"After this battle, we can leave. The winner will surely be ranked first."
"I heard both of them are interns under Yumi-sensei. Obito's Taijutsu has clearly improved. Although Guy hasn't shown much, he should have made progress too. It's just unclear if his progress matches Obito's."
The students watching were all looking forward to their fight.
Since Guy and Obito often have matches with victories and defeats on both sides, and their strength far surpasses other students, it's quite a spectacle.
"Guy, you haven't forgotten the restrictions, have you? Don't get too excited and end up unlocking the Second Gate directly," Obito reminded before the battle began.
He could control himself from using Sharingan, but he was concerned that Guy might forget the restrictions in his excitement and unlock the Second Gate accidentally.
"After this battle, don't underestimate me in this aspect. I have already taken it as self-restraint to heart!" Guy smiled and gave himself a thumbs-up.
After a brief exchange, both of them were ready to begin the Seal of Confrontation.
The proctor sensei, seeing that both had assumed their stances, shouted, "Begin!" after approximately twenty seconds.
As soon as the proctor sensei's words fell, Obito and Guy swiftly adjusted their breathing and entered the Breathing Technique state.
"Flame Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing!" Obito directly engaged in the highly stamina-consuming concentrated breathing state.
After undergoing constant training for some time, Obito felt that his endurance in Breathing Techniques should have improved.
Boom! Boom!
Their figures constantly flickered, moving extremely swiftly as they continuously threw punches and kicks.
Although they were old rivals who had fought countless times, not only in practical exams at school but also in various combat training sessions arranged by Mutsuki, they tacitly began with a probing wave of attacks.
Because they both knew the other had significantly increased in strength, although Obito couldn't activate Sharingan, he could utilize the increased Chakra in his body, and his progress in Breathing Techniques and Yin Release was substantial.
Although Guy couldn't use the Second Gate of the Eight Inner Gates, his Breathing Techniques had improved, and his physical stamina had become stronger.
After a round of probing, both sides gained some confidence.
"First Gate of the Eight Inner Gates, Open! Gate of Opening!" Guy directly activated the Eight Inner Gates, further enhancing his body's strength.
Obito, concluding the probing phase, quickly moved back to create distance.
Because the ground was flat and the area not too large, he needed enough space to have time to release Ninjutsu, preventing himself from being instantly taken down by Guy's full-force attack.
With a disadvantage in terrain, he needed to be fully prepared.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Obito gathered Chakra in his throat, swiftly performing Nature Transformation, unleashing a roaring giant fireball of blazing flames.
Watching the incoming Great Fireball, Guy remained calm. He knew this Ninjutsu was just a feint, and he had to be careful of what came next.
Whoosh!
Guy unleashed Chakra in his legs, boosting his already high speed even further, swiftly dodging the enormous fireball charging towards him.
"So fast! It feels like he appears in another place with just a blink of an eye!" The watching students marveled at the terrifying strength of Guy's physique.
Swish! Swish! Swish!!
Obito continuously threw Shuriken with his right hand to disrupt Guy's movements, but Guy evaded them all with lightning-fast speed and closed the distance towards Obito.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
Suddenly, Obito opened his mouth and spat out small fireballs rapidly towards Guy.
Guy felt a slight surprise in his heart. He knew this Ninjutsu; it wasn't some No Seal Ninjutsu.
But when he saw Obito's left hand hidden behind him, he immediately understood everything.
In the past, Obito liked to use Kunai One Handed Seals to unleash the Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson. This time, he chose not to use ninja tools, breaking his usual habit to catch Guy off guard.
Guy understood what was happening, but the surrounding students were immediately shocked by Obito's tactics.
"What's going on? I didn't see Obito form any seals. How did he release Fire Release? Don't you need seals for Ninjutsu?" A surprised student exclaimed.
"Yeah, I saw him still throwing Shuriken. How could he suddenly spit out fireballs?" Shiranui Genma wore a pensive expression.
Not only were the students surprised and confused, but even the sensei were bewildered, not understanding what was happening.
"How could Uchiha Obito release Fire Release Ninjutsu without seals?" One sensei asked incredulously.
"Chitani-sensei, he's a student in your class. Do you know anything about this?" Another sensei beside Chitani Isamu inquired.
"Well, his current strength mainly comes from his own efforts. Maybe it's also due to advanced Fire Release techniques typical of the Uchiha," Chitani Isamu improvised for a moment before responding.
When others asked him, he didn't quite understand either, so he could only come up with a plausible answer.
"That's possible indeed. After all, the Uchiha Clan excels in Fire Release," remarked the questioning sensei, feeling Chitani Isamu's explanation made sense.
"It's true that it could be considered as advanced Fire Release techniques, but it's not No Seal Ninjutsu; rather, it's One Handed Seals. You can recall that just now Obito was using only one hand to throw Shuriken," Mutsuki interjected, offering an explanation.
