Chapter 511

"No. 1 Long Gate versus No. 3 Oil Girl Aspiration!"

The referee's shout announced the start of the second round, and Nagato and Aburame Shibi both quickly walked to the fighting arena to prepare for battle.

Kakashi stopped his conversation with his teammates and put on a serious expression as he looked at the fighting arena.

Although it was somewhat absurd, the biggest obstacle to their taking first place right now was not the ninjas of other great villages, but Nagato and Sand Crab.

"Battle start!"

The moment the referee shouted, Aburame Shibi immediately injected a large amount of chakra into the large gourd on his back that contained a huge number of secret insects.

The swarm of insects, like a tide, burst open the stopper and turned into five black clouds pressing down toward Nagato.

Facing a powerful ninja like Nagato, Aburame Shibi did not dare hold back in the slightest; he went all out from the start.

"Fire Release: Head-Hard Work!"

Nagato, with a calm expression, formed hand seals and spat out a fist-sized compressed fireball toward the ground.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The moment the fireball hit the ground, the compressed flames inside all erupted, and towering flames surged out, instantly transforming into a sea of fire that stood between Nagato and Aburame Shibi.

"Wind Release: Pressure Harm!"

Immediately after, Nagato formed another hand seal and spat out a wind ball.

A violent, powerful storm appeared on the field; the wind fed the flames, and even though Aburame Shibi deliberately controlled his insects to fly higher, they were still swallowed by the storm carrying flames, while Aburame Shibi himself had to retreat rapidly to dodge the incoming fire.

"Secret Technique: Insect Clone!"

After a brief moment of thought, Aburame Shibi split off two clones made of destruction bugs, and together with the clones, he ran along the edge toward Nagato's direction.

He had to get close to Nagato; otherwise, it would be a gamble on whether Nagato's chakra or his insects ran out first.

"Fire Release: Head-Hard Work!"

Seeing this, Nagato again spat out a fireball, preparing to form a sea of fire to block Aburame Shibi's approach.

"Secret Technique: Insect Deception Technique!"

This time, Aburame Shibi did not choose to retreat. He first controlled the destruction bugs to throw the two insect clones toward Nagato, then covered his entire body with chakra and released as many destruction bugs as possible to wrap around himself.

Layer after layer of black insect tide enveloped Aburame Shibi, forming a large black ball that rolled through the sea of fire.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Crackle! Crackle!

Under the high temperature of the flames, the insect shells made faint popping sounds, interweaving with the roar of the fire and the rolling sound of the insect ball, creating a unique symphony that could stir a person's inner courage.

The ninjas in the resting room watched the fighting arena in surprise; even the other Leaf ninjas had not expected that their silent comrade possessed such boldness and would choose such an aggressive offensive.

Nagato was also somewhat surprised. If these insects couldn't withstand it, even if he didn't want to kill, Aburame Shibi might be burned to death by the sea of fire.

"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"

Nagato temporarily ignored the black ball rolling in the sea of fire and continued forming hand seals, spitting out a sharp lightning spear to attack the thrown insect clones.

Since they couldn't gain leverage in midair, both insect clones failed to dodge Nagato's Lightning Release and were both severed at the waist.

But the severed insect clones did not disappear. The destruction bug corpses struck by the Lightning Release fell to the ground, while the surviving destruction bugs formed a pitch-black cloud and continued charging toward Nagato.

Nagato was somewhat surprised. This was his first time fighting a ninja from the Aburame clan, and he hadn't expected the secret technique clone to have such an effect.

At this point, the scorched black large ball had also rolled out of the sea of fire, reaching a distance closer to Nagato.

Then the black ball rapidly disintegrated, and the surviving destruction bugs surged toward Nagato, revealing Aburame Shibi, whose face was flushed and wet with sweat.

Aburame Shibi panted heavily but did not dare pause for a moment. While controlling the destruction bugs to attack, he continuously squeezed his chakra to accelerate the hatching of insects inside his body.

"Universal Pull!"

Without any hesitation, Nagato immediately used the Rinnegan's ability. His right hand erupted with terrifying attractive force, pulling Aburame Shibi toward him.

Aburame Shibi had no idea what was happening. When he realized he was right in front of Nagato, he wanted to draw a kunai and counterattack, but by then it was already too late.

