With the high-speed movement granted by the
Gate of Life,
Kazekaze vanished in an instant. By the time the Third Kazekage reacted, Kazekaze was already behind him, five fingers clenched into a fist, swinging forward.
"What?!"
The Third Kazekage's expression changed drastically, completely unprepared for such terrifying speed.
However... The Third Kazekage was no ordinary shinobi. Not only was he the strongest Genin of Sunagakure, but he was also the personal disciple of
Reto
, the First Kazekage.
His reaction speed— And his ability to assess a situation in an instant— Were both exceptional. Almost instinctively, the Third Kazekage gathered the
Iron Sand
floating around him and condensed it behind his back, forming a black iron wall.
Boom!
A loud explosion erupted between the two. The
Iron Sand Shield
that the Third Kazekage had formed was directly shattered into a C-shape by Kazekaze's punch!
"What terrifying strength..."
The Third Kazekage's pupils dilated, his face filled with shock.
Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to believe that such destructive power could come from a mere seven-year-old boy.
"As expected of the future Third Kazekage. To be able to block my attack with Iron Sand at the crucial moment."
Kazekaze couldn't help but admire him inwardly.
But he was not discouraged. If even the
future
Third Kazekage could not withstand a single blow, then his anticipation for this battle over the past week would have been meaningless. Since his first strike was unsuccessful, Kazekaze moved again.
"Gone again!"
The Third Kazekage gasped in astonishment.
He couldn't comprehend, nor could he imagine— What kind of training had Kazekaze undergone to achieve such a terrifying level in taijutsu? Even with his eyes wide open, he couldn't track Kazekaze's movements.
"Unbelievable... Is this really a speed a human can achieve?"
At that moment, the Third Kazekage realized how laughable his previous thoughts had been.
He had actually
worried
that his
Kekkei Genkai
would cause Kazekaze psychological distress! With such an
exaggerated
level of speed alone, Kazekaze was already worthy of the title
"Konoha's Strongest Genin."
This battle was nothing less than—
Konoha's Strongest Genin vs. Sunagakure's Strongest Genin!
"Kazekaze, I owe you an apology."
Even though the Third Kazekage couldn't clearly see Kazekaze's movements, he was not without countermeasures. Kazekaze was indeed a formidable taijutsu user, but every time he attacked, the wind pressure created by his movements was unavoidable. By tracking these disturbances, the Third Kazekage could predict Kazekaze's attack trajectory and manipulate the
Iron Sand
accordingly to block his attacks.
And then... While blocking Kazekaze's attacks, the Third Kazekage attempted to ensnare him with
Iron Sand
. If Kazekaze's limbs were restrained, the battle would be decided. But before that, the Third Kazekage felt it necessary to apologize.
"When I first saw you, I thought you were just an ordinary Konoha Genin. I even asked you to forfeit voluntarily. Looking at it now, that was an incredibly foolish assumption. You are a worthy opponent, one that deserves my full strength!"
As he spoke to Kazekaze, the Third Kazekage extracted even more chakra, transforming it into
black Iron Sand
.
However— He did not use all of it for defense. Instead, he divided the
Iron Sand
into two portions. One part remained as a
"shield,"
to block Kazekaze's taijutsu attacks, while the other was compressed to an extremely high density, forming sharp spears.
Then—He thrust them forward along Kazekaze's possible attack trajectories!
The Kage Viewing Area
Tobirama's eyes revealed a hint of surprise.
"He's predicting Kazekaze's movements."
He had initially thought that the battle would end the moment Kazekaze activated the
Eight Gates
. He never expected that the Third Kazekage would not only
survive
but even find a way to counter Kazekaze's speed!
Most crucially, Kazekaze had only
recently
become a Genin. During the
Chunin Exam
preliminaries, he had never once used the
Eight Gates
. This meant that the Third Kazekage had
no prior knowledge
of Kazekaze's abilities!
"He's adapting to Kazekaze's speed in real time, growing stronger as the battle progresses."
Hashirama finished Tobirama's thought.
To him, this was akin to a game of shogi, where every turn presented countless possible moves. But the move that could truly force the opponent into a deadlock or turn the tide, was often just one!
Most importantly— Even though this was
common knowledge
, in the heat of battle, under
immense pressure
, finding the
optimal move
was anything but easy. It required
years
of rigorous training— And
immense
natural talent. The Third Kazekage of
Sunagakure
was
undoubtedly
a prodigy among prodigies!
"Lord Kazekage, it seems you have indeed raised an exceptional disciple."
Hashirama's tone was filled with excitement.
He acknowledged the Third Kazekage's
talent
, recognizing his
strength
. However— Hashirama
did not
believe Kazekaze would lose. Because the
Gate of Life
was not Kazekaze's limit
. He could still
become stronger!
"Kazekaze is truly fortunate to face such an opponent in an official match!"
Hashirama thought to himself.
But Kazekage
Reto
was already breaking into a cold sweat. From Hashirama and Tobirama's conversation just now, an undeniable, shocking truth was now in front of him. Kazekaze— Had only recently become a ninja. And— He had never received any formal training before this!
Yet the
Third Kazekage
had needed five years of guidance to develop his combat instincts! If he had met Kazekaze when he was seven... Wouldn't he have been utterly crushed?!
"Kazekaze is the real monster here."
Reto sucked in a sharp breath.
What
is
with the Senju Clan?! Why are they all monsters?!
"Lord Hokage, is your grandson really... only seven years old?"
The
First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa
, trembled as he spoke.
Although
three Genin from Iwagakure
had made it to the finals, Ishikawa knew their capabilities inside out. There was no exaggeration in saying that even if all three of them fought together— They would stand no chance against Kazekaze. They would likely be instantly defeated!
Even though the battle had now reached a seemingly even state between Kazekaze and the
Third Kazekage
— Kazekaze was only seven years old! Give him five more years, and he would reach the age the
Third Kazekage
was now. With his talent, how much stronger would he become? The answer was—immeasurable!
By comparison, the
Third Kazekage's aura of genius
suddenly seemed dim. That was the truly terrifying part. Damn it! Why isn't Kazekaze my grandson?! If he were, Ishikawa would undoubtedly groom him as the future Tsuchikage! He could even declare with confidence— In less than ten years, Kazekaze would become the strongest Tsuchikage in history!
At that moment, the battle between Kazekaze and the Third Kazekage had shocked all four Kage-level powerhouses!