Asuma saw that figure and immediately turned his blades, only to see the other party sheathing his blade and weaving hand signs.
A "water ball" gushed from his hands and landed on his arm.
Asuma recognized it at a glance; it was the Medical Ninjutsu Masahiko had used before, which could slowly but automatically heal wounds over a period of time.
Close combat?
He tightened his grip on his twin blades, his fighting spirit soaring.
Close combat...
Why should I fear it!
Asuma's heroic spirit surged as he also charged toward Masahiko.
Little did he know, from the perspective above... "Why is he running in 그 direction? Isn't that exposing his flank?"
Anko asked in a low voice.
Kurenai Yuhi said, "It's Masahiko's Genjutsu."
"Huh?"
Anko looked closely and could faintly see some mist in that area, immediately understanding. "Is it the mist?"
"Mm."
Kurenai Yuhi nodded.
That was the mist created by Masahiko using Chakra. Through the interaction of mist, light, and Chakra, it could refract and displace positions.
What is seen from different angles might not be the same.
It truly is a remarkable Genjutsu!
Anko Mitarashi showed a look of surprise, her expression becoming several degrees more serious.
On the other side.
"Is this the Genjutsu you were talking about?"
Shikaku asked in a low voice.
Guy nodded. "Yeah. Although it's easy to dispel, it has two layers, and it's very difficult to see through and react to it immediately."
"Mm."
Shikaku nodded.
If Asuma still doesn't figure it out... he's likely to suffer for it.
After charging for a while, Asuma faintly sensed something was wrong and immediately stopped.
But at this moment, as Asuma's position changed, Masahiko's position in the mist also shifted, which was quite eerie.
He realized—
It's Genjutsu!
Asuma immediately dispelled the Genjutsu, and the vision before his eyes blurred, turning into the real scene.
He crossed his twin blades, and Wind Release Chakra condensed into invisible wings on the blades.
Just as he was about to swing—
Boom!
A punch struck from the side.
When the opponent's fist hit his body, besides the strength of the fist itself, there was also a powerful, explosive force.
The immense force sent him flying uncontrollably.
At the same time, Masahiko wove hand signs.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!
Asuma's pupils constricted as the memory of Masahiko's previous Fire Release surfaced in his mind.
This kind of fireball... if it hits, someone is really going to die!
He immediately wove signs in mid-air, and a Shadow Clone appeared beside him.
With the Shadow Clone's help, he stabilized his form in the air.
The original body and the Shadow Clone wove signs simultaneously.
One Wind, one Fire.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!
The Sarutobi clan's secret Fire Release grew even more powerful under the sweep of the gale, swirling toward Masahiko against the wind.
The two fireballs collided in mid-air.
Then... Boom!
A dull explosion rang out.
Two waves of fire surged outward together, scorching the air in the arena below until it was incredibly hot.
Amidst the surging explosion and waves of fire... a water wall rose up around Masahiko.
Water Release: Water Wall!
Asuma took the opportunity to charge forward, moving in for the kill against Masahiko.
With the change in air temperature, a gust of wind blew from all directions toward the center of the venue, making the scattering flames even more chaotic.
The four people who had just climbed up to the edge of the venue were nearly blown off by this strong wind.
"Don't shout! You idiot, do you want everyone to find us?"
Shikamaru covered Naruto's mouth with one hand.
Naruto nodded repeatedly before Shikamaru let go.
In the next second, the four of them exerted themselves to climb up together.
They were up!
The four of them lay at the edge of the venue, cautiously looking toward the center, only to see a powerful explosion of flames that almost covered the entire fighting arena.
So strong!
A look of shock appeared in Shikamaru's eyes.
The next second, he saw another bearded Ninja engaging in close combat with Masahiko-sensei; their movements were almost invisible to the naked eye.
He only saw a patch of mist rising above the two of them.
In a high-speed battle, the two exchanged blows with varying success.
Masahiko was struck by several blades, and there were many wounds on his body, but they were being slowly recovered and healed by Medical Ninjutsu.
Asuma did not have such means.
As one waxed and the other waned... a few seconds later, Asuma was caught off guard. Under the influence of "Flower in the Mist," he made a misjudgment and was hit by a punch, his body flying backward. He struggled for a while before standing up.
