Might Guy, his cultivation task was immediately settled.