Naruto: Strength Through Teaching

"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"

Asuma swiftly gathered Chakra in his hands to perform Wind Nature Transformation, unleashing a series of transparent air blasts towards Obito.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"

Obito concentrated a large amount of Chakra in his throat, then performed Fire Nature Transformation, spewing out fireballs from his mouth.

Boom!!

The air blasts and fireballs collided continuously, creating explosions as both moved while maintaining their Chakra output, immediately creating many small craters on the ground.

Obito's fireballs were both more powerful and more numerous than Asuma's Vacuum Sphere, and soon Asuma was caught in the explosion, sustaining some minor injuries.

These minor injuries were nothing, but they interfered with Asuma's use of Ninjutsu.

Without the Vacuum Sphere to counter some of the fireballs, five or six small fireballs immediately flew towards Asuma.

Asuma had to quickly expend Chakra to use Wind Release to accelerate himself to dodge, but Obito, with his Sharingan, saw through Asuma's evasion route.

Whoosh!

Obito swiftly appeared beside Asuma's dodging position and suddenly threw a powerful punch.

Bang!

Faced with such an attack, even with the acceleration from Wind Release, Asuma couldn't dodge and was sent flying by the punch.

At this moment, even an ordinary person could see the significant gap in strength between Asuma and Obito—not just in one aspect, but across the board, Obito was clearly superior.

In Taijutsu, Asuma couldn't win; in Ninjutsu, he lost in a head-on clash—he was completely suppressed.

"Is it really not possible? Obito's progress is just too exaggerated," Raido Namiashi said, feeling regret for Asuma as he watched the battle from the sidelines.

As Asuma's teammate, he knew how hard Asuma had been working these days; Asuma's strength had indeed improved a lot. It wasn't that Asuma was weak, but that Obito was just too strong now.

Raido Namiashi felt that as long as Asuma didn't encounter Kisame, Guy, Kakashi, or Obito, advancing to the second round would be no problem. Unfortunately, he ended up facing one of those four.

"There's still hope. Didn't Asuma mention before that he practiced a Combination Jutsu? It's unlikely that Obito has mastered two types of Nature Transformation as well," Kurenai said, believing that until the last moment, anything could happen.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!

Asuma threw a Shuriken infused with Chakra in the air to force Obito back.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Using the wind release to stabilize his landing, Asuma immediately performed the hand seals to create a Shadow Clone.

He couldn't defeat Obito with Fire Release because his fire attribute Chakra Nature Transformation and Chakra control were inferior to Obito's. He also found it difficult to defeat Obito with Wind Release, as in a Ninjutsu clash, fire is superior to wind.

Asuma's last hope was the Combination Jutsu; this was his only advantage, having mastered two types of Chakra Nature Transformation while Obito only mastered a single fire attribute Nature Transformation.

In the month, Mutsuki taught Asuma not only Cyclone but also how to combine Wind Release with Fire Release to maximize their power.

"Fire Release: Great Flame Jutsu!"

"Wind Release: Cyclone!"

Once the Shadow Clone appeared, it immediately began forming seals to use the Sarutobi Clan's Secret Jutsu, Fire Release, while Asuma's main body used Wind Release.

As a long-standing Secret Jutsu of the Sarutobi Clan, Great Flame Jutsu has many advantages, the most notable being its ferocity.

Wind Release: Cyclone happens to amplify the characteristics of Great Flame Jutsu to the fullest, as Cyclone possesses extremely strong winds.

The fierce and blazing flames continuously spewed from the mouth of the Shadow Clone, while Asuma's main body unleashed a powerful gust of wind, expanding the flames like a sea of fire rushing towards Obito.

"He really has learned the skill you excel at," Danzo remarked, glancing at Hiruzen.

Combination Jutsu is indeed Hiruzen's strong suit; while others generally combine two attributes, Hiruzen can use five types of Nature Transformation together.

