As soon as he finished speaking, Yuuki Shinichi grabbed the Shuriken in his hand.
However, before he could throw it, a Wind Blast Technique already assailed him!
He immediately ran to his right and backward, dodging the explosion.
Feng Zheng noticed his movement and thought.
“Too slow.”
He flashed to where Shinichi had dodged and threw two Feng Bao Qiu (Wind Burst Ball) at him.
By the time Shinichi noticed the Feng Bao Qiu (Wind Burst Ball), they were already rushing towards him. He tried to dodge again, but the Feng Bao Qiu (Wind Burst Ball) exploded.
He avoided most of the Wind Blades, but a few gusts of wind still hit him. Several wounds appeared on his left hand and leg.
Everyone was surprised that the battle started so intensely. They all began to cheer loudly!
Feng Zheng had intended to continue his attack, but he noticed that Shinichi made a few Hand Seals, and his Chakra suddenly surged.
“Hmm, what Ninjutsu? Well, I’ll test him out.”
Feng Zheng created a huge Wind Blast Technique and threw it at him.
If the Ninjutsu Shinichi was using required some time to activate, this might defeat him.
However, huge Ice Spikes immediately appeared around him. Some were large enough to be called spears. Shinichi shouted.
“Ice Release: Ice Prison!!”
Instantly, all the Ice Spikes shot out at an extremely fast speed! Some of the Ice Spikes pierced through the Feng Bao Qiu (Wind Burst Ball), dispersing them.
Seeing the shock on Feng Zheng’s face, Shinichi smiled triumphantly!
The next moment, four spikes hit Feng Zheng. Shinichi was about to celebrate, but Feng Zheng dissipated into wind! He was shocked.
“Wind Clone? When did he cast it?”
Feng Zheng created a huge Feng Bao Qiu (Wind Burst Ball) precisely so he could hide behind it.
When Shinichi couldn't see him, he created a Wind Clone and escaped underground.
Before Shinichi could figure out when Feng Zheng had created the Wind Clone, Shinichi felt something beneath him.
Shinichi immediately jumped backward. As soon as he jumped, Feng Zheng's hands emerged from the ground, trying to grab his legs.
As Shinichi landed in the distance, Feng Zheng emerged from underground. Feng Zheng smiled.
“This Ninjutsu is very strong; I am impressed.”
Shinichi was panting. This was his family's Rank B Ninjutsu, and it had used up more than half of his Chakra.
When Feng Zheng left the ground, Mieko and Hodaka suddenly snorted. Sakai Yumi, on the other hand, began to worry.
Everyone was stunned by this Ninjutsu. Most people had never seen Ice Release Ninjutsu.
The Ice Spikes were embedded in the stadium walls. Civilians, and even some Ninja, breathed a sigh of relief because the spikes were not aimed higher.
Hiruzen thought.
“Should I arrange a barrier? Genin shouldn't be using Rank B Ninjutsu.”
Feng Zheng didn't give Shinichi a chance to catch his breath and attacked again with Wind Blast Technique at close range.
Shinichi desperately dodged while using Water Wall Technique for defense and trying to create distance from Feng Zheng.
Such skirmishes continued for 4-5 minutes. Shinichi had more wounds on his body, and his breathing became heavier.
Finally, he managed to get rid of Feng Zheng. He quickly made a few Hand Seals.
Feng Zheng also made a few Hand Seals. Two Wind Wolves appeared beside him and rushed towards Shinichi.
Feng Zheng stood still and waited to see what Ninjutsu Shinichi would use.
Shinichi used Ice Release: Ice Dragon Technique.
Soon, an Ice Dragon formed in front of Shinichi. It began to move towards the Wind Wolves and Feng Zheng. Feng Zheng thought.
“Ice Dragon? It seems powerful. But he looks like he's out of Chakra.”
Feng Zheng controlled the wolves away from the Ice Dragon and then attacked Shinichi from the opposite direction.
Shinichi ignored them and focused his attention on Feng Zheng.
Suddenly, the Ice Dragon accelerated and rushed towards Feng Zheng. At the same time, Shinichi also knelt to the ground, exhausted.
Feng Zheng made a Hand Seal and used Wind Release: Wind Whirlwind Shield Technique.
When the Ice Dragon reached Feng Zheng, it opened its gaping maw, revealing huge fangs, as if it wanted to bite him to death.
However, a circular shield, three meters in radius and half a meter thick, formed in front of Feng Zheng. It was made of wind and spun at high speed.
The Ice Dragon collided with the shield and was stopped. It continuously pushed the Wind Shield.
At the same time, the two Wind Wolves also ran towards Shinichi.
Shinichi thought.
“Just a little more, and I can break his shield!”
