Even though the fight had not yet begun, the winner was already decided. Toru knew this just by looking at the face of his childhood friend.
However, that mark on the boy's neck generated distrust in Toru. He was sure that this mark was the work of Orochimaru.
"Now that everyone is upstairs, it's time to begin."
Hayate looked at Sasuke and Akado. They both looked confident, but the disadvantage was on Sasuke, as he was injured by Orochimaru during the survival test.
"Begin!"
As soon as Hayate kicked off the fight, Sasuke abruptly launched himself at the enemy. The two were on equal footing for the first thirty seconds.
(He is fast and the force in his punches is very powerful. I'm sure Sasuke is going to win this fight, but there's also the possibility of defeat. His body looks worn and tired, and the mark on his neck is surely causing him pain. I don't want to imagine what would have happened to me if Orochimaru had forced me to accept that mark).
Toru folded his arms as he made an analysis of the fight. A whole minute had already passed and Sasuke was in the lead.
"You got it, Sasuke!"
Naruto stood on the metal bars and gave encouragement to his friend. At the same time, Sasuke had Akado pinned down, but the mouth-covered ninja wasn't weak enough to let himself get caught.
"Don't get too excited, Uchiha."
Akado released his grip and took distance.
"Don't get distracted!"
Sasuke appeared in front of Akado with a smile on his mouth. He quickly kicked him hard enough to lift Akado into the air.
(I see that Sasuke has gotten stronger these past few years. But... Does he really want to kill Itachi...?)
Toru closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. This fight was almost over and Sasuke was about to execute his final technique.
"Don't think you're a big deal just because you're an Uchiha."
Akado maintained his arrogance as he hovered in the air, but Sasuke only let out a laugh as he placed his fingers on Sasuke's back.
"I stole this technique from someone else, but now it's mine."
For a second it seemed as if the mark on Sasuke's neck extended all the way down his left arm.
(I'm not going to let this curse control me again).
But Sasuke got everything under control, and at the same time, ended the fight using:
"Shishi Rendan! (Lion Burst)!"
Punching his opponent's face hard and using a downward hammer kick, Sasuke literally buried Akado in the ground.
Everyone was amazed at what they had seen, even the Jounin in charge of one of the sound village teams. There was a lustful smile on his face, as if he was ecstatic at Sasuke's talent.
"Yoroi Akado is unconscious, the victor is Sasuke Uchiha, advance to the final examination."
"Way to go!"
Naruto and Sakura raised their hands as they celebrated Sasuke's victory.
"Seriously... they're really annoying."
Tired from the physical exertion, Sasuke was about to fall to the ground, but Kakashi stopped him before his body hit the ground.
"You're not going to pass out here, first I have to take care of that thing on your neck" Kakashi said in Sasuke's ear.
"What? But I want to watch the others' fights."
Sasuke looked at Kakashi with a weak expression on his face, he wanted to see if Toru and Naruto were able to qualify to the final exam.
"I'm sorry, but you won't be able to do that."
After that, Sasuke and Kakashi left the place, at the same time the medical shinobi took Akado straight to the infirmary.
"Well... we don't have that much time, so we should continue. Likewise, we will choose the names of the following participants randomly."
Hayate looked at the screen. In less than a second the screen lit up and the names began to scroll quickly, stopping at the name of two ninjas.
Asahi Toru vs Yakushi Kabuto
(It's my turn...)
Toru sighed and jumped, falling into the combat arena. Curiously enough, his feet did not make a sound when they touched the ground.
(You can do it, Toru-kun)
Hinata saw Toru approaching the center of the place. She was nervous as she was afraid that Toru would be seriously injured after a fight.
As for Ino, she was just going to watch without saying anything. Although she couldn't hide that she was a little nervous, after all her teammate was about to put his life on the line in this exam.
"Looks like this year luck is not on my side."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses as he looked at Toru. Likewise, Toru looked at Kabuto with a neutral expression.
"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not going to hold back. I want to become a chunin too, I guess you feel the same way too."
"You're right. Then, I'll let myself go for the moment."
Hearing that, Kabuto let a slight smile form on his face. Right now he had the opportunity to gain information about Toru's abilities.
"Well, if you are ready I can give the fight a start" Hayate said, but Toru and Kabuto looked at each other in silence.
"Eh... well, begin!"
Saying that, Hayate jumped backwards to avoid getting hurt in the middle of the fight.
"Here I come, Asahi Toru!"
The first to launch himself into the attack was Kabuto, who didn't hesitate to use three shurikens to damage his opponent.
*Cling, clank, clang!*
But Toru stopped them with the daggers he pulled out from under his sweater.
(Those daggers... I see. This will definitely... be interesting...)
Kabuto had a few things on his mind. According to rumors, very few members of the Asahi clan can use ninjutsu, with that in mind, Kabuto deduced that he was facing a taijutsu user.
And he wasn't wrong, well... something like that.
"You're very fast, but let's see how fast you can dodge this."
Kabuto bragged a bit as he tried to stab Toru with a kunai, but the grey-eyed boy dodged the attacks with ease.
"It's like he's dancing."
Sakura took a closer look at Toru's movements. In itself, the way Toru dodged the attacks closely resembled the movements used in a certain fancy dance.
(Kabuto's moves are good. But it's like he's holding back. Even though he said he wouldn't hold back...)
The exchange of blows continued for twenty-four seconds. Kicks, punches, clashes between metal weapons, the fight was somehow evenly matched.
