Chapter 213: Uchiha War Dance
Sasuke frowned as he heard Naruto's voice.
He suppressed the dark patterns before they could fully transform his body. The marks on his face and arms slowly began to recede and vanish.
"Oh? Such powerful willpower. As expected of the vessel I meticulously selected."
Standing in the instructor's spot for the Hidden Sound Village, Orochimaru watched Sasuke's change with an intrigued expression. The potential of this body was simply too immense.
There were quite a few ninjas who noticed the change in Sasuke, but many did not understand what was happening to him. All they knew was that this sudden, subtle shift had allowed him to break through Yoroi Akado's illusion.
Of course, those like the Third Hokage and Anko saw everything clearly. Anko wanted the Third Hokage to stop the match and have Sasuke taken away to deal with the Cursed Seal issue, fearing it was too dangerous.
However, the Third Hokage refused after considering it. While there was some risk, he believed the boy's willpower could temporarily suppress it.
"Uchiha War Dance!"
After suppressing the power of the Cursed Seal with his willpower, Sasuke knew this was his final chance. At that moment, he recalled an enemy he had faced during Tonbo Tobitake's battlefield simulation training. That enemy had once defeated him with a single move.
Now, he could only put everything on the line.
Whoosh!
His figure suddenly vanished and reappeared right in front of Yoroi Akado. Yoroi didn't even have time to react. Sasuke gathered all his strength, spun his body, and planted his right hand on the ground.
Bam!
Chakra linked his hands and feet as he delivered a powerful kick to Yoroi Akado.
Swoosh!
Yoroi Akado was sent flying, slamming into the wall behind him.
Huff... huff!
Having used his final move, Sasuke knelt on one knee, exhausted. His opponent lay slumped at the base of the wall, motionless.
"The winner: Sasuke Uchiha."
Hayate Gekko declared the end of the match. At the sound of the announcement, Sasuke finally reached his limit and collapsed to the floor. Seeing this, Kakashi moved quickly into the arena and carried him down.
"Let me check his body."
Chakra manifested in Tonbo Tobitake's hand as he tapped Sasuke's body. His neural network immediately spread through Sasuke's system, and he fed him a secret medicine, using Genjutsu to accelerate his healing.
This kid Sasuke really is a genius. He actually learned the Taijutsu I created, Tonbo thought while multitasking between healing and observing. He hadn't expected that even without the fight against Rock Lee, Sasuke would learn a different style of Taijutsu.
The "Battlefield Simulation" was essentially Tonbo using his own combat experience and memories to shape illusions of enemies. Naturally, some of his own Taijutsu style had bled into it. The move just now was a "discarded" prototype Tonbo had developed for fun, based on a style from his past life called Capoeira. It was only meant for specific situations.
Unexpectedly, Sasuke had not only learned it but had adapted it to his own physical style based on experience. Such talent was truly worthy of a protagonist.
"Tonbo, how is he?" Kakashi asked. Nearby, Naruto and Sakura watched with worried eyes.
"Hey, it's no big deal. He'll be fine after some rest," Tonbo signaled.
Kakashi understood immediately. "No problem" meant Sasuke's physical condition was stable, but the Cursed Seal issue remained.
"I'm... okay..." Sasuke panted, forcing himself to stand. He could feel his physical energy slowly returning. It was likely that Uncle Tonbo's ninjutsu and medicine were taking effect.
"Guy-sensei, that move was so cool!"
Watching the move Sasuke used, Rock Lee's eyes sparkled. He hadn't expected Sasuke Uchiha's Taijutsu to be this impressive.
Guy laughed. "Haha! But compared to my beloved disciple, there's still a gap. You will defeat him!"
"Yes, Guy-sensei!" Lee shed tears of emotion.
The other candidates frowned. Defeating such a troublesome enemy using only Taijutsu—as expected of a member of the Uchiha clan. Whether it was the Sound or Sand ninjas, they all felt Sasuke was a formidable opponent. However, none were overly worried; since they had come this far, they intended to crush anyone in their path.
So this is the Cursed Seal. Truly, the world is vast and full of wonders. The rich rely on technology, the poor rely on mutations—those words never lie.
Tonbo Tobitake was still immersed in the data he had gathered from Sasuke's Cursed Seal. According to the original story, the power of the seal originated from the mutated Juugo. Orochimaru had discovered his potential and researched it to develop this power.
Inside Sasuke's body, Tonbo felt it too. Compared to the data he had collected previously, there was now a unique enzyme in Sasuke's system. This enzyme was sealed within the Cursed Seal and functioned in tandem with it.
This enzyme was truly peculiar; Tonbo had never seen anything like it in medical texts. There was only one somewhat similar type, which might be the source of the mutation. However, enzymes are part of the body, and he had already collected the necessary information.
As long as he directed his own body's similar enzymes toward this path during his evolution process, he should soon be able to sense Natural Energy. As for how to utilize that energy, that would depend on his own development.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, he left a portion of his neural threads inside Sasuke's body.
Once Sasuke "levels up" in the future and obtains the Power of the Six Paths, the Rinnegan, or the Mangekyo Sharingan, Tonbo would only need to be close by to activate his ninjutsu and collect all that data.
He really was a genius.
The matches continued.
Shino Aburame took down his opponent with ease. Although his adversary was arrogant and possessed a specialized ninjutsu, they had no means of resisting his bugs and were quickly neutralized.
Kankuro, the puppet master prodigy of the shinobi world, naturally dealt with his opponent as well.
Then came the turn of Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka. The two rivals, former best friends, and current frenemies staged a display of "sisterly affection." In the end, it mirrored the original story; despite Sakura's training in the Battlefield Simulation, she still lacked the ninjutsu depth of a clan heiress like Ino. She was caught by Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu. However, due to Ino's lack of intelligence on her target, she ended up in a prolonged stalemate with Sakura's "Inner Personality." Both were eventually disqualified due to a double knockout from chakra exhaustion.
The battle between Tenten and Temari, however, was much more interesting—at least in Tonbo's opinion.
Tenten produced several very novel ninja tools specifically designed to counter Wind Style. One was a lasso-type tool launched at high speed, which successfully snared a blindsided Temari's legs. Two hooks dug into her fishnet stockings, causing drops of blood to seep through. Temari only managed to escape by using a rope-escape technique, sacrificing pieces of her stockings and flesh to break free. Otherwise, it would have been "Game over" for her right then and there.
Tenten's other tool was a specialized structural weapon capable of flying through high winds—it even gained speed the stronger the wind blew. But Tenten was significantly younger than Temari and lacked experience in certain areas. When Temari unleashed her full-power Wind Style, the tool became unbalanced. Tenten was struck down by the sheer force of the gale, slammed against the wall with enough impact to cause serious injury.
Tonbo highly appreciated Tenten's creative thinking; she truly lived up to the title of a weapons master. It was a pity the final Wind Style surpassed the tool's tolerance level—the structural design just wasn't perfect yet.
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