Kakashi lifted his headband, his face full of disbelief.
Even as a distant observer, he could clearly sense Yakumo's frustration at not being able to land her strength on Shinji.
What shocked him even more was the effortless calm radiating from Shinji, as if pulling this off was only natural.
"That kid hasn't even awakened his Sharingan, so how…"
Jiraiya muttered under his breath.
Tsunade's expression darkened too, "How's he doing it?"
Sure, Yakumo's mastery of 'Chakra Enhanced Strength' wasn't perfect, but for Shinji to dodge every single one of her 'Chakra Enhanced Strength' punches so effortlessly—that performance was just too astonishing.
In another part of the Forest of Death…
Danzo, his figure entirely cloaked in shadow, watched the fierce duel between Yakumo and Shinji from afar, his eyes flickering.
"So that's the Koryugan?"
A glint of greed slowly surfaced in his gaze.
Obviously, for a village higher-up like him, the Koryugan's existence couldn't stay hidden for long. He'd even obtained some data on it through special channels.
But after a moment, his attention shifted from Yakumo to Shinji, his brows furrowing, "Huh, is this purely taijutsu talent?"
Shinji's stunning taijutsu foresight, without the aid of any dojutsu, caught his eye.
No matter how much he despised the Uchiha or Shinji himself, Danzo had to admit—Shinji's display was dazzling.
Similarly, Orochimaru, secretly lurking in the Forest of Death, was savoring the clash between Yakumo and Shinji with relish.
"These two kids are even more exceptional than I imagined!" He licked his lips, "The shinobi academy's getting more and more interesting."
Inside the primeval forest…
Bang, bang, bang.
The intense taijutsu clash continued.
"Speed and strength… close to Karin's level, above average performance."
"Chakra control's a bit lacking… average performance."
"Her mastery of the Koryugan is still rough—no, her perception's improving. That needs more observation…"
Even mid-fight, Shinji didn't stop evaluating Yakumo's post-surgery condition.
Overall, Yakumo's post-surgery performance was solid but didn't fully exceed his expectations.
Of course…
This was partly because Shinji had raised his expectations significantly after being awed by the overwhelmingly domineering Yang Release chakra in the First's cells during her surgery.
"She's almost at her limit—time to pull away!"
With a silent decision, Shinji abruptly activated his 'Body Flicker Technique,' temporarily breaking off taijutsu contact with Yakumo.
Even dodging her 'Chakra Enhanced Strength,' trading blows with Yakumo was taxing for Shinji—despite him pushing his 'Breathing Method' to its fullest to boost his stamina.
Landing lightly on a tree branch far away, Shinji's naturally dangling arms ached faintly.
That was the difference in physique.
Even with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, he was still just an ordinary Uchiha clansman, lacking any sage body traits.
Compared to Yakumo—fused with the First's cells and equipped with the Koryugan—he was a whole tier below in terms of physicality.
On the ground, Yakumo panted lightly, looking up at Shinji and shouting, "It's not over yet!"
"Your eyes are special—got any amazing abilities?" Smiling down at her, Shinji continued, "If this is all you've got, you might not win this fight!"
Yakumo hesitated.
She still had way too many trump cards she hadn't played.
The Koryugan's blood manipulation could work externally as well as internally. Ido, in her mental world, had been clamoring to come out for air. She hadn't even touched the Kurama Clan's genjutsu yet.
And what stirred her most was the First's cells in her body.
Maybe because of the fierce fight, those cells were unusually active right now. She felt that if she loosened her suppression just a bit, she could easily wield 'Wood Release' with their power.
But those abilities were all too dangerous, leaving her unsure if she should unleash them one by one in this duel with Shinji.
Noticing her hesitation, Shinji said, "You seem to be holding back. But facing me—do you really have the luxury to hesitate?"
"Shinji, you're right!" Yakumo nodded lightly, then said slowly, "Your brilliance overshadows everyone, but today, I'm going to topple you! Be careful—I'm going all out!"
Shinji beckoned to her, "Come on, show me how strong your resolve is!"
"Hah!"
With a sharp cry, Yakumo slammed her hands onto the ground.
Whoosh!
In an instant, countless vines burst from the earth, growing at a visible pace and surging toward Shinji on the branch from all directions.
In the distance…
Kakashi's expression froze, nearly letting out a gasp.
He'd known it was coming, but seeing the sea of trees boiling over like a tidal wave with his own eyes still left him unable to hide his shock.
By comparison, Jiraiya and Tsunade were much calmer.
They'd anticipated this scene long ago—just not that it'd happen today, in a fight against an Uchiha.
"It's over!"
Tsunade said flatly.
"Hm!"
Jiraiya nodded in agreement.
The moment 'Wood Release' appeared, this duel lost all suspense.
Among the more distant onlookers…
"What… what's that?"
"Wood Release!?"
"Yakumo can use Wood Release? Am I seeing this right?"
"Damn it, we didn't all fall into a Kurama Clan genjutsu, did we? How could the Kurama heiress use the First's Wood Release?"
Shocked murmurs rose and fell.
If their earlier amazement had been about the academy producing two super geniuses, the appearance of 'Wood Release' now turned that amazement into existential doubt!
Haku, blending into the crowd, muttered in disbelief, "This…!?"
Karin beside him went pale.
As someone who could also use 'Wood Release,' she was more familiar with its aura than anyone present—and she could tell Yakumo's 'Wood Release' surpassed hers.
After all, Yakumo had the First's cells, while hers were diluted White Zetsu cells.
Sasuke and Neji, watching from their perch in the canopy, stared dumbfounded at the sea of trees surging toward Shinji.
"Damn it…"
Sasuke nearly ground his teeth to dust.
Even as a spectator, this scene filled him with deep powerlessness. To him, this fight was another Uchiha loss!
Neji silently clenched his fists.