Talent System In The Naruto Universe

"Shisui was so strong, and he still lost?"

Uchiha Obito looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Both he and Shisui possessed the two-tomoe Sharingan, yet Shisui was far superior to him in strength. Even so, he was defeated by Hanekawa.

Was the three-tomoe Sharingan the only way to stand a chance?

But how long would he have to wait for that?

Obito glanced at Nohara Rin.

She was smiling brightly, congratulating Hanekawa.

His chest tightened, and a surge of frustration overwhelmed him. He wanted nothing more than to eliminate Hanekawa right then and there.

"Aaagh! This is driving me mad!"

Obito's emotions churned violently, his aura growing dark and cold.

---

"Your victory was impressive!"

Kurenai Yuhi ran up to Hanekawa, grabbed his hand, and said with a cheerful smile.

Seeing this, Nohara Rin silently stepped back, choosing not to interrupt.

"It was just luck," Hanekawa replied humbly.

"…"

Sarutobi Asuma opened his mouth to speak but stopped.

He finally understood that sometimes humility could be infuriating.

---

"Shisui, you did great," Shizune said, offering comfort as his teammate.

"Losing to Hanekawa-senpai was within my expectations," Shisui replied with a bright smile. "Besides, sparring with him taught me a lot."

"You're so unlike an Uchiha," Shizune commented, glancing at Obito, who stood nearby with a dark and brooding expression.

The stark contrast between the two after their losses couldn't have been clearer.

---

"It's starting again!"

Might Guy exclaimed in excitement as he looked at the screen. "It's my turn!"

Hanekawa raised an eyebrow, surprised.

Guy's opponent was Sarutobi Asuma.

Was it because Hiruzen Sarutobi thought Kurenai Yuhi and Kakashi Hatake would be tougher to deal with later?

If so, it was a miscalculation.

---

"Asuma!" Might Guy radiated pure fighting spirit. "Let's have a battle of youth!"

"Your taijutsu is impressive, but I'm sorry—the one who'll win is me," Asuma replied with a faint scoff.

Back at the Ninja Academy, the two had sparred often, and Asuma had almost always come out on top.

Taijutsu specialists had an inherent disadvantage against ninjutsu users—it was easy to keep them at bay.

Of course, there was another reason for his confidence:

Guy hadn't used the Eight Gates.

The two exchanged a brief look before walking to the center of the arena, standing face to face.

"Guy! Now is the time to prove your youth! Don't hold back or leave any regrets!"

A loud, heartfelt, yet tearful voice suddenly rang out from the audience.

It was Might Duy, Guy's father.

"Yes, Father!" Guy's eyes filled with tears, his body trembling with emotion as he shouted back passionately.

"…"

Asuma's mouth twitched.

For the first time, he felt a bit of sympathy for Kakashi Hatake.

"Having Guy as a teammate must be exhausting."

"Guy! Take them off!" Might Duy shouted loudly from the audience.

"...Take off what?"

Sarutobi Asuma looked puzzled.

Just then, two loud crashes startled him.

Might Guy had removed his training weights, and they landed on the ground with a resounding thud, raising a cloud of dust.

Asuma's eyes widened in shock.

What the hell?

He had been wearing such terrifying weights all along?

"I'm coming, Asuma! Leaf Hurricane!"

Might Guy's words barely landed before he transformed into a green blur, dashing forward at incredible speed.

He's so fast!

Asuma's heart raced as he realized there was no time to weave hand signs.

On instinct, he raised his arms to block.

Boom!

Waves of force rippled outward as Asuma was forced back two steps by the sheer power of Guy's kick.

"Strong Whirlwind!"

Guy immediately followed up, spinning his body for a powerful reverse kick.

The gusts from his movements were so intense that Asuma felt momentarily breathless.

This was absurd!

He had never imagined being at a disadvantage so early in the fight.

Whirlwind Strike!

In the nick of time, Asuma grabbed his chakra blades and launched a punch.

Guy, being flesh and blood, naturally couldn't afford to take the chakra blades head-on.

With a roar, he accelerated again, evading the blades with a downward kick that sent Asuma flying.

Boom!

Asuma hit the ground with a crash, raising a cloud of dust.

---

From the elevated platform, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression stiffened.

Could Asuma lose?

Just as Hanekawa had suspected, Hiruzen truly hadn't given taijutsu specialists the attention they deserved.

In fact, even in the original story, it wasn't until Might Duy's death that Hiruzen realized the village had such formidable taijutsu users.

And this wasn't unique to Konoha—Suna had a similar oversight.

Shira, who had invented the Seven Heavens Breathing Method and could match Rock Lee in combat, initially wasn't even considered fit to be a ninja.

---

"It won't be that easy!"

Asuma leaped to his feet, his expression turning serious as he stared down Guy.

Wind Style: Dust Gale Jutsu!

Asuma formed hand signs and exhaled a dense cloud of dust.

Guy, charging forward, was immediately enveloped, losing his line of sight.

The next moment, waves of heat surged forward.

Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!

Without pause, Asuma unleashed a concentrated blast of flames, heading straight for Guy.

"Bursting Leaf Iron Whirlwind!"

Guy channeled chakra into his legs and kicked out fiercely, scattering the flames in all directions.

---

Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!

Remaining composed, Asuma released a powerful gust of wind that enveloped Guy in an instant.

Guy's expression shifted as he delivered another kick to counter.

Wind Style: Gale Palm!

Asuma clapped his hands together, compressing the wind before unleashing it like an explosive fountain.

