As Chik approached Heizo Hattori, his eyes were fixed on him, not missing a single move, then he drew his ninja sword and slashed at him.
Heizo Hattori did not attack directly; he merely retreated, avoiding Chik's attacks again and again.
He had shown signs of counter-attacking but abandoned it at the crucial moment, leaving Chik, who had intended to lure him in and expand his advantage, filled with regret.
Although Ran had demonstrated that battle many times, it was only when facing it personally that Chik realized how formidable his opponent's techniques truly were.
Chik was secretly alarmed, realizing that he had fallen into Heizo Hattori's rhythm.
All the reactions his opponent displayed were meant to deceive him, forcing him to expend more energy without achieving any results.
For Chik, this was a truly uncomfortable experience; his opponent was the true master of this art, while Teacher Sora andRan could only make clumsy imitations.
Just as Chik was feeling annoyed, his opponent made the first active move.
Heizo Hattori quickly closed the distance, his fist appearing from an unexpected angle.
Chik hastily raised his sword to block, but felt a heavy kick to his leg and involuntarily fell to his knees.
Chik cursed inwardly, regretting that he had known about the opponent's eye-deceiving techniques but was still tricked by his moves.
Lan, sitting in the audience, saw this scene and gasped, shouting in her mind, "Idiot Chik, how many times have I told you not to pay too much attention to his movements? How did you still fall for it?"
No matter how anxious she was, as an audience member,Ran couldn't go up to help.
She could only hope Chik would quickly counterattack.
She knew Sora had secretly told Chik a direct and effective method, and soon, she would know what that method was.
Just as Heizo Hattori was about to launch a follow-up attack, he let out a soft "tsk," leaped backward, and then a strong explosion erupted in front of him, the resulting wind blowing both Chik and Heizo Hattori away.
Chik, enveloped in lightning, rolled several times on the ground before stopping.
He coughed heavily, then looked up at Heizo Hattori, who was in tatters from the explosion of the exploding tag, and smiled.
"I've really run into a madman," Heizo Hattori muttered, feeling the burning pain all over his body.
He hadn't expected his opponent to use an exploding tag directly; at that distance, not only the enemy but also he himself would be caught in it.
Chik relied on the Cloud Hidden Village's unique Lightning Release Armor to block the damage from the exploding tag.
Despite having such defensive means, not everyone dared to take such a risk; if the timing of its use was even a step too slow, he himself would not escape the consequences.
Chik certainly knew the risks involved, but he also understood that for a "fool" like him, this was the most direct and effective method.
In previous practices, Sora had realized that even with simulated training, Chik would likely still be led by the nose by his opponent.
After all, even as a Jonin, she wasn't that type of ninja and couldn't fully teach Chik how to deal with Heizo Hattori, and Chik's own personality couldn't guarantee he would always be cautious in battle.
Sora told Chik that Heizo Hattori adopted this combat style precisely because his frontal combat ability was not high; otherwise, he wouldn't use this method to compensate.
In other words, even if Heizo Hattori could pose a strong threat in battle, he himself was very fragile.
So, Sora proposed a plan: if Chik couldn't discern Heizo Hattori's techniques and was drawn into his rhythm, instead of trying to find him, it would be better to directly take measures to destroy everything around him, because Heizo Hattori couldn't instantly move, and the indiscernible attacks were merely hidden in blind spots of vision.
Sora said this was a tactic of harming a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of your own.
In a death match, adopting such a tactic was understandable, as it offered a hope of victory.
However, in the Chunin Exam, it seemed a bit too cruel.
Fortunately, Chik's Lightning Release Armor could effectively block the damage from exploding tags, and Heizo Hattori likely didn't have such protective measures.
The result was as Sora had predicted: Chik, protected by his Lightning Release Armor, did not suffer much damage, while Heizo Hattori, although he retreated in time, was still burned by the blast and his vital energy was unstable.
In terms of cost, Heizo Hattori paid more than Chik.
However, Chik did not have a complete advantage either.
To form a Lightning Release Armor that could completely block exploding tags, Chik also expended a lot of chakra.
Fortunately, he was one of the ninjas with more chakra in the Cloud Hidden Village, allowing him to use this tactic multiple times.
For the audience, when Chik fell to his knees, they thought Heizo Hattori would win, but they didn't expect the advantage to instantly shift.
This dramatic turn of events was precisely the charm of the competition, and they couldn't help but discuss and praise the candidates' performance.
Tsunade's hands were tightly clenched; she looked at Heizo Hattori worriedly.
As a medical ninja, she could judge how much damage that distance would cause Heizo Hattori.
One should know that Heizo Hattori was never a person with a strong physique; just this impact could affect his movements.
"That Cloud Hidden ninja named Chik actually has such courage, he's really amazing," Satomi said in surprise.
Akemi, next to her, quickly asked, "Mother, is Brother Heizo going to lose?"
Asuka didn't speak, but pricked up her ears to hear her mother's answer.
"It's not certain yet.
Although the opponent unexpectedly injured Heizo with this method, Heizo must have learned his lesson.
It won't be easy to injure him again," Satomi said.
Heizo Hattori adjusted his breathing slightly, feeling much better from the chest tightness caused by the explosion.
He looked at Chik cautiously; perhaps this was the first time he truly took this straightforward young man seriously.
This time, Heizo Hattori initiated the attack.
His fighting style remained the same; after closing the distance with Chik, he used body movements to deceive Chik's eyes.
Chik, of course, couldn't discern the full extent of Heizo Hattori's movements; if he had a Sharingan, perhaps he could see clearly.
After the previous tactic succeeded, Chik no longer intended to sneak attack.
Instead, he would use it whenever he couldn't discern Heizo Hattori's movements.
This time, he didn't use exploding tags but a large-scale Lightning Release ninjutsu.
The explosive Lightning Release directly sent Heizo Hattori flying, his body seemingly stiff from the paralysis of the lightning.
Chik immediately realized this was an opportunity and immediately pursued him, raising his ninja sword to slash down at Heizo Hattori.
At the crucial moment, he turned the blade, aiming the blunt side at Heizo Hattori.
Although there were many disputes between them, Chik did not truly want to take Heizo Hattori's life.
However, the moment Chik struck Heizo Hattori, he was surprised to find that the opponent turned into a puff of smoke and disappeared.
This seemed to be the Leaf Hidden Village's Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Next, Heizo Hattori emerged from the ground, leaped up, and kicked Chik's body.
Chik hastily prepared to block, but saw his opponent's body flip over very flexibly, unexpectedly hitting Chik's head.
Chik felt a jolt in his head, and everything in front of him suddenly blurred.
Fortunately, he used the Lightning Release Armor to protect his body, preventing him from immediately fainting.
He fell to the ground and saw Heizo Hattori pounce on him.
He deliberately pretended to be on the verge of fainting, and as his opponent approached, he threw out the exploding tags on his body.
Boom—
Chik saw his opponent blown away like a rag doll, lying motionless on the ground, seemingly letting out a sigh of relief, thinking he had won.
As his body relaxed, his vision slowly darkened, and he fell backward, fainting.