Naruto: Strength Through Teaching

"Rin-chan, just do your best in the next battle. You performed so well in the first match; you can definitely become a Chunin," Obito said to Rin after thinking for a moment.

The first match of the second round was between Rin and Kisame.

Although he was an enemy, Obito had to admit that Kisame was a powerful ninja. Not to mention Rin, even Obito wouldn't dare say he would definitely win against Kisame, as his Fire Release was completely countered by Kisame.

"Well, I'm actually already satisfied to have made it to the second round," Rin replied with a smile and a nod.

She was already very happy to have defeated Nara Ensui, and the battle in the Forest of Death had fully demonstrated Kisame's strength. Rin knew her chances of winning were slim.

Her month-long practice of Water Release definitely couldn't compare to Kisame's Water Release. Although Enhanced Strength was powerful, it wasn't strong enough to handle Kisame.

"Try to use Taijutsu as much as possible and find opportunities. Just fight with all your strength so you won't regret the outcome," Kakashi also said.

In Kakashi's analysis, Rin's slim chance of victory lay in Enhanced Strength.

"Second round, first match: Kisame versus Rin!" Hiruko's voice echoed into the waiting room.

"Thank you all! I'm going to take the exam now," Rin said with a gentle smile as she thanked Obito and Kakashi for their advice before stepping out of the waiting room.

At that moment, Obito wished he could replace Rin in the match, but he knew that was impossible. First, Rin herself wouldn't agree, and Obito understood that she was not the type to back down in the face of difficulty.

Kisame glanced at Guy, who was doing his upside-down training, before leaving the waiting room as well.

If he wins this battle, his next opponent will be Guy, and as for Kurosawa, Kisame has already tacitly accepted that he would lose to Guy.

"Fight begins!" Hiruko shouted before immediately stepping back.

Rin immediately entered the Water Breathing state and took the initiative to attack Kisame.

To close the distance to Kisame, Rin concentrated Chakra in her feet and used Soru to burst forward at high speed, arriving right beside Kisame.

"Enhanced Strength!"

Rin clenched her fist, channeling a large amount of Chakra into it and unleashing an extremely heavy punch toward Kisame.

This opening surprised many spectators; they didn't expect Rin, who looked so frail, to actively engage in Taijutsu against the fierce-looking Kisame.

After all, in the previous battle, Rin had left the impression of being a Water Release Ninja who relied on Water Dragon Bullet for her attacks.

But then something even more unexpected happened: facing the approaching frail girl, Kisame actually retreated at high speed, not daring to clash head-on.

Boom!

Rin's punch struck the ground, and the immense force directly cracked the surface, sending debris flying in all directions.

"This little girl has quite the style reminiscent of Tsunade," Jiraiya said with a smile upon seeing Rin's incredible punching power.

Tsunade, who hadn't been paying much attention to the fight, glanced at Jiraiya's serious expression for a moment and felt that Rin's fighting style seemed somewhat familiar.

Kisame had faced Rin head-on before, so he didn't attempt to trade blows with her. Instead, he seized the opportunity to rush in and engage her once her attack missed.

Without using Enhanced Strength, Rin quickly found herself at a disadvantage, taking several punches, which made Obito clench his fists tightly.

Rin didn't feel discouraged; she intentionally left an opening to try to exchange injuries with Kisame, but he didn't take the bait, causing her attack to miss again.

This left Rin feeling frustrated; her Chakra was limited, and the consumption of Enhanced Strength was significant. With every missed punch, her already slim chances of victory diminished even further.

"Rin-chan's combat experience is too limited." At that moment, Kakashi noticed a fatal weakness in Rin.

Rin didn't have the rich experiences that they did; her internship had involved encountering a Jonin team and unexpected events on the battlefield.

Although the encounter with the potential Raikage was dangerous, it was primarily Minato doing the fighting, and the intensity of their battles was not very high.

Even during the Forest of Death incident, Rin hadn't really fought much; her main role was to support her teammates.

Combat experience is very important. Previously, Kakashi was able to defeat Obito without much effort because he was taking advantage of Obito's lack of combat experience at that time.

Now, Kisame was taking advantage of Rin's inexperience. In front of a skilled ninja, Rin was essentially fighting with her cards face up, her thoughts clearly exposed.