Unable to dodge in time, Guy was struck directly and sent flying.

"Excellent!"

Asuma breathed a sigh of relief, his strategy working as intended.

Taijutsu users lacked long-range capabilities and couldn't withstand direct attacks from ninjutsu or ninja tools, leaving them reliant on evasion.

The tide of the battle had turned, with Guy now on the defensive under Asuma's chain of ninjutsu attacks.

---

"Guy!" Might Duy's voice boomed again from the stands. "I give you permission!"

"...Permission for what?" Asuma raised an eyebrow in confusion.

What now?

What were these two up to?

"Eight Gates Release!"

A green aura erupted around Guy as he shouted, "Gate of Opening, open! Gate of Healing, open! Gate of Life, open!"

"What?!"

Asuma's jaw dropped in disbelief.

This was the first time he had witnessed Guy use the Eight Gates. He had missed the previous two occasions—once during Guy's sparring match with Hanekawa and another during his challenge to Tsunade.

---

"Watch out, Asuma!" Guy roared, his voice echoing with power.

Might Guy excitedly shouted, "Primary Lotus!"

With a burst of movement, his speed reached its peak.

Before Sarutobi Asuma could react, he found himself airborne.

His vision spun as the world turned upside down.

A strong sense of danger overwhelmed Asuma.

But before he could break free, he realized he was already bound by bandages, unable to move.

Boom!

The two crashed into the ground, sending dust flying, stones scattering, and shockwaves rippling outwards from the impact.

"Asuma-senpai!"

Uchiha Shisui's face turned pale as he instinctively called out.

Asuma was his teammate and a good friend. Seeing him in this state, Shisui couldn't help but feel concerned.

"Don't worry," Hanekawa said, her eyes narrowing briefly before she smiled lightly.

"He's fine."

When the dust cleared, the figure of Sarutobi Hiruzen emerged.

In his hands was a shaken but unharmed Sarutobi Asuma.

"L-Lord Hokage?!"

Might Guy froze in place, his face lighting up with surprise and delight.

"You're quite impressive," Hiruzen said, releasing Asuma and offering his praise.

"R-Really?"

Might Guy's body trembled with emotion.

"Of course," Hiruzen replied with a smile.

Though it was unfortunate that Asuma had lost, discovering such a promising talent like Guy made up for it.

"Father! Did you see that?!"

Might Guy suddenly turned and shouted toward the stands.

A familiar figure appeared—it was Might Duy.

The two locked eyes before rushing to embrace, both of them sobbing uncontrollably.

"...?"

Hiruzen's smile froze.

What is going on here?

"I've lost," Sarutobi Asuma muttered, looking dejected.

"What's with that face?" Hiruzen asked, shaking his head. "Losing to the Eight Gates is nothing to be ashamed of. Work harder next time."

With that, he returned to the platform.

Technically, Yamanaka Inoichi was supposed to intervene earlier, but Hiruzen had broken protocol out of concern for Asuma.

"Might Guy wins!"

After announcing the result, Yamanaka Inoichi glanced at the tearful father-and-son duo and sighed. "Please clear the arena."

---

"It's my turn!" Kurenai Yuhi took a deep breath, stepping forward.

With only six candidates left in the third round, the remaining match was clear—her against Kakashi Hatake.

"Do your best."

Hanekawa patted her on the head gently.

Though Kurenai had grown significantly stronger, her chances against Kakashi were slim. It was essentially a mage versus an assassin—whoever made the first mistake would lose.

"Got it."

Kurenai looked up at Hanekawa with a bright smile.

---

"Seems like we don't need to say anything," Shizune whispered, glancing at the scene.

Asuma, however, looked frustrated. Losing to Guy was one thing, but watching Hanekawa and Kurenai interact felt like a critical hit.

Meanwhile, Rin Nohara pursed her lips. For some reason, she felt a twinge of envy.

Kakashi Hatake walked calmly to the center of the arena.

The liveliness seemed to belong to everyone else, while he had nothing.

But he understood why.

People naturally consoled the one more likely to lose. If he were to face Hanekawa, everyone would probably comfort him instead.

Locking eyes with Kurenai across the arena, Kakashi slowly drew his short blade.

Back in the academy, they had sparred countless times and were well-acquainted with each other's strengths.

"Begin!" Yamanaka Inoichi announced.

---

Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!

Without hesitation, Kurenai launched a massive water dragon.

Kakashi stepped forward and instantly vanished from sight.

His short blade slashed toward Kurenai from the right.

Water Style: Heavenly Tears!

Kurenai opened her mouth, unleashing a torrent of water needles like senbon.

Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise.

She didn't even weave signs?

Instinctively, he retreated, but he couldn't avoid all the needles. One struck his left arm.

Without flinching, Kakashi advanced again, his short blade weaving a flurry of strikes.

Water Style: Water Wall!

A wall of water rose before Kurenai, blocking the blade's light.

She barely had time to catch her breath before she heard a sharp sound above her.

A streak of cold steel descended from above.

Water Style: Water Blade Slash!

Kurenai instinctively raised her kunai to block.

Clang!

The sheer force of the strike sent her stumbling back.

As their eyes met, Kurenai quickly formed hand signs.

Mind Disturbance Jutsu!

Kakashi froze momentarily.

Did it work?

Before she could confirm, Kurenai sensed movement behind her.

She turned, only to see another Kakashi approaching.

"I forfeit," Kurenai said decisively.

She had lost to Kakashi too many times to feel disheartened.

Besides, reaching the third round likely secured her promotion to Chūnin.

__

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