Hatake Kenshin, who was rushing toward Yuto, was surprised to see his opponent breaking out of the paralyzed state with the sheer might of chakra.
However, his steps didn't falter. Nor did he slow down.
Expending so much chakra to dispel the residual electricity within the body must have cost Yuto a large portion of his chakra reserves.
It meant that as long as he pressed on and kept Yuto under pressure, he would eventually win.
However, if he could end the fight quickly by landing the next sword strike, it would be even better.
Thinking this, Kenshin's expression hardened, and his eyes flashed with a glint of determination. He immediately increased his speed to arrive in front of Yuto as soon as possible.
On the other side, Yuto had begun forming a series of hand seals in quick succession and muttered to himself in a low voice.
"So, you think you can defeat me that easily, huh?"
"Let me show you my punch of love."
My chakra reserves have reduced to 1/4th of my maximum capacity.
I need to end this fight quickly and decisively.
A battle of attrition with his Kenjutsu freak of the Hatake clan is out of the question.
I can't match him in Kenjutsu or Taijutsu.
I only have an advantage in Ninjutsu.
But if I miss my mark too many times or if he gets close to me to disrupt my casting, I will lose for sure.
So, even if it means trading injuries, I must end this fight quickly.
When Kenshin was just five meters away from him, Sarutobi Yuto finished forming his final hand seal.
A large amount of Earth Release chakra began to gather around his right hand, completely enveloping it in a deep brown hue.
A thick layer of solid rock started forming around his right arm.
Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique
The rock encasing his arm enlarged as Yuto clenched his fingers into a fist that was larger than his face.
Seeing the fist made of rock, Kenshin raised an eyebrow, but he didn't slow down. Instead, he increased the supply of Lightning Release chakra into his short sword, making the blue electric arcs coiling around his blade even more prominent.
Hummm! Humm! Crackle!
His sword released a series of crackling and humming sounds as its cutting and destructive properties increased further.
Finally, Kenshin utilized a large amount of chakra to reinforce his body to the limit, significantly enhancing his strength, speed, agility, reflexes, and defense.
He obviously recognized the Fist Rock Technique and knew how terrifying the weight and power of the rock-encased fist were. A single punch from Yuto in this state was fully capable of reducing his bones to mere fragments.
However, he was already too close to him and couldn't avoid a head-on confrontation.
So, he did the next best thing and reinforced his body with chakra and coated his blade with even more potent lightning chakra.
He wanted to use his lightning-infused blade to tear through the layer of rock and land a decisive blow on Yuto.
With this in mind, Hatake Kenshin arrived in front of Yuto, raised his bright-blue, crackling, lightning-infused blade up, and slashed it in a downward motion at the opponent in front of him.
Meanwhile, Yuto also pulled his rock-encased fist before throwing a heavy punch at the incoming blade of Kenshin with such force that it caused the air near his fist to vibrate.
Finally, the sword and the fist met.
Crackle~ Crackle~
Boooooooooom!!
The blade and the fist collided with a terrifying booming sound that sent a mild shockwave through the air.
The ground beneath both ninjas cracked, and fragments of dirt and rock flew into the air amidst the deadly dance of violent lightning bolts.
Lightning arcs tore through the rock encasing covering Yuto's fist and reached his bare skin, charring his entire arm black.
At the same time, the force behind Yuto's punch sent Kenshin flying backward as the bones of his right arm and right shoulder blade suffered from multiple fractures of varying degrees, making him wince in pain.
The aftermath made it painfully clear that both ninjas could no longer use their right arms in this match anymore. They needed serious medical attention.
But the match wasn't over yet.
How could they back down after going through all this suffering?
No, backing down now was out of the question.
Even though their arms hurt like hell, they had to see it through to the end.
As they were about to engage in combat again, two figures appeared beside them like ghosts.
Their sudden appearance startled both Yuto and Kenshin, forcing them to snap their heads to the figures that appeared beside them.
And before they could even react, the newly appeared figures placed their hands on their shoulders and released their chakra mixed with something strange.
Soon, Yuto and Kenshin felt their movements being restricted. Strange black lines appeared on their bodies, which paralyzed them with ease.
If a Fuinjutsu expert were here, he could immediately understand the situation.
Yuto and Kenshin had been marked by the Self-Cursing Seal, which restricted their bodily movements.
Suddenly, another figure appeared between Yuto and Kenshin using the Body Flicker Technique.
"Now, calm down, participant Hatake Kenshin and participant Sarutobi Yuto," said the man wearing a standard Konoha Jonin vest, who had sharp features, wild hair, vertical slit-like pupils, and two magenta claw marks on his cheeks.
This was their proctor for this round and the main referee, Inuzuka Hiro.
He glanced toward the two figures, a man and a woman in standard Konoha Jonin vests, and said, "They have calmed down. Release the Self-Cursing Seal now."
The man and the woman, who turned out to be Jonin of Konoha and assistant referees, nodded, placed their hands on Yuto and Kenshin's shoulders again before retracting the seal, effectively freeing their bodies from restrictions.
Feeling their bodies under their control again, they couldn't help but sigh in relief.
That experience of losing control of their bodies and being paralyzed without understanding what was going on was absolutely terrifying.
They never wanted to experience it ever again.
As if being wary of Ninjutsu and traps weren't enough, now, they would need to study how to counter the most common Fuinjutsu techniques, too.
They felt headaches coming their way, but they couldn't afford to neglect them.
Better to be prepared than to become a corpse on the battlefield.
Putting this matter aside, they wanted to ask why their match had been disrupted.
However, before they could voice their doubts, Inuzuka Hiro explained the situation.
"You two have suffered from severe injuries in your arms and shoulder, including multiple bone fractures, which need immediate medical attention."
"This is just a competition to showcase your growth as a Shinobi, not a battlefield."
"So, we must ensure that you, the next generation of Konoha Shinobi, don't suffer from lasting aftereffects from your injuries."
"And since your injuries are severe, we have decided to end the match and declare the result of this match to be a draw."
"Now, come with me to the medical ward."
With that, Inuzuka Hiro turned around and began walking toward the medical ward.
Kenshin and Yuto looked at each other, shrugged, and followed the proctor to receive their treatment.
It was better to get their injuries treated as soon as possible, after all. No one wanted to suffer from lasting aftereffects because of delayed medical attention.
And so, the first match of the final round had an unexpected outcome—a draw!
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