However, all of a sudden, Hozuki Mangetsu noticed that Rin had an enigmatic smile on her face.
He was shocked in his heart, and then saw Rin lift her other hand and punch at him.
And the speed was extremely fast. Very fast.
Faster than the speed at which his Hiramekarei struck down.
'How is this possible? Why does she still have strength left?'
Cold sweat unconsciously flowed down Hozuki Mangetsu's whole body.
No one could take Rin's punch head-on, not even him.
Up until now, he had been fearless because his Hydrification Technique could nullify physical attacks.
But the Hydrification Technique had a flaw, and the flaw was in the instant he released Hiramekarei to strike.
That instant was caught by Rin.
Hozuki Mangetsu knew he was finished.
His head was full of confusion, 'Why is Rin so skilled?'
He could only watch helplessly as Rin's fist got closer and closer…
In the end, before his blade could reach, a punch struck his chest.
BANG!
CRACK!
Hozuki Mangetsu's chest bones were cracked open by the punch, and his body flew out heavily, crashing into the wall on the edge of the tower.
BOOM!
His whole body got embedded into it, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, falling unconscious in an extremely miserable posture…
For a moment, the entire spectator stand was dead silent.
They had originally thought this would be a fierce battle between two powerful ninjas, who would've thought it would end so quickly?
So quickly that they couldn't even react.
In the stands, Obito revealed a slight smile, "Rin's timing was really good. She perfectly caught the moment of mutual attack."
Kakashi glanced at Obito and retorted, "If you hadn't forced her."
"Your ability is so annoying that both Rin and I constantly think of ways to counter it."
"This Hozuki Mangetsu is just unlucky. Of all things, he had to learn an ability similar to your phasing."
"Is this kind of ability something you can just casually use in front of Rin?"
Obito suddenly became a bit awkward.
"Haha, is that so?"
———
At this time, on the match platform, Rin showed a slightly apologetic expression toward the unconscious Mangetsu.
However, she did hold back at the last moment; he shouldn't die.
She couldn't help stretching lazily.
To be honest, that punch just now really felt satisfying.
This kind of person who enjoys shady tricks should taste the iron fist of justice.
Seeing that Hozuki Mangetsu had lost the ability to fight, the examiner immediately declared, "Winner, Nohara Rin."
As soon as the words fell, several medical team members jumped down from the stands, dug Hozuki Mangetsu out of the wall, and carried him off for treatment.
Rin also jumped up to the stands and returned to Kakashi and Obito's side.
She raised her small fist and said joyfully, "I advanced."
Then showed a smile that looked a little dangerous, "Obito, did you see? Don't think I can't beat you."
Obito shivered all over, but immediately said, "Rin, if you want to hit me, just say the word. I'll definitely stand still and not phase."
Rin blushed, 'This annoying Obito has become even smoother with words since coming into contact with Madara.'
'Strange, although Madara taught Obito a lot of knowledge in his previous life, it should've all been combat skills. This shouldn't include how to flirt with girls, right?'
———
On the other side, on the spectator stand, Terumi Mei looked at Hozuki Mangetsu's current miserable state, and her heart felt cold.
If she hadn't been kicked away by Kakashi earlier, would she have ended up the same way?
She couldn't help glancing at Kakashi, her cheeks slightly red.
She reached out and touched her sore butt.
'Hmph! Even if he was saving someone, couldn't he have picked a different spot to kick? Did he have to kick my butt?'
'I am still a great beauty, after all.'
Beside her, the always cold-faced Hozuki Ren, who didn't like making sarcastic remarks, looked at the carried-off Hozuki Mangetsu and rarely made a quip.
"Captain really… says the harshest words and takes the hardest hits."
Terumi Mei chuckled.
But soon after, her expression turned serious.
She was thinking in her heart.
"In a single Chūnin Exam, someone capable of defeating Hozuki Mangetsu appeared. Konoha really is scary."
"If Lord Third Mizukage insists on starting a war with Konoha, what will the result be?"
"Looks like I need to immediately pass this information to the master, and let him prepare in advance…"
———
Below the platform, the exam continued.
Tetsu encountered Kisame and was defeated by him.
Shizune and Uzuki Yugao were evenly matched. When both were exhausted, Uzuki Yugao used her final Dance of the Crescent Moon and overturned Shizune.
Just like that, the top six of the Chūnin Exam emerged. They were: Kakashi, Kurenai, Obito, Rin, Kisame, and Uzuki Yugao.
The seemingly aggressive Kirigakure Village now had only one person who hadn't been eliminated.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was very satisfied, but also a bit puzzled in his heart.
Rin's strength was a little too abnormal.
Not to mention eliminating Terumi Mei, but especially Hozuki Mangetsu. He was a ninja who had already obtained one of the Seven Ninja Swords, the Hiramekarei.
He was considered one of the new generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
From the earlier battle with Gekko Hayate, the Third Hokage had already judged that Hozuki Mangetsu possessed at least jōnin-level strength, possibly even elite jōnin.
But even so, he was still instantly defeated by Rin in close combat.
Looking at it this way, Rin might just be the strongest one in Minato's team, besides Minato himself.
But how did Rin become so strong? The Third couldn't figure it out no matter how much he thought.
He would have to ask Minato afterward and find out what's going on…
After the top six were decided, the examinees rested for a day. The next day, the battles resumed.
However, the 6-to-3 battles ended very quickly.
First, Kakashi met Kurenai. Kurenai felt she wasn't Kakashi's match. Plus, since she had advanced only because Asuma surrendered, she felt her win wasn't honorable.
So she surrendered directly.
Then, Obito met Rin.
Obito planned to imitate Asuma and surrender right away, but Rin had already guessed Obito would do this and forfeited first.
Just like that, Kakashi and Obito advanced without a fight.
Only the final match, between Uzuki Yugao and Kisame, was a real battle with swords.
But due to the huge difference in strength, after a few moves, Kisame won.
So the top three emerged directly.
Kakashi, Obito, and Kisame.
Since it was still early, and the examiner saw that the three were still in good condition, he chose to proceed with the exam.
The number of people was three, making pair matches impossible. The examiner simply announced, "Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi, Hoshigaki Kisame, the three of you will have a free-for-all. The one still standing at the end will be the winner."
After speaking, he looked at the other examinees in the stands and continued, "Although the final winner will directly be promoted to Chūnin, those who were eliminated aren't without hope. We will make the final judgment based on your previous performances."
"Everyone present, even if you were eliminated at the beginning, still has the possibility of becoming a Chūnin."
The examinees on stage immediately got excited, especially Might Guy. He thought he wouldn't be able to fulfill his promise to his father, but now he had hope again.
The examiner, seeing everything had been explained, waited for the three, Obito, Kakashi, and Kisame, to enter the field and stand at three different corners.
Then announced, "Now, the final battle of the Chūnin Exam officially begins!"
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