Nagato burst with chakra and slammed Aburame Shibi fiercely into the ground. The terrifying impact kicked up yellow dust from the ground.

Aburame Shibi was already in bad shape, and after this heavy blow, he directly fainted, and the uncontrolled destruction bugs scattered as well.

"What happened?" This sudden big reversal caught some ninjas in the rest area off guard.

Just a moment ago, Aburame Shibi was bravely charging through flames to face Nagato, how did he suddenly get knocked down and unable to get up?

"How did this Nagato train? Mastering Wind, Fire, and Earth is one thing, but his Lightning Release is also this strong." Someone found Nagato's nature transformation and ninjutsu training incomprehensible.

From the elimination rounds until now, Nagato has already used ninjutsu of four chakra natures, and each one is a high-level ninjutsu with considerable power.

"What was that move just now, some kind of seal-less ninjutsu?" Kakashi frowned slightly.

Compared to Nagato's first use of Lightning Release, Kakashi was more concerned about the sudden change in that final moment.

Aburame Shibi obviously couldn't have voluntarily gone up to be hit by Nagato, so it must have been forced, but Kakashi couldn't think of what kind of power this was.

He racked his brains but couldn't think of any ninjutsu that could produce a similar effect.

"I'll just have to wait until the quarterfinals and see if Sand Crab can force out this ninjutsu again." Kakashi gave up thinking.

"Nagato wins!"

The referee declared Nagato the winner after seeing Aburame Shibi lose combat ability, and after Nagato left, called out the names of the next pair of combatants.

"Number 6 Kouseki versus Number 8 Sand Crab."

Sasori stood up with an indifferent expression and walked to the battlefield, not glancing at Kakashi along the way.

Although his heart was full of killing intent, he would not show hatred in front of Kakashi until he found an opportunity to strike, because that would be meaningless.

When the battle officially began, the ninjas in the rest area all started to focus on the match.

After four rounds of preliminaries and one elimination round, the ninjas still remaining on the field, even if there was some luck involved, were not too weak; most had good ninja qualities.

But Kouseki seemed to be one of those with some luck factors; he couldn't make Sasori use four puppets like Yahiko did, and Sasori quickly defeated him using only two puppets.

Kakashi didn't really mind; instead, he hoped Sand Crab would be stronger, so that Nagato wouldn't just defeat him with ordinary high-power ninjutsu.

"Number 9 Hoshigaki Kisame versus Number 11 Might Guy!"

Upon hearing his name, Might Guy quickly stood up, gave himself a thumbs up, and walked into the battlefield with a confident smile. Hoshigaki Kisame followed closely behind.

Looking at the figure that had brought him a painful defeat in his memory, Hoshigaki Kisame's face, somewhat similar to a shark's, showed a solemn expression.

Although long-term hard training had greatly improved his strength, that incredibly powerful punch from Might Guy in the first battle was enough for Hoshigaki Kisame to know that he wasn't the only one who had improved; Might Guy had also improved, and perhaps even more than him!

"Hoshigaki Fire Gate, we meet again! This time I'll win again!" Might Guy said his victory declaration with his hands on his hips, laughing.

Hoshigaki Kisame:?

Hoshigaki Kisame was speechless. He wants to use this tactic to anger me again, doesn't he? The referee just called out the full name, and he still gets it wrong.

"Hoshigaki Kisame, that's my name," Hoshigaki Kisame emphasized.

Normally, with his personality, he wouldn't bother with such tactics, but since Might Guy had never once called his full name correctly, Hoshigaki Kisame still hoped Might Guy would address him by his correct name at least once.

"Did I remember wrong? No way, I remember I called you the same last time," Might Guy touched his chin with a thoughtful expression.

Hoshigaki Kisame was speechless. Is there a possibility that you got it wrong last time too?

"Contestants, please prepare for battle. The match is about to begin!" the Ninja Sect referee reminded.

A few words of chat are enough; they can't keep talking.

Hoshigaki Kisame had to temporarily give up correcting him and assumed a battle stance.

Might Guy also cast aside all thoughts and fully devoted himself to the upcoming battle.

"Battle start!"

"Eight Gates, Gate of Opening, open!... Gate of Hurt, open!"

