Seeing this, Kiyono Shuji looked toward Might Guy and said, “Might Guy, step forward and face Rin. Now I’ll teach you the ritual that comrades perform before sparring: the Seal of Confrontation!”
Might Guy obediently stood in front of Rin, his eyes filled with a fierce desire to fight.
A spark of fighting spirit also appeared in Rin’s eyes.
Kiyono Shuji raised one hand, extended two fingers, and pointed them toward the students.
“Remember this hand sign. When two opponents form it while facing each other, it is called the Seal of Confrontation.”
Rin and Might Guy exchanged glances before simultaneously imitating their instructor and forming the Seal of Confrontation.
Kiyono Shuji stepped between them and extended his hand as a barrier.
Then he abruptly raised it and announced, “Let the match begin!”
Might Guy’s expression instantly changed.
In battle, he resembled a tireless and unyielding beast.
His tight-fitting jumpsuit pulled taut as he moved.
In the next instant, he raised his leg and launched a flying kick toward Rin Nohara.
Kiyono Shuji, who was observing the match, was startled.
Guy’s kick generated a powerful gust of wind.
Kiyono Shuji could produce the same effect with his own kicks, but Might Guy was only four or five years old.
No wonder Lord Hokage had personally approved Might Guy’s admission to the Ninja Academy and placed him directly in the elite class.
This child was truly extraordinary.
The other students might not have noticed, but Kiyono Shuji had already determined that, at least at their current level, Guy’s combat ability far surpassed that of his peers.
Rin Nohara might not be able to handle him.
Kiyono Shuji began considering whether he should stop the match.
Just then, Rin suddenly moved.
Guy’s kick had caught Rin by surprise.
One moment, there had been considerable distance between them, and in the next, his foot was already approaching her head.
Before Rin could consciously process what was happening, the combat instincts within her body had already forced her to react.
She leaned backward until her body was nearly parallel to the ground, spread her hands to brace herself, and began performing a backflip.
At that moment, Guy’s flying kick reached her, but Rin’s backward lean allowed her to evade it completely.
Guy couldn’t help but freeze in surprise.
He was extremely confident in his well-practiced kick.
Even Kakashi had been forced to block it directly, yet Rin had managed to dodge.
Because Guy lacked experience in similar situations and had committed all his strength to the attack, he couldn’t stop his momentum. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
His missed kick had left him completely exposed.
Rin—or, more precisely, Rin’s combat instincts—immediately seized that opening.
Her backflip had placed her in the perfect position to counterattack, and her rising foot was already moving toward Guy’s chin.
Guy watched Rin’s foot rapidly approach his chin.
His body tried to react, but he couldn’t easily recover from the force behind his kick.
By the time he regained control and attempted to defend himself, it was already too late.
“Whack!”
Rin’s foot struck Guy squarely on the chin.
At the same time, she completed a perfect backflip.
Guy was sent flying through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
This sudden reversal caused everyone, including Kiyono Shuji, to widen their eyes.
They hadn’t expected Rin to react so quickly, evading Guy’s attack and immediately countering with a kick of her own.
The students collectively gasped in amazement.
Even Kakashi was slightly taken aback because he recognized a trace of the Hatake clan’s sword technique, the Reverse Half-Moon Slash, within Rin’s movement.
He murmured, “Was that merely a coincidence?”
If Rin had been holding a sword and performed an upward slash with the same movement, Guy wouldn’t have simply been sent flying.
His throat might have been cut.
Although the students were surprised, the most astonished person was their chūnin instructor, Kiyono Shuji.
He had already determined that Guy’s taijutsu abilities far surpassed those of his peers.
Then how strong was Rin, who had sent Guy flying with a single kick?
In truth, even Rin herself was somewhat surprised by what she had just done.
As the person who had performed the attack, she understood that its effectiveness hadn’t come from raw strength.
Instead, it had come from her ability to seize a fleeting opening.
Because Guy had fully committed to his attack and lost his balance, Rin needed only a small amount of force applied in the right direction to completely disrupt his center of gravity.
This precise and graceful combat style made Rin feel as though she were dancing, yet every movement was incredibly lethal.
She now understood even more clearly how formidable the young Uchiha with the Mangekyō Sharingan was.
Not only had his shurikenjutsu reached an exceptional level, but his close-combat abilities were also unfathomably powerful.
This was the enemy she had to face in the notebook every day.
While Rin was lost in thought, Guy, whom she had kicked away, stood up again. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
He merely wiped the small wound on his chin as though nothing had happened.
With one hand behind his back and the other raised, he once again assumed a fighting stance.
“Let’s go again!”
Kiyono Shuji was surprised once more.
Guy had recovered quickly after taking such a powerful blow, demonstrating his exceptional physical constitution and his ability to shrug off minor injuries.
What kind of monsters had been placed in his class?
At that moment, Rin also snapped out of her daze and began to feel troubled.
She was still a young girl and didn’t possess much natural physical strength.
That last attack had required all her power.
Although she had sent Guy flying, it clearly hadn’t been enough to incapacitate him.
If Guy continued enduring her attacks, she would eventually be dragged into a prolonged battle, exhaust her stamina, and collapse from fatigue.
What should she do?
Rin couldn’t help but consider how she could immediately incapacitate such a resilient opponent.
Just then, a voice reached her ears.
“Use your hand like a blade and strike the vital point at the back of his neck. Wait for an opening. One strike will be enough.”
Rin was slightly startled and turned her head.
At some point, a white-haired man wearing a green flak jacket, with a small mark near the corner of his mouth, had appeared beside their chūnin instructor, Kiyono Shuji.
Kiyono Shuji also turned toward him.
His eyes widened, and he immediately straightened his posture before respectfully asking, “Lord White Fang, what brings you here?”
Sakumo Hatake merely smiled.
“I’m carrying out a mission assigned by Lord Hokage and stopped by the Ninja Academy to visit my son. I didn’t expect to witness such an impressive match.”
“Normally, I shouldn’t interfere because it goes against protocol. However, the match was so exciting that I couldn’t resist offering some advice.”
Nearby, Kakashi, who had been shocked by Rin’s performance, snapped back to reality.
Looking at the man standing beside Kiyono Shuji, he complained, “Father, please stop interfering with my school life…”
A hint of embarrassment appeared on Sakumo’s face, but he immediately composed himself.
He crossed his arms and looked toward Rin.
“I didn’t step in because of you. I did it because of her…”
“Young lady, if you’re willing to trust me, follow my instructions. The result may surprise you.”
It really helps the fic grow!