Chp-12: Fight against Uchiha Rin

As soon as she finished speaking, she swiftly swung her hand, and a series of wooden kunai flew toward Hyuga Satoru, targeting his vital points.

"Wooden kunai?"

Seeing the material of the kunai, Hyuga Satoru's pupils narrowed.

So she knows that my ability can control metals and has replaced all her ninja tools with wooden ones?

Realizing this, Hyuga Satoru felt a sense of seriousness. He flipped backwards, narrowly avoiding all the kunai.

"Even if they're made of wood, these kunai are still deadly. I have to ask, Rin, are you trying to kill me?"

Hyuga Satoru dusted himself off, unable to suppress a hint of sarcasm.

Uchiha Rin looked at him coldly, her voice flat. "You didn't use your full strength last time we fought, did you? At the very least, you didn't use the bow you took from me."

Hyuga Satoru clicked his tongue. A bow is a ranged weapon, not suitable for such close quarters.

Uchiha Rin reached for her ninja tool pouch and threw another set of wooden kunai. These kunai collided mid-air, forming an impenetrable net that headed straight for Hyuga Satoru.

Hyuga Satoru's heart skipped a beat. She had actually applied Uchiha's kunai techniques to wooden kunai. Metal and wood have completely different bounce coefficients. Using the same technique with wooden kunai would be far more difficult!

She failed with this technique last time, so now she's using wooden kunai to try again?

Hyuga Satoru chuckled bitterly. What a persistent rival.

Holding a metal kunai, he blocked the incoming wooden kunai as he retreated. Fortunately, his reaction speed, enhanced by electrical stimulation, allowed him to handle the attack.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Uchiha Rin was no longer in her original position. A whooshing sound came from his side, and a slender leg swept towards his chest.

Hyuga Satoru sidestepped, avoiding the kick. The leg wind whistled past his chest.

She's serious!

Feeling the pressure, Hyuga Satoru activated his Byakugan and entered combat mode.

The sound of physical clashes echoed through the forest, leaves falling from the trees and covering the ground.

"Why don't you use the Gentle Fist?" Uchiha Rin asked curiously.

"I don't particularly like it. The Gentle Fist is too rigid and formulaic."

Hyuga Satoru blocked her kick with his palm and punched towards her thigh, forcing her to retreat.

"But breaking down the techniques and targeting weaknesses suits my style better."

Uchiha Rin nodded in agreement. She might have already found its weaknesses if he had used the traditional Gentle Fist. However, Hyuga Satoru's attacks were unpredictable, each one aimed at her weak points, sometimes even more powerful than the Gentle Fist.

Seeing that close combat was getting her nowhere, Uchiha Rin jumped back to create distance and began forming hand seals.

Hyuga Satoru raised an eyebrow, saying with some disdain, "I'd advise you to use the Great Fireball Jutsu less often. It can't kill anyone."

However, Uchiha Rin ignored his words, took a deep breath, and spewed an orange fireball.

Hyuga Satoru's heart tightened. The fireball wasn't aimed at him but at the ground between them!

The large fireball hit the ground, and the flames ignited the fallen leaves, filling the area with thick, choking smoke that made Hyuga Satoru cough and struggle to see.

She planned this from the start, even factoring in the fresh leaves knocked down during our fight?

Hyuga Satoru squinted through the smoke, struggling to keep his eyes open.

His Byakugan was fully activated, scanning the surroundings.

Then, suddenly, the ground behind him caved in. Before he could react, slender arms wrapped around his upper body, pinning his arms and pressing a wooden kunai against his throat.

"Yes, the Byakugan can see chakra, but can it see deep underground?"

Uchiha Rin held the wooden kunai against his throat, her face showing a proud smile. "I win."

Using the smoke to hinder my Byakugan temporarily and then using Earth Release to move underground and ambush me?

Hyuga Satoru couldn't help but praise her. Uchiha Rin's combat thinking and strength were indeed comparable to a lower-ranked ninja.

However…

"If you think this is enough to defeat me, you underestimate me."

A slight smile appeared on his lips.

"You've been focusing on countering my Byakugan, but have you forgotten about my other bloodline ability?"

Uchiha Rin's pupils shrank. Remembering something, she glanced downward, and a chill ran down her spine.

A metal kunai floated in front of her throat, slowly rotating.

"When did…"

Her voice trembled the pride from before gone.

"To be precise, I controlled four metal kunai with Magnet Release the moment your Great Fireball exploded. The moment you appeared, these kunai would take your life. If we're talking speed, I'm faster!"

Hyuga Satoru's voice was calm, with a hint of joy, as if he wasn't the one being held at knifepoint.

Seeing three other kunai floating around her, Uchiha Rin's face showed a mix of fear and shock.

"Magnet Release… What a terrifying ability."

"I lost…"

The kunai left Hyuga Satoru's throat, and Uchiha Rin's eyes lost their previous pride, now filled with disappointment and defeat.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. Your Sharingan hasn't awakened yet. If you had it, the outcome might have been different."

Worried she'd give up, Hyuga Satoru tried to comfort her.

"Don't bother. I'm not that fragile."

Giving him a cold look, Uchiha Rin's eyes regained their determination.

"I'll challenge you again. And about our bet, I'll keep my word. Your ninja tools are on me from now on."

Hearing this, Hyuga Satoru's eyes lit up. Finally!

"However, I have a question," Uchiha Rin said. "Why is your Magnet Release so powerful? Regular Magnet Release can't control Kunai and Shuriken so easily. If it could, Suna wouldn't be the weakest of the Five Great Nations."