Might Guy immediately opened four gates of the Eight Gates, unlocking the chakra limiters in his body, and a large amount of violent chakra surged from within.

"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

Hoshigaki Kisame immediately leaped backward, and the large amount of chakra gathered in his throat quickly transformed into water-nature chakra, which he spat out in one breath, sending terrifying waves of water rushing toward the battlefield.

"That move again."

Might Guy decisively opened the fifth gate of the Eight Gates Released Formation, while simultaneously focusing his breathing and taking a sharp, deep breath to enter Rock Breathing Chakra Mode.

At that instant, an immensely powerful aura erupted from Might Guy.

During the Chunin Exam, Might Guy had only barely won against Hoshigaki Kisame's Water Release, so he did not let his guard down and went all out from the start.

At the same time, the enormous water current from the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave swept away everything in the battlefield, forming a gigantic ellipsoidal water prison.

"A super-wide-range ninjutsu like this in a confined space is really unfair," Obito couldn't help but complain.

This ninjutsu of Hoshigaki Kisame's was impossible to dodge, because the entire battlefield was enveloped; even with the greatest speed, it was useless.

At this moment, Obito could only be grateful that his draw had been good; if he had faced Hoshigaki Kisame, it would be a capital "L" for loss, because he could never defeat Hoshigaki Kisame underwater.

The people in the audience also grew interested; such a grand spectacle from the very start was clearly not an ordinary battle.

"Water Release: Hundred Feeding Sharks!"

Hoshigaki Kisame's chakra erupted violently, and in one breath he created a hundred shark-shaped water bullets that lunged toward Might Guy to bite and tear.

Hoshigaki Kisame was well aware of his own strengths.

His chakra reserves were naturally extraordinary; a large-scale Water Release that would require massive chakra for others was just a piece of cake for him.

And now, all he had to do was use Water Release inside the water prison to exhaust Might Guy's stamina, then secure the final victory.

"Now this is a proper fight!" Might Guy's expression turned excited.

His fight with Nagashi had been far too easy for him; after watching so many exciting battles, Might Guy's hands had been itching for action.

Might Guy's muscles tensed, veins bulging, and his entire being seemed to transform into a crouching tiger ready to pounce. He poured all his strength into his fists and, with super-high-speed punches that normal people could not track, continuously struck a single point in front of him.

The Daytime Tiger was normally a high-level taijutsu only usable when the Eight Gates were opened to the seventh gate, but with the blessing of Rock Breathing Chakra Mode, Might Guy at five gates could barely meet the usage standard.

Under Might Guy's rapid strikes, the air was continuously compressed, and the surrounding water rippled violently under the effect of this terrifying power.

"Daytime Tiger!"

Suddenly, Might Guy changed his fists into palms and clapped his hands together sharply; the air that had been compressed to its limit exploded violently, and a powerful blast wave erupted instantly.

The blast wave charged toward the shark swarm like a fierce tiger, shattering every shark water bullet in its path.

This terrifying force caused the entire water prison to shudder violently, like a water balloon filled to the brim being kicked hard, making some ordinary audience members worry: if such a huge water balloon burst, wouldn't it drench everyone in the venue?

In almost an instant, all one hundred shark water bullets created by Hoshigaki Kisame were destroyed by the air cannon tiger unleashed by the Daytime Tiger.

The ferocious air tiger let out a menacing roar like the true king of beasts, while Hoshigaki Kisame continuously created new shark water bullets to weaken its power.

Hoshigaki Kisame knew Might Guy had become stronger, but he hadn't expected his current strength to be so outrageous as to instantly annihilate his hundred shark water bullets.

At this point, he could only be grateful for his initial decision to immediately use the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave, and that he had kept sufficient distance from Might Guy in the water; otherwise, he would have been one-shotted by this taijutsu of Might Guy's.

"Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"

Hoshigaki Kisame swam to the edge of the water prison and rapidly condensed chakra to create a terrifying giant shark water bullet with sharp teeth.

This was one of Hoshigaki Kisame's greatest achievements; the shark created by the Great Shark Bullet could absorb chakra. If it encountered a chakra-based projectile attack, it could not only easily block it but also become even more powerful!

Boom!!

