Chapter 98: Mixed Sparring

A mirror appeared out of thin air not far from Mū. Torifū emerged halfway from it, smiling as he said, "I'm here."

Torifū extended his hand, and a crystal snake darted out from his sleeve, coiling around Mū before biting down hard on his arm! Seeing this, Torifū was overjoyed, because the crystal snake was now drawing Mū's blood, which meant Torifū would soon possess a puppet capable of using Dust Release ninjutsu.

"I concede."

By this point, Mū's chakra was depleted. Continuing to hold on would be meaningless, only resulting in a senseless beating. Hearing this, Torifū withdrew the crystal snake and used the crystal vines to gently lower Mū to the ground. Enough blood had been absorbed; activating the puppet would be no problem. Since his opponent had conceded, there was no need to continue.

Ninja skilled in medical ninjutsu immediately rushed onto the training ground, helping Mū to the side to begin treatment. Kagami then walked to the center of the training ground and announced Torifū's victory.

"The Hokage-sama's apprentice is truly extraordinary," Ishikawa said, though there was a hint of bitterness in his tone, it was still heartfelt. He had always considered his successor to be the strongest among young ninja, believing he would surely lead Iwagakure to glory. He never expected to be defeated today by a seven-year-old child.

"Tsuchikage-sama, you flatter him. Torifū merely took advantage of the terrain. Without the limitations of the training ground, I imagine the outcome would have been different," Hashirama said, offering words of comfort, but in his heart, he thought nothing of the sort. He knew his own disciple's capabilities. Torifū hadn't even used his Cloud Release yet, let alone half of his myriad bizarre ninjutsu. Even in a real battlefield, Mū would likely suffer the same fate. Or perhaps even worse, dying instantly.

The Raikage and Kazekage didn't interject in the conversation between the Tsuchikage and Hokage. After all, it wasn't their concern, and saying too much might offend someone. However, they couldn't just sit there idly, so they decided to be fair, praising both Mū and Torifū.

The Mizukage, meanwhile, stared at Torifū for a long time. He wanted to know just how much power this young child possessed. After all, his successor, Hōzuki Gengetsu, was still in a coma after his battle with Mū. Whether he would even wake up was uncertain, yet this child had seemingly defeated Mū with ease. Judging by that confident demeanor, he surely had many trump cards he hadn't even used.

Torifū left the training ground and sat down in the spectator stands. The ground was now covered in cracks and impact craters from their battle. After a few Earth Release ninja made some quick repairs to make the field usable again, Kagami announced that the next two contestants should take the stage.

By this time, Mū's injuries had been treated, though he still appeared somewhat weak as his chakra hadn't fully recovered. Mū sat not far from Torifū, intently observing A and Shamon, who were preparing to battle on stage. Torifū didn't deliberately try to get close to Mū; after all, he had just beaten him, so approaching him now probably wasn't a good idea. So they both just ignored each other.

The battle on stage was on the verge of erupting. Lightning Release had no particular advantage over Wind Release, so the two were essentially evenly matched. One was the successor to the First Raikage, the other to the First Kazekage, essentially a clash between two villages. A had always known the Land of Wind to be incredibly poor and not known for producing powerful ninja, so he engaged Shamon in taunts and distractions while fighting.

"The guys from Kumogakure are all simple-minded and all brawn," a clear, cold voice said from behind Torifū.

Torifū turned around to find Getsuji standing behind him, smiling.

"May I sit here?"

"Of course."

Before Torifū could ask his purpose, Getsuji spoke, "They're probably planning to take me out first later. Do you want to team up with me?" His objective was clear: he was actively approaching Torifū for protection. If Mū had won, Getsuji would probably have made the same choice. However, his judgment was accurate: everyone else's stamina was low, while Getsuji was at full health and chakra. In such a situation, a normal person would choose to activate and defeat him first, otherwise, no matter how they fought, the advantage would go to him. So, if Getsuji's idea of finding someone to team up with was presented to someone else, they would definitely refuse.

But Torifū didn't mind. His chakra consumption from the previous fight was only about 2 or 3 cards. His chakra reserves were still abundant, not to mention they could gradually recover.

"Sure, I don't mind."

Seeing Torifū agree so readily, Getsuji smiled again. Teaming up with Torifū would mean facing attacks from three people, so once Torifū's chakra ran out, he could then launch a sneak attack, and victory would be his. Kirigakure didn't care about backstabbing not being the act of a "true man." After all, Kirigakure's signature technique, the Hidden Mist Jutsu, was all about sneak attacks for one-hit kills in dense fog.

The two chatted idly in the spectator stands as the battle on the field entered a heated phase. A's Lightning Release Chakra Mode crackled around him, while a swirling wind storm formed a protective barrier around Shamon. Both unleashed their final powerful attacks! Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and winds raged! The entire field was obscured by flying sand and stones, making it impossible to see anything. Large amounts of lightning still occasionally burst from the flying sand, making it impossible for anyone to approach.

When the flying sand and lightning gradually dissipated, everyone saw that Shamon and A had both collapsed. Medical personnel rushed onto the field to treat them. They initially thought it would take a lot of effort, but after examination, they found that the two had merely fainted from chakra exhaustion. There were almost no external injuries.

"What a spectacular match. The Raikage and Kazekage must have put a lot of effort into training their apprentices, didn't they?"

Hearing Hashirama say this, the Raikage felt a surge of pride. "Naturally, I've invested a lot of effort into him." He then laughed loudly, "But it seems he still needs more training."

"You should also be careful not to overwork the youngsters; they need proper rest," Byakuren advised the Raikage like a health expert, detailing various potential harms. The short-tempered Raikage couldn't stand such nagging and was about to retort when Hashirama intervened.

"Let's just observe the match."

With that very brief statement, the Raikage settled down.

About an hour later, A, Shamon, and the others had mostly recovered their stamina. At this point, Kagami stepped onto the field and announced the next set of rules.

"Next is the final round of sparring, a mixed sparring mode."

"The five of you can choose to form temporary teams or fight individually, but only one person can emerge victorious."

"And the ultimate winner will receive a reward from Hokage-sama!"

A had long been unable to suppress his desire for battle. The draw with Shamon earlier had left him very frustrated.

"Let's get started!"