Chapter 130: Preliminaries, This Hidden Grass Village Ninja Is Acting Strange
As soon as the battle started, Inuzuka Hana and her Ninja Hounds surrounded Aoki.
The three Ninja Hounds coordinated perfectly, keeping Aoki surrounded in the center at all times. Inuzuka Hana moved with agility, striking and retreating instantly, her Kunai constantly leaving wounds on her opponent.
Every time Aoki tried to attack, he would be interrupted by attacks from other directions.
"Damn you, you bastard!" Aoki suddenly abandoned his defense, displaying a near-manic desire to attack.
He didn't even dodge Gaimaru's bite, choosing to trade blood for blood just to get close to Inuzuka Hana.
"Four-Legs Technique."
Facing Aoki's desperate counterattack, Hana dropped her Kunai, lowered her posture, and crouched on the ground.
Chakra gathered in her limbs. With her increased mobility from the quadrupedal movement, Aoki couldn't even touch the hem of Hana's clothes.
"If you've got guts, stop running!"
Played like a fiddle, Aoki could only rage impotently. Before long, he was covered in wounds and carried away by the Medical Team.
Haruko watched the wounds on Aoki's body, his brows furrowing slightly.
That tactic of trading wounds, while a correct judgment, was not something an average person would execute so resolutely, let alone carry through to the end.
Although he avoided vital points, if those wounds weren't treated in time, it was very likely to leave lasting damage or even result in permanent disability.
'Is it because Karin is just that useful?"
...
[Third Match: Akimichi Maruten vs Kamano]
The battle ended in the blink of an eye.
Akimichi Maruten simply used a Partial Expansion Technique and slapped him across the face.
Kamano wanted to dodge, but he couldn't escape the massive range of the attack.
Bang—
As if he had hit the jackpot, Kamano was slapped against the wall and fell asleep instantly.
"Even though he barely scraped through, the gap in skill is..."
Watching Kamano being carried away, Haruko shook his head helplessly, completely unsurprised.
...
[Fourth Match: Maki vs Avai]
The battle was similarly one-sided.
Haruko leaned against the railing, watching the sweating Kumogakure youth below with a look of pity, as if looking at an idiot.
"Bro, you're trying to use large-scale Water Release in a place without water? May the wisdom of the Water Goddess be with you."
Although Avai tried his hardest to form hand seals, attempting to utilize the moisture in the air, it was to little effect. The barely usable Water Release posed no threat.
Maki from Hidden Sand Village clearly saw this too; she didn't even move her feet as her binding cloth flew out like a living thing.
Avai barely dodged the first wave but was ensnared by the second wave around his ankle.
"It's over."
Maki flicked her wrist, and the binding cloth tightened instantly.
Avai was dragged to the ground, and before he could even struggle, more cloth strips wrapped him up like a mummy.
"I surrender..."
From start to finish, it took less than three minutes.
...
[Fifth Match: Mino Ichi vs Ranta]
"Ichi, be careful. These Hidden Grass Village people aren't quite right in the head."
Haruko watched his old teammate preparing to enter the arena and gave a casual word of caution.
Having spent five days sleeping in the wild and fighting tooth and nail in the forest, Ichi's condition was already poor; he was still wrapped in bandages.
"Don't worry, Haruko. These muscles of mine aren't just for show!" Ichi patted his chest, smiled honestly, and leaped into the arena.
The moment the battle began, both rushed toward each other—both were Taijutsu-type Ninjas.
Clang, clang—bang, bang, bang—
The sound of Kunai clashing and the thud of fists hitting flesh echoed throughout the arena.
Haruko watched the battle in the arena, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.
Ranta's fighting style was too aggressive, heavily leaning toward trading wounds.
"Trading wounds? This style is way too wild."
"The guy I fought earlier was the same. People from Hidden Grass Village don't seem to be afraid of getting hurt..."
Even Izumi and Hana nearby felt something was off.
"Damn it..." Ichi gasped for air, his wounds reopening, but he gritted his teeth and held on.
This muscle-head was clearly provoked; since his opponent wanted to risk his life, he wasn't going to back down either.
The battle between the two gradually reached a fever pitch, becoming bloody and chaotic.
In the final collision, Ichi's fist slammed into Ranta's chest, the sound of breaking ribs clearly audible.
And Ranta's Kunai also plunged deep into Ichi's abdomen, blood splattering everywhere.
Bang! Bang!
With two dull thuds, both collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.
"Draw! Both are eliminated!"
The Medical Team rushed in. Faced with Ichi's wound where his internal organs were visible, several medical Ninjas were in a flurry.
"The wound is too deep, and it's damaged an artery and internal organs. Even with Hemostasis Technique..."
"Ichi!"
Anko exclaimed from the stands.
She had been mentoring this kid for over a year; although his brain still didn't work well, that resilience of his had always been to her liking.
"Haruko, can you do me a favor?" Using Body Flicker, Anko arrived beside Haruko and bowed deeply. "I know this will expose your hand, but I have to ask you."
"Ha... fine."
Haruko sighed, flipped down from the stands, and landed steadily beside Ichi.
"Let me."
"What are you doing? Don't interfere with the Medical Team's rescue!" a medical Ninja frowned and scolded.
Haruko ignored him entirely, green light glowing on his hand as he pressed it above Ichi's wound.
"Mystical Palm Technique?!" The medical Ninja's eyes widened; there were only a few people in all of Konoha who could use it proficiently.
He immediately snapped back to reality: "Assist him! Stabilize the wound!"
With the medical Ninja's cooperation, the Chakra was as precise as a scalpel, connecting the severed blood vessels and Chakra pathways, and suturing the torn muscles.
In less than five minutes, the wound stabilized.
"Whew... you guys handle the rest."
Haruko's display caused an uproar among those present.
"That white-haired Genin from Konoha... can also use Medical Ninjutsu?"
"And it looks like his level isn't low either."
"He could knock away an examiner with one punch, yet he's actually a medical Ninja..."
And some knowledgeable people were even more surprised.
"Hey, hey, that looked like the Mystical Palm Technique, right?"
"Konoha Genin, terrifying indeed..."
The Third Hokage watched all this with a smile, nodded in satisfaction, and then turned to Gekko Hayate and said, "Start the next match when ready."
...
"Well done." Seeing Haruko stand up, Anko walked over. "Owe you another one."
"Cut it out, you already owe me several times."
"Then just add one more." Anko chuckled.
Haruko ignored her, his gaze shifting to Ranta, who was being carried away.
'This is already the second one... Aoki was the same, completely unconcerned about leaving permanent damage."
Unless—
'Could it be... that Karin is nearby?"
Haruko had originally thought Karin would be on standby at the hospital or an inn, but that wouldn't be fast enough.
'Should I find a chance to investigate, or even..."
While Haruko was hesitating, the names on the screen began to scroll again, eventually stopping at a crisp bell chime.
[Sixth Match: Haruko vs Yakushi Kabuto]
"Tsk."
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