บท 243: 242
Haruto stood on the sidelines, watching as Pakura stepped into the arena with her calm composure. Unlike the nervous energy radiating from other genin, Pakura looked perfectly in control. It wasn't that she appeared overconfident, but more that she had a quiet focus about her, a sense of purpose in her movements. Haruto had expected as much. In the anime, Pakura had been a force to be reckoned with, her Scorch Release deadly to anyone who underestimated her. But this version of Pakura, still just a genin, was different. She was still growing, still learning, yet Haruto could tell that her potential was immense.
Her opponent, a Hidden Leaf ninja, was already in position, his expression serious and calculating. He had the build typical of someone who specialized in Earth Release—stocky, with a grounded stance. Haruto sensed the chakra beginning to pool around the Leaf ninja's feet even before he made a move. Sure enough, the moment the proctor signaled the start of the match, the Leaf ninja slammed his hands into the ground, raising a thick wall of earth between him and Pakura.
Haruto nodded to himself. It was a good move. Earth Release users thrived on defensive tactics, using the environment to create obstacles that their opponents had to navigate around. Pakura's movements were quick, but the Leaf ninja wasn't going to make it easy for her to get close.
For a moment, Pakura simply observed. She didn't rush in, didn't try to break the wall down. Instead, she circled it, throwing a few kunai to test her opponent's defenses. The Leaf ninja remained behind the wall, peeking out occasionally to throw shuriken or reinforce his barrier. It was a standard exchange—taijutsu, shuriken, and clever positioning. Haruto watched closely, knowing that Pakura was biding her time.
Pakura moved with fluidity, testing different angles, looking for an opening. Haruto could tell that she was holding back. She hadn't even tapped into her Scorch Release yet, but it was clear that she was probing, analyzing her opponent's weaknesses. Her speed and precision were impressive, but she was waiting for the right moment to strike.
The Leaf ninja raised another defensive barrier as Pakura closed the distance, and Haruto sensed the shift in her strategy. There it is, he thought, sensing the faint shimmer of chakra in the air. Pakura had made her move.
In a swift motion, Pakura formed a hand seal, and for just a moment, the air around her shimmered, as if the heat had suddenly spiked. Haruto felt the chakra signature shift, and his eyes narrowed. That's Scorch Release.
A small, glowing orb formed in Pakura's hand, pulsing with heat. It wasn't large, and Haruto knew she was still learning to control her Scorch Release, but even at this level, it was dangerous. She hurled the orb directly at the Leaf ninja's earth wall. The orb struck with a burst of heat, not strong enough to obliterate the wall, but enough to crack it and send steam rising from the stone.
The Leaf ninja hesitated for a fraction of a second, clearly caught off guard by the attack. That's all she needed.
Pakura darted around the weakened earth wall with startling speed, closing the distance between her and her opponent in an instant. Haruto watched closely, impressed by how quickly she capitalized on the situation. Her taijutsu was clean, precise—no wasted movements. A hard elbow to the Leaf ninja's gut, followed by a swift kick to his legs, sent him stumbling backward. He tried to recover, raising another barrier, but Pakura was already one step ahead.
With a flick of her wrist, she sent a kunai around the side of the barrier, forcing the Leaf ninja to adjust his position. The moment he did, she used the distraction to get in close again. This time, she summoned another orb of Scorch Release chakra, but she didn't use it for a direct attack. She let it hover near her hand, the heat radiating from it enough to make her opponent flinch.
The Leaf ninja stepped back, trying to avoid the heat, but that moment of hesitation was his undoing. Pakura moved in with a brutal strike, sweeping his legs out from under him and sending him crashing to the ground. Before he could even attempt to get up, she had a kunai at his throat.
The proctor called the match, declaring Pakura the winner.
Haruto watched as Pakura lowered her kunai and stepped back, her calm composure never wavering. She hadn't even broken a sweat. Her Scorch Release had been used sparingly, just enough to unsettle her opponent and break through his defenses, but it hadn't been the focal point of the fight. She had won through skill, efficiency, and precise strikes, not flashy techniques. Haruto respected that. She had the power, but she didn't need to flaunt it. It was a lesson in restraint.
As she walked back toward her team, Haruto found himself thinking about her potential. She's dangerous, he thought, not just because of her Scorch Release, but because of how she used it. She had baited her opponent into making a mistake, and then she had taken advantage of it without wasting energy. It was the mark of someone who thought strategically, someone who knew when to hold back and when to strike.
"She didn't even need to go all out," Haruto muttered to himself. He could tell that Pakura hadn't shown everything she was capable of yet. The Leaf ninja had been skilled, but not enough to push her to her limits.
Standing next to Shisui and Daichi, Haruto couldn't help but wonder how much stronger Pakura would become in the future. Her Scorch Release was still developing, but even at this level, it had the potential to be deadly. For now, she was just another powerful genin who had passed the preliminary rounds, but Haruto knew that she was someone to keep an eye on.
As they waited for the next match to be called, Haruto glanced at Pakura's team. Rasa stood with his arms crossed, his gaze unreadable. He hadn't reacted much during Pakura's fight, but Haruto had a feeling that he knew just how strong she was becoming.
The next round was going to be interesting.
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