But this was a farce, yes, a farce in which both parties held back their strength. Slow, clumsy movements, neither managed to land a blow.
(Come on buddy, if you hold back I won't be able to evaluate your skills).
Kabuto took his distance and adjusted his glasses. At the same time, his gaze glittered dangerously as he smiled disturbingly. The real battle is about to begin.
This time, the one who took the initiative was Toru, who disappeared in plain sight.
(Shit!)
*Clang!
Kabuto turned around, only to find the blade of a dagger heading straight for his heart. Hopefully he was able to parry it with the kunai, but the dagger was large, so it managed to make a small cut on Kabuto's chest.
Meanwhile, watching everything with a satisfied smile on his face. He who seemed to be the Jounin in charge of the sound village team looked pleased, excited, ecstatic.
(That strength, that agility and speed. Everything is perfect.)
The man was pleased with what he had seen today. But he still regretted letting him get away, after all this man is Orochimaru wearing someone else's face.
(It seems that now he will decide to use all his strength).
"I thought you were going to kill me."
Kabuto struggled a bit with Toru. The metal weapons began to expel small sparks due to the friction. It stayed that way for a few seconds until Toru decided it was time to use more than just force.
"Dancing Massacre..."
"Huh?"
"Three vital points."
Toru disappeared, everyone looked around to be able to find him, but no one had any luck. At least until Naruto thought to look up.
"What the hell!"
Hearing Naruto, everyone looked up. There was Toru plummeting towards the ground, aiming his daggers at Kabuto's face.
In response, Kabuto felt in immense danger. A nervous smile formed on his mouth as he watched death approaching him. But he still decided to stay in the same place until....
*Clang!
One of the daggers and the kunai collided, causing a loud noise that echoed throughout the place. For a single second everything was silent, everything was quiet as Toru continued to hover in the air. At the same time Kabuto felt as if his feet were about to sink into the ground, the recoil of the blow caused him to fall back a few centimeters. But this was only the beginning of Toru's technique, for after that second Kabuto was hit through the air three times, followed by that, Kabuto shot backwards.
He spun around a few times on the ground until he finally stopped. Kabuto tried to get up, but he felt that his body was as heavy as a stone.
(So that was...)
Although few saw it, Toru's daggers for a millisecond ignited into fire and using the hilt, he struck Kabuto in the heart, liver and forehead. This technique was named by Toru himself. 'Dancing Massacre: Three Vital Points'. As the name suggested, Toru attacked three vital points in the same second, although the reason why the daggers were lit on fire was still unknown.
"That was surprising. I actually thought I was going to die."
Kabuto got up from the ground. By this time, all the rookies in Konoha had their jaws on the floor. They never imagined that the weird, quiet Asahi Toru would be so strong.
"Shit, if that Taijutsu ever hit me, I sure wouldn't make it out alive."
Kiba trembled for a second, even with his fighting style he couldn't do anything. Even if he put Akamaru as a meat shield he wouldn't manage to repel the damage.
(Toru is very strong... stronger than Sasuke).
Sakura was nervous, still in the back of her mind she wondered Is he really the same weird kid who always stayed away from everyone?
"Ha~ that really hurt, I think I'm going to cry."
Kabuto was joking about what had just happened, but this was done to hide how screwed up he was. His breathing was heavy, but he somehow managed to hide it from his opponent.
"You said you weren't going to hold back. But you still did."
"Hahaha... I thought I could win without trying too hard. But I see that when you're the opponent, holding back is a stupid thing to do."
Thinking back on his past decisions, Kabuto held the kunai up again, preparing for what was next.
(Just a few more seconds and I'll finish measuring Toru's skills).
Kabuto smiled, took a breath of air as he tried to endure the pain of Toru's attack and then charged in with everything he had.
At first, Toru received the attacks by blocking them with the daggers. Again the exchange of blows became external, but this time you could clearly see the power in each clash of strength.
"Dude, I've heard rumors about the Asahi. They are strong, intelligent and above all, experts at killing."
Right next to Gaara was Kankuro, who tried to follow the movements of the two in front of him. No doubt they were strong, but....
(Do you think I'm going to fall for this charade, I'm sure Gaara noticed it too?)
That's right, Kankuro noticed that both participants were holding back. But the one who was holding back his strength the most was....
(Asahi Toru... he's definitely dangerous).
A nervous laughter was heard in the battle arena, it was Kabuto.
(He has strength unbecoming of a ninja his age. The speed he can reach and the taijutsu he's never seen before, all that makes him dangerous. It is too unpredictable, but ... I think I'm done with my work).
Kabuto jumped back and looked at Toru with a smile.
"Haha... I give up."
What!!!
The rookies shouted in unison. Kabuto simply ran away and gave up, it was ridiculous.
"Hm... You're a coward Kabuto!"
Naruto's irritated voice echoed. Kabuto returned his gaze and looked at the boy.
"I'm sorry, but he's too strong. I can't do anything, in the whole fight I didn't manage to hit him. However, he managed to leave me like this."
Kabuto sighed and walked out of the arena, leaving everyone with a strange taste in their mouths.
"This is unexpected, it seems.... Asahi Toru is the victor, advance to the final exam."
[Results of the second fight:
Asahi Toru vs Yakushi Kabuto
Time: 5.23 minutes
Winner: Asahi Toru
Decisive blow: Kabuto gave up]