Naruto: Strength Through Teaching

As the last match of the second round and a battle between Kirigakure and Konoha Ninjas, the fight between Kakashi and Zabuza received much attention.

If Zabuza won, the semifinals would consist of half Kirigakure Ninjas and half Konoha Ninjas. If Kakashi won, Hoshigaki Kisame would be the only Kirigakure Ninja left, with the rest being Konoha Ninjas.

Kirigakure naturally wanted Zabuza to win, as it would look bad otherwise. If Kisame were to lose in the semifinals and the finals ended up being an internal Konoha battle, it would be even more embarrassing. Both are part of the Five Great Ninja Villages, and they care about their reputation.

Of course, to those familiar with Kakashi and Zabuza, or to those with keen eyes, this was a battle with no suspense.

"How could he possibly win? He lost to that guy a month ago," Kurosawa thought to himself, expecting Zabuza to join him in a few minutes to watch the battle together.

Zabuza didn't bother to speculate on the thoughts of the audience. He was never someone who catered to others' expectations.

Looking at Kakashi's calm and composed demeanor, Zabuza's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to a month ago.

Faced with a formidable opponent like Akutami Hideyuki, Kakashi's team truly embodied the spirit of never giving up. Each person fought to their limits.

Even when Kakashi had no strength left to run, he still chose to step forward and help his teammates, delivering a strike that Zabuza still couldn't understand.

Zabuza was completely baffled. Kakashi appeared so weak, like it took all his effort just to walk, yet this same frail Kakashi killed Akutami Hideyuki with a single blow.

Zabuza thought he might never comprehend Kakashi's strength because he couldn't imagine who Kakashi would fight so desperately for.

"Competition between people begins even before they're born. If you had been born in Kirigakure, you'd probably be just like me," Zabuza said.

He still felt a bit unwilling to accept defeat, but what he resisted wasn't strength—it was the village.

Zabuza had spent a month in Konoha, and during that time, he fully experienced the differences between Konoha and Kirigakure.

In Konoha, graduating from the Academy didn't require killing fellow students, and the atmosphere between ninjas wasn't as cold or bloodthirsty.

In such an environment, growing alongside comrades naturally fostered stronger bonds, and the desire to protect them would emerge.

Hiruko, standing nearby, felt some empathy for Zabuza's words, though not because of the differences between the ninja villages. Rather, it was about the innate gap in talent between people—something determined at birth. Take the Sharingan, for example. If you weren't born into the Uchiha clan, you basically had no chance of acquiring it.

"There's no 'what if' in this world. It seems that previous strike didn't completely cut away the unwillingness in your heart," Kakashi replied calmly, his expression unchanged by Zabuza's words.

From Kakashi's perspective, such hypotheticals held little meaning, as he didn't even know what the environment in Kirigakure was like.

Kakashi acknowledged that environment can influence a person, but it's not absolute. Take Obito for example—though he was born into the Uchiha clan, his personality was completely different from the typical Uchiha.

"If you think Kirigakure is inferior to Konoha, then work hard to change it, instead of imagining me becoming part of Kirigakure," Kakashi said.

Through studying the history of the ninja world, Kakashi understood one thing: where you are born is determined by fate and cannot be changed, but what you do in life is your choice.

For instance, Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama were born into rival clans, yet they ultimately chose to join forces and create Konoha.

Senju Tobirama was part of a powerful ninja clan, but to strengthen the village, he weakened the clans and allowed more commoner ninjas to emerge.

"That kind of thing isn't something you can just accomplish by talking," Zabuza sneered. Kakashi spoke lightly, but the Blood Mist was a policy set by the Mizukage.

"And do you think killing a Jonin is easy?" Kakashi replied calmly.

Achieving change is difficult, but if you never try, success will always be out of reach. If Kakashi had given up because of his injuries or exhaustion, he never would have made that strike in the Transparent World that killed Akutami Hideyuki.

Zabuza was speechless. The one who was killed was his own mentor, so he naturally knew how unbelievably difficult it had been.

"Begin the battle!" Hiruko, after slightly adjusting his emotions, quickly shouted.

"Hiding in Mist Jutsu!"

To prevent being instantly killed by Kakashi's speed, Zabuza immediately retreated, formed hand seals, and created a thick fog across the battlefield. At the same time, he used the Body Flicker Jutsu to rapidly change positions.

However, to Zabuza's surprise, Kakashi made no move, leaving him darting around and evading an opponent who wasn't even pursuing him.