The fierce air tiger and the brutal water shark collided at high speed, creating waves, and the water prison surged once more.

But before Hoshigaki Kisame's disbelieving eyes, the air tiger tore through the water shark and mercilessly slammed into him.

The air tiger created by Might Guy actually contained not a trace of chakra!

"Cough, cough... so there really is a taijutsu technique like this." Hoshigaki Kisame, feeling the pain in his body, etched the terrifying taijutsu known as Daytime Tiger into his memory.

Because part of the Daytime Tiger's power had been consumed earlier, and since Hoshigaki Kisame himself was a ninja with a strong physique, he barely managed to withstand this strike from Might Guy.

"As expected, you can't underestimate ninjas from the great villages; both of them are strong," Nagato's expression changed slightly.

If not for Muyue's teachings and the awakening of his Rinnegan ability, he would not be a match for either of them.

"Haha, worthy of being an opponent whose name I remember. You're qualified to experience my strongest taijutsu!" Might Guy laughed heartily upon seeing that Hoshigaki Kisame hadn't immediately lost his combat ability.

He had only wanted to test his newly learned taijutsu; from now on, he would give Hoshigaki Kisame no chance.

Might Guy erupted with most of his chakra, and his terrifying aura even caused the surrounding water to part, creating a small empty space.

Then Might Guy pushed his breathing to the limit and poured all the power enhanced by the Rock Breathing Chakra Mode into the index and middle fingers of his right hand.

Might Guy placed his right hand behind his waist and slightly bent his left leg; the power of the massive chakra from the Eight Gates, the power of the Rock Breathing Chakra Mode, and the power of his body tempered through day and night training—all these forces exploded together. He suddenly dashed forward, swinging his arm to deliver a slash.

Kisame Hoshigaki had sensed something was wrong when Might Guy laughed.

He gathered a large amount of chakra to perform Water Nature Transformation, creating water sharks to attack Might Guy. That was the only thing he could do now.

Because injured as he was, he couldn't engage in a taijutsu clash with Might Guy.

"Golden Skyline!"

In the aqua-blue world, a thin, dazzling golden light suddenly flashed.

Wherever the golden light passed, the water currents scattered. In an instant, the oval-shaped water prison seemed to be split in two.

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

All the water sharks created by Kisame Hoshigaki exploded in an instant.

Kisame Hoshigaki burst out all his chakra in an attempt to defend.

Boom! Boom!!

Kisame Hoshigaki's figure flew backward at high speed and slammed heavily into the thick wall at the edge of the arena. The huge oval water prison collapsed, turning the battlefield into a small lake.

"This taijutsu ninja named Might Guy is actually so powerful!" Hanzō was somewhat alarmed by the terrifying power of the Golden Skyline.

He found it hard to imagine that such terrifying taijutsu was performed by an eleven-year-old taijutsu ninja.

In Hanzō's impression, taijutsu was an ability that heavily depended on age. Generally, to achieve something in taijutsu, one had to spend a lot of time training in taijutsu while also having one's body at its physical peak, which was the stage from one's twenties to thirties.

For Might Guy to have such strong taijutsu at age eleven, Hanzō had truly never heard or seen anything like it.

"Sōsuke, I hope you won't be sad when Nagato, whom you have high hopes for, fails to advance to the finals." Hanzō couldn't help gloating in his heart.

Facing Might Guy with such strength, Nagato might not necessarily be able to secure a win.

Hanzō had never gloated like this about someone in his heart before; after all, as a demigod, he had a certain degree of self-cultivation.

But Sōsuke was different. Hanzō had come to participate in the martial arts tournament only because he was threatened by Sōsuke. If Sōsuke ran into bad luck, Hanzō would naturally be happy to see it.

"Might Guy wins!" The referee skillfully pried Kisame Hoshigaki out of the wall and announced the result of the match.

"That was a truly exhilarating battle. Kisame Hoshigaki, I will continue to remember your name."

Might Guy exited the Eight Gates and Rock Breathing Chakra Mode, let out a sigh of relief, and flashed a bright smile, giving Kisame Hoshigaki a thumbs up.

Even in the entire Youth Martial Arts Tournament, Kisame Hoshigaki's strength was not weak. He fell in the second round only because he encountered him.