Although Masahiko didn't use the ultimate Collapsing Flow in this punch, the instantaneous burst of water acting on the joints still caused intense discomfort in his arm and shoulder.
If it weren't for the fact that his Nintaijutsu required Chakra to be spread throughout his body to activate it as much as possible, this strike might have directly stripped him of his combat capability.
However.
When Asuma stood up... Masahiko spat out small fireballs while running.
Asuma swung his trench knives, and a fireball coming head-on was sliced open by a highly concentrated Chakra wind blade, creating a hollow area in the middle.
The chaotic Chakra scattered, and the unstable, explosive fireball turned into normal flames and dissipated.
He also quickly used Body Flicker to change positions.
But.
Fireballs continued to fly toward him, chasing him.
Fortunately, the speed wasn't fast.
Asuma avoided a fireball, but a glimpse from the corner of his eye made his muscles tense up—
Masahiko was coming again!
He further increased his Chakra, but this time... swish!
The opponent's speed suddenly increased.
Asuma keenly sensed trouble and kept retreating, while swinging his trench knives to create invisible wind blades.
He expanded his perception.
Soon, very soon, he sensed a surge of Chakra, and another Yagyu Masahiko appeared from the other side, holding a blade and moving extremely fast.
Shadow Clone!
When did he circle around?
He swung his trench knives, blocking the opponent's blade with a horizontal slash.
But at this moment, "Masahiko" slightly raised his hand and made a warning signal.
"Wait!"
This Chakra fluctuation was too intense; it wasn't an ordinary Shadow Clone!
Asuma immediately used Body Flicker to retreat.
Boom!
The Shadow Clone turned into surging flames and exploded instantly, the fire spreading around in the blink of an eye.
In the explosion, Asuma was sent flying and landed in the distance, coughing repeatedly.
He had avoided the center of the explosion, but he was still caught in the blast.
Before Asuma could recover... a hand was pressed against his heart.
Masahiko was panting, with obvious Chakra fluctuations on his body; his state seemed to be nearing its limit.
He had used Lightning Release Chakra to further stimulate his body's activity, increasing his speed even more when Asuma was caught in the Clone Great Explosion.
The slight difference in speed left Asuma no time to defend.
But at this moment, he did not continue the attack. A water ball condensed in his palm, and through his blood and body fluids, he delivered medical Chakra to the burn site.
Asuma was completely defeated and said with a bitter smile, "You win!"
"Don't move, I'll treat you."
Masahiko popped a soldier pill into his mouth and then further condensed medical Chakra.
Intense applause rang out from above.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
In Ninja combat, danger is inevitable.
Precisely because of this, the Jonin examination has various forms to avoid internal combat assessments as much as possible.
When the Shadow Clone exploded just now... he almost thought Asuma was in danger.
Fortunately, Masahiko held back, and Asuma also reacted in time, so he didn't truly fall into danger.
Even so, he was still shaken, as if he himself had taken a trip to the gates of hell.
After Hiruzen Sarutobi regained his composure, he looked at the Jonin beside him.
"What do you all think?"
"Hokage-sama, we agree to Yagyu Masahiko becoming a Jonin."
Naturally, they had nothing more to say.
Previously, some people had doubts about Masahiko's strength.
Now, the other party had used actual combat to thoroughly prove his strength to them.
Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu... the blending and coordination of multiple abilities formed a bizarre and unpredictable fighting style.
Comprehensive and all-around!
If someone like this cannot be called a Jonin, how many in Konoha are qualified?
As everyone was discussing, a commotion came from above.
Faintly... there seemed to be shouts of "Sensei is invincible."
Shikaku followed the sound and immediately frowned.
These four brats... always causing trouble!
He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his face livid. "Hokage-sama, I am very sorry... I'll go take a look."
"Mm, bring them here."
Hiruzen Sarutobi also felt a headache seeing Naruto and the other three.
This was a Jonin examination, and they hadn't stationed very strong guards or patrols around, which resulted in the four of them sneaking in.
If I remember correctly, classes are still in session at the Ninja Academy, right?
These four skip class every other day, and now they even dare to skip class and sneak into the venue; they really are lawless!
He glanced at Shikaku but couldn't help but smile.
Naruto doesn't have the brains for this.
For the four of them to have the brains to think of this and still manage to sneak in, Shikamaru must be the leader of the four.