"What is that guy trying to do?" Zabuza frowned, guessing Kakashi's tactics.

This was completely different from what he had imagined. Zabuza had expected Kakashi to charge at him with extreme speed, but instead, Kakashi hadn't even drawn his sword and was walking leisurely.

In fact, Zabuza's initial assumption wasn't wrong. Earlier, Kakashi had indeed planned to end the fight with a single fast strike, a flash attack to instantly take Zabuza down.

But after their brief exchange, Kakashi abandoned that idea. He now wanted to completely defeat Zabuza using his newly developed Thunder Flash technique.

Kakashi pushed his Thunder Breathing to the limit, significantly enhancing his strength and speed, while gathering a large amount of chakra in his legs and right hand, ready to unleash it at any moment.

Kakashi focused hard, trying to enter that clear, transparent world. Over the past month, he had made many attempts, all of which ended in failure.

This time, as expected, he failed again. However, Kakashi keenly noticed that something was different—though he hadn't succeeded, he faintly sensed something.

Kakashi felt a bit of relief. After a month of intense training, he finally made some progress. As expected, battle was the key.

Unable to figure out Kakashi's strategy, Zabuza sent out a Water Clone to attack Kakashi, while his real body waited for Kakashi to make a move and reveal an opening.

To strengthen that faint feeling, Kakashi tried closing his eyes.

Seeing this, the Water Clone charged straight at him.

Swish!

Kakashi drew his blade at lightning speed and slashed, instantly slicing the Water Clone in half, causing it to collapse into water.

Zabuza, who had just been about to charge, broke into a cold sweat. He couldn't comprehend Kakashi's move. His eyes were closed, yet he still moved so fast and instantly took out the clone.

Just as Zabuza was thinking of a new strategy, Kakashi moved again, this time advancing in Zabuza's direction.

Kakashi converted all the gathered chakra into lightning chakra, and the dazzling yellow lightning engulfed his legs and right hand.

The yellow lightning flowed from Kakashi's arm to the White Fang Tanto in his hand. Under the influence of the chakra, the Tanto extended with a blade of lightning, transforming into the shape of a katana.

"Thunder Flash!"

Zzzzz!!

Boom!

At this moment, the lightning around Kakashi became even more dazzling. Even the thick white mist couldn't conceal its brilliance, and the audience could clearly see flashes of yellow light erupting from within the fog, accompanied by the thunderous roar of heavenly lightning.

Zabuza had no idea how Kakashi had located him. The moment Kakashi unleashed the lightning, Zabuza instinctively wanted to dodge, but before he could act, his vision was completely filled with yellow lightning.

Kakashi had already reached him, swinging the electrified blade toward him.

"So beautiful." As Zabuza gazed at the brilliant, dazzling lightning slash, this thought suddenly popped into his mind.

Boom!!

With a thunderous crash, the thick white mist on the battlefield quickly thinned and then dissipated, and the audience could finally see what was happening inside.

Kakashi stood in front of Zabuza, holding a blade wrapped in lightning chakra. His expression was calm, as if he had just done something entirely ordinary.

Facing Kakashi, Zabuza gripped the hilt of his sword. Beneath him lay dozens of shattered iron fragments from his broken blade. A large bloodstain and scorched mark covered his chest.

What shocked the audience most was the long, charred slash mark next to Zabuza. Some estimated it was at least six meters long.

The next moment, blood uncontrollably flowed from Zabuza's mouth, and he collapsed to the ground.

"What kind of technique has Kakashi been practicing? I don't remember him fighting like this before," Asuma said, his eyes wide as he stared at the slash Kakashi had just delivered.

He recalled that Kakashi's Kenjutsu had always been decent, but it was more or less equivalent to slightly above-average Taijutsu. This was on a completely different level.

Hiruzen stroked his small beard and nodded. The Kakashi before him shone even brighter than his contemporaries, like White Fang. Although their styles were somewhat similar, Kakashi had already found a path that suited him better.

In the lobby, Hoshigaki Kisame wore a serious expression. This version of Kakashi made him feel a tremendous sense of threat.

Hoshigaki Kisame took a deep breath and glanced at Might Guy. The semifinals were about to begin, and he needed to defeat Might Guy first to have a chance to face Kakashi in the finals.

"No wonder he's my best friend! This is such an incredibly passionate youth; I can feel it!" Guy clenched his fists, tears of emotion welling in his eyes as his desire to fight Kakashi surged even more.