Rin wasn't foolish; realizing that her Enhanced Strength attacks kept missing, she became more cautious and refrained from using Enhanced Strength easily.

However, being cautious could only delay Rin's loss; it wouldn't lead her to victory.

Kisame was also in no hurry to defeat Rin. With the third round of the exam tightly scheduled, he didn't want any unexpected events to negatively affect his condition and cause him to lose to Guy.

Rin's injuries gradually increased, and her condition worsened.

But she didn't give up; she used Medical Ninjutsu to heal herself, ensuring that her speed wouldn't decline due to her injuries.

"Medical Ninjutsu isn't bad; this girl named Nohara Rin is quite interesting," Tsunade remarked, increasingly feeling that Rin was training according to her own template.

"I'm curious too. She is Minato's disciple, but I'm sure these techniques weren't taught by Minato," Jiraiya added.

Minato had discussed his students with Jiraiya and had sought his advice on mentoring.

"Rin-chan is actually my disciple too," Mutsuki explained a bit, feeling that some things no longer needed to be kept secret.

Jiraiya looked at Mutsuki with a hint of surprise. He only knew that Mutsuki was studying Medical Ninjutsu with Tsunade and didn't expect Mutsuki's own Medical Ninjutsu skills to be quite high, capable of teaching a disciple like Rin.

"Oh, it's you. When did you secretly learn my Enhanced Strength? You must make a Beggar's Chicken and a plate of Spicy Chicken tonight to compensate for my losses," Tsunade said seriously.

Mutsuki didn't want to point it out; Tsunade clearly thought he had stolen her Ninjutsu when she was really just craving the chicken he cooked.

Since Enhanced Strength wasn't a specific Ninjutsu but rather a technique of Chakra Control, it could only be taught; the difficulty of learning it secretly was extremely high.

"Cooking isn't a problem, but Rin-chan really admires you, Tsunade-sama. She might want to come along with me," Mutsuki replied with a smile.

Mutsuki did have the intention of leaving Rin with Tsunade for a period of time.

Although Tsunade was currently quite laid back, she remained the strongest in Medical Ninjutsu. Mutsuki believed it was necessary for Rin to receive further training under Tsunade.

Tsunade nodded in agreement, while also considering whether to have Shizune train with Mutsuki for a bit; it seemed that Mutsuki indeed had some skills in teaching.

Rin ultimately lost, collapsing due to excessive physical and Chakra exhaustion.

For the Konoha and Land of Fire audience watching, it was another unsatisfying match. Although Rin had initially pushed Kisame back at the start of the fight, she ultimately lost.

This was the Chunin exam, a showcase of strength, and losing meant being considered inferior to the opponent.

"Damn it, Guy, you better teach him a lesson later," Obito thought, his anger burning within him, but he couldn't act due.

Kisame would face Guy in the third match, and Obito believed that Guy would win, so they wouldn't meet at all.

"Leave it to me," Guy said with a serious nod.

There was no doubt that Rin was also his comrade, and he would definitely respond to Kisame with his strongest kicking techniques.

"Second match: Might Guy versus Kurosawa!"

When Hiruko's voice reached the audience, many spectators were suddenly energized.

After witnessing so many battles between the Mist and Konoha that ended in losses, they continued watching because they knew it wasn't that Konoha Ninjas were weak; it was just that the Mist Ninjas hadn't encountered Konoha's strong fighters yet.

"Guy, go for it! Just like the last match, take him down with a single kick!" someone shouted.

"Guy, give it your all!"

Hearing so many people cheering for his son, Duy shed tears of emotion and stood up excitedly to cheer for Guy.

The venue was bustling with noise, and due to the distance, Guy couldn't clearly hear what they were saying from the fighting arena, but he could faintly make out someone calling his name.

A smile spread across Guy's face; winning first place in the Chunin exam was a solid step toward becoming the strongest in Taijutsu.

"This is going to be a tough battle. How can I possibly defeat this guy?" Kurosawa thought quickly, brainstorming ways to overcome Guy.

He had been thinking for a long time about this, even right after the draw, but he still hadn't come up with a solution.

Guy was currently displaying only one ability: Taijutsu. However, this wasn't just any ordinary Taijutsu; it was the kind that could take down Kisame with a single kick.

It was impossible for him not to want to win, as the better he performed, the more rewards he would receive upon returning to the Mist. The problem was that he couldn't think of a way to win.