However, Danzo noticed a problem: Hiruzen wasn't smiling and had a somewhat strange expression.

Danzo was not wrong; Combination Jutsu was indeed Hiruzen's specialty. He could use Great Flame Jutsu and Wind Release: Cyclone as well, but Asuma being able to use them had nothing to do with him since he had never taught Asuma the Ninjutsu Cyclone.

"It must have been taught by Mutsuki," Hiruzen quickly deduced.

Hiruzen couldn't do much about this; he was busy with official duties and couldn't teach Asuma like a guiding sensei, only able to provide occasional advice in his free time.

But this teaching method didn't seem to suit Asuma well, as the results were not effective in terms of his strength growth.

"Obito, you need to do your best," Rin said, feeling somewhat worried seeing that Asuma still had such a trump card.

Kakashi watched the battlefield with a calm expression; as his opponent, he understood Obito's strength better. However, mere words wouldn't help Obito win.

Faced with the raging flames created by Asuma, Obito showed no fear at all. To be honest, after entering Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, the thing he feared the least was Fire Release.

Although there were simpler ways to respond, Obito didn't want to minimize his consumption; he chose the most impressive option instead.

Obito's breathing gradually changed as the Chakra within him began to burn, and his aura surged step by step as he entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

At this moment, Obito's Nature Transformation speed and the power of the flames were both enhanced. He gathered Chakra in his throat and fully transformed it into flames before exhaling it all at once.

Rather than dodging with the flame resistance from Flame Breathing, Obito chose to confront Asuma's Combination Jutsu head-on with Fire Release.

Whoosh!!!

Large swathes of orange flames erupted from Obito. Due to the extreme heat, the area that had once been a pond quickly dried up.

The vast flames surged like a rampaging dinosaur, as if they were going to turn the entire area into a sea of fire.

"To be able to use such Fire Release at this age!" Danzo's eyes instantly sharpened, elevating Obito's danger level once again.

Not only did he awaken the Sharingan at the age of nine, but he also possessed such mastery of Fire Release. An Uchiha like this, as long as he doesn't die young, is almost certain to become a strong fighter.

"What terrifying flames! Handing Great Fire Annihilation over to him was indeed the right decision," Uchiha Yashiro remarked as he witnessed Obito unleash the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.

In his view, Obito's talent for Fire Release was among the very best in the entire Uchiha clan, even stronger than the current Clan Head, Uchiha Fugaku.

Because Uchiha Fugaku could not use such an exaggerated Fire Release at the age of nine.

Boom!!!

Amidst the astonishment of many ninjas, Obito's flames collided with Asuma's flames.

In an instant, the fire soared to the sky, and fist-sized sparks scattered throughout the arena, as if the entire area had transformed into a world of flames.

However, engaging in a clash of Ninjutsu with the same nature is the greatest test of a ninja's strength. Even with the enhancement of Wind Release, Asuma's flames were gradually being consumed by Obito's flames, which were at a higher temperature.

"I've completely lost. This guy's Fire Release is just ridiculously strong," Asuma sighed as he felt the intense heat wash over him.

He had to admit defeat; using two Nature Transformations and two Ninjutsu against Obito's one Nature Transformation and one Ninjutsu resulted in a clear loss—this was a true reflection of his inferior strength.

Surrounded by flames, Asuma chose to acknowledge his defeat.

"The winner is Uchiha Obito!" Hiruko announced Obito's victory.

"What an enviable talent. If only I had a Kekkei Genkai, I wouldn't be so mediocre," Hiruko said, greatly admiring Obito, who had shone brightly in the Chunin Exams.

As the battle ended, Obito also dispelled the flames; if that Fire Release had hit Asuma, he would have been blown all over the place by the wind.

"You must have started practicing that Fire Release before you were even born, it's so strong," Asuma joked, playfully punching Obito's chest.

Though he lost, Asuma felt good about his performance because he had given it his all.