"Kakashi really knows how to show off!" Obito felt that Kakashi was doing this intentionally. He clearly had more energy-efficient techniques but chose to use his strongest one instead, wasting unnecessary stamina and chakra.

Just thinking about Rin possibly watching Kakashi with bright eyes from the audience made Obito feel even worse. He swore he would give Kakashi a good beating in the semifinals.

"Are you underestimating me? You're actually holding back again." Zabuza, lying on the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood.

Although he was seriously injured, Zabuza understood that he had merely been caught in the aftermath of Kakashi's slash; Kakashi had slightly diverted the direction of his attack and hadn't struck him head-on.

It was precisely because he hadn't taken the full force of the strike that Zabuza grasped just how powerful Kakashi was. Even a fraction of his strength had shattered his new weapon and injured him.

If all that power had been directed at him, not even Tsunade, known as the "Sage of Healing," would be able to save him.

"I just think that in your current state, you will never be able to defeat me," Kakashi replied, sheathing the White Fang Tanto.

"You still don't understand what true strength is."

Zabuza fell silent. He looked up at the blue sky above. At this moment, Kakashi truly had the right to say that, as he had indeed used only a portion of his slashing power to render Zabuza unable to fight back.

"One day, I will stand before you again and defeat you," Zabuza suddenly said.

He was not one to back down easily. If Kakashi said he couldn't do it, then he would prove him wrong. Whether it was changing Mist Village or seeking true strength, he was determined to pursue it. Life was ultimately just a matter of facing death, and having passed through the Gate of Death twice due to Mist's missions, he had nothing to fear.

"If you can manage that, then feel free to come," Kakashi replied indifferently.

"Hatake Kakashi wins!"

Seeing that Zabuza was just talking without moving, Hiruko quickly announced the end of the battle.

Soon, medical ninjas rushed down to take the injured Zabuza away.

Lying on the stretcher, Zabuza was lost in thought. His trip to Konoha had brought him many shocks, but what he regretted most was the recent fight with Kakashi.

He felt he hadn't had a chance to fight back before being defeated, and he believed Kakashi wouldn't enjoy such a one-sided battle, which made him feel disappointed.

With the final match of the second round concluded, the venue entered a break period.

Although the competitors could rest while others fought, the pace of ninja battles was too fast. In the first round, with many participants, it was manageable, but in the second round, there were only four matches, leaving little time to rest.

"Kakashi, what's with your battle tactics? You could have resolved it much more easily, yet…" Obito started lecturing Kakashi as soon as he entered the lobby after the match.

"Is it wrong to take revenge for what happened in the Forest of Death?" Kakashi interrupted.

Obito had nothing to say; it didn't seem unreasonable to use force when personal grudges were involved.

At that moment, there were only four people in the lobby: Kakashi, Obito, and Guy, who were chatting while resting, while Kisame sat in the corner, eyes closed, conserving his energy and waiting for the next exam to start.

Meanwhile, the audience munched on snacks and discussed the strengths of the remaining four competitors.

At this point, it could be said that none of the four candidates were weak; each contestant had displayed incredibly strong performances. Hoshigaki Kisame could transform the battlefield into a water-filled environment, while Might Guy showcased his exaggerated Taijutsu.

If only the technology of the Naruto world had advanced enough—if there were live streams, just a short break would result in hundreds or thousands of posts dissecting the battle capabilities of the competitors online.

"Hoshigaki Kisame vs. Might Guy! Please enter the arena quickly" Hiruko announced as the break time ended.

Guy, with a bright smile, was the first to step into the battlefield, followed closely by Kisame, who opened his eyes.

All the spectators focused intently on the center of the arena, as this battle was crucial for the joint Chunin exam.

If Guy won, it would represent a significant victory for Konoha, leading to an internal conflict among Konoha Ninja in the finals.

On the other hand, if Kisame emerged victorious, it would allow Mist Village to retain some face, as they would have reached the finals together, indicating they were on the same level.

The audience from Konoha cheered loudly for Guy, while the Mist Ninja silently prayed for Kisame, hoping for his victory in battle.

"Remember me? This time, I'm at my peak and won't lose again," Kisame grinned, showing teeth like a shark.

Guy scratched his head as he looked at Kisame, faintly recalling Hiruko calling out the name Hoshigaki. Combining this with similar dialogues from his memories, Guy figured out his opponent's name.

"Hoshigaki Kamon, this time I will win again!" Guy declared confidently.

Kisame looked at Guy with a puzzled expression. Who was Hoshigaki Kamon? He had no idea.

