Naruto: Forbidden Arts and an Immortal Agenda

First Training Ground.

The October autumn wind had already turned chilly, but neither of the two fighters in the field felt even a hint of cold.

Aozora and Kunai had no intention of exchanging pleasantries.

Aozora had nothing he wanted to ask or say—since Kunai had hurt Aya, all he needed to do was injure him even worse.

Kunai also had nothing to say. His target had always been Aozora.

Since they'd met here, there was nothing left to do but kill him right here on the spot.

"Match Nineteen: Uchiha Aozora versus Kunai—Begin!"

The autumn wind swept fallen leaves across the ground. Aozora already held a kunai in his right hand.

Chakra coiled around the kunai and began to seep into it.

Although the kunai's material couldn't retain chakra for long, it was more than enough to accelerate or even redirect its trajectory.

He stood still, waiting for Kunai to make the first move.

Every movement a person made carried inertia. Once Kunai moved, his next action would become predictable.

As soon as Kunai stepped forward, there would be an instant when his body acted purely on instinct—an unavoidable moment.

That was the moment Aozora would strike.

Kunai moved. Chakra exploded from his feet, and without hesitation, he charged straight at Aozora.

Aozora's kunai flew immediately afterward.

At that moment, everyone present focused intently.

The audience stopped cheering and discussing altogether, their eyes wide open.

The ninjas too wore solemn expressions, fully concentrating on the battlefield.

Hyuga activated their Byakugan; Uchiha activated their Sharingan.

Everyone wanted to see just how fast Aozora's kunai could truly fly.

Some barely caught a glimpse, while others missed it entirely.

Those who didn't see it gaped in astonishment, while those who did remained equally stunned.

In the blink of an eye, Aozora's kunai had already flown over dozens of meters, heading straight for Kunai's ankle.

This throw was so fast that most shinobi on site couldn't react in time—even if they could, they wouldn't have been able to dodge.

This time, he hadn't aimed for a deadly point.

Aya had suffered unbearable pain from countless needles piercing his bones, and now he wanted Kunai to feel the same.

Faced with Aozora's incoming kunai, Kunai didn't dodge—as if he hadn't even seen the kunai itself.

Aozora's brow furrowed slightly. He knew this opponent possessed far more skill than this.

The next instant, Kunai himself flew forward in midair.

"Ding—"

The sound of metal striking metal rang out.

Aozora's kunai hadn't hit Kunai's ankle, but instead struck above it—where a steel plate guarded.

Kunai forcefully stomped backward, sending dust flying everywhere, then shot toward Aozora like a bullet.

Without time to think, Aozora flung himself backward, increasing the distance between them while throwing another kunai.

This time, his targets changed—he aimed at Kunai's limbs, waist, abdomen…

Though these kunai came slightly slower and less precise than the first, they still moved at speeds nearly impossible to dodge.

Yet Kunai showed no intent to evade—barreling straight ahead while ignoring the incoming kunai.

"Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding—"

The metallic clashing between kunai and steel plates formed a melodic rhythm.

On the elevated platform, the audience wore varied expressions; unable to catch the finer details, they could only follow the general flow of the battle.

Aozora's superiority with kunai was rapidly diminishing as his opponent closed in.

Could Aozora withstand this towering kunai expert in close combat? The audience watched in suspense.

The spectators who had bet heavily on Aozora looked pale and lifeless.

In contrast, those who had bet on his opponent erupted in jubilation.

However, the ninja saw far more—especially the Uchiha and Hyuga clansmen who wielded dojutsu.

They noticed that Aozora's kunai always deflected slightly within two feet of reaching his opponent, redirecting them to strike the iron armor hidden beneath the man's cloak.

Iron armor was practically useless against ninjas.

Thin armor offered barely more protection than a standard ninja flak vest.

Thicker armor would impair a ninja's reflexes and speed, which in close combat could prove deadly.

Nowadays, virtually no ninja wore iron armor.

Clearly, this opponent's armor had been specially tailored for Aozora.

The training ground was of moderate size. As Aozora precisely launched over a dozen kunai, he found himself cornered.

His opponent's figure loomed larger and larger in Aozora's vision.

Aozora could already see the triumphant gleam in the man's eyes.

Think you've got me, huh?

A cold smirk formed in Aozora's mind as he swiftly formed the "Tora" (Tiger) seal.

Although furious, he remembered this was a public match, so he pretended to perform the seal openly.

[Dragon Fire Technique]!

Instantly, a massive fire dragon erupted from Aozora's mouth.

Vivid and lifelike, the blazing fire dragon roared forth, radiating scorching Katon chakra.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw the fire dragon, his pupils narrowed.

As a master of ninjutsu, he was highly proficient in fire release techniques—Dragon Fire Technique was one of his signature jutsu.

Thus, he could immediately assess Aozora's skill level in this technique.

First, proficiency.

Ordinary ninja required eight hand seals to perform Dragon Fire Technique. Even experienced Jonin specialized in Katon needed at least three seals. Only an extremely skilled user could cast it with just a single hand seal.

Second, purity.

Aozora's Katon chakra was exceptionally refined, nearly reaching the pinnacle of elemental transformation—Yakton. This made the fire dragon incredibly dense and searing hot.

Under such intense flames, even steel would melt away.

Seeing this, the crowd felt sympathy for Aozora's opponent.

In the Chunin Selection Exam, losing to such a formidable opponent was not shameful.

Almost everyone in attendance believed Aozora had won—but Aozora himself did not.

His Sharingan displayed dual tomoe as he observed the silhouette inside the flames.

He had witnessed too many reversals caused by complacency. As long as the enemy wasn't completely defeated, he wouldn't let his guard down.

This sliver of caution saved him.

Within the slow-motion vision of his Sharingan, Aozora saw a sudden expansion of pressure around his opponent's figure.

Without hesitation, before even ending the Dragon Fire Technique, Aozora instantly surged chakra through his feet.

The next instant, a blinding burst of light consumed the fire dragon, and a deafening explosion swallowed all surrounding sound!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!

The explosions roared one after another without pause, like waves pounding the shore!

In a flash, the explosion lit up the sky and drowned out all sound, leaving everything else in silence.

The stone wall near where Aozora and Kunai had fought was destroyed by the blast. The platform shook violently.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not stop to investigate responsibility. He immediately [Body Flicker Technique] to the broken wall and reinforced the gap with an Earth Wall jutsu, stabilizing the structure.

A moment later, the crowd began to recover from the shock—only to fall into chaos again.

"Holy crap, I almost died—oh my god!"

"This is outrageous! Using Explosive Tags like that—did they even think about our safety?!"

"Severely punish him! The Hokage has to answer for this!"

"..."

Some spectators cried while others screamed, so shaken they'd forgotten who even won the fight.

"The nineteenth match ends—Kunai has been eliminated. Uchiha Aozora is victorious!"

Only after the proctor announced the result did they finally turn their eyes back toward the arena.

Kunai had been reduced to ashes within the explosion, leaving behind only a scorched iron armor glowing red from the heat.

Meanwhile, Aozora stood tall at the other side, his clothes in tatters.

Beneath the torn garments were countless scratches and burns.

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