"Not bad, truly not bad at all." Suspended in mid-air, Sasuke suddenly burst into wild laughter. To the onlookers' stunned gazes, the lightning around his body abruptly surged, and soon, his entire form was enveloped in thunder.
"Swish!" The bandages wrapped around Lee's waist were instantly scorched black by the volatile lightning. The entire venue gradually filled with static electricity, and the ceiling above was directly blasted open by lightning, revealing the azure sky. In the next moment, the tranquil sky changed drastically; a mass of dark clouds swirled above, brewing with roiling thunder.
"Boom!" Sasuke, now a flash of lightning, landed with a crash, kicking up a large cloud of dust. Dense static electricity danced across the ground, creating a palpable sense of unease. Rock Lee, his hands numb from the lightning, stood a short distance away, aghast. The entire venue flickered continuously with blinding lightning, the crackling sounds echoing all around. ANBU operatives hastily used various defensive ninjutsu to help the other genin withstand the lightning that might strike at any moment. If these genin were heavily injured while spectating, Konoha would lose face if word got out.
"It's that jutsu." Gaara, who had been expressionless all along, finally reacted, ripples disturbing his calm eyes. This was the ninjutsu that had knocked him out and caused Shukaku to go berserk.
Kirin!
Bathed in lightning, Sasuke resembled a war god as he slowly raised his head.
"In terms of Taijutsu, I am inferior to you. But don't forget, what I excel at most is… ninjutsu."
"Lightning Release: Kirin."
Sasuke raised his right hand towards the churning thundercloud in the sky. In an instant, the sky flashed with thunder and lightning. The electricity within the thundercloud continuously spread, forming a Kirin.
"Careful now, Little Lee. Don't die."
The Kirin plummeted with a deafening roar.
Rock Lee, locked on as the target, his expression changing drastically, could only roar and attempt to withstand it head-on. After years of arduous training, his body's resistance to blows was already monstrous! Perhaps! He could withstand Kirin!
"BOOM!"
An earth-shattering explosion erupted, followed by the crackling and sizzling of electrical currents. The entire area exploded violently, the electrical light so dazzling that even the Third Hokage and the others couldn't help but shield their eyes. Countless pieces of rubble were blasted apart by the current, hurtling towards the audience in the stands.
"Oh, favored child of heaven, iron-forged ramparts! Dragon's stride, lion's roar, tiger's howl, wolf's dash! Ere they crumble, sever the sky from the earth!"
"Bakudo Number 81: Danku." Naruto's calm voice resonated amidst the piercing explosions.
In the next instant, a towering glass-like wall appeared directly in front of Naruto's section of the stands, shielding all the ninja there.
"Boom!" The electricity and debris crashed against Danku, instantly dissipating as if they had never existed.
Naruto, having done all this, still looked completely at ease, not even flushed or out of breath.
"Thank goodness Naruto is here," the Konoha Twelve couldn't help but exclaim. Frankly, without Naruto's protection, they would have been in a sorry state under that rampant electrical current. Sasuke and Rock Lee's strength had far surpassed that of genin. Even among Chunin, they would definitely be considered top-tier.
"Truly astonishing talent," the Third Hokage murmured to himself. If the Uchiha clan hadn't been massacred, there would be far too many geniuses within the clan now. Such an Uchiha clan… was truly dangerous. "I hope Sasuke and Naruto have formed a bond," the Third said, looking at Sasuke with some apprehension. History had shown that the Uchiha's predisposition to obsession was terrifying. When they possessed great power, they inevitably 'succumbed to their illness' like Uchiha Madara, committing acts that violated ethics and were horrifically cruel. This forced the Third to be vigilant.
"Boom, boom, boom!" After the initial explosion, the thunder stirred up debris, causing secondary explosions. Tiny cracks even began to appear on the walls of the entire venue.
When the electrical light dissipated and the explosions ceased, two tall figures stood in the arena. Rock Lee had his arms crossed protectively in front of him, his eyes tightly shut.
"That's… Guy-sensei!" Following Tenten's cry of alarm, Lee dazedly opened his eyes. Feeling no pain on his body, he realized that Guy and Kakashi had shielded him, blocking the impact of Kirin.
At Kakashi's signal, the referee nodded and announced, "This match, Uchiha Sasuke, wins!"
Seeing this, Kakashi finally lowered his hands, his face somewhat pale. He wasn't a ninja particularly skilled in defensive jutsu, and blocking Sasuke's Kirin had consumed a considerable amount of his chakra, further straining his already weakened constitution.
"I lost," Rock Lee said dejectedly, lowering his hands, his voice soft.
"No, Little Lee! In my eyes, you did not lose! You perfectly unleashed your youth!" Guy, tears streaming down his face, hugged Lee, sobbing uncontrollably. "I saw your burning youth! Your resolve!!!"
Rock Lee's mouth twitched slightly. He gently pushed Guy away and slowly walked towards the stands.
Guy wiped his tears and followed Kakashi back to the stands, his hands trembling slightly behind his back. He was inwardly shocked; he and Kakashi had defended jointly, yet Kirin had still managed to injure them. He currently felt his blood roiling within him, and the numbness in his hands was extremely intense. He looked at Sasuke with considerable shock, marveling at his talent and speed of improvement.
Kakashi and Guy exchanged a look, both their eyes filled with surprise. Clearly, even Kakashi hadn't anticipated his own student would be this outstanding.
Silence fell over the stands. The hearts of the other genin had sunk to rock bottom. Barring any surprises, they had no chance in these Chunin Exams.
The Chunin Exams proceeded as usual, and the subsequent genin battles seemed much more ordinary. At least they were back-and-forth contests.
Sakura and Ino faced each other. After undergoing even more rigorous training, Sakura, following an exhilarating and empathetic battle with Ino, ultimately won by spamming medical ninjutsu on herself, literally outlasting Ino until she collapsed from exhaustion.
After this battle, Sakura also realized that her offensive capabilities were severely lacking.
At a gathering after the fights, Sakura voiced her inner frustrations. "Right now, I only know medical ninjutsu. I don't have many offensive ninjutsu."
"Your talent in medical ninjutsu is excellent. As support for a ninja squad, it's already sufficient. You can just learn a few ninjutsu later. There's really no need to overly pursue offensive jutsu," Jiraiya, having just finished his "research," was in a good mood and offered his advice.
"That won't do! If Naruto and Sasuke lose their ability to fight in the future, then who will face the enemy?" Sakura retorted righteously.
"Er… Sakura, while your sentiment is heartwarming, I must remind you, that possibility is practically zero," Kakashi said lazily.
"Am I just going to stay like this? In the future, I might not even be able to beat Ino," Sakura said, looking dejected.
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you talking about? What do you mean, 'not even be able to beat Ino'?!" Veins throbbed on Ino's forehead.
"Hiss… well, it's not like there's no way to get stronger," Jiraiya suddenly mused, an image of a certain magnanimous, well-endowed beauty appearing in his mind. "If you could become her disciple, then all your problems would be solved."