Aoki Yoru stopped in his tracks, the shape of the Lightning Release in his hand changing, and he flicked his hand.
Whoosh!
Countless tiny yet sharp lightning blades shot out instantly, one bolt of lightning against one laser, colliding precisely in mid-air!
This was exactly the Ninjutsu "Chidori Senbon" from the original work.
At this moment, the Lightning Release in Aoki Yoru's palm suddenly surged and elongated! The white lightning instantly transformed into a lightning blade several meters long!
"Chidori Eiso."
He slashed fiercely from left to right, intending to cut Darui in half at the waist.
At this critical moment, Darui stomped on the ground, threw his body backward, and narrowly dodged the attack.
Boom!
The Chidori Eiso grazed his chest and slammed into the wall behind him.
The lightning roared as it exploded, carving a huge, several-meter-long crack into the sturdy stone wall, sending debris raining down.
The arena fell into a deathly silence.
This short exchange deeply shocked the Genin and Chunin present.
"Is this really Ninjutsu?" a Genin said with a tremble.
In their understanding, Ninjutsu was just spitting water or breathing fire; they mostly relied on swords, Kunai, and hidden weapons. When had they ever seen such flashy Ninjutsu?
"Kakashi, have you developed so many variations of your Lightning Release?" Might Guy asked curiously. He had never seen him use them during their duels.
Kakashi was watching the arena intently with his Sharingan active and shook his head. "No, I only taught him Chidori."
Hearing this, Might Guy, Asuma Sarutobi, and Kurenai Yuhi were all filled with disbelief. In just two months, he had developed so many Ninjutsu based on Chidori.
They didn't know that Kakashi had only taught him Chidori half a month ago.
Aoki Yoru looked at the panting Darui, who was covered in cold sweat. "Ah, you dodged it. I wanted to cut you in half."
"You brat, don't get too cocky. It's not over yet..." He said, quickly forming hand seals.
"Lightning Release: Exciting Wave."
Instantly, water surged across the entire arena. What made one's scalp tingle was that this water was filled with electrical currents, leaving no place to stand in the narrow arena.
"Hey, hey, this is tricky!" Aoki Yoru leaped into the air, mobilizing his entire body's muscles while concentrating Chakra in the soles of his feet, stepping on the air multiple times per second. This was the "Geppo" he had developed.
Everyone present watched in astonishment as Aoki Yoru walked on air as if climbing stairs.
The Third Hokage was so shocked his pipe fell out of his mouth without him noticing. In the Ninja World, flight Ninjutsu that weren't bloodline limits were extremely rare. Currently, the only famous one was the Tsuchikage Ōnoki's Earth Release: Ultra-Light-Weight Rock Technique.
Looking at Darui standing on the water, Aoki Yoru asked directly, "Have you ever thought about other Ninjas dealing with you in the same way?"
Darui seemed to realize something, his face changing drastically, just as Aoki Yoru extended the Chidori in his hand and plunged it into the water.
"Ahhh..." Darui was entangled by white lightning, screaming continuously.
"Stop, we concede." Dodai jumped into the arena and caught the collapsing Darui.
Nara Shikaku appeared in the arena and gave Aoki Yoru a deep look. "Since Darui has conceded, the winner of this match is—Aoki Yoru."
As the words fell, the sidelines erupted in cheers. Regardless of anything else, defeating a Cloud Ninja boosted Konoha's morale, and everyone felt a sense of pride.
"Ahem, do the Cloud Ninja need help from Konoha's medical Ninjas? After all, this is a friendly exchange match between our two Villages." The Third Hokage stood up at the right time and said to Dodai.
"No need, we can treat him ourselves." Ignoring the Third Hokage's sarcasm, he picked up Darui and left with the others.
Afterward, the Third Hokage remained full of smiles, summarizing the day's competition, praising the four who became Chunin, and encouraging them to keep up the good work.
He also comforted the newcomers who didn't pass, leaving them moved to tears.
