Jun’s stress disappeared when it was time to face Fujitaro. He was focused. The only thing that mattered now was the upcoming fight. He took a deep breath and relaxed his muscles. On the other hand, Fujitaro had a determined and fierce expression. The scar on his face made him look more intimidating. Jun barely recognized his old classmate. It felt like he was standing before a stranger. However, he wasn’t afraid. He was there to prove his worth and show what he was capable of.

“Begin!” The referee ordered.

Fujitaro rushed forward and a flurry of blows rained down on Jun. Taijutsu had been the Uchiha’s specialty since the Academy. Jun was able to beat him in the past thanks to his superior speed, but now his opponent had improved. He had gotten better. Jun remained on the defensive.

For the untrained eyes, it may have looked like the previous battle between Renji and Miyamoto. But this one was a bit different. The two ninjas didn’t completely dodge each other’s blows. They parried, blocked, and counterattacked. A kick sent Jun flying. He got up and replied with an elbow in Fujitaro’s guts. The latter took a few steps back and came back on the offensive. Their exchange was violent and brutal. It was exhilarating for the stunned audience to follow.

They swirled furiously, pushing and chasing each other around the arena. Kunais made their apparition, sending sparks flying each time they collided. Fujitaro was strong and fast. He anticipated his opponent’s moves thanks to the Sharingan. Jun stopped being on the defensive. He altered the pattern of his attacks. He turned a simple kick into a feint that gave him an opening to perform the Leaf Hurricane technique he had copied from Gai. Fujitaro was caught off guard and didn’t block in time. He took the full force of the kick and flew across the arena until he crashed into one of the walls, cracking the concrete with the force of the impact.

Jun landed on the ground and then rushed forward to his opponent. Fujitaro got up, stunned and sore. He widened his eyes when he saw Jun coming and threw himself aside. Jun’s foot landed where his adversary had been standing, shattering the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. He spun toward Fujitaro’s direction and saw him waving hand seals.

“Katon, Great Fireball.” The Uchiha initiated.

“Futon, Explosive Gale,” Jun replied.

A blast of wind shoot out from Jun’s mouth and collided with the fireball. The air amplified the fire as Jun intended and made the Katon explode before it could reach its target. The explosion shook the whole arena. Jun, who had anticipated it, used the Shunshin no Jutsu to escape the blast. Fujitaro wasn’t as quick to react. He looked furious when he staggered out of the smoke cloud. Parts of his clothes were burned. His face was red. It was probably due to his anger than the minor burns on his visage. He hadn’t expected Jun to make his Jutsu explode. Most people would use a Suiton to extinguish the fire or just dodge it. Jun gave him a mocking smile.

“Katon, Phoenix Fire Technique.” Fujitaro angrily yelled.

A volley of small fireballs flew towards his opponent. There were too many for Jun to dodge them all. He used the Substitution technique to switch his body with a tree branch, successfully escaping the fiery explosion that occurred as the fireballs rained down.

Jun also utilized Ninjutsu. He solely focused on his Katon. He didn’t want to use the Raiton, his main affinity, now. It was fire against fire. The temperature in the arena rapidly increased. Flames shot out in all directions. The two combatants also used Taijutsu.

Jun seized the advantage in close combat with another technique copied from Gai. He used the Shadow of the Dancing Leaf to land some clean hits on his opponent. He broke a few of Fujitaro’s ribs. The latter’s speed decreased. But Jun was getting tired. He didn’t want the battle to be decided on stamina.

Jun decided to change his style. He waited for the next Taijutsu exchange and switched to the Hyuga’s Gentle Fist stance. He had often watched Madoka’s training and trained with her as well. He also observed the previous battle with his Sharingan and saw some of Miyamoto’s moves. He couldn’t see the tenketsus, but he had memorized the strike points.

He spun gracefully and saw the shock on Fujitaro’s face. He sent out a volley of fast and precise strikes to his opponent’s chest. Fujitaro tried blocking his blows. However, Jun manages to land several hits and injected his chakra into the Uchiha’s body. He could see the pain on Fujitaro’s face. The latter stumbled back, gasping and clutching his chest with a shocked and enraged expression.

Jun simply followed up with a left hook to the chin. The Uchiha fell onto the ground. There was a brief silence. The referee cautiously approached to check if Fujotaro could resume the fight. But he didn’t move. He was out cold.

“The winner is Jun Uchiha.” Hizo declared.

The crowd roared with joy. Fujitaro was taken away on a stretcher. Jun was happy about his victory. A wide smile spread across his face. He bowed a couple of times to the crowd, looking stupidly pleased before the referee ordered him to leave. Natsumi greeted her teammate with a cheerful smile on the balcony before punching him playfully on the shoulder.

“When did you pick up the Gentle Fist?”

“It wasn’t really the Gentle Fist. It’s an imitation. I hurt him, but I probably did no damage to his tenketsus. I was able to finish him off because I took him by surprise. He wasn’t expecting it.” Jun replied.

“Madoka will be mad at you for copying her moves,” Natsumi said.

“I got inspired by her. It’s different. I don’t have the Byakugan; I cannot do the real thing.”

“Well, everyone believed you could when you took that stance and the way you struck his chest,” Natsumi added.

“It was my goal. The Hyugas probably saw it wasn’t genuine. I can’t fool their eyes.”

Jun smiled. He was proud of himself. He had won. He did so while keeping some moves in his arsenal. He hadn’t used his Raiton nor his explosives seals. He was saving that for his next match.

It was the turn of the two genins of Kumo, Akiko and Kyo. They exchanged a few words in a joking tone before the referee gave the signal to start the battle. They both looked nervous but not worried. They regained their seriousness when Hizo told them to get ready, before rushing at each other when they heard the order to start the hostilities.

Akiko was a quick and agile Kenjutsu user. She attacked at weird angles with lightning speed. Her moves were dynamic and devious. She combined fluid dodges and lightning attacks. Jun watched with his Sharingan, hidden behind his half-closed eyelids, to copy her movements. Her style was perfect for someone as quick and agile as him.

Kyo was more versatile than his comrade. He used kunais, shurikens, Raiton and Suiton. He even spat out a cloud of poison on one occasion that Jun accidentally copied. He realized the poison was a Futon Technique.

After several minutes on the defensive, Kyo eventually cornered Akiko in a Genjutsu that disoriented her and gave him time to disarm her. Despite losing her sword, Akiko didn’t give up. She switched to pure Taijutsu. But in the end, It came down to an endurance battle. Kyo was more resistant and had better stamina than his teammate. After a little while, he managed to trap her in another Genjutsu before pointing his kunai to her throat.

It was a brief fight and less spectacular than the previous two. However, it didn’t prevent the public from applauding and giving an ovation to both shinobis. They both waved to the crowd. Kyo returned to the contestants’ lodge while Akiko joined the audience.

The referee announced the next battle.

“Michi Uchiha versus Natsumi Maruno.”

Jun gently squeezed his teammate’s shoulder in an encouraging gesture. Natsumi, usually cheerful and talkative, had suddenly become serious. She took a deep breath, then leaped into the arena. Michi Uchiha followed her.

The two opponents faced each other. Jun leaned forward attentively. However, he kept an eye on his surroundings. He was now alone with two ninjas from another village. His sensei would have seriously reprimanded him if he let his guard down just because it was a friendly competition. Shiba was a patient teacher, but he was above all very professional. And he expected the same from his genins.

Jun didn’t know much about Michi Uchiha. They had never spoken to each other. He was composed and silent for the most part.

“Begin!” The referee ordered.