"Hehe, it's not too bad! Your Combination Jutsu is pretty impressive; I didn't expect you to combine two Ninjutsu in battle," Obito said with a chuckle, engaging in some light-hearted banter.

"Keep it up! Just don't lose after defeating me, or it'll make it seem like I'm not strong enough," Asuma waved goodbye to Obito as he left the battle arena.

After being eliminated, he was no longer considered a contestant, so he couldn't enter the resting area and had to head to the spectator stands to continue watching the matches.

As he walked up, Asuma spotted Raido and Kurenai waiting for him.

"What a pity; if it had been someone else, maybe you would have won," Raido comforted him.

"There's nothing to be sorry about; I gave it my all in the fight," Asuma replied with a smile.

Seeing Asuma take it so well, Kurenai felt relieved and smiled back at him.

"Match six: Terumi Mei versus Moriyama Haruya," Hiruko quickly announced the names of the next competitors.

Upon hearing Hiruko's voice, Terumi Mei stood up and quickly made her way to the battlefield.

Moriyama Haruya also took a moment to gather himself before standing up and walking into the arena.

"Watch her fight closely. If all goes as expected, she'll be your opponent in the next round," Kakashi said to Obito.

Moriyama Haruya had performed average in the preliminaries; if he didn't have any hidden trump cards, Kakashi felt that Moriyama Haruya wouldn't even last a minute against Terumi Mei, as he was a Fire Release ninja.

Obito nodded; facing the Terumi Mei who had previously defeated him, he didn't dare to be careless.

If he were to lose in the second round due to underestimating her, Obito thought he would be laughed at by Kakashi. He absolutely wouldn't allow that to happen.

The outcome of the battle turned out to be as Kakashi had predicted.

Realizing he was at a disadvantage, Moriyama Haruya attempted to win with some unorthodox tactics, hoping to launch a series of fierce attacks to prevent Terumi Mei from using her Ninjutsu.

However, he underestimated Terumi Mei's overall strength and ended up getting injured by her Boil Release instead.

Terumi Mei naturally wouldn't let this great opportunity slip by; she used a Water Release to take down Moriyama Haruya, winning the match in under a minute.

"Terumi Mei wins!"

Genji nodded in satisfaction at this scene. Although Terumi Mei took slightly longer than Guy to defeat her opponent, they had won more matches overall.

So far, there had been four battles between the Hidden Mist and Konoha ninjas, and aside from Guy's victory, the rest were all wins for the Hidden Mist ninjas.

The atmosphere in the audience was somewhat tense. The officials from the Land of Fire remained silent, the wealthy merchants appeared to be deep in thought, the Konoha ninjas looked frustrated, while the Hidden Mist Village ninjas couldn't suppress their smiles.

"Match seven: Zabuza versus Osaki Shinya!"

The seventh match was once again a battle between a Hidden Mist ninja and a Konoha ninja.

Osaki Shinya didn't want to lose, especially since there had already been Konoha ninjas who had lost to the Hidden Mist. Losing now would not look good for him.

However, the outcome of the battle is determined by strength, not by one's intentions.

Although Osaki Shinya fought hard, it couldn't compensate for the significant gap in strength.

Nonetheless, Osaki Shinya managed to do what he could: he didn't lose too embarrassingly or too quickly, going down after a fierce battle with Zabuza that lasted four minutes.

"Zabuza wins!" Hiruko announced the result of the match.

Once again, it was a victory for the Hidden Mist, and the officials from the Land of Fire frowned, finding it hard to accept.

While Konoha had been winning in the war, now they were being overshadowed in the Chunin exams by the Hidden Mist.

Many Hidden Mist ninjas were already celebrating in their hearts; what could prove their strength better than this?

"It's just luck. If they encountered Obito, there's no way they'd win," Uchiha Yashiro coldly remarked, noticing the expressions of the Hidden Mist ninjas.

