Shuriken after shuriken spun like windmills, creating a dazzling display. Holding a kunai, Sarutobi Enjun dodged with the agility of a monkey, occasionally swinging his kunai to cut the elastic threads attached to the shuriken.
Uchiha-style shurikenjutsu was famous for a reason. In the previous sparring match with Uchiha Inabi, the latter had also shown shuriken throwing skills no less impressive than Uchiha Gen's, so Sarutobi Enjun was naturally on guard against this move.
Uchiha Gen, Sarutobi Enjun, and Uchiha Inabi were the "Iron Triangle" of this year's class, with comparable strength. Almost every practical combat exam saw the three of them as opponents, and they were very familiar with most of each other's methods. What he needed to do was stabilize his rhythm, find an opportunity, and release a ninjutsu powerful enough to decide the outcome of a battle at this level.
In the practical exercise of the last final exam, Uchiha Gen had not shown the ability to use a ninjutsu of the Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu's level. If he hadn't mastered such a ninjutsu during this time like his clansman Inabi, then Enjun was certain to take the top spot this time! Even if Gen had learned it, Sarutobi Enjun still had the confidence to win! No matter what, the advantage was his!
In the distance, Akimichi Choza curiously opened Sarutobi Enjun's water bottle.
"A drink I've never seen before, and the smell is different too."
Akimichi Choza extended a chubby finger to dip into the orange-yellow liquid in the water bottle, put it in his mouth to suck on it, and then immediately spat it out.
"It tastes terrible! Why is it oil!"
Uchiha Inabi, who had stepped back to rest, heard Choza's voice and immediately leaned over to take a sniff, his expression instantly darkening. It really was oil!
"No wonder. It turns out he's holding oil in his mouth, and specifically refined oil at that, which is why Enjun's katon power and duration were stronger than Inabi's. However, in actual combat, aside from the first use, it would probably be hard to find an opportunity to drink oil at other times," Kurama Murakumo said while looking at Sarutobi Enjun's bottle.
"Not necessarily. When actually performing a mission, there will definitely be teammates to help pin the enemy down, so there would be opportunities. I just don't know how Enjun came up with such a lousy idea," Nara Shikaku sat with his legs crossed and hands behind his head, leaning against the trunk of a large tree with a relaxed expression.
Uchiha Inabi said in a low voice, "It looks like Gen is going to lose too. I sparred with him once at the clan's training ground half a year ago. Although he also learned the Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu, his attainment in katon is probably even worse than mine."
His ninjutsu had been refined with the guidance of his jōnin father, who was proficient in fire-nature transformation, and its power had increased significantly compared to half a year ago. No matter how solid Uchiha Gen's foundation was, given the talent he had shown before everyone else—which was on par with his own—it would be impossible for him to surpass Inabi in such a short time without the guidance of a powerful katon ninja.
Unfortunately, Uchiha Gen was the one using cheats. As early as the beginning of this semester, he had saved up enough experience to raise his personal level to level eight and had drawn an item card.
Item Card: Skill Proficiency Card (Green)
Effect: Can be used on a mastered ninjutsu; can increase the proficiency of that ninjutsu to a certain extent during the following month of training.
Thud!
Uchiha Gen had used up most of his ninja tools, and Sarutobi Enjun had finally managed to close in on Gen after expending a great deal of physical strength through shifting and dodging. His taijutsu ability was recognized as the strongest in the class; even the other two Uchihas were slightly inferior.
Sarutobi Enjun needed to find the right timing to release his ninjutsu and also needed to close the distance to ensure the opponent would have difficulty dodging out of the range. Because he could only hold one mouthful of oil, if the first attempt failed, the power of any subsequent katon would drop by a level. He had to use his slight advantage in taijutsu to create this opportunity after closing the distance.
Clang!
The kunai collided, making a crisp and pleasant sound of clashing metal. Feeling the great force transmitted from the handle of the kunai, Uchiha Gen took a step back to deflect the force. Simultaneously, his left hand pulled another kunai from his tool pouch, his index finger hooked through the ring at the end of the handle, spinning it skillfully a few times to generate centrifugal force and increase its power before flicking his wrist to throw it out.
This kind of small kunai throwing trick didn't have much power and wasn't very lethal at a distance, but it was sufficient and more covert in close combat. Sarutobi Enjun was already alert; he pulled back and turned to dodge the kunai, while Uchiha Gen took this opportunity to step forward, turn, and deliver a side kick.
Thud!
A bit of dust rose as Sarutobi Enjun crossed his arms in front of him to block the strike, his steps quickly retreating while his hands began to form seals. This was a perfect opportunity to launch a ninjutsu, turn defense into offense, and secure victory in one fell swoop. However, this opportunity was also one created by Uchiha Gen to use ninjutsu.
"Snake - Ram - Monkey - Boar - Horse - Tiger!"
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
A fireball, two sizes larger than the one Uchiha Inabi had used earlier, erupted from Uchiha Gen's mouth, carrying a powerful momentum as it bore down on Sarutobi Enjun. The latter's Katon: Kadan compared to it was like a ping-pong ball versus a tennis ball, although the diameters were within the same order of magnitude, Uchiha Gen's fireball was clearly much larger.
Boom!
Endless light and heat erupted from where the two fireballs met. Under the high temperature, sweat soon broke out on Sarutobi Enjun's forehead. This power was so strong it didn't seem like something an academy student could produce!
In the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe, squinting his eyes as he stared at the fireball released by Uchiha Gen in the crystal ball. As a world-class ninjutsu master proficient in all five elemental natures, he could see through the shape and color of this fireball that it did not involve nature transformation, and its shape transformation wasn't particularly outstanding either.
This was normal; after all, he was just an academy student about to graduate as a genin. It would be truly bizarre if he had mastered nature transformation at the jōnin level. But this was precisely what made it so remarkable.
"This talent for ninjutsu... is probably not much worse than Orochimaru's was back then," Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his thick beard.
An Uchiha with such talent must be brought into the Hokage faction, influenced, and turned into one of their own. Otherwise, if an uncontrollable Uchiha truly emerged, he might one day become a second Madara. He must be tied more closely to the Hokage faction.
"Kome Aki should be able to understand my meaning, and his ability is sufficient, but if we want to deepen the bond between Uchiha Gen and the Hokage lineage, it seems we'll have to choose someone else."