"The essence of forming seals lies in guiding Chakra. If one has sufficient understanding of Ninjutsu, they can perform One Handed Seals. However, it might affect the power of the Ninjutsu," Mutsuki continued, providing some lesser-known knowledge of the ninja world.
This was considered a niche piece of ninja knowledge, not entirely far-fetched. The advantage of One Handed Seals lies mainly in the covert activation of Ninjutsu. True experts can form seals quickly and possess strong Taijutsu, rarely finding themselves unable to use Ninjutsu. Moreover, the most skilled can even simplify or avoid forming seals without compromising the technique's power.
Obito was actually taking advantage of this, with the boost of Flame Breathing.
"You really observe closely, Yumi-sensei," Chitani Isamu pondered and found Mutsuki's explanation reasonable.
"Wait, isn't Uchiha Obito one of the interns you, Chief Mutsuki, are mentoring? Could this technique..." The Chunin sensei beside them looked at Mutsuki with astonishment.
"It's actually not some extraordinary technique. With practice, everyone has the chance to learn it," Mutsuki smiled and replied.
In the present moment, he needed to gradually enhance his own apparent strength. Whenever there was an opportunity, he could step forward to explain some combat aspects, showcasing his ninja knowledge.
"Stone Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing!"
At close range, facing the incoming small fireballs, Guy could only concentrate his breathing to enhance his physical strength.
At this point, besides the Second Gate of the Eight Inner Gates, he had already unleashed all his power.
With Total Concentration Breathing in effect, Guy's momentum immediately became even stronger.
Total Concentration Breathing doesn't provide a static increase in power; it becomes stronger with the improvement of Breathing Techniques. Nowadays, Guy's Breathing Technique is much stronger than when he first started as a beginner.
Guy concentrated Chakra in his feet, kicking and exploding the first two fireballs that arrived. Then, he burst into swift dodges to evade the following fireballs, dealing head-on with those he couldn't avoid.
Stone Breathing greatly enhances the body, not just in strength and speed, but in overall physical reinforcement. Therefore, his defensive capabilities also increase. In gaming terms, it's like not only boosting attack power but also increasing life and defense.
With Chakra amplification and the enhancement of Stone Breathing, Guy appeared battered on the surface but actually hadn't suffered any injuries that could affect the battle.
"Guy's body is so strong! He kicked away several fireballs and can still run so fast. Wasn't he burned by Fire Release?"
Obito's One Handed Seals Fire Release surprised everyone, while Guy's resilience against Fire Release also astonished the watching students.
Just as everyone thought the situation was about to change, Obito retreated while swiftly forming hand seals.
"Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"
Obito immediately used this Genjutsu he had recently learned on Guy.
Currently, everything was still under his control. Forcing a retreat with the Great Fireball, launching a sudden attack with Phoenix Sage Fire that compelled Guy to exert full effort and sustain injury—now was the perfect time to use Genjutsu.
Guy suddenly felt as though a large tree had sprouted from the ground, binding him tightly and leaving him unable to move.
"Haha, I kept this specifically for the grade-level practical combat to secure the top spot," Obito couldn't help but reveal a triumphant smile.
During yesterday's class practical combat with Guy, he deliberately saved this move for use in the grade-level practical combat.
Obito approached Guy with Kunai in hand. In the eyes of others, the giant tree didn't exist; to the spectators, Guy simply stopped running suddenly.
When he held the Kunai against Guy's neck, the proctor sensei would declare his victory.
"What's going on? Why did Guy suddenly stop moving?" Shiranui Genma felt that the battle between the two had become strange.
"It must be a Genjutsu. Looks like Obito is going to win," Ebisu speculated.
Although his practical combat abilities were average, Ebisu was strong in theoretical knowledge and instantly realized that Guy had fallen victim to Genjutsu.
"Genjutsu Release!"
Just as Obito was already celebrating in his mind, Guy, who had appeared dazed moments ago, suddenly regained clarity in his eyes.
"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"
Guy's Chakra surged as he swiftly kicked out a Whirlwind Kick.
Having suffered from Genjutsu before, he had specifically learned from Mutsuki how to deal with and release Genjutsu-type attacks.
Guy's sudden burst caught Obito off guard, who thought he had already won. He could only protect himself by crossing his arms in front of his chest to defend against Guy's attack.
Bang!
Under Guy's powerful kick, Obito was sent flying backwards. Seizing the momentum, Guy leaped up and delivered a mid-air elbow strike, causing Obito to plummet rapidly.
Boom!
Obito crashed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Unable to get up, Obito lay defeated on the ground, while Guy stood beside him. The outcome of the battle was clear.
"Guy wins!" announced the proctor sensei.
"It seems Obito still needs to improve his combat skills," Mutsuki thought to himself.
Although the terrain favored Guy and Obito initially gained an advantage through unconventional tactics, which seemed to secure his victory, he ultimately lost in the final exchange.
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