Kisame was somewhat impressed by Guy. He could overlook the fact that he hadn't remembered his name from the Forest of Death, but the referee had called his name three times today, including just a moment ago, and yet Guy still got it wrong.

"Is he trying to provoke me on purpose to make me mess up?" Kisame thought he had figured out Guy's reasoning.

He never expected that the muscular, strong-limbed Guy would actually use psychological tactics before the fight, which changed Kisame's perception of him.

"The battle begins!" Hiruko announced on time.

"Eight Inner Gates—Gater of Opening, Open! Gate of Rest, Open! Gate of Life, Open!" Guy instantly opened three gates, causing his Chakra to surge explosively.

"Stone Breathing, Total Concentration!" At the same time, Guy adjusted his breathing, concentrating it to greatly enhance his physical abilities.

Having fought Kisame once before, he was well aware of Kisame's approximate strength, so he didn't hold back and went all out right from the start.

"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

Knowing Guy's Taijutsu prowess, Kisame didn't hesitate for a second. As soon as Hiruko finished speaking, Kisame quickly retreated, forming hand signs, and spewed out a massive wave of water toward Guy.

Guy leaped into the air, dodging the enormous water flow. The entire area transformed into something like a large pond, forcing Guy to fight while standing on the water.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"

After using the Exploding Water Colliding Wave, Kisame immediately formed more hand signs, creating a large water dragon that surged toward Guy.

"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"

Guy gathered strength in his leg and delivered a heavy Whirlwind Kick. With just one kick, he dispersed the Water Dragon Bullet, causing the water to splash violently in all directions.

At just over 1.3 meters tall, Guy appeared very small in front of the massive Water Dragon Bullet. Yet, despite this significant size difference, he shattered the water dragon with a single kick.

In this moment, the immense power of the Eight Inner Gates combined with Stone Breathing was vividly displayed. Many watching Ninja gasped in awe; this was a true clash of Taijutsu and Ninjutsu.

"Guy!" His father, Duy, shouted his son's name as he watched him kick apart the Water Dragon Bullet. All those early morning and late-night training sessions were not in vain; it was all for this moment.

Genma and Ebisu exchanged glances, feeling that being placed in the same team as Guy had likely cost them a lot of luck. Having such a powerhouse on their team was incredibly satisfying, providing them with a strong sense of security during missions.

Even though Kisame had already fought Guy once, witnessing his formidable Taijutsu again made his eyelids twitch. Faced with Guy in this state, even Kisame, who was born with strength far beyond that of an ordinary person, did not want to engage in a Taijutsu contest.

Sustaining some injuries was manageable, but once Guy got into his rhythm of attack, Kisame might not even have the chance to use Ninjutsu before losing.

After shattering the Water Dragon Bullet, Guy charged straight at Kisame. His speed was so fast that the ordinary audience could only see a green blur moving forward.

"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!" Kisame, who initially intended to wear Guy down further, quickly mobilized all his Chakra to unleash his ultimate technique.

Last time, Guy had been defeated by the massive water release of the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave, so this time, Kisame aimed to exhaust Guy's strength first before using this move to avoid repeating the previous failure.

However, Guy was in an alarmingly good state, forcing Kisame to release the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave earlier; otherwise, the ensuing battle would be very unfavorable for him.

The combat arena was considered large for ordinary people, but for a Taijutsu expert like Guy, the space felt quite small. Kisame transformed most of his Chakra into water-type Chakra and released a terrifying volume of water from his mouth, several times more than before.

Guy immediately thought of the massive Water release from the Forest of Death. He stopped running and quickly retreated.

He couldn't use Underwater Breathing; recklessly getting trapped underwater would put him in a very passive position.

However, Kisame hadn't wasted the past month either. He had trained hard for a month, and although it wasn't exaggerated, he was still stronger than he had been a month ago.

Kisame utilized the water flow from the initially released Exploding Water Colliding Wave, and soon the water of the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave grew larger, threatening to cover the entire combat arena.

Though there's only one word difference, the Exploding Water Colliding Wave and the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave are quite different. The Exploding Water Colliding Wave is similar to the Water Formation Pillar; it creates a large volume of water to set up a favorable environment for Water Release ninjas. In contrast, the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave can produce a massive solid version of the Water Prison technique.

Soon, Guy realized that he had nowhere left to retreat because Kisame's Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave covered such a vast area that it could envelop the entire combat arena.