"Ah! You've become too strong. Why do I feel like the gap between us has widened?"
On the way back, Kenta was still shocked by Aoki Yoru's performance just now.
"You're not bad either. Taijutsu Ninjas only enter a rapid growth period later on. Unlike me, who seems to have hit a bottleneck."
Kenta stared at him in shock. Listen to that, "Is that even human talk?"
Yui and Kakashi rolled their eyes; it was simply humble-bragging.
"Speaking of which, Kakashi-sensei, we've all passed the Chunin Exams, shouldn't we celebrate?" Aoki Yoru wanted to eat BBQ and immediately tried to freeload.
Yui and Kenta also looked at Kakashi-sensei with anticipation.
Seeing the expectant eyes and drool at the corners of their mouths, Kakashi covered his face in speechlessness, his mouth twitching. "Fine, let's go to the BBQ place from last time."
The three cheered and rushed toward the BBQ restaurant.
After a full meal, the sun had already set when they returned home.
After a simple wash, he fell straight asleep; he was too tired today to train.
The next day, Aoki Yoru finished his training and opened the door to leave, when a masked figure appeared outside.
"Anbu!"
Looking at the Ninja wearing an Anbu uniform, exuding a calm and sharp aura, Aoki Yoru couldn't help but ponder, "Why is the Anbu looking for me?"
At this moment, a hoarse voice came from the mask. "Aoki Yoru, Lord Third Hokage requests your presence. Come with me."
Aoki Yoru's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm. He nodded and replied, "Lead the way."
Following the Anbu into the Hokage Building, it wasn't his first time here, but he had always just followed Kakashi to the first floor to pick up missions.
The Anbu knocked gently on the door, and after receiving permission, stepped aside. Aoki Yoru took a deep breath and pushed the door open to enter.
Pushing the door open, he saw the Third Hokage sitting in the main seat dealing with documents; the surrounding papers were stacked over a meter high.
Seeing Aoki Yoru walk in, the wrinkles on the Third Hokage's face smoothed out, revealing a smile.
"You're here. First, congratulations on becoming a Chunin." The Third Hokage's voice was calm and aged.
His gaze fell on him, his tone filled with emotion. "Seeing you reminds me of your parents. They were both outstanding Ninjas of the Village who gave their lives for Konoha."
"Hokage-sama, my parents sacrificed themselves to protect the Village; they died a worthy death."
Aoki Yoru knew why the Third Hokage had called him over. It was necessary to say the right things and show loyalty.
"Was the Ninjutsu you used to walk in the air earlier something your parents left behind?"
Aoki Yoru straightened his back. "Hokage-sama, this is something I explored myself. There is also a move for rapid movement. The principle is..."
After speaking, he took out a scroll and respectfully handed it over. "Hokage-sama, the reason I could create Geppo and Soru is all thanks to Konoha. After my parents passed away, the neighbors helped, allowing me to grow up. I hope these two Ninjutsu can be of help to the Village."
Rarely having such an opportunity, Aoki Yoru took the chance to display his will of fire to leave a good impression on the leadership.
Hearing this, the Third Hokage's eyes flashed with approval, and he nodded slowly. "Good, you have heart. It is rare that you are willing to share the burden for the Village. Both of these are A-rank Ninjutsu. You may choose two A-rank Ninjutsu as compensation. Is there anything you want?"
Aoki Yoru was overjoyed; he hadn't expected such an unexpected harvest.
"Hokage-sama, I would like Sealing Techniques, if that is possible."
The Third Hokage looked at him in surprise. He had expected him to choose offensive Ninjutsu, not the niche Sealing Techniques.
He then nodded and took out a scroll for him to choose from. In the end, Aoki Yoru chose the Five Elements Seal and the Eight Trigrams Seal, two famous Sealing Techniques.
After bowing and saying goodbye to the Third Hokage, he took the scrolls home as if they were treasures, unable to wait to start training.