SWNOVELXO Chapter 98: Sharingan vs. Byakugan
As Ryou made his way back to the observation stand, he could feel the Third Hokage's gaze lingering on him. However, he didn't take it seriously, knowing that the title of Hokage would soon pass to Minato.
As he returned to his team's side, the referee called Shisui and Retsu Hyuga to the stage for the next match. The clash between the two drew everyone's attention as they are from two of the Konoha's renowned clans. Everyone was eager to witness the fight between the Sharingan and Byakugan.
"Begin!" the referee announced after the two exchanged the seal of confrontation.
Retsu activated his Byakugan with veins pulsing around his temples and assumed a defensive stance. Facing Shisui, the Uchiha genius, he took the fight seriously, showing no hint of carelessness.
Shisui started the fight by keeping his distance, throwing a flurry of shuriken toward Retsu. Retsu countered effortlessly, deflecting each shuriken with amazing Taijutsu. But in the midst of this, a smoke bomb exploded, shrouding the area in a thick veil of smoke and obscuring Retsu's vision.
With his Byakugan active, the smoke bomb was ineffective against Retsu. Shisui knew this but used it as a diversion, creating two shadow clones with similar chakra levels, making it nearly impossible for Retsu's Byakugan to distinguish between the clones and the real Shisui.
"You are smart enough to keep the distance. But it's useless against me!" Retsu declared, closing the gap. Shisui and his clones retreated, maintaining a strategic distance as they continued hurling shurikens, aiming to wear down Retsu's chakra reserves.
However, Retsu stayed calm, skillfully deflecting each shuriken with his Eight Trigrams techniques.
With a powerful Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu, Shisui used it as a diversion, sending two shadow clones armed with kunai to close in on Retsu. However, Retsu swiftly activated his Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms, forming a spinning chakra barrier that deflected all attacks, instantly dispelling Shisui's clones in a puff of smoke.
The two clashed for some time with Shisui maintaining his distance. But, the battle soon pushed Shisui to his limits, and despite his cautious approach, he couldn't find an opening against Retsu's Byakugan and strong defenses.
Retsu's physical strength, taijutsu, and chakra control were simply too strong.
In a final effort, Shisui activated his Sharingan and unleashed his trump card, the Body Flicker Technique, appearing in an instant behind Retsu. But, Retsu Huyga seemed to be expecting this move, so he countered with a Gentle Fist technique, releasing bursts of chakra into Shisui's chakra points, injuring his internal organs and disrupting his chakra flow.
The match ended with Shisui's defeat.
Even Ryou was impressed by Retsu Hyuga's strength, as he was even stronger than Neji Hyuga when he was a Genin.
After the match, Medical-nin arrived soon, carrying Shisui off for treatment.
--
The referee called the contestants for the next match, Tenga and Choaki Akimichi stepped into the arena, both looking focused and serious.
Tenga and Choaki formed a seal of confrontation. Tenga said. "Let's have a good fight. But I'm telling you, I won't lose."
Choaki grinned, "Then, I won't hold back!"
As soon as the referee signaled the start, Tenga immediately went into action, weaving hand signs. 'Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!' He launched a stream of high-pressure water toward Choaki, who tucked himself into a ball and easily evaded the water bullets and rolled towards Tenga.
Seeing the incoming human roller, Tenga jumped to the side, narrowly dodging. 'Damn, Akimichi clan's taijutsu is really something else!" he muttered.
Still, he continued fighting Choaki with Water Style jutsu, trying to land a decisive hit. But after some time he noticed his water techniques were having little effect so he changed tactics as he didn't want to consume his chakra too much.
Switching to taijutsu, Tenga drew his kunai and engaged Choaki in close combat. But unlike Tenga, Choaki's taijutsu was supported by the Akimichi clan's impressive strength, giving him a slight advantage in each clash.
'Partial Expansion Jutsu!' Choaki's arm suddenly grew to a massive size, and with a powerful swing, he brought it down toward Tenga.
Seeing this, Tenga reacted and hurriedly made a hand seal to create a defensive wall of water, but Choaki's strike was fast and full of momentum. Before he could complete his hand seal, a massive arm smashed into him, sending him rolling across the floor.
Pain shot through Tenga's arms and ribs, likely from bone fractures, as he struggled to rise back to his feet. 'Ah... It hurts!' Tenga thought, gritting his teeth while using his uninjured hand as the support to stand upright.
Seeing Tenga's injured state, the referee raised a hand and announced Choaki as the victor.
The next round is the final round, a three-way showdown with only one emerging as the victor among Ryou, Retsu Hyuga, and Choaki Akimichi.
The finals will take place in two days, held in an open arena with an audience, allowing any Shinobi to come and watch the match.
--
Konoha Hospital,
Daichi and Ryou entered the room where Shisui and Tenga were recovering. Shisui seemed uninjured with only minor bruises, but Tenga's right arm was heavily bandaged with a support line over his neck.
Shisui and Tenga looked a bit downcast, disappointed by their loss in the match.
"Cheer up, you two," Daichi said with a smile. "I have some good news. You both may be promoted to Chunin. The Hokage said that the final six contestants had shown enough skill to reach the rank of Chunin.
If nothing goes wrong, the final six contestants will be promoted to Chunin!"
Tenga's eyes brightened. "Really, Sensei? That's a relief… I was worried we'd have to wait another six months to participate in the next chunin exam."
Shisui was also relieved.
Tenga gave him a look and said, "Ryou, you better win the finals."
Ryou shrugged, his expression calm. "Don't compare me with you. Those guys won't stand a chance against me!"
--
Patreon: FanficMortal(20+ Chapters)