"Begin the fight!"

"Eight Inner Gates, Gate of Opening, open! Gate of Rest, open! Gate of Life, open!"

Guy quickly opened three gates and entered Total Concentration Breathing state. As long as he resolved things quickly, he wouldn't expend too much stamina.

"Hiding in Mist Jutsu!"

Kurosawa immediately formed hand seals to summon a thick fog that enveloped the arena while using Body Flicker Jutsu to leave his original position, worried that he would be taken down by Guy's kick if he stayed.

Kurosawa's concern was valid. The moment he left his original position, the ground where he had just stood cracked open. If he had been even a moment slower, it wouldn't have just been the ground that was affected.

However, this also relieved Kurosawa; it proved that Guy couldn't see through the Hiding in Mist Jutsu, which meant he still had a chance.

But just as Kurosawa was about to use a Water Clone to divert Guy's attention while he prepared for a sneak attack with his main body, Guy made his move.

He concentrated most of his strength into his legs, and with the powerful Chakra from the Eight Inner Gates exploding forth, he instantly appeared in front of Kurosawa and delivered a powerful kick.

"Extreme: Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"

This was the strongest technique in Guy's whirlwind series, unleashing extreme power to execute the Strong Whirlwind, capable of easily shattering even thick, hard rocks.

Boom!!

This rapid and heavy kick struck both Kurosawa and the Water Clone.

The Water Clone burst apart like a water balloon pierced by a needle, splashing water everywhere, while Kurosawa's main body was slammed into the wall like a cannonball, leaving another silhouette imprinted on the wall.

Without Kurosawa maintaining the mist with his Chakra, it quickly thinned and dissipated, allowing the audience to see Guy standing in the arena and Kurosawa embedded in the wall.

Kurosawa, blood pouring from his mouth, looked at Guy with a face full of unwillingness. He wanted to ask Guy how he had managed to break through his Hiding in Mist Jutsu, but at that moment, he couldn't utter a word.

As if he could read the confusion in Kurosawa's mind, Guy spoke up, "I once practiced fighting with my eyes closed to defeat a certain opponent; I can determine the direction just by sound."

For a long time, Guy had been helpless against Shisui's Genjutsu; Shisui's Genjutsu abilities were too strong, and ordinary methods to break Genjutsu were not very effective.

So, he had practiced this combat style, fearing that one day he might encounter an enemy as powerful as Shisui in Genjutsu.

His first kick was executed based on memory, so he missed, but the second kick was guided by sound, allowing him to determine the positions of Kurosawa and the Water Clone from their movements.

Kurosawa closed his eyes; he felt he had lost fairly—Guy was just too difficult to deal with.

"Guy wins!" Hiruko announced the victor's name.

Although no one really saw how Guy had defeated Kurosawa, his significant victory stood out, especially since Konoha had been losing to the Mist for several rounds. Many spectators cheered for Guy.

Guy canceled the Eight Inner Gates and Breathing Technique, walking back to the waiting area with a confident smile. If he won one more match and Kakashi won two, they would meet in the finals.

Although Obito was also performing strongly, Guy felt an inexplicable confidence in Kakashi. He believed that Kakashi could prevail against all opponents and compete for the top spot with him.

"Perhaps this is the bond between close friends," Guy thought, his smile growing brighter.

At that moment, he had just entered the waiting room. Guy gave Kakashi a thumbs-up and then sat down to rest.

Kakashi didn't quite understand what Guy was thinking, so he just nodded.

"Sure enough, Kakashi is stepping up to challenge; this is our mutual understanding," Guy felt very excited inside.

...

"Third match: Uchiha Obito versus Terumi Mei!"

"Think more, don't get too heated," Kakashi reminded.

Terumi Mei had an advantage over Obito, so this battle wouldn't be easy for him.

"I don't need you to remind me; I've always relied on my brain in battle," Obito replied, not accepting Kakashi's assessment of his abilities.

He believed he had a lot of strategies for fighting; each match cost him a lot of brain cells.

"Just wait until the next round when I defeat you!" Obito declared confidently to Kakashi before leaving the waiting room.

Zabuza, still sitting in the waiting room, thought: …

Accepting his loss outright was a bit much; although he had lost to Kakashi once in the Forest of Death, this was still a bit heart-wrenching.

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