Chitani Isamu finally saw his excellent student in the class, revealing a smile and saying:
"Obito is a student in my class, with impressive strength. Before the special training, he was already second in grade four. After undergoing training with Yumi-sensei, I wonder how much he has improved."
"I've seen Uchiha Obito's battles, indeed, he is quite powerful," acknowledged the sensei beside him.
"Uchiha Obito is indeed strong, but his opponent is even stronger. Although Asuma only graduated as a Genin this year, he consistently ranked first in his grade before graduation," Kimura Sugito said.
He witnessed Obito's rise step by step from being a straggler, but he still didn't favor Obito because Obito's opponent is none other than the son of the Third Hokage.
Obito ranked second in the grade, while Asuma consistently ranked first.
Chitani Isamu had to nod in agreement. Normally, Asuma indeed had a greater chance of winning.
The senseis who had taught Asuma began to praise his performance at school, almost elevating Asuma to the level of Shisui and Kakashi.
Third still wore a smiling expression on his face, but inwardly, he didn't take the senseis' praise seriously. After all, how could he not know his own son's abilities?
Asuma's performance wasn't bad, but comparing him to Shisui and Kakashi made him uncomfortable.
Third stopped paying attention to the senseis' discussion and focused on the upcoming battle.
He still needed to care about his son's fight.
"Asuma, how are you feeling today?" asked Obito as he formed the Seal of Confrontation.
"Pretty good. I slept soundly last night. What about you? Even if your father is here, I won't go easy on you," Obito replied, forming his own seals.
"Who said I want you to go easy? We must go all out later," Asuma answered.
Fighting Obito is tough, but it allows him to fully display his abilities.
Because now he and Obito are similar types of ninjas, both having decent Fire Release, Taijutsu, and other skills.
Last time he lost to Obito, who wasn't at his peak, was purely due to carelessness; he didn't expect Obito's Taijutsu to improve and was caught off guard.
"The battle begins!" Mutsuki shouted as they took their stances.
Whoosh!
Both disappeared from their original positions using the Body Flicker Jutsu, leaving a pile of Shuriken where they stood.
None of the Shuriken hit, and they charged at each other again, engaging in close combat.
It was difficult to determine who had the upper hand in their exchange.
Watching Asuma's performance, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in approval to himself. Asuma's Taijutsu had indeed improved significantly, making him seem more like a qualified ninja now.
Seeing Obito holding his own in Taijutsu against Asuma, Kimura Sugito expressed surprise, saying, "Uchiha Obito has improved again!"
In the previous grade exam, Obito excelled in agility, but now his close combat abilities have improved.
Soon, something even more surprising happened. Asuma gradually began to fall behind!
Obito's mastery of Soru made his speed faster than the typical Body Flicker Jutsu. Any slight opening from Asuma would be seized upon by Obito.
Mutsuki had to admit that the localized version of Soru in Konoha was indeed an excellent Body Flicker Jutsu. Although it had the disadvantage of greater consumption and fatigue, it wasn't a flaw of Soru itself but rather of the user. If one's body was strong enough, it wouldn't be an issue.
Fortunately, Asuma's combat experience was richer than Obito's, preventing Obito from further expanding his advantage.
For now, it was hard to determine the winner in Taijutsu. After exchanging blows, they quickly created seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Obito condensed a large amount of chakra into flames and expelled a massive fireball toward Asuma.
"Fire Release: Great Flame Jutsu!" Asuma also gathered chakra and unleashed intense flames toward Obito.
The two flames wrestled with each other, each trying to engulf the other.
But ultimately, Obito's massive fireball prevailed, pressing steadily toward Asuma.
Despite Asuma's efforts to gather chakra, he couldn't neutralize Obito's Great Fireball and had to evade it.
Whoosh!
Seizing this opportunity, Obito once again used Soru, even faster this time, to attack Asuma, who was evading the Great Fireball.
"He lost," Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head, already knowing the outcome of the battle.
In his eyes, Asuma made too many unnecessary mistakes in this battle. When at a speed disadvantage, he shouldn't have continued to confront head-on but rather should have calmly considered countermeasures. Using Fire Release and engaging in a Great Fireball clash was a decisive error.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen were in Asuma's position now, he could think of over a hundred ways to defeat Obito.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen also didn't overlook Asuma's progress. Compared to before, Asuma had indeed improved significantly. If it had been the previous Asuma, he would have lost in the Taijutsu stage.
As Sarutobi Hiruzen expected, despite Asuma's efforts to hold on, successive exchanges couldn't stop Obito's fierce assault.
"Uchiha Obito wins!"
"How is that possible? Asuma actually lost..." The senseis were dumbfounded, feeling extremely embarrassed. They had just praised Asuma, but he ended up losing to a student. This was a pure facepalm moment.
"Uchiha Obito is very promising. If he can keep it up, he will become an excellent ninja in the future," Third said with a smile.
"Third-sama is right. I also have high hopes for Obito," Chitani Isamu immediately sounded resolute.
"Number twenty-one, Ebisu, and number twenty-two, Shiranui Genma, get ready for battle."
Upon hearing Ebisu's name, the senseis present recalled the unforgettable scene they had witnessed in Group C not long ago.
"Isn't that the most creative student?" a Chunin sensei teased the homeroom teacher of class 4-6.
Third also became interested and turned his gaze towards the battle arena, curious to see what special qualities Ebisu, the leader, had developed.
Ebisu noticed the numerous onlookers and felt somewhat excited. If he performed well this time, the path to becoming a ninja would be smooth sailing in the future.
Although not as strong as Shiranui Genma, Ebisu did his best to showcase everything he had mastered, only to lose narrowly in the end.
Ebisu's performance in this battle disappointed many senseis, not because of his lack of combat prowess, but because it was different from what they had imagined.
The homeroom teacher of class 4-6 quietly left the group of senseis, wearing a stern expression as he found Ebisu and gave him a stern reprimand.
Ebisu felt somewhat puzzled. While he did lose, he felt like his performance wasn't bad.
Besides, he and Shiranui Genma were friends. He used to lose to Shiranui Genma frequently, so losing now was normal.
Third and many senseis had been watching all the battles on the training ground.
They lingered longer in Group A but also went to watch other groups.
The more the senseis watched, the more astonished they became. Many of the specially trained students were taught by them, but after over a month, even the weakest ones seemed unrecognizable.
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