In his view, the Hidden Mist had simply drawn good lots. For example, if Asuma, who lost, had fought Zabuza instead, it was highly likely that Asuma would have won.

The atmosphere among the Elders remained largely unchanged, though Danzo's expression grew somewhat sinister.

Even with the Hidden Mist's multiple victories, Genji only smiled slightly and did not act overly arrogant.

He knew that Konoha's participants in this Chunin exam were not weaker than those of the Hidden Mist; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to defeat Kisame's and Terumi Mei's teams in the Forest of Death.

"Match eight: Hyuga Kouichi versus Hatake Kakashi."

Kakashi wasted no time and directly walked out of the waiting room, with Hyuga Kouichi following closely behind.

If his opponents had been Obito or Terumi Mei, he would have felt his chances were slim, but against Kakashi, Hyuga Kouichi believed he could succeed.

Theoretically, his Byakugan and Gentle Fist should have an advantage over speed-type ninjas, meaning the advantage was on his side.

"Begin the battle!" Hiruko shouted.

"Byakugan, activate!"

Hyuga Kouichi immediately activated his Byakugan by channeling Chakra, the veins around his eyes bulging as the world in his vision began to change.

"Thunder Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing."

As soon as Hiruko's voice fell, Kakashi instantly entered a state of heightened concentration, greatly enhancing his physical abilities and explosive power.

"Flash!"

Kakashi unsheathed the White Fang Tanto, gripping it tightly, while Lightning Release Chakra surged through his legs, propelling him forward at incredible speed.

Hyuga Kouichi's Byakugan detected Kakashi preparing to launch an attack, but just as he assumed the stance for Gentle Fist, the cold gleam of the White Fang Tanto in the sunlight was already at his throat, leaving a scratch on his clothing.

The battle was over.

Although Hyuga Kouichi hadn't made a move, he knew the fight had already concluded.

If Kakashi hadn't held back, he would have already been a casualty.

The venue fell into a moment of silence.

Some people hadn't looked at the fighting arena immediately; after chatting briefly with those next to them, they turned back to find Kakashi's blade poised at Hyuga Kouichi's throat.

Those who had watched the entire match weren't much better off; they felt as though a flash of yellow lightning had passed, and the battle was over in an instant.

"Such speed! Even if you see it clearly, there's no way to react in time," Hyuga Hiashi shook his head as he observed the scene.

Hyuga Kouichi didn't lose unfairly; based on that one strike alone, Hyuga Hiashi could confidently say that Kakashi was definitely among the strongest candidates in this Chunin exam.

"Kakashi wins!" Hiruko announced Kakashi's victory after a momentary pause.

The record for the fastest victory was reset again, and Hiruko felt as if the battle had ended the moment it began.

"It's the child of White Fang-sama; that explains it," Hiruko suppressed his feelings of envy.

Kakashi's performance earned a nod from Hiruzen, and this swift and clean fight even reminded him of the legendary Konoha's White Fang, justifying all the times he had helped Kakashi switch teams.

A swift defeat is the best way to showcase strength, and many spectators cheered for Kakashi's power.

Kakashi didn't feel excited by the cheers; defeating Hyuga Kouichi was nothing in his eyes. He believed that only by defeating Guy and the others could he prove his genius.

"What a show-off," Obito couldn't help but comment as he watched Kakashi standing in the center with an indifferent expression.

However, seeing the sparkle in Rin's eyes, Obito thought he might want to learn from Kakashi next time.

Obito had to admit that Kakashi was indeed skilled at showing off.

"Just as expected from my best friend," Guy gave Kakashi a thumbs-up as he entered.

He was already eager to have a spirited battle with Kakashi.

With Kakashi's fight concluded, it marked the end of the first round, and after a brief break, the second round of the tournament began.

---

Don't forget to check out my patreon where you can read up to 50 advanced chapters https://www.patreon.com/CrazyNinja