Obito Uchiha stared at the broken kunai in his hand, his expression growing more serious.
Chakra enhancement had drastically strengthened Locust's otherwise unimpressive short swords.
"Hehehe, kid, my technique enhances both me and my weapons."
Locust, brimming with arrogance, launched another attack.
He was fast, no doubt—but Obito wasn't just any ninja. Every Uchiha was strong, and he'd already seen real battle. Despite his age, his experience was substantial.
The crimson three-tomoe Sharingan activated, and Locust's movements slowed drastically in Obito's eyes.
The visual prowess gave a massive edge. With the Sharingan active, Obito smirked slightly and sidestepped with ease.
He swiftly formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Though ineffective against someone like Kazuyama, among peers, the jutsu's destructive power couldn't be ignored.
As the massive fireball rushed toward him, Locust didn't flinch.
He pushed off hard and leapt into the air, dodging with powerful legs.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
After the large fireball came a wave of smaller ones.
Obito unleashed them without pause, fire streaming from his mouth.
Locust in midair became the perfect target.
From the stands, Kazuma's expression turned serious.
"As expected of the Uchiha clan. Just the Sharingan and Fire Release alone are impressive."
"But Locust's real skills haven't shown yet."
Up above, Locust sneered, crossing his short swords over his chest as chakra surged from his body.
He swung, unleashing blue chakra slashes from the air.
Each one precisely tore through a fireball.
"Hahaha! Kid, your flames are weak!" Thıs content belongs to 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾·𝗇𝖾𝗍
He struck again, a flurry of chakra blades raining down on Obito.
Kazuyama raised an eyebrow. This style didn't belong to a typical ninja—it resembled a samurai's technique.
Samurai from the Land of Iron fought . Interesting. Was Locust a samurai before becoming a ninja?
"Hehehe, curious, Kazuyama?"
"Samurai and ninja aren't that different. Both fight using chakra."
Kazuma, noticing Kazuyama's reaction, chuckled proudly.
Kazuyama replied with a grin.
"Not quite. A ninja has to endure what others can't."
Just then, a shift occurred on the battlefield.
"Eight Inner Gates—First Gate: Gate of Opening! Open!"
A violent stream of air burst around Obito as chakra erupted from his body.
The crowd stared, stunned.
"If your strength lies in swordsmanship and taijutsu, then I'll defeat you with the very thing you take pride in!"
"My body has been forged through countless trials!"
Gate of Opening: releases the brain's limits, allowing the user to reach 100% physical output, boosting attack and speed at great physical cost.
Obito's aura transformed completely.
But instead of attacking, he pulled out two white bandages and began wrapping them around his wrists.
Kazuyama's eyes narrowed.
He wasn't surprised Obito had learned the Eight Inner Gates—he trained with Might Guy daily. Learning it was only a matter of time.
But wrapping bandages now? That was something else.
White bandages... Front Lotus?
Locust noticed Obito's power-up but, seeing no immediate attack, continued pressing.
His chakra slashes blanketed half the arena.
But Obito had already seen everything with his Sharingan.
"Now I'll show you what real power looks like!"
While dodging, he continued preparing. Once the bandages were secure, he let out a loud shout.
The next second, Obito launched forward.
His speed surpassed even Locust's chakra-enhanced movement.
In a flash, he was right in front of him.
He threw a punch toward Locust's face.
"Hmph! Don't be ridiculous—"
The punch was blocked by Locust's sword. Both weapons were reinforced with chakra, leaving them evenly matched.
As Locust prepared to strike back, he suddenly felt searing pain in his jaw.
He was lifted off the ground, head first.
Gasps echoed from the stands.
"How did he do that?!"
To the onlookers, Obito had crouched immediately after punching, delivering a kick to Locust's chin that sent him flying.
The bandages shot upward, wrapping tightly around Locust.
Watching closely, Kazuyama murmured, "So it's the Front Lotus... That brat really doesn't fear pain."
He knew the technique too.
After opening the First Gate, use overwhelming speed to kick the opponent into the air, then bind them with arms or bandages, and spin down to slam them into the ground.
It was powerful—but costly. The user also crashed with the enemy.
Kazuyama hated pain, so he'd always dismissed the technique.
"Damn it! Let me go, you little brat!"
Locust had speed and power, but now he was midair, bound in place with nowhere to run.
He never expected that one small opening would lead to this.
"Hmph! Brace yourself, old man!"
Obito was ready to finish the move, but the real damage came from that last word.
Was he really that old?!