At this moment, a new matchup appeared on the screen: Shimizu Yui vs. Karui.
The Ninjas at the scene all wore expressions of anticipation; since both were Kakashi's disciples, they likely wouldn't be weak.
Whoosh... Yui and Karui appeared in the arena, watching each other with vigilance.
As the referee announced the start of the match, Yui quickly formed hand seals.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave"
Yui's hands moved in a blur, and with a spit from her mouth, a torrent of water erupted, surging toward her opponent.
Knowing that her opponent was a close-combat Ninja, she launched a direct long-range attack to deny her the chance to utilize her speed; the narrow arena was most advantageous for large-scale Ninjutsu.
Facing the surging waves, Karui contemptuously drew the Ninja sword from her back and sliced the water wave directly in half.
Suddenly, her pupils constricted, and she wore an expression of horror as if she had seen a ghost; the water she had sliced through was mixed with explosive tags, which were now burning intensely.
Boom!
Blazing white flames erupted, sweeping over and instantly swallowing her, while the water hissed and popped, creating a cloud of smoke that filled the sky.
The people at the scene were silent; the Genin and Chunin couldn't help but swallow hard. If it had been them, it would have been certain death, and the referee wouldn't have even had time to intervene.
"That's really underhanded!" Aoki Yoru hadn't expected Yui to use such a trick, but he nodded, indicating he had learned something; he could use this against close-combat Ninjas in the future.
"Hmm?" Aoki Yoru hummed and looked toward the burning flames.
A figure was seen rushing out of the flames, panting heavily.
Her clothes were tattered and her skin was exposed, but the dark, burnt skin all over her body left him with no desire.
She lifted her head, glared viciously at Yui, and then lightning-attribute Chakra began to swirl around her body.
"I'm going to kill you!" Her voice was hoarse and ruthless.
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly froze, as if her whole body had crashed, and her eyes lost their focus.
The audience and participants outside the arena became clamorous.
"What's going on? Why did she stop moving?" a Genin asked.
"Could it be that she was too severely injured by the explosion earlier? It's lucky she didn't die from such an intense blast."
The Jonin present looked at Yui with surprise.
"This little girl is definitely a ruthless character," was the shared sentiment of the Jonin present.
In the Hidden Cloud Village spectator stands, Darui and Tutai looked grim; they realized that Karui had fallen under a Genjutsu.
"Konoha Ninjas are quite capable, aren't they?" Darui, whose eyes were always half-closed and exuded laziness, wore a rare serious expression.
"A very brilliant tactic." Sandaime wore an appreciative expression.
"Mixing explosive tags into Water Release, and using the mist to cast Genjutsu at the moment of the explosion—layer upon layer; she is Jonin material."
"The winner is Shimizu Yui." The referee looked at her with full appreciation; he liked Ninjas who fought with their brains.
"Congratulations, that was a beautiful win." Yui returned to the spectator stands amidst the compliments of the crowd.
Whoosh... Darui's figure appeared in the arena, looking up at the high platform. "Come down."
Aoki Yoru shrugged, hands in his pockets, and sauntered down the stairs.
Asuma walked to Kakashi's side. "The opponent is no simple matter. Even I might not be able to take him down. Is your student going to be alright?"
Kurenai Yuhi and Might Guy heard this and turned their heads to look at Kakashi.
"Who knows?" Kakashi shrugged, his tone meaningful.
On the field, the two stared at each other, both waiting for an opportunity to strike.
After the previous two matches, Darui dared not underestimate Kakashi's disciple, especially since he was the only one who saw through his methods during the first exam.
Drip... A drop of water fell from the ceiling, landed on the ground, and splashed, and both of them moved at the same time.
Clang, clang, clang... Their figures suddenly turned into two afterimages and instantly disappeared from the ring, leaving behind only the sounds of weapons clashing and sparks flying.
Aoki Yoru's previous swordsmanship embodied one word: 'Fast'!
In the world of martial arts, nothing is unbreakable except speed. When he only had basic swordsmanship, he could only put effort into being 'fast'.
Originally, it was speed in movement. During this time, through Kakashi's guidance, his use of Chakra had become more proficient, and combined with the Navy Six Styles — Soru (Shave) he had developed himself, Aoki Yoru felt he had the confidence to challenge Shisui.
Later, he was taught the White Fang swordsmanship by Kakashi. This swordsmanship is known for being fast, accurate, and ruthless, with natural transitions between moves, and he was already able to use it proficiently.
Therefore, although the two were attacking each other rapidly on the field, Darui gradually fell into a disadvantage, and after a few rounds, he could only defend passively.
"Where did this guy pop out from?"
His pride-and-joy speed and swordsmanship were completely suppressed. What made it even harder for him to accept was that the opponent was four or five years younger than him; if he had this strength now, what would he be like in the future?
The Genin outside the arena all felt it was incredible. Was this still their classmate? How could the gap be so huge after just two months of graduation? They couldn't even see their figures.
"White Fang swordsmanship? Kakashi, you actually taught him this ultimate technique?" Asuma looked incredulous.
One must know that this is famous throughout the Ninja World. Kakashi used this swordsmanship before, and only changed his fighting style after obtaining the Sharingan; this counts as the Hatake clan's family heirloom.
"Well, swordsmanship only has meaning in the hands of someone who can wield it. A sword left on the shelf, no matter how sharp, is just scrap metal."
Seeing the power that the swordsmanship erupted with in Aoki's hands, a smile appeared on Kakashi's face.
Tutai looked at the two clashing in the arena with a grim expression. "Konoha is indeed a cradle of geniuses. After Kakashi Hatake and Shisui, has another genius appeared?"
Watching Darui gradually being suppressed, Tutai was full of killing intent. "After we go back, I must have the Raikage do everything possible to eliminate him. He cannot be allowed to grow up."
"What a pleasant surprise."
The Sandaime, who had just been melancholy about Konoha having no successors, looked at the figure in the arena with pleasant surprise; more importantly, he was part of the Hokage's lineage.
At this moment, Darui pushed away his opponent's blade, and using the recoil of the collision, his figure suddenly leaped backward, distancing himself from Aoki Yoru.
"Lightning Release: Black Panther"
Black lightning swirled around his body, converging into a ferocious lightning panther that roared out from his palm, carrying the power to tear apart the earth.
"Dangerous! This Ninjutsu cannot be taken head-on; one must dodge it." This was the first thought of everyone present; it was impossible to receive.
Chirp, chirp, chirp—! It sounded as if a thousand birds were screeching, ringing in everyone's ears.
A burst of white lightning erupted from Aoki Yoru's hand, and he thrust it rapidly toward the incoming lightning panther.
Raikiri requires extremely high dynamic vision from the user; otherwise, it would be dodged by the enemy and used against them, but for him, who possesses sensory abilities, it was not a problem at all.
Boom! Raikiri and the lightning panther collided fiercely, and the lightning exploded. The lightning panther was seen being cut in half from the middle. Aoki Yoru did not stop and accelerated as he rushed toward Darui.
Raikiri can even cut through lightning from the sky, let alone a mere lightning panther.
Darui watched the rushing Aoki without panic. Darui pressed his palms together, blue light lit up in his palms, and countless lasers shot out like meteors.
"Storm Release: Laser Circus"
This was his unique Kekkei Genkai, and it was also his greatest reliance for becoming the number one person of the younger generation in the Hidden Cloud Village.