"Alright," Mochizuki Hui agreed with a nod. Although he had won the earlier fight against Lightning, it hadn't completely earned him the respect of his new teammates. The shuriken technique he used to defeat Lightning had been an unexpected tactic—a surprise move. What he had shown wasn't enough to fully convince them of his strength.
"Very well, First Squad, Team Four. The second sparring session begins—now," Bear declared.
As soon as his voice fell, Hui and Wind charged at each other simultaneously.
This time, since Wind had already seen Hui's shuriken technique, repeating the same tactic wouldn't work.
Besides, Hui wanted to test himself further against these experienced Anbu members to see where he truly stood. After all, Wind was a skilled swordsman as well.
Clang!
Their blades collided with a sharp metallic sound, ringing out clearly in the air.
Just from that single clash, Wind immediately regarded Hui with a newfound respect. The power behind Hui's strike was surprisingly on par with his own—a fact that left him shocked.
Wind was no ordinary fighter. He was a seasoned, twenty-something-year-old warrior, while Hui was just a child. The idea that a mere six-year-old could match his strength was mind-boggling.
Clang, clang, clang!
The two exchanged a rapid series of blows, their swords clashing repeatedly and producing sparks with each collision.
Wind's swordsmanship was formidable, supported by his extensive battle experience.
However, Hui wasn't far behind. Though he lacked Wind's years of experience, his physical abilities were far superior. In terms of strength, speed, and reflexes, Hui was nearly Wind's equal.
On top of that, Hui's perceptive eyes gave him an edge. With his heightened sense of vision, he could see through every move Wind made.
Each time Wind prepared to strike, Hui could predict the direction of the attack just by observing his movements.
For a time, the two seemed evenly matched. Neither could gain an advantage over the other.
Observing from the side, both Bear and Lightning had finally discarded their earlier doubts. In this battle, it was clear—Hui had earned their acknowledgment.
The clash between Hui and Wind demonstrated that Hui possessed the strength of a full-fledged chunin. He was more than qualified to be their teammate.
Clang, clang, clang!
Their swords continued to clash at breakneck speed. At one point, Wind jumped back, creating a distance of about three or four meters between them. He plunged his sword into the ground and quickly began forming hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive ball of flame surged from Wind's mouth, forming into an enormous fireball that hurtled toward Hui, warping the air surrounding it. The blazing fireball was as large as a small house, filling nearly all of Hui's vision.
The heat was intense, and even before it reached him, Hui could feel his face growing warm. There was no way he could take it head-on.
Without hesitation, Hui dodged to the side, his small frame moving quickly to evade the scorching flames.
Despite his young age, Hui's reaction time was extraordinary, and his speed was nothing to scoff at either. The moment he saw the fireball being formed, his mind had already calculated an escape route.
The fireball, powerful as it was, missed its mark.
But Wind hadn't expected to defeat Hui with that fireball alone. It was just a distraction to cover his real move—the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
In the final moments of releasing the fireball, Wind had swiftly created a shadow clone.
Now, with two Wind figures closing in from different directions, both wielding swords, they charged at Hui from two angles, aiming to block his escape.
This was one of Wind's signature moves. His combination of real and shadow clone strikes often overwhelmed his opponents. Each attack flowed seamlessly into the next, giving the target no time to react.
As the two Winds rushed toward him, Hui's eyes flickered for a brief moment. He realized what was happening, but instead of panicking, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Calling upon the energy within his body, Hui swung his sword, unleashing a radiant arc of silver light.
The crescent-shaped slash, bright and dazzling, shot through the air like a crescent moon—Silver Moon.
The glowing crescent flew forward and sliced clean through both of Wind's shadow clones, reducing them to clouds of smoke. In that instant, the real Wind was revealed, hiding behind his two clones!
It turned out Wind hadn't just created one shadow clone but two. The first clone had been a decoy, meant to mask his true position underground.
He had intended for his real body to remain hidden while the two clones distracted Hui with their assault. At the last moment, he would deliver a fatal blow from the shadows.
Many opponents had fallen to this strategy, and Wind had hoped it would work on Hui as well.
Of course, this tactic had a known weakness—sensor-type ninja. If his opponent had any sensory abilities, they could detect his real body underground, rendering the strategy ineffective.
Hui had mentioned that he could sense chakra, so Wind knew it was a risk. However, he also wanted to test just how strong Hui's sensory abilities were.
But to his surprise, Hui wasn't relying solely on his sensory skills—he had hidden his full strength. With a powerful technique like Silver Moon, Wind's strategy had been thoroughly defeated.
Looking down at the sword mark that now marred his chest armor, Wind chuckled. "I concede defeat."
Upon hearing this, Hui sheathed his sword.