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Kurenai tried for a while to understand what Haori said, but eventually gave up. "You might be telling the truth, or you might be trying to trick me, but it doesn't matter. Since you want to see my genjutsu, you'll get your wish. I'll defeat you with my strongest genjutsu."
Kurenai no longer used shuriken, nor did she try to use taijutsu or genjutsu. She knew she had no advantage over this opponent in either of those areas. So, she turned to her most powerful weapon: genjutsu.
Kurenai's hands began to seal rapidly.
"Ninjutsu: Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"
This was a B-rank genjutsu, the most advanced genjutsu she could currently master!
Her body vanished into thin air as if it had evaporated. Then, a large tree began to grow silently behind Haori. The branches would bind his hands and feet. Then Kurenai would emerge from the tree and deliver a "one-hit kill."
A B-rank genjutsu was something that the students of the Ninja Academy couldn't possibly handle. If it was executed perfectly, even a chūnin sensei wouldn't be able to withstand it.
"No good!"
Sensei Aizawa shouted in alarm. It was almost too late for him to stop Kurenai.
Tree Binding Death was definitely a powerful genjutsu, but for it to work, the enemy had to fall for it.
As Kurenai cautiously approached Haori and saw that he wasn't reacting at all, she believed her genjutsu was working. As a smile of victory was about to appear on her face, Haori suddenly moved.
The genjutsu, as Haori had anticipated, had no effect.
At that moment, his head was like a computer monitor that had been hit by a hammer, and occasional blue electric arcs flashed. He was defending against the B-rank genjutsu using this.
He extended his right hand, twisting Kurenai's wrist, which was holding the kunai. Then he tightened his grip!
Kurenai's wrist felt like it was being crushed by iron tongs. The pain made her kunai clatter to the ground.
Then, Haori raised his left hand, his fingers like blades, and tapped lightly on the back of her neck.
She fainted.
"The battle is over, the winner is Shiraishi Haori!"
Sensei Aizawa announced loudly. To be honest, when Kurenai used her B-rank genjutsu, he thought that Haori would lose. But he couldn't believe that Haori actually wasn't affected by the genjutsu.
As a chūnin sensei, he still couldn't understand how Haori had defended against Kurenai's genjutsu. After all, as a chūnin, even he wouldn't have been able to withstand a B-rank genjutsu if he wasn't prepared.
Kurenai, who had lost consciousness, slumped limply against Haori. As soon as the sensei announced the end of the battle, two medical ninjas quickly came to Haori's side and took Kurenai away.
The first victory came easily, but Haori was still happy. Since he could withstand that technique, he could naturally withstand normal genjutsu.
After Kurenai was taken away, he also left the training field. To be honest, whenever he saw Kurenai's red eyes, he didn't think of the Uchiha Sharingan, but of the eternal Kurapika…
Haori left the training field with the medical squad. The students' discussions had not stopped. They hadn't expected Haori to be able to defeat Kurenai, a top student, let alone in three blows, and it seemed like the victory was fairly easy?
After Haori returned to the sidelines, the next match had already started.
Uchiha Obito vs. Mitokado Kurenai. The highlight of this battle was… there was no highlight. As expected, Uchiha Obito didn't last three seconds, and he was soon defeated by Kurenai.
After the first round, except for the veteran bottom-feeder Uchiha Obito, Shiraishi Haori, Might Guy, and Rin Nohara had all successfully entered the top 15.
Unlike Obito, Might Guy was indeed second to last in the class, but that was because he rarely got any points in any class except taijutsu. But when it came to taijutsu and real combat, he was undeniably part of the top group in the class.
"Now, the second round begins. I will announce the battle pairings."
"First up, Group one, Might Guy vs… Shiraishi Haori!"
"Great, Haori, let's fight it out!"
Before he even heard who his opponent was, just hearing his own name, Might Guy rushed to the center of the training field.
Then, after he heard who his opponent was, he immediately started to yell.
Haori immediately followed him onto the field, because if he wasn't quick enough, Guy would just keep yelling.
He wasn't looking forward to this battle, though. Guy trained like a madman, but because of his age, his taijutsu was still far from mature. At this point, he couldn't possibly use the Eight Inner Gates, and he couldn't even use Lotus.