Guy took a deep breath. Holding his breath underwater for five minutes was not difficult, but to maintain the Breathing Technique's power, he had tried before and could only sustain it for a minute at most. This meant he had to defeat Kisame within that minute; otherwise, without the Breathing Technique's enhancement, he might not be a match for Kisame underwater.

Guy summoned all his strength to its peak and actively allowed the ever-expanding Water Balloon to envelop him.

Although the limitations of the arena put him at a disadvantage, the word "retreat" did not exist in Guy's dictionary.

Kisame's powerful Water Release caused a stir among the audience. Many ordinary spectators found it fascinating that a watertight Water Balloon could form without any container.

Kakashi watched the battlefield intently. As a fellow practitioner of the Breathing Technique, he understood Guy's predicament.

Seeing Guy finally enter the Water Balloon, Kisame smiled, his sharp teeth combined with his face and agile movements in the water made him look like a true shark.

"Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Jutsu!"

As Kisame continuously channeled his Chakra, five sharks with gaping mouths appeared in the water, swiftly swimming towards Guy to bite him.

This was a Water Release Ninjutsu developed by Kisame over the past thirty days, which was more suitable for him compared to the Water Dragon Bullet.

Kisame also had ideas for further development, integrating some of the unique traits his body possessed, but due to the short time frame, he had not been able to fully realize them.

Facing the ferocious sharks, Guy showed no fear. He unleashed his full power and charged towards Kisame, his immense Chakra causing the water at his feet to temporarily disperse.

Bang!

Guy punched the incoming water shark, causing it to explode, creating terrifying waves in the water.

"He's stronger than before," Kisame's expression shifted slightly.

Guy took only nine seconds to eliminate all five water sharks and continued charging towards Kisame.

Kisame quickly consumed more Chakra to create more water sharks to confront Guy.

But this still couldn't stop Guy's advance; he approached Kisame step by step like an invincible war god.

"Forty seconds, forty-one seconds," Guy silently counted the time since he entered the Water Balloon.

"Ten Shark Bullets!"

Kisame unleashed all his Chakra to create ten water sharks in one go.

Even with Kisame's abundant Chakra, he felt drained from continuously using Water Release.

"Noon Leopard!"

As he silently counted to fifty seconds, Guy's powerful Chakra from the Eight Inner Gates erupted completely, enhancing his entire body and raising his momentum to a new peak.

The multiple bursts from Soru made the power of this kick unmatched, as the impact of Guy's kick destroyed the three water sharks at the front.

The intense waves in the Water Balloon roared silently like the Chakra flame on Guy, resembling a leopard's head. As Guy's powerful kick made contact with the sharks, seven of them instantly collapsed.

"Fifty-three, fifty-four." As he silently counted, Guy's flying kick drew closer to Kisame.

Kisame quickly swam backward, draining his last reserves of Chakra to create a water shark three times larger than a normal one, aiming to bite Guy.

Boom!!

The collision between the leopard's head and the giant shark caused the enormous Water Balloon to ripple again.

At that moment, Guy silently counted to sixty in his mind.

Kisame could clearly sense that Guy's aura had suddenly weakened; the leopard that was about to shatter the shark showed signs of decline.

A look of joy appeared on Kisame's face, feeling that it was time for his counterattack.

"No way..." Genma and Ebisu exchanged worried glances.

"The arena is too small; couldn't it be built bigger? This gives Kisame too much of an advantage with his Ninjutsu," Obito thought, believing that Guy had suffered a significant disadvantage in the arena.

Kakashi's expression remained unchanged; he would continue to believe in Guy until the result was announced. They had made a pact to fight in the finals.

Before Kisame could feel joy for even half a second, due to being near the edge of the Water Balloon, Guy used all his strength to headbutt his way out and took a breath. Immediately afterward, Guy unleashed the briefly extended power, shattering the giant shark and kicking Kisame away.

With Kisame's support gone, the enormous Water Balloon instantly lost its constraining force, and Kisame crashed hard against the wall at the edge of the arena. Steadying himself, Guy expelled the water he had accidentally inhaled.

Next, Guy quickly checked Kisame's condition and, upon realizing that Kisame was severely injured and unable to continue fighting, he felt relieved.

"Might Guy wins!" Hiruko swiftly announced Guy's victory.

Guy flashed a bright smile at the audience, giving himself a thumbs-up.

Defeating Kisame meant he was headed to the finals, bringing him one step closer to his goal of becoming the strongest in Taijutsu.

"My dear friend, it's your turn next," Guy said as he looked towards the resting area.

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