Dark Sweep!
With a mid-range opening strike, Shien braced his body under several times normal gravity and lunged forward.
Fortunately, he had chakra to sustain him — any ordinary person would've collapsed under this weight, let alone tried to charge.
His summoning beast was sealed, and ninjutsu had little effect in this environment — which meant only one path remained: close combat.
Flame Cloak + Fists of Blazing Fire!
Already an overwhelmingly powerful taijutsu technique — there was no reason it couldn't settle this fight.
He was the man who would one day become the "Prince of the Future," who as a genin had toppled the Six Paths themselves. Dealing with a single jonin shouldn't be a luxury beyond reach.
"Show me your true strength!"
Gangtu raised one arm and blocked the exploding flames with a single hand.
Whoosh!
The flames on Shien's body burned even fiercer.
Of course, that also meant the temperature he had to endure rose accordingly — he was pushing into a critical state.
Gangtu might have the Kekkei Genkai of Steel Release, but that didn't make him invincible.
Fire could melt steel.
Shien unleashed a flurry of taijutsu strikes — Wild Bite, Oni Burn — one after another under the crushing gravity, putting on a dazzling display that left the spectators awestruck.
Whether or not his attacks were effective was one thing — but they were certainly spectacular, and more than a few hearts in the stands were racing.
Gangtu's fist slammed into Shien's crossed arms.
Bang!
The impact sent Shien flying backward.
The two fought like a turn-based battle game, each taking turns to land heavy blows.
But as the fight went on, Gangtu began to sense something was wrong.
The temperature!
The air around them was steadily heating up.
Under this intense heat, his body — once as solid as tempered steel — was beginning to soften.
Dog–Rooster…!
He quickly began forming hand seals, preparing to launch a jutsu.
Even after using multiple sealing techniques and a B-rank Weighted Rock Technique, he still had enough chakra to release one or two more jutsu.
And don't underestimate that — even a jonin typically ends a fight after using just one or two techniques. A few more, and their chakra reserves would be completely drained.
Shien, boosted by the natural energy elixir and his heightened mental state, had chakra levels approaching those of a jonin — though he was still a bit short of that mark.
In fact, Gangtu might have even less chakra than Shien.
A Kekkei Genkai could enhance chakra efficiency — but not instantly increase total reserves.
He'd only recently awakened his Steel Release; the improvement was minor. That was why he'd been conserving chakra — and if not for sensing danger, he wouldn't have risked another jutsu at all.
Wild Bite!
Shien's fiery fist shot toward Gangtu, who was still forming seals.
If they were at range, it might've been different.
But at point-blank distance, forming hand seals right in front of him? You're practically asking to die.
Shien might lack experience, but he wasn't stupid — he'd never let Gangtu finish a jutsu in front of him.
Boom!
The flaming punch struck Gangtu's chest like a cannon blast.
Even his steel-like body cracked under the impact.
Snap!
But Gangtu's hand clamped down on Shien's fist.
"You fell for it!"
Gangtu gripped Shien's wrist tightly, yanking him in close — preparing to finish the fight with a crushing bear hug of death.
His Steel Release body was hard enough to justify such a tactic.
What he didn't notice was the faint smirk that flashed across Shien's lips as he was pulled in, seemingly panicked but already plotting.
Bang!
Gangtu's towering, muscle-bound frame — over two meters tall — now had Shien locked firmly against his chest.
In any other situation, this pose would've been wildly misleading.
Too much homoerotic tension.
But now, there was no romance here — only a fight to the death.
From the spectator stands—
"Mei!"
Uchiha Shizuka could no longer stay calm.
She had gone all in on this match — if Shien lost, all her previous winnings would vanish in a single stroke.
Panic gnawed at her.
"Don't worry."
Uchiha Mei reassured her calmly. She knew one crucial fact:
Shien hadn't even summoned Chūbeimaru yet — which meant he still had a hidden trump card.
Otherwise, if he had called out his massive summoning beast, the battle would've been over instantly. Gangtu wouldn't have stood a chance.
Meanwhile, Hyuga Aotsuki's body was already surging with chakra — she couldn't possibly stand by and watch Shien die.
On the main viewing platform—
"Hokage, what are you planning?"
Ōnoki's sharp eyes caught Sarutobi Hiruzen subtly turning his head, about to order a rescue.
If other villages could play dirty, then for the sake of a genius who embodied the Will of Fire, Hiruzen could do the same.
But the ever-cunning Ōnoki saw through him instantly, cutting him off before he could act.
"It's nothing," Hiruzen muttered, realizing his plan had been foiled, and turned his gaze back to the arena.
Ōnoki said nothing further.
Back on the field—
Locked in Gangtu's crushing embrace, Shien could barely breathe.
But the fish had taken the bait.
Yes — this was exactly what he'd been waiting for.
Close combat.
Ideally, point-blank contact.
If he tried to get this close on his own, it would've been nearly impossible.
But since Gangtu had initiated it himself, the conditions were perfect.
From the very beginning, Shien had been luring his opponent toward one realization:
To stop him, Gangtu would have to limit his mobility.
And since ninjutsu kept getting interrupted, the only way to restrain him was to rely on his hardened steel body.
A trap.
Shien had set himself up as bait, deliberately enticing Gangtu into closing the distance.
Because only then could he unleash the technique he'd been saving — his ultimate move.
Whoosh!
Shien poured every last drop of chakra into his Fists of Blazing Fire, transmuting it into a raging inferno.
"You—"
Gangtu's eyes widened as he realized the truth — he had walked right into a trap.
He tried to release Shien and retreat—
But it was too late.
Freed, Shien raised his right hand high — only his index finger extended.
Channeling his refined chakra control, enhanced by his ninja gear, he focused all the surrounding flames onto his fingertip.
The crimson flames condensed into a burning orange, shrinking rapidly in volume.
Compression!
That was the core principle of the move.
Gather every ounce of controllable fire into a single point — then release it all at once toward the target.
"Orochi Slash!"
Shien roared, unleashing his killing move straight at Gangtu's chest.
In the past, this jutsu had a high failure rate.
But with Fists of Blazing Fire amplifying it, both its casting speed and destructive power had skyrocketed — and control was no longer an issue.
Whoooosh!
Freed from his restraint, the condensed flames erupted outward — a sea of fire surging forward like a world-consuming tidal wave.
Overwhelming power!
The compressed fire carried terrifying force and heat, unstoppable by any means.
And since it required no hand seals, it was cast almost instantaneously — leaving no room for evasion.
Even Gangtu's steel body couldn't hope to withstand it.
BOOM!
The explosion and inferno engulfed them both completely.
Moments later, a figure was blasted out of the flames, tumbling across the ground before struggling to his feet.
It was Shien!
Despite his battered state, wounds all over his body—
He refused to fall.
A warrior might lose, but never his dignity.
If even that attack couldn't finish Gangtu, then he might as well concede.
His chakra was completely drained. His skin was glowing red from heat exposure — he could feel himself cooking alive.
High temperature. Heavy wounds. Chakra exhaustion.
The fact that he was still standing was sheer willpower.
And as the roaring flames finally began to fade—
The outcome of the battle was revealed.
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