Kai's expression grew serious as he locked his gaze on Shishio Mitarashi. Without hesitation, his hands began to move rapidly, forming seven hand seals in just two seconds.
Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets!
Though elemental ninjutsu is typically out of reach for genin-level shinobi, Kai had an advantage that most could only dream of. With an uncle serving as the head of the ANBU Black Ops, his family had access to a treasure trove of ninjutsu scrolls—some even containing forbidden S-rank techniques. A mere C-rank jutsu like this was well within his grasp.
Several rapidly spinning wind bullets shot from Kai's mouth, hurtling toward Shishio Mitarashi with precision.
"Not bad," Shishio remarked, effortlessly dodging the incoming Vacuum Bullets. "Executing a C-rank jutsu this smoothly means your chakra reserves are at least genin-level. I never expected you to be hiding this much potential."
Kai showed no surprise when his Vacuum Bullets were evaded with ease. After all, if a C-rank jutsu could pose a threat to Shishio, then his uncle's position as ANBU captain might as well be handed over to someone else.
Without missing a beat, Kai seized the moment while Shishio dodged the Vacuum Bullets. His hands swiftly reached into his leg pouch, drawing several kunai and hurling them toward Shishio's evasion path.
"Your throwing strength is commendable, but your accuracy still needs work," Shishio commented casually as he sidestepped the incoming kunai.
"Is that so?" Kai's lips curled into a sly grin, but he said nothing more. Instead, his hands began forming seals once again.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
A sudden gust of wind erupted from Kai's mouth, sweeping up debris from the ground and surging toward Shishio.
"You little brat. Didn't I already make it clear? Low-level jutsu like this won't work on me," Shishio said, his hands moving even faster as he formed seals.
Using the same Wind Release: Great Breakthrough technique, Shishio released his jutsu simultaneously with Kai, effectively neutralizing the attack.
"Of course I know that," Kai replied, his sly grin widening. He slowly uttered a single word: "Explode."
"What?!"
Shishio's pupils contracted. Before he could turn to look, the familiar sound of exploding tags detonating echoed in his ears.
The next moment, Shishio was engulfed in a cloud of smoke from the explosion, which spread across much of the training field.
After a while, Shishio's voice emerged from within the smoke, tinged with astonishment and disbelief:
"A flawless strategy. First, you used Vacuum Bullets to draw my attention, creating an opening to throw kunai. Then, you followed up with Great Breakthrough, making me assume the kunai were merely a probing attack during the jutsu's interval. I never expected the kunai to be the real kill shot."
He continued with a tone of admiration, "Moreover, the technique of altering the trajectory of kunai through collisions is no simple feat. Unlike redirecting shuriken, the irregular shape of kunai makes it far more challenging. Even many elite jonin struggle to master it. I can't believe you, a mere child, have already achieved this level. Truly a genius!"
As he spoke, Shishio Mitarashi's figure gradually emerged from the dissipating smoke. His clothes were only slightly dusted—nothing more. A few exploding tags were far from enough to cause him any real harm. His gaze toward Kai was now filled with genuine amazement.
But then, his expression turned somewhat peculiar as he added, "And you certainly don't play by the rules."
Kai rolled his eyes, fully understanding what Shishio meant by "not playing by the rules."
In the shinobi world, exploding tags were typically attached to the ring at the end of a kunai with a thin string. However, Kai's tags were wrapped around the handle of the kunai. Without close inspection, it was nearly impossible to notice their presence.
"Attaching exploding tags to the tail of a kunai—are you just waiting for your enemy to dodge it?" Kai scoffed dismissively. "I can't believe no one in the shinobi world has figured this out after decades of combat."
"..."
Shishio was momentarily at a loss for words after being called out by Kai.
"I surrender!" Kai suddenly plopped down onto the ground, sitting cross-legged as he declared his defeat.
Shishio, looking at Kai, who showed no signs of exhaustion, then at his own dust-covered appearance, couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. "You brat! Giving up so quickly—are you even a shinobi?"
Kai shot him a disdainful look. "I'm not even in the Academy yet. Did you forget?"
Shishio's stern expression softened as he replied, "Well, let me tell you now. In a few days, you're going to enroll in the Academy. Study hard, train diligently, and no more pranks!" His tone grew stricter toward the end.
Kai froze for a moment, realizing the reason behind today's unusual sparring session. With a resigned sigh, he replied, "Fine, fine. I get it."
Pranks had long lost their appeal for Kai. Now that his system was activated and he possessed a certain level of strength, he no longer needed such inefficient methods to gain reputation points.
"I'm heading out. I promised Anko we'd go grab some dango." With that, Kai walked out of the training field.
Watching Kai's departing figure, Shishio Mitarashi's eyes narrowed slightly, his mind awash with turbulent thoughts. He muttered to himself, "That brat... hiding his true abilities this well, even from me. To perform two C-rank jutsu without showing any signs of chakra depletion—his reserves are exceptional, even among genin. Combined with his advanced kunai-throwing techniques and solid taijutsu, his overall strength is already at the level of a chunin."
A wild thought crossed Shishio's mind: "Could it be... all those pranks were actually training? No, that's impossible!"
Shaking his head to dispel the absurd notion, Shishio stroked his chin, pondering further.
"If I recall correctly, Sakumo's kid is also enrolling in the Academy this year. Another prodigy, they say. I wonder how he compares to that brat. Heh, this could get interesting."
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