As Mutsuki expected, Obito's body had no major issues; it was just that his chakra was depleted due to excessive use, coupled with the fatigue from repeatedly employing Soru in a short period.
After all, Obito had just used both the Great Fireball and the Great Dragon Fire, not to mention several instances of the incomplete Soru and Clone Jutsu.
Among them, Clone Jutsu had the least chakra consumption, but its role was crucial.
After being treated, Obito quickly regained consciousness. Seeing Mutsuki sitting beside him, he couldn't help but share the highlights of his recent battle.
"When I was kicked by Guy at the beginning, I knew that if the fight continued normally, I would definitely lose. So, even though I couldn't use Soru again, I took the risk to create distance and use Ninjutsu."
"To save chakra, the Great Fireball may look intimidating, but its actual power isn't significant. I used it just to divert Guy's attention and obscure his line of sight."
When Obito talked about deceiving Guy using the Clone Jutsu, he was particularly animated, appearing exceptionally excited.
"I knew Guy has strong observational skills during battles, so I endured the pain and controlled the Clone to show signs of fatigue, misleading Guy."
In today's battle, Obito felt like he could boast for a year. There were too many details, and the Clone didn't initially show any differences. It ran for a while before disguising itself as fatigued, making it look more natural.
"Your performance today was indeed outstanding. If you can stay this calm in future battles, that would be great," Mutsuki praised.
He never spared words of praise when a student performed well. If he constantly denied praise due to concerns about his students becoming arrogant, it would ultimately undermine their confidence.
"Hehe, it's also thanks to your excellent teaching, Yumi-sensei," Obito chuckled, revealing a contented smile.
Why did he just say so much? Is it to show off? Certainly not. There's no point in boasting to a sensei after winning against peers.
He simply wanted to showcase his progress and earn recognition from Mutsuki. If Obito had to point out the only flaw in that battle, it would be the absence of two people: Rin and Kakashi.
If Rin was present, she would undoubtedly praise his tactical acumen, and even the arrogant Kakashi wouldn't dare underestimate him again.
After confirming that everything was fine, Obito suggested to Mutsuki that they return to the training ground to watch the ongoing battles. Mutsuki thought about it and, knowing Obito probably didn't want to give up the exam, and considering Obito wasn't injured, decided to take him back.
By the time Mutsuki, in his original form, returned to the training ground, the first round of battles had already ended, with half of the students eliminated. The second round had just started not long ago, and there was still some time before Obito's combat round.
In the second round, Shisui's opponent was still a Genin who graduated this year. Shisui efficiently dealt with the situation, and no one was surprised by the clean and swift resolution.
Currently, the students of Group A generally believed that only Guy, Uchiha Obito, and Sarutobi Asuma have some hope of winning against Shisui.
Originally, Raido Namiashi should have been on the list, but because he has already lost, and lost decisively, everyone thinks that Raido Namiashi is unlikely to win even if they fight again.
In the second round, Obito's opponent was a fourth-year student, and even though Obito was not in his peak condition, he easily dealt with his opponent.
The situation was almost the same in the third-round battles, but it is worth mentioning that Asuma and his teammate Raido Namiashi crossed paths.
When Raido Namiashi faced Asuma, everyone realized they might have underestimated Raido Namiashi's strength and also underestimated Shisui's strength.
Upon careful recollection, they found that whether facing a fourth-year student or a graduating Genin, Shisui took almost the same amount of time to defeat his opponents.
Could it be that Shisui's strength fluctuates? They felt that such a possibility was unlikely.
The only possibility is that Shisui has a mild personality and doesn't want others to lose too embarrassingly, so he used his strength according to the opponent's abilities.
Raido Namiashi is very fast. While not as fast as Guy, who used Soru, among the students of Group A, he is considered part of the top ones. When engaging in close-quarters combat, wielding a Kunai, he gave Asuma quite a hard time.
However, Asuma has been through various beatings these past two days. Despite Raido Namiashi's fierce attacks, Asuma didn't lose composure and quickly found an opportunity to counterattack and secure victory.
...
As the sun gradually sets in the west, the battles on the training ground were also coming to an end. The final battle of the top four, a showdown between Obito and Asuma, is about to take place.
Both of them have endured a tough fight before. Obito even passed out directly from exhaustion, but by now, he has recovered for the most part.
In the battle against Guy, Obito had to keep his distance to avoid his sharp attacks. However, in the fight against Asuma, Obito went straight into close-quarters combat with him.
After so much training, Obito's Taijutsu is no longer a weakness. While not on par with Shisui and Guy, he can still hold his own against other peers.
Obito suddenly charged forward and caught Asuma off guard. Having observed Obito's battles with Guy, where he mostly avoided Taijutsu combat, Asuma assumed that Obito's Taijutsu hadn't improved much.
However, when they started fighting, Asuma was left bewildered. Obito used Soru directly followed by a Konoha Whirlwind Kick, leaving Asuma's head buzzing.
Initially, Asuma might have had a fighting chance, but a tactical error led to him losing the opportunity for victory, and he quickly fell to Obito.
"For the final battle, it's Uchiha Shisui against Uchiha Obito," Mutsuki announced the names of the students in the championship match.
"Both from the Uchiha Clan; indeed, a prestigious lineage," Ebisu exclaimed.
Even though they were of the same age, the difference in Obito's strength compared to those from renowned ninja families was too great. Ebisu was eliminated in the first round.
"What a pity. I had a chance to win, but I didn't expect Obito's Taijutsu to have improved so much," Asuma felt a bit regretful.
"As Senpais, we really are not up to par. We need to work harder in our future training!" Kurenai said.
When Obito stepped onto the battlefield to face Shisui, his mood was somewhat complex. He had fought with Guy numerous times, but with Shisui, it was almost non-existent.
During the period when he trained with Mutsuki, Obito was often disheartened by Shisui's rapid progress. While it took Obito a week to master something, Shisui would finish it in an afternoon. Moreover, Shisui, being from the same clan and younger, added to the frustration.
Now, Obito wasn't as concerned. Although Shisui was strong, Obito believed in his own abilities. However, today, Obito genuinely felt that he had little hope of defeating Shisui, given his current condition.
Despite knowing he would likely lose, Obito gave it his all in the battle. The eventual outcome was as expected—defeat. Yet, Obito wasn't disappointed because he had fought to the best of his abilities.
Furthermore, having triumphed over Guy earlier in the day, Obito was in high spirits. As soon as the competition ended, he planned to boast to Rin about today's comeback battle.
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