c17: Easily Defeat
When Chiba spoke, his tone dripped with arrogance, his gaze dismissive. He didn't regard the opposing ninja as a threat in the slightest.
It wasn't arrogance born from ignorance—but the self-assurance of someone who knew his own power.
The moment Chiba closed the distance, he executed a swift taijutsu maneuver, his movement enhanced by the precision of Leaf-style body flicker tactics adapted from Kakashi's own teachings.
The jonin wielding the blade barely registered the attack. His eyes widened in horror he had no time to dodge or defend.
BAM!
With an explosive strike, Chiba slammed into the swordsman, launching him backward. The force of the hit sent the ninja tumbling across the ground in three hard rolls before skidding to a stop.
That jonin despite years of battle experience was down instantly. His vision faded to black as consciousness left him.
In barely a single breath, Chiba had eliminated one opponent. Only two remained.
"He was so fast! It was over in a second," someone gasped from the stands, stunned by the sudden reversal.
Though they already believed Chiba had potential being a Hatake, and Kakashi's younger brother none expected him to outclass a seasoned ninja this effortlessly.
The remaining two ninja on the training field exchanged sharp glances. Their confidence cracked. No longer underestimating him, they prepared to go all-out.
"We can't hold back let's go together!" growled one, the same one who earlier scoffed at Chiba's age.
He hurled three kunai toward Chiba in quick succession. As they flew, he infused chakra into his hands, flashing through hand seals at a rapid pace to unleash a ninjutsu attack.
Chiba, unfazed, activated Soru the advanced body flicker he had modeled on the Rokushiki "Shave" vanishing from sight and dodging the kunai with ease.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Immediately after dodging, Chiba wove signs with practiced speed, forming a single shadow clone beside him in a puff of smoke.
The clone was identical not just in appearance, but in chakra output and physical strength.
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
"He's mastered shadow clones already? At his age?"
"Most genin can barely produce a basic clone, let alone a shadow clone with chakra division!"
The spectators were stunned. Chiba's chakra control was beyond exceptional. Even Naruto, in the manga, only managed the Shadow Clone Jutsu due to his massive reserves. Chiba had refined the technique without raw power through precision.
The two remaining ninja, momentarily distracted, couldn't mask their unease.
Chiba didn't wait. With his clone beside him, he dashed forward taking the initiative once again.
"Fire Fist!"
Chiba's right hand ignited with flames as he launched a blazing punch, an original taijutsu-ninjutsu fusion he'd developed under Kakashi's watch.
The jonin attempting a jutsu hadn't finished his seals. His eyes widened in panic as the fire punch struck.
BOOM!
The fire-imbued strike exploded on impact, launching him several meters. His body rolled across the dirt, smoke rising from his flak vest. He hit the ground unconscious, clearly out of the fight.
No more than thirty seconds had passed since the match began and two of the three had already fallen.
Initially, everyone assumed the three jonin would easily suppress Chiba. But the young Hatake had turned the tide with overwhelming strength, and was now dominating.
And the fight wasn't over yet.
With two down, Chiba refocused. He and his shadow clone activated Soru again, vanishing and reappearing in tandem as they charged toward the third ninja the masked one.
Unlike the others, this one radiated calm, and his stance suggested greater combat awareness. Chiba quickly judged he was likely of tokubetsu jonin or full jonin rank.
But that didn't matter.
Even a jonin couldn't change the outcome now.
"Wind Release: Gale Cutter!"
The masked ninja finally acted. He extended chakra through his palm, shaping it into a compressed blade of slicing wind. His expression turned deadly serious as he slashed forward with a cutting gust aimed at Chiba and his clone.
Chiba didn't block. Instead, he launched himself high into the air, narrowly avoiding the gust of wind as it tore across the ground beneath him.
Midair, he twisted his body, and again, flames surged into his fist.
"Fire Fist!"
He hurled the flaming strike downward. It roared like a beast and impacted the earth with a fiery blast.
KA-BOOM!
The masked ninja had dodged just in time, but the explosive force from the fire jutsu knocked him off balance, throwing dust and debris into the air.
Still staggering from the impact, the masked ninja struggled to recover. But before he could react, Chiba appeared behind him with another Soru, emerging from the haze like a phantom.
In a flash, Chiba's right foot swept across and slammed into the side of his opponent's masked face, sending him crashing to the ground.
He hadn't blacked out but he was rattled.
That was enough.
Chiba didn't relent. He closed in once again, this time pulling out a shuriken and holding it with practiced calm. The weapon's tip glinted coldly under the sun.
As the masked ninja hit the ground, unable to rise in time, Chiba stepped forward, the blade resting gently at his throat.
If this were real combat, one thrust would end it.
"Want to keep going?" Chiba asked, a calm smile on his lips.
"…You win," the masked ninja admitted, still stunned by the boy's speed and composure.
This assessment had revealed everything. Chiba Hatake's strength, tactics, chakra control, and pressure were all beyond his age.
In under three minutes, he had decisively defeated three elite ninja including one who held jonin-level power.
Crushing. Clinical. Brilliant.
He was no ordinary prodigy.
He was something else entirely.
———