"Battle start!"
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
As soon as the chūnin sensei announced the start of the battle, Might Guy launched a fierce attack on Haori.
He leaped high and swung a horizontal kick towards Haori's head.
With no speed or strength advantage, jumping up to attack was clearly a bad idea. Before Guy could hit Haori, Haori grabbed his ankle with one hand.
Then, Haori drew back his right leg, spun around, and used Guy's own force to throw him away.
"Damn it, again!"
Guy, as if he hadn't felt any pain, immediately charged toward Haori again!
Haori extended his palm to block Guy's incoming fist, then kicked Guy's shin with his right foot, sending him rolling away again.
Then Guy charged for the third time, and was sent flying again.
Then the fourth time, the fifth time, the sixth time…
Although Guy was quite a clown sometimes, it was hard to dislike someone who was so hardworking and never gave up…
So, Haori decided to use his real strength to defeat him.
"Guy, be careful, I'm going to get serious!"
"Bring it on!" Guy's fighting spirit soared!
Haori slowly closed his eyes, then opened them abruptly. He didn't make any hand seals. Lightning Release chakra flowed through his meridians, and blue electric arcs sparked around his body.
As Guy charged again, Haori didn't throw him away this time. He tilted his head to dodge Guy's fist, then punched him in the chin. Before Guy could react, he drove his right knee upwards!
Guy's body arched upwards as he was forcefully kicked a meter high by Haori's sudden strength!
That wasn't the end of it. In the split second that Guy was in the air, Haori quickly curled up his body, leaped, and charged his right foot for a kick, hitting Guy in the abdomen. Guy's airborne body was propelled even higher!
Now, both of their bodies were in the air, but Guy was completely defenseless against the two heavy blows!
While in mid-air, Haori spun quickly. His left foot, which hadn't been used yet, kicked out forcefully again!
Guy was hit for the third time!
Haori used the recoil of the attack to quickly land on the ground, and Guy had already been launched six meters or more into the air.
A large amount of chakra hit Haori's feet, then his lower limbs exerted near-limit force, and almost in the blink of an eye, he jumped to a position even higher than Guy's.
From top to bottom, Haori's right leg slammed down on Guy's head!
"Lion's Barrage!!!"
"BOOM!"
Guy slammed into the ground like a falling meteor!
When the dust cleared, there was a shallow pit filled with cracks in the training field, and in the center of the pit, Guy was unconscious.
Haori's combat strength had surpassed everyone's expectations.
The entire class was shocked, their eyes wide, staring at the scene before them.
Sensei Aizawa, who was watching the match from the sidelines, also stood up and shouted, "The battle is over, the winner is Haori!"
Kurenai looked at Haori's performance in disbelief. This was an unprecedented combat power, far exceeding anything he had displayed in the academy. She couldn't understand how he could develop such powerful taijutsu in just three years at the academy.
After the match, even though he was still injured, Guy insisted on standing up. "Haori, I admit defeat… but you haven't used the Eight Inner Gates yet, have you?"
Haori, who was also staring at Guy, sighed. He could see the stubbornness in the young Guy's eyes. This kid's dedication was truly admirable
"Do you think I'm a fool?" Haori said, then he glanced at the other students around him. "If I used the Eight Inner Gates, you would have already seen the real power of the 'Morning Peacock' technique. There are some things you have to learn first before you can understand them."
Haori then looked at Sensei Aizawa, who was still staring at him in disbelief.
"Sensei, I won't use any more powers beyond my current abilities. I'm just a normal ninja, a weak ninja, but I have my own methods. I have a few more methods, but they're all dangerous."
Sensei Aizawa nodded. Haori's performance had shocked him, and he had a feeling that the young man was holding back even now.
"Then, the next group…" Sensei Aizawa announced the next pairing.
The second round continued. Haori's dominance in the first round had sparked a wave of curiosity and fear among the students. He was clearly a potential powerhouse in the academy.
The battle continued, and Haori's performance was remarkable. He was no longer the quiet, average student. He had shown the world his true strength.
And this was just the beginning of his journey in the world of Naruto.
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