Chapter 9 - 9: Ryo VS Akabane

"Stop avoiding and face me now!"

Tsunade stood at the center of the stage, and the ground around her was full of punch holes.​​

"Huh…huh…"

On the other side, Sakumo tried to catch his breath.

The two of them have the same power level on the paper, but Tsunade's brute strength couldn't be matched by Sakumo.

Although the Hatake Clan possessed a variety of ninjutsu, many of them are designed to injure or execute their opponent, which was a no-go by the rules.

Then again, Hatake Clan doesn't possess a large chakra pool, and his body and chakra are at his limit.

But Tsunade doesn't seem to have a problem.

He knew that he couldn't run anymore.

"Come on. Let's finish this once and for all."

There was only one last chance for Sakumo to turn the tide, and Akabane tried to pay close attention to what he was going to do next.

In a blink of eyes, the two attacked each other simultaneously.

They exchange punches and kicks. Some kunai were scattered all around.

The two tried to attack and defend at the same time.

Tsunade saw an opening from Sakumo and launched her attack directly.

"Not good!"

Sakumo senses the danger; he didn't expect that Tsunade could use a slight opening to attack him.

Although he miraculously managed to dodge her.

He landed awkwardly and lost balance for a second. Seeing this, Tsunade launches her second punch and directly lands a clear hit on him.

He has blasted off the stage, receiving that raw power as if got hit by a huge boulder.

…

"The second match, Tsunade wins!"

Arata quickly decided her as the victor and took a look at Sakumo's condition.

"That was our amazing Tsunade-hime!" the crowd exploded in excitement.

The two bowed at each other and then went back off the stage.

"The next match is…"

After her match, Tsunade didn't seem to break a sweat.

After coming down from the stage, she saw Akabane watching her match from the side stage.

There was a hint of joy on her face, as she slowly approached him.

"I knew you would come out to watch my match. What do you think?

Akabane didn't reply but instead, lay down and fell asleep.

"Hey, you!"

Tsunade frowned angrily, then sat down right next to him while pouting.

At first, she thought Akabane was only teasing her, but after a while, she found that Akabane was really asleep…

After Tsunade and Sakumo match, the excitement of the rest of the matches has dropped drastically, and there is no other big match to be excited about.

After the end of the seventh match, before Arata called Akabane's name, Ryo stood up and walked to the middle of the stage and seemed well prepared.

"Next, Ryo Uchiha against Kurama Akabane."

He looked at Akabane proudly,

But…

Akabane was still asleep.

"Akabane Ku..Ra..Ma!?"

Arata called him out a second time scolding.

He saw Akabane coming out of the classroom, sitting next to Tsunade. Then why when he called his name no one was coming up?

"Oy Akaba! Wake up!"

Tsunade shouted at him a few times, and Akabane still couldn't wake, so she slapped him.

"Whoa!" He was suddenly awakened from his lumber, Akabane's mood was still in a mess.

"It's your time, hurry."

Tsunade whispered, he stayed for a while, tried to regain his consciousness

Ryo was waiting for him while glaring at him maliciously.

"Come up. You can go back to your sleep sooner after your defeat."

Ryo tried to taunt Akabane, but he didn't listen.

Akabane, still sleepy, nodded as he walked and said, "since yesterday, it seems that you and I have something to talk about."

"Ah."

Ryo sneered.

Akabane walked to his position, holding his drawing tools in his hand, waiting for Arata to start the match.

…

"Ready?

3..,

2..,

1..,

begin! "

"Translocation Jutsu!"

Ryo disappeared in an instant.

However...

Akabane took notice of his location and threw a handful of kunai.

Ryo managed to parry it with his kick.

He thought it would be easy at first,

But the match has just begun.

Turning his head, he saw Akabane didn't move an inch from his position.

"Don't underestimate me!"

Ryo's made hand seals and turned around

"Fire Release: Fire Ball Jutsu!"

"What? He already learned Fire Ball Jutsu!"

"This is not good…" Arata was slightly surprised.

"Akabane!"

Some of his classmates watched with horror on their faces.

"Stop it!"

Arata hurriedly used Translocation Jutsu to stop it, but since he was also surprised that Ryo could use such ninjutsu, he was too late a few seconds.

The huge fireball swallowed Akabane in an instant.

"How does he already master this ninjutsu!"

"This is too dangerous for Akabane!"

The rest of the Uchiha clan reacted differently.

Although Fire Ball Jutsu was only a C-rank jutsu, its power is too much to handle for an academy student.

His classmates understood the situation, and they thought that Akabane was too late to escape.

They look at the stage in disbelief.

Except for Tsunade.

"Tsuna didn't you see that! Akabane was swallowed by the fireball."

Jiraiya was also terrified and puzzled.

Even Orochimaru was equally shocked but quickly analyzed that Akabane must have avoided it at some point. He immediately closed his eyes and felt it, but noticed that the body contained a lot of chakras that a normal clone couldn't have.

"Is he hit by that fireball?"

"No, he uses a shadow clone."

Tsunade said confidently.

"Also, the result has been decided. See it for yourself."

When everyone turned their heads and looked at Akabane, Arata who hurriedly came to the stage, discovered that there was only a piece of burned paper, and Akabane was nowhere to be found.

At the same time, Ryo fainted after using all his chakra to unleash his Fire Ball Jutsu

"I'm here, sensei."

Suddenly, Akabane walked out from the crowd on the side stage, holding his drawing.

It was a genjutsu!

"Shadow Clone Jutsu? When…"

Jiraiya was also shocked. He thought that Akabane was really hit by the fireball.

"Akabane-kun should use the Shadow Clone and Substitution Jutsu at the same time Ryo released his fireball, and instantly enters the crowd."

Tsunade slowly explained, but her expression was somewhat shocked.

It is a not difficult technique to execute, but the difficulty lies in that no one took notice of it until now.

To achieve this, he must be focusing his chakra and concentration to an extent.

"You went out of the stage!"

Kaki tried to defend Ryo by blaming Akabane.

"So what?"

Akabane sneered and didn't care at all.

"Stop, you…"

Kaki stood up to blabber more but was immediately interrupted by Arata.

"He didn't break any rules Kaki, he used a shadow clone and not a lethal ninjutsu, that is the purpose of the combat exam."

That explanation makes Kaki speechless.

Arata didn't say anything about entering the crowd.

Akabane cleans up his drawing tools, as Ryo soon regains his consciousness.

"Hahahaha, I won!"

Ryo's mouth was swollen by his Jutsu, but he was still laughing.

Because the last thing that he remembers was that he defeated Akabane with his Fireball Jutsu, but soon he realized that something was wrong. No one celebrated his victory, not even his clanmates. Some of them even laughed at him.

"Sorry boy, you have already lost. Besides, you used Fire Ball Jutsu, which was forbidden from this exam. Thus you will stay back at the academy for one more year as punishment."

Arata scolded him angrily, Akabane thankfully survived, but Ryo has already used a lethal jutsu that was forbidden for the exam.

"What? So I lose?"

Ryo's first concern was not about him repeating the grade, but about losing against Akabane.

"Brother, you have already lost the moment he uses his Genjutsu."

Kaki felt embarrassed for him. He witnessed Uchiha's descendants defeat so easily.

But thinking about it carefully, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

If Ryo was winning, he would be the one scolded by the patriarch and elder when he returned home.

At least he felt better than before.