Chapter 24: The Azure Beast of Konoha

With Kakashi and Might Guy's sharp insight, it wasn't hard for them to recognize the terrifying Fire Dragon Jutsu Sasuke had just unleashed.

If there were a textbook-standard execution for this jutsu, then Sasuke had just performed it with textbook-level precision perhaps even surpassing it.

Whether it was the intensity of the flames or their form, everything was absolutely flawless.

Moreover, Kakashi could tell that Sasuke had made modifications.

He managed to concentrate the flames, which should have naturally spread out, keeping them tightly controlled.

By doing so, Sasuke elevated what was originally a C-rank jutsu to nearly A-rank power in an instant.

However, its range was limited, and its destructive power dropped significantly beyond ten meters.

From a conventional perspective, Sasuke's adjustments in the latter half might seem less than perfect.

But Kakashi didn't think so.

This was the result of Sasuke's ability to perfectly control his jutsu.

He concentrated the flames' peak power within a five-to-ten-meter range of himself.

The advantage of this approach was that it conserved chakra effectively.

The last time Kakashi saw Sasuke perform this jutsu, he was far from reaching this level.

Now, however, the improvement was nothing short of astonishing.

Kakashi couldn't help but think that even the Third Hokage Konoha's famed "Ninjutsu Professor"might not be able to execute this jutsu more perfectly than Sasuke did.

Realizing this, Kakashi couldn't help but take a sharp breath.

In the next moment, Sasuke moved quickly.

"If I can't rely solely on taijutsu combat, then I might as well use this chance to test the gap between myself and an elite jonin," Sasuke thought to himself, his hands moving at lightning speed.

He reached into his ninja tool pouch and, under Guy's puzzled gaze, swiftly threw over ten kunai.

The kunai shot toward Guy with great speed.

Guy dodged effortlessly.

But in the next instant, several shuriken followed behind the kunai not aimed directly at Guy, but tracking their trajectory.

Clang! Clang!

The sounds of metal clashing echoed as the shuriken collided with the kunai, altering their trajectories.

Some of the projectiles even reversed direction, suddenly accelerating toward Guy.

By the time Guy realized it, he was already surrounded by the projectiles, with his escape routes almost entirely sealed off.

Sasuke's throwing technique at that moment left Tenten utterly astonished.

"Throwing weapons… can be used like this?"

Even Neji and Lee were shocked.

With the Sharingan's assistance, Sasuke's throwing skills were even more terrifying.

Not just the three of them, even Guy couldn't help but admire it.

"Are kids these days really this impressive?"

Then again, considering Sasuke's terrifying taijutsu talent, this was probably only the tip of the iceberg for his abilities.

His exceptional mastery of ninjutsu and outstanding throwing skills were further proof of the Uchiha clan's genius.

But Might Guy was no ordinary jonin he was the Azure Beast of Konoha.

In an instant!

Guy noticed a flaw in Sasuke's strategy and immediately dashed toward that spot with an exaggerated movement, effortlessly dodging several kunai in succession.

At that moment, Kakashi frowned.

"Guy… fell for it!"

Meanwhile, Sasuke, who had already completed his hand seals, was ready to unleash his jutsu.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!!"

Sasuke was already in mid-air, having somehow taken to the sky unnoticed, hovering at a height of less than ten meters above the ground.

Directly below him, not far away, was Guy's current position.

In an instant, Sasuke unleashed a terrifying fireball from his mouth, resembling a small meteor, hurtling straight toward Guy.

Just as Guy steadied himself, a massive blaze appeared overhead, mere moments away from colliding with him.

In that instant, Guy realized he'd been outmaneuvered by a mere genin.

It was his own carelessness he hadn't expected a genin to be capable of setting such an effective trap during a battle.

Nor had he anticipated such a powerful Fire Style jutsu.

Although Sasuke's control over this jutsu seemed inferior to the Fire Dragon Jutsu from earlier, its sheer power was undeniably greater.

This was unquestionably an A-rank jutsu.

A genin mastering an A-rank Fire Style jutsu!

Such a talent was beyond Guy's expectations.

As the flames descended, Guy's expression turned serious. It was time to stop holding back.

Boom!

A deafening explosion shook the battlefield as flames engulfed the entire area almost instantly.

The intense shockwave blasted Neji, Tenten, and Lee backward, forcing them to stabilize themselves after being thrown off balance.

When they looked up again, they froze at the sight of the blazing inferno.

The destructive power of this jutsu was beyond anything they had imagined.

Their concern for Guy grew.

"Sensei…""Damn it, you took down Sensei!"

Both Neji and Lee's eyes reddened with fury.

Meanwhile, Sasuke, who had landed on the ground, remained vigilant.

And sure enough, in the next moment, a dark shadow appeared at an incredible speed, too fast for Sasuke to react.

In the blink of an eye, Guy delivered a powerful kick that sent Sasuke flying like a cannonball, crashing into the ground over ten meters away.

Sasuke's body rolled and tumbled for another five or six meters before finally coming to a halt.

As he raised his head, he saw a fist mere inches from his face.

Looking up, Sasuke found Might Guy standing over him. Flames licked at Guy's shoulder, and a few strands of his hair were singed from the fire.

"Kid… you've lost!"

Sasuke let out a resigned sigh.

Even though his ninjutsu could rival that of a jonin and even force elite jonin to retreat, he still lacked in fundamental areas basic taijutsu, raw strength, and speed.

But since these were his weaknesses, they were exactly what he needed to train.

And the best possible training partner was standing right in front of him.

Sasuke raised his head and looked at Guy with determination in his eyes.

"Oh, really? I can keep going!"

"That's enough, Sasuke!"

Kakashi's voice rang out as he appeared behind Sasuke using the Body Flicker Technique. With his hands casually in his pockets, he looked down at Sasuke, who was sprawled on the ground.

"To be able to fight this far against him, you've already done an incredible job!"

"Kakashi? This kid... is your student?"

"Yeah, that's right. He's a genin from my Team 7. I'm currently their jonin instructor."

Guy's expression turned a bit odd. Kakashi's student had bested his own, which meant… he had lost to Kakashi once again.

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