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"The next match is about to begin—Akamatsu Yusuke versus Midorima Asachi! Their overall combat ratings are 8.2 and 6.0, respectively. Place your bets now if you're interested!" The bookmaker outside the arena shouted loudly.
"6.0? Isn't that the lowest tier?"
"Exactly! How does someone so weak even dare to step onto the battlefield?"
Hearing the jeers from the crowd, the bookmaker smirked. "Oh, and let me give you all a little insider info… This Midorima Asachi is actually a member of the medical corps."
"What? A medical ninja in the selection matches? Doesn't Kirigakure have any standards?"
"Forget betting on who wins or loses—that's too boring. Let's bet on whether someone dies instead! The gap between these two is huge, so this kind of wager isn't unreasonable, right?"
Outside the arena, the difference in strength between Midorima Asachi and Akamatsu Yusuke was laid bare. But inside the spectator stands, an eerie silence had fallen. Nearly every pair of eyes was glued to the match, unable to look away.
As soon as the referee shouted, "Begin!" Akamatsu launched his assault.
At first, he remembered his five-minute agreement with Igawa—to first exhaust Midorima's stamina, then slowly torment him before delivering the final blow in the fourth minute.
But after exchanging a few moves, Akamatsu realized things weren't going as planned.
He appeared to be the aggressor, dominating the fight on the surface, yet every one of his strikes seemed to hit nothing but air, barely grazing Midorima's clothes without dealing any real damage.
This frustration made Akamatsu impatient, and the pressure from the VIP seats only intensified his anxiety.
He had promised Igawa that he would kill Midorima within a minute.
Even though Igawa had extended the time limit to five minutes, what Igawa wanted to see was a one-sided slaughter—not this seemingly intense but ultimately ineffective battle.
As time passed, Akamatsu's unease grew. The ticking clock and Igawa's expectations suffocated him.
The only way to escape this suffocation was to kill the man in front of him!
No… I can't keep dragging this out. If this continues, I might lose…
The moment this thought surfaced, a chill ran down Akamatsu's spine.
Before stepping into the arena, losing had never crossed his mind.
No… I have to do something.
"Are you alright? You don't look so good," Midorima remarked, noticing Akamatsu's twisted expression—his brows furrowed, his face contorted in rage.
He looked like a man struggling on the toilet, unable to finish his business.
Could he be constipated? I wonder if the match can be paused…
For a brief moment, Midorima felt a twinge of sympathy for Akamatsu.
"Shut up!" Akamatsu roared, forming hand seals. "Wind Cutter Technique!"
Blades of wind slashed toward Midorima at high speed.
Midorima didn't dare take it lightly. He quickly formed his own seals. "Water Wall Jutsu!"
"How can you block my attack?!" Akamatsu bellowed.
The strength of the Water Wall depended heavily on the user's chakra reserves. In his eyes, Midorima was just a medical ninja—someone who shouldn't have enough chakra to withstand his assault.
Even if the Water Wall managed to stop his first attack, Akamatsu could simply launch another and finish Midorima off in one go.
By now, the idea of "torturing" Midorima had completely vanished from his mind. As long as he killed Midorima, even if the execution wasn't perfect, Igawa wouldn't hold it against him.
But if he failed… Akamatsu could already foresee his fate. After wasting so much of Igawa's resources, if he didn't deliver, even if he survived, his career in the Anbu would be over.
For this reason, he was willing to die if it meant taking Midorima down with him.
The Wind Cutter Technique struck the Water Wall—only to be swallowed whole, failing to penetrate it.
Seeing this, Akamatsu realized Midorima was stronger than he had anticipated.
But he was already like an arrow loosed from the bow—there was no turning back.
If this had happened before Igawa's training, Akamatsu might have panicked.
But now? Absolutely not.
He still had a trump card.
Akamatsu swiftly formed another set of hand seals, took a deep breath, and exhaled toward the Water Wall.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
A sharp, scythe-like gust of wind tore through the air, slamming into the Water Wall. At the same time, without pause, Akamatsu formed yet another set of seals.
The arena, constructed for easy repairs using earth-release techniques, suddenly trembled as the ground beneath them surged upward. Massive chunks of earth and stone coalesced into a colossal dragon, several meters long.
The dragon reared its head—the Water Wall barely reached half its height.
In the stands, Mei Terumī shot to her feet, cold sweat running down her back.
Anyone familiar with Midorima knew he specialized in water-release and medical ninjutsu.
In other words, his only offensive elemental technique was water-release. And chakra natures had inherent strengths and weaknesses—earth-release countered water-release.
When two opponents had similar chakra levels, water-release struggled to break through earth-release defenses. Worse, earth could absorb water, weakening water-based techniques further.
It seemed Akamatsu had undergone specialized training just to counter Midorima.
On the battlefield, the Vacuum Wave sliced through the Water Wall like a blade, and the earth dragon surged forward immediately after.
BOOM!
The dragon crashed into the ground, the impact echoing like thunder across the arena, reverberating for what felt like an eternity.
Spectators covered their ears, their heads ringing. Those in the front rows were even "treated" to a mouthful of dust and debris.
Akamatsu didn't stop there. He charged straight into the swirling dust cloud.
"Midorima Asachi, DIE!"
His shout was drowned out by the echoes as he accelerated into the haze. A swirling vortex of wind gathered at his fingertips, spinning rapidly—the moment he spotted Midorima, he would hurl this Wind Blade at him.
Suddenly, a shadowy figure darted past him. Without hesitation, Akamatsu flung the Wind Blade.
The figure dissolved into a splash of water, drenching his face.
A fake?! A water clone?
Damn it!
Akamatsu suddenly remembered—water clones couldn't stray too far from the original. That meant Midorima was nearby!
Before he could react, someone appeared behind him.
"Earth Release: Hardening Technique!"
Akamatsu braced himself, taking the hit—only to realize something was wrong. The attack was far too weak.
Another water clone?!
For a moment, Akamatsu was paralyzed with confusion.
"Let's end this. Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"
A massive sphere of water engulfed Akamatsu in an instant.
He thrashed wildly, but his consciousness began to fade.