CH_107

The applause from the stands wasn't enthusiastic, nor were there many cheers.

It seemed this kind of fighting wasn't what the audience had expected.

"Go, Izumo!" Tatami Iwashi said to Kamizuki Izumo beside him.

"Good luck!" Tōji also offered his support.

"Watch this!" Izumo looked confident.

He walked to the edge of the waiting room, flipped over, and dramatically slid down the high circular wall of the arena with one hand touching it.

『Cool!』

Tōji thought this entrance was way cooler than just jumping down.

Immediately after, the one called Akamon Manabu leaped down into the arena in one bound… This move actually earned more cheers than Kotetsu's swift victory over Yanagiroi.

『Well—jumping down is pretty cool. Civilians just love the spectacle.』

Kamizuki Izumo and Akamon Manabu walked up to Yūhi Shinku and stood facing each other about ten paces apart.

"Three! Two! One! Begin!" Shinku gave the command and stepped aside.

This match was different.

Akamon Manabu clearly liked to show off, charging straight at Izumo.

Izumo noticed his opponent wasn't even holding a weapon—probably planning to use hand-to-hand combat. So he decided to be honorable and didn't draw his own weapon either.

Akamon Manabu was wrapped head to toe in dark blue shinobi attire, with only his eyes visible through goggles. No other skin was exposed.

He threw a punch at Izumo—nothing flashy. Izumo blocked it with his arm, matching the move…

But when Akamon Manabu made contact with Izumo, he released a cloud of white powder from his wrist.

"It's quicklime." Natchi reacted faster than Tōji.

『Beast imitation users have sharp noses!』

Tōji said nothing and continued watching quietly.

After several exchanges of punches and kicks between Izumo and Akamon Manabu, Izumo's eyes were starting to redden, and his skin was showing slight signs of irritation…

"How's it going?" Kotetsu had just returned to the observation area in the contestants' waiting room.

"Izumo's better at taijutsu, but his opponent seems to have hidden a lot of quicklime to disrupt him." Tatami Iwashi explained to Kotetsu.

"It's fine—it's not poison, just affects visibility. Izumo hasn't even gone all out yet." Kotetsu, knowing his teammate well, wasn't worried at all.

In the arena, the battle area was now filled with floating quicklime powder, with a thick layer even building up on the ground.

After the taijutsu exchange, Izumo decided he was done playing and jumped out of the quicklime-covered area.

"What's wrong—can't take it anymore, Kamizuki Izumo?" Akamon Manabu stepped forward two paces and asked calmly.

"The burning sensation is unpleasant—but it's not going to work on me…" With that, Izumo began forming hand seals.

【Water Release: Mizuame Capture Field】!

The moment his jutsu activated, Izumo charged at Akamon Manabu again, spraying a large amount of sticky liquid at high speed.

"What the hell—how is this stuff sticking to me!" Akamon Manabu asked in panic.

And as the liquid binding him came into contact with the quicklime, it began to heat up rapidly!

Amid the foul-smelling "steam and white smoke"…

"This is my original technique—I just mastered it recently!" Izumo said proudly, already twisting Akamon Manabu's right arm behind his back.

"Alright—I admit I'm no match for you." Akamon Manabu raised his free hand to signal surrender to Shinku.

Back in the waiting room, Kotetsu asked, "Was Izumo faster than me, or was I faster?"

"Hard to say—both were a few minutes." Tōji said.

"He was faster." It seemed Iwashi had been keeping careful track.

By then, Shinku had already announced the result.

The applause and cheers from the audience were much livelier than the previous round.

"I haven't even used my best move yet—otherwise, I'd definitely be faster than Izumo!" Kotetsu was happy for Izumo, but he also didn't want to fall behind.