"Shigeru! I heard our class is going to participate in the Joint Chunin Exams this time. I can't wait! I'm gonna beat every single one of those guys from the other villages to a pulp!"
Uzumaki Tomoko let out a series of fiendish giggles. However, the moment Uzumaki Tomoki materialized out of nowhere with a thoroughly darkened expression, the brat instantly transformed into the very picture of obedience. Off to the side, Aoki Shigeru could only let out a few dry laughs to show his respect.
The implications of being chosen to represent Sunagakure were entirely plain to see. Currently, the vast majority of the village's resources were heavily tilted toward the nine individuals comprising their three specific genin teams.
Compared to the thick-skinned and simple-minded Tomoko, Shigeru was a deep thinker. Thus, from the very beginning, he understood perfectly that the Joint Chunin Exams meant he and Tomoko would be carrying the entire honor of Sunagakure on their shoulders.
Securing the championship was their singular, ultimate goal.
Seeing that his niece was still acting like a total brat, Tomoki's cheek twitched slightly. However, he quickly recovered the stern dignity befitting a squad leader.
A year ago, he had been reassigned away from the Naval Department, returning to the Suna mainland to take charge of leading genin teams. His original post had been taken over by Shira.
Arakawa Kashiwa and Shira were currently the most dominant twin stars within the Naval Department
. However, during the recent contention for the department's Admiral position, Kashiwa had fallen short against Shira, who had unlocked the Sixth Activation state. Suffering a total defeat, Kashiwa ultimately missed out on the Admiral title.
Although Kashiwa seemingly continued to fulfill his duties as a Vice Admiral just as before, Tomoki could faintly detect that Kashiwa's mindset toward Shira had quietly begun to shift.
Nevertheless, Tomoki's primary focus right now had to be directed toward this brand-new three-man squad under his care—all of whom were real headaches in their own right.
"Since you all know about the Joint Chunin Exams, prepare yourselves for a mock battle. Gaara, you're paired with me. Tomoko, you and Shigeru will form a team and face off."
At the mention of fighting Shigeru, Tomoko's face immediately fell into an expression of sheer annoyance: "Fighting Shigeru is a total bore. He never actually fights me properly."
Bringing up this topic made Tomoko absolutely furious. As the son of the Kazekage, Shigeru possessed exceptionally outstanding strength.
Yet, this fellow simply refused to fight seriously during their routine training sessions, always forfeiting the very moment the battle started getting good.
This left Tomoko intensely frustrated, to the point where she had long since lost all interest in fighting him.
By this time, Gaara and Tomoki had already commenced their mock battle. As a Jinchuriki, Gaara's sand manipulation had reached an incredibly high level. Coupled with Shiraishi's personal tutelage over the years, he was vastly stronger than his counterpart in the original timeline.
As for Tomoki, he prioritized defense and guidance. Consequently, while their battle appeared to be a fierce back-and-forth on the surface, Tomoki was in factual reality providing Gaara with crucial, practical combat instructions.
Meanwhile, Tomoko and Shigeru stood facing each other in a somewhat awkward standoff. Seeing that Shigeru showed absolutely no intention of making the first move, Tomoko swiftly activated her Byakugan, her veins bulging around her eyes: "What? Are you just gonna wait for me to strike first like always?"
In the current Tomoko, the two distinct Kekkei Genkai of the Byakugan and the Shikotsumyaku had awakened one after the other.
Tomoki found the emergence of such a bizarre, mixed bloodline completely beyond his understanding. However, according to Shiraishi's research papers, it was merely a phenomenon of atavism.
A mountain of data proved that the Hyuga, Uzumaki, and Kaguya clans shared a distinct historical origin. Ultimately, Tomoki had begrudgingly accepted his niece's bizarre combination of bloodlines.
Faced with Tomoko's blatant disdain, Shigeru rubbed the back of his neck rather awkwardly: "Ahem... I suppose so."
Tomoko absolutely detested having a teammate who acted far too mature for his age. Generally speaking, she much preferred locked-in, brutal deathmatches against physical taijutsu experts like big brother Shira or big sister Roshi, who could activate the Seven Heavenly Breaths.