The Ice Dragon pushed the shield halfway. The Wind Wolves were still about 20 meters away from him.
The audience became tense. Kuhaku Rou shouted excitedly in the waiting room.
“Shinichi will win.”
Besides Sakai Yumi, the other Hidden Mist Genin were also happy. On the other hand, Hodaka and Mieko were just annoyed.
Sakai Yumi said.
“No, he lost.”
This surprised the other four Kirigakure Genin, who didn't understand what she meant. They looked at Shinichi and Feng Zheng.
When the Wind Wolves were about 10 meters from Shinichi, the Ice Dragon broke the Wind Shield. Shinichi smiled. The Ice Dragon hit Feng Zheng, a direct hit.
He was completely frozen solid! Shinichi wondered why Konoha's referee didn't save Feng Zheng.
Just then, Inoichi Yamanaka appeared in front of Yuuki Shinichi and dispersed the two Wind Wolves that were about to bite him to death!
Inoichi looked at Shinichi and announced.
“The winner of this round is—Suzuki Kazemasa, and he will advance to the next round.”
Shinichi was shocked. So was the audience. They thought.
“Didn't he win?”
Shinichi immediately protested.
“Why? Wasn't he hit first? You should help him, not me!”
Inoichi Yamanaka sighed at his ignorance. He pointed his thumb at where the Ice Dragon had exploded.
Shinichi followed his thumb. He saw a block of ice, but Feng Zheng was not inside. He was shocked and asked.
“Where is he?”
As soon as he asked, he heard a voice.
“Yo, looking for me?”
He quickly turned his head to the left and saw Feng Zheng standing not far away, waving. He was stunned.
“But how is that possible? I saw you get frozen with my own eyes!”
Feng Zheng just smiled and left without answering.
Almost everyone in the audience was confused. Even among the Ninja, several were puzzled.
The Kirigakure Genin also didn't understand what had happened. They looked at Sakai Yumi. She explained.
“While he was underground, he created a Shadow Clone.”
The Kirigakure Genin were all stunned. She continued.
“The rest of the battle was fought by his Shadow Clone. His real body remained hidden underground. After the clone was frozen, it dispersed, and his real body emerged from underground while you were distracted by Inoichi Yamanaka.”
The Hidden Mist Village Genin were speechless. After a long while, Matsushita Satoru finally exclaimed.
“So Shinichi lost to a Shadow Clone?”
Sakai Yumi looked at Rintaro and said.
“Don’t underestimate him. Although he doesn’t have a Bloodline Limit, he has more Chakra than you. In this battle, he lost less than ten percent of his Chakra, and his tactics are also comprehensive. You need to stay vigilant.”
Rintaro nodded with a serious expression.
Experienced Ninja who watched this battle were deeply impressed.
Inuzuka Tsume, sitting with her children in the audience, thought.
“Very good. Even someone like me didn’t notice that he was just a Shadow Clone.”
Inuzuka Kiba kept asking how Feng Zheng won, so she explained it to him. Inuzuka Hana also listened carefully nearby.
The judges also analyzed the match. Ibiki said.
“Impressive, he mainly relied on a Rank D ninjutsu to force the opponent to use two Rank B Ninjutsu, exhausting his Chakra.”
Genma nodded and said.
“Yes, and his speed and precision were also very good, repeatedly pushing his opponent into a corner.”
Raidō added.
“While his strategy was excellent, his ability to use Shadow Clone Technique is also impressive.”
Ibiki replied.
“Yes, and he is also very good at using it. His Shadow Clone is very useful for information gathering in missions, and he can also use Ninjutsu of two attributes.”
Raidō smiled.
“And he can use Wind Blast Technique without Hand Seals.”
Genma said.
“I think he is ready to be promoted to Chunin. He is strong and good at tactics. The rest is to see how he leads.”
Raidō said.
“What do you think of his opponent? Although he lost, his Ice Prison Ninjutsu is still very strong, and if used on the battlefield, it would cause great damage.”
Ibiki had a different opinion. He said.
“However, his control over the Ice Prison Technique is not good; it shoots in all directions. So it will hit enemies, but also allies.”
Genma said.
“It’s hard to say, his teammates could take cover beforehand. However, although his Ninjutsu is strong, his Chakra is also wasted. I don’t think he is ready for promotion yet.”
They continued to discuss the battle between the two sides and their respective pros and cons.
Hiruzen was also impressed by Feng Zheng's ability to win so easily, thinking.
“A beautiful win. He is a very promising talent.”
But another thought suddenly occurred to him.
“If he wins this match, will he ask me for another reward? I still owe him two rewards!”
He sighed, thinking.
“I should make Homura Mitokado pay for these rewards; after all, it was his suggestion.”
