Suguru had immediately begun dissecting Sasuke's performance.
"Hmm,"
The fact that the curse mark, for some reason, had remained dormant was a fascinating development. Unlike the original, Sasuke's mental state appeared more balanced, and his Taijutsu was augmented with the techniques he had learned from Suguru.
Hence, Sasuke had not faced an initial struggle against his foe, losing chakra to them in the process.
More intriguing was the nature of the curse mark. Orochimaru's seal felt different somehow.
Suguru's researcher intuition screamed that there was a deviation that couldn't be pinpointed at a glance. The plot's subtle shifts had probably influenced Orochimaru's research trajectory. There was probably a nuance that required more scrutiny to perceive.
'I wonder if I have time to put Sasuke on the operating table…'
His thoughts were interrupted by the next match announcement. Suguru glanced over and blinked.
"Ah, it's the iconic Hyuga cousins…"
Neji versus Hinata played out predictably: The Hyuga clan's internal conflict unfolded, Neji's overwhelming technique nearly crushing Hinata. Konoha's jounin intervened at the last moment, stopping the match before true tragedy could strike.
There wasn't much to see, and Suguru simply dived into his thoughts while it all happened.
What intrigued him would be the third match.
Uchiha Tatsuya versus Abumi Zaku.
* * *
On the batting grounds, Tatsuya stood calmly. Zaku's cocky demeanor contrasted sharply. Their height difference made Zaku's expression all the more mocking.
"Begin!"
Hayate's signal fell.
And instantly, with no warning and no hesitation.
'Water Release: Gunshot!'
Tatsuya's mouth opened. A sudden, compressed orb of water erupted, traveling with a sudden burst of speed, directly at Zaku's face.
It was a seal-less use of Ninjutsu.
Zaku's eyes widened. His body reacted on pure instinct, throwing himself to the side. The water projectile slammed into the arena floor where he'd stood moments before, creating a crater and spraying fragments of stone.
"What the—" Zaku's words caught in his throat.
Tatsuya's lips curved into the slightest smile.
"Surprised?" The word carried a hint of mockery.
Zaku recovered quickly, raising his modified arms. The hollow tubes that allowed his signature airwaves now gleamed with potential energy.
"Don't get cocky," Zaku spat. "Damn brat."
Another water orb seemed to form in Tatsuya's mouth. This time, Zaku was prepared. His airwaves would disrupt the projectile and serve as a continuous counter-attack as well.
But Tatsuya was counting on it, his Sharingan gleaming with a predictive gleam.
"Oho?"
At the side, Suguru leaned slightly forward.
"What an odd sense of familiarity."
It was as if he had seen this technique before, but couldn't put his finger on where.
'Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!'
—VWHOOM!
The supposed bullet of water would be revealed to be a blazing fireball. Tatsuya had woven a Genjutsu into his attack.
Suguru's eyes shone with a crimson light as his Shinrakugan had begun its analysis.
'This might be Itachi's influence.' Stifling a chuckle, the boy watched as Zaku released his jutsu.
'Decapitating Airwaves!'
—BOOM!
The airwaves and the flames collided, creating a blast of force that dissipated any attempts to counterattack. Zaku, in the meantime, was forced back by Tatsuya's seal-less Ninjutsu and the unexpected flames.
"Kuheuk! What was that?"
Zaku's body tumbled across the stone floor twice before he flipped onto his feet. Raising his hands once more, he channeled his chakra:
'Decapitating Airwa—'
—Crack.
A splash of water.
A bullet-like force.
Tatsuya's true Water Release: Gunshot had snapped the bones in Zaku's arm.
And thus—
—Vwhoosh!
The trapped air, originally supposed to be expelled out of his palms, burst out through his arms instead. A terrible backlash akin to a gun barrel explosion.
Luckily, or perhaps, unluckily, Zaku only lost a single arm.
—AHHHHHHH!
His scream was screeching for all to hear.
Then.
A few more water gunshots appeared through the flames, heated to a boil despite only a moment of contact.
—Crack. Hiss!
The sound of breaking bones and searing flesh echoed out in the next moment. Zaku's screams continued as his other arm was shattered as well.
With a whoosh, Tatsuya's figure then approached with a flicker. His body was nearly hugging the ground as he spun.
His leg shot upwards, and his foot made clean contact with Zaku's jaw.
A very basic, yet very reliable side kick was shot from below. It was like an uppercut made all the more painful.
—Crack.
Another bone shattered. Probably Zaku's jaw as his feet were forced off the ground by the sheer force.
The genin sailed through the air in a grand arc before falling onto the stone floor with a dull thud.
Tatsuya recalled his extended limb and stood, as relaxed as he had been earlier. This time, it seemed to border on haughtiness as well.
A small smirk played on his lips as he deactivated his mitsudomoe Sharingan.
With such eyes, there wasn't much fanfare.
Abumi Zaku's defeat was long predetermined.
"…Winner: Uchiha Tatsuya!"
Seeing the unconscious Oto-nin, Hayate announced the results, signalling the nearby Medical-nins with his eyes. Timely first aid was thus performed on the broken and shattered bones.
A little bit of respite for the one who had been demolished in Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu in the span of a few seconds.
The fight was almost anticlimactic.
Seeing all of this occur, the various jounin all held their own thoughts. Among the most obvious reactions were, of course, from a few of the Konoha jounin.
Kakashi sighed, as if regarding the outcome as expected.
Kurenai raised a brow when she saw the Genjutsu employed.
Guy merely chuckled.
…And Suguru shook his head and shrugged.
What was Abumi supposed to do when a mitsudomoe Sharingan could elevate a shinobi beyond the Genin level with ease? As long as it was paired with sufficient experience and chakra, one could achieve many things.
Things that Tatsuya had long achieved.
So, Tatsuya walked back with a smug expression. Seeing him return, Naruto gave him a high-five, and Gaara nodded with respect. Clearly, the jinchuriki team had a capable leader.
"Nice one," Naruto said, as if similarly expecting this result.
"Wasn't much," Tatsuya replied with a smile.
Hearing this exchange, Suguru's lips twitched. The classmate who was unable to keep up with his movements despite having the Sharingan was openly boasting beside him.
It felt odd.
'Should I humble him?'
For a moment, Suguru rolled this idea across his fingers.
"Hmm,"
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