"I knew it..."
"You two! Hurry up and get started!"
Tomoki's thunderous roar caused Tomoko to quiet down instantly. She then flickered directly in front of Shigeru: "So, how do you plan on forfeiting this time, Shigeru?"
"When did I ever say I was going to forfeit?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Shigeru flicked his fingers, shooting out a relentless barrage of bubbles that instantly transformed into a sharp, piercing torrent of water.
Hmph!
Same old worn-out tactics!
As the bubbles turned into phantoms, the power of the Shikotsumyaku erupted across Tomoko's entire body. Instantly, countless bone bullets shot out from all directions, converting the clearing into a ferocious, high-speed theater of slaughter.
In any case, Shigeru was a fellow who simply could not be beaten to death, so Tomoko did not hold back in the slightest, her strikes being exceptionally ruthless.
Amidst the exploding torrents of water, Shigeru's second wave of offensive began. Condensing water droplets with a single hand, the unique Water Style: Playing with Water transformed under his control into a continuous, churning vortex of water.
Playing with Water was originally a very basic, common green skill card. Yet, in Shigeru's hands, it could be brandished with entirely different styles. Even Shiraishi himself had been thoroughly astonished by his son's innate genius for Water Style.
A child born in the Land of Wind, yet natively possessing an absolute mastery over water.
In an instant, while the endless streams of water erupted from Shigeru's hands, a chilling frost began to rage across his palms.
A subtle, biting cold began to influence the behavior of the surrounding water. Under Shigeru's meticulous control, the basic water streams condensed into swirling, razor-sharp blades of vortex torrents, violently crashing toward Tomoko.
"Tch! Can't you show off some other move for once?"
Tomoko conjured a massive shield of bone before her, easily deflecting Shigeru's assault. Immediately following the impact, countless skeletal claws abruptly burst forth from the ground beneath Shigeru's feet, viciously snapping at him.
Since a battle had begun, Tomoko was dead set on going all out with absolute seriousness. Her enduring goal had always been to force Shigeru to reveal his true, hidden strength.
Shigeru felt somewhat helpless. Tomoko's talent was simply too spectacular, constantly developing bizarre new techniques, much like this current field of skeletal remains...
But does this girl really not care about her own image at all when fighting?
A vast sea of skeletal remains swirled around Tomoko's frame. The exact instant her Byakugan locked onto her target, these bones seemed to gain a collective sentience, frantically lunging toward the distant Shigeru.
According to his father's deductions, only the unique constitution of the Uzumaki clan could effortlessly suppress the severe side effects of the Shikotsumyaku, allowing it to harmonize perfectly with the Byakugan bloodline!
The self-destructive nature of the Shikotsumyaku was completely suppressed by the massive lifeforce of the Uzumaki, thereby unlocking a far more violent and unrestrained power. Concurrently, the Byakugan served as the ultimate targeting system to elevate the bone bloodline's combat efficiency to the absolute peak.
Facing Tomoko's savage style of attack, Shigeru remained completely motionless. He reached out with a single hand, grabbing the water currents in the air and shattering them into a dense mist of droplets, which transformed during their flight path into freezing bullets of solid ice.
Thunderous explosions echoed continuously around Shigeru's position. No matter how frantically Tomoko pressed her offensive, every single strike was composedly blocked by the fluid movements of Shigeru's Playing with Water.
In truth, what Shigeru excelled at using above all else was this very technique. A seemingly simple water control trick could be twisted into countless distinct variations in his hands.
"You bastard, get serious with me!"
"Tomoko, you've misunderstood one thing. From the very beginning, I have always been deeply serious!"
Enveloped by the swirling water currents, Shigeru shattered a skeletal claw with a bare hand. As his palms folded together, the atmospheric moisture clustered rapidly, forming an even more formidable vortex of churning water.
Shigeru knew a vast multitude of ninjutsu, but the absolute core of his combat style remained this singular, refined mastery over water...
Which was precisely why Uzumaki Tomoko found fighting him so thoroughly infuriating.
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