CHUNIN EXAMS ARENA PRELIMINARIES

The arena buzzes with anticipation as Obito, a young genin, stands at attention. The proctor, an unfamiliar Jonin with a stern expression, calls out to him. "Obito Uchiha! Might Guy! You kids are up next. Come!”

Obito takes a deep breath, tightening the grip on his kunai pouch. The watching crowd from the terrace, fellow genins and the visitors, hushes as nth duel ought to continue. Across from Obito stands Guy, the energetic Jonin with his trademark green spandex and bowl-cut hair.

"Obito, my young friend! This will be an excellent opportunity to showcase your skills. Ready yourself for a splendid battle!"

Obito nods, a mixture of nerves and determination in his eyes. “You know, you are amazing, Guy… You consider literally everyone your friend.”

“Incorrect!” Guy vehemently replies, “Kakashi for example is not a friend! My rival! You shall die at my hands!” He brutally points at Kakashi who is chilling beside Rin, while perusing a little notebook. As expected, Kakashi ignores Guy’s outburst.

The proctor signals for the match to begin. "Let the battle commence!"

As the two opponents face each other, the tension in the air becomes palpable. Obito takes a defensive stance, while Guy exudes confidence and excitement.

"You've got potential, Obito! Show me what you've got!" Guy is literally bursting with energy.

This ‘guy’ is the one who handed Madara Uchiha’s ass, thus Obito knows how strong Guy is… But the current Guy is far away from the peak of his power, thus allowing Obito some confidence. "I won't hold back, Guy. Let's do this."

The truth however is that Obito plans to hold back his strength a lot! He’ll limit himself to only using his strengthened Body Flicker Technique, in combination with his taijutsu, shurikenjutsu, and maybe even use a D-rank or C-rank jutsu when in a pinch.

Guy comes rushing at Obito in a straightforward manner, dishing out a kick right at Obito’s temple.

Unlike in the alternate future past that Obito has seen, he doesn’t receive Guy’s kick. Though Guy has a small frame and literally has the body of a young boy, the force his punches and kicks carry is enough to even bruise a Jonin. This is Obito’s objective assessment of Guy.

Obito with the smallest movement, ducks low, and hurls his chains at Guy attempting to ensnare him, but Guy is faster. Guy simply backflips in the air, and then shifts his stance mid-air, yet his aim remains true—judging from the angle, Obito realizes Guy intends to really kick Obito in the head.

To be more accurate, Guy must be targeting Obito’s temple as a strategy to knock him out in one go.

“Leaf Whirlwind,” And Guy as Obito has predetermined does exactly like that.

Obito snaps his chains, and the sickles connected to them embed themselves into the solid ground. Pulling with all his might, Obito propels himself forward and outkicks Guy. The sole of Obito’s foot connects perfectly to Guy’s stomach.

“Oof,” Guy grits his teeth, not losing his cool one bit as he changes his stance again while being flung by Obito’s kick. The interrupted Leaf Whirlwind transitions into something else. “Leaf Rising Wind!” And it connects, more perfectly than Obito can ever manage.

The Leaf Rising Wind is a Taijutsu Technique that uses the entire body as a spring, by amassing power through taking a posture where the back of the body falls down. Because the power of the kick from the ground is instantly converted into a blow, the enemy hit with this attack will be launched high into the sky.

Obito is sent flying upwards without exception, his throat feeling a bit acidic. From the beginning, Obito can hardly see Guy’s every movement which speaks of just how much training Guy has been doing… It truly is superhuman, and Obito is almost tempted to use his Sharingan or his B-rank Jutsu.

And this will only get worse.

There is a reason why Guy is able to reach incredible heights despite only being able to use taijutsu.

Guy rotates in the air, forcibly shutting down his momentum, thus allowing his feet to land on the ground so much earlier than Obito could hope for. Guy smirks, “You put up a good fight, Obito, but this is the end!”

Obito, still mid-air, quickly assesses the situation. He forms the Tiger hand seal and activates his Body Flicker Technique, disappearing from Guy's immediate line of sight. Just as Guy lands with a confident grin, Obito reappears behind him.

"Not so fast, Guy!" Obito taunts, launching a barrage of shuriken towards Guy's blind spot. However, Guy effortlessly sidesteps the incoming projectiles with incredible speed, not even turning to face Obito.

Guy chuckles, "You'll have to do better than that!" He charges forward once again, closing the distance between them with a burst of speed. Obito, however, is prepared. He dodges Guy's initial attacks with the Body Flicker Technique, showcasing his agility.

"Swift, aren't we?" Guy remarks, his eyes narrowing as he adjusts his approach. "But speed alone won't save you!"

As Guy launches another series of powerful kicks, Obito skillfully dodges and weaves through the attacks, using the sheer speed of his Body Flicker Technique at the maximum.

Obito feels that... he is no longer underestimating Guy's taijutsu prowess, but that is a mistake. “It looks like I have overestimated myself.” On a subconscious level,  Obito must have been thinking that Guy is below him."

"You know, Obito, I'm impressed. Your reflexes are commendable," Guy praises, a genuine smile breaking through his stern demeanor.

Obito grins back, "Thanks, Guy. But I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

Suddenly, Obito forms a series of hand seals and channels chakra into his hands. Snake + Ram + Monkey + Boar + Horse + Tiger! "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" he declares, exhaling a giant orb of fire toward Guy. The flames dance and flicker, creating a fiery impact immediately the moment it connects to the ground.

Guy, undeterred, charges through the explosion and fire with his characteristic determination. "You can't burn away my spirit, Obito!"

As Guy closes in, Obito activates his Sharingan for one microsecond, the red swirls spinning in his eyes. With the burning flames and the light it exude, it is enough to obscure Obito using his Sharingan. Time seems to slow down for him as he analyzes Guy's movements. With enhanced reflexes, Obito narrowly avoids a powerful roundhouse kick, but Guy is not finished yet—

“Leaf Great Whirlwind!” Guy’s kick whizzes past Obito.

Obito’s nose reddens as his face has been grazed by Guy’s kick… and most problematic of all is the nature of the technique that Guy has employed… It is a series of ultra-fast kicks, rushing at Obito with unbridled ferocity.

"You're getting serious, Guy. Time for me to step up too!" Obito declares as he casts his Body Flicker Technique again.

Guy grins, "Excellent! Let's make this a battle to remember!"

Honestly, the fight has gone off the scale and is actually on the level between Chunin already, but truthfully, it might as well be a fight between semi-Jonin considering that Obito just used the Great Fireball Technique and his Sharingan thought at a limited capacity.

Guy is the weird one, or maybe Konoha itself in general for being unable to see the ‘gem’ in Guy. To be able to push through this far with just taijutsu speaks just how incredible Guy’s talent actually is…

“It is time I finish this,” Flexing his chains and sickles, Obito begins to move erratically even going as far as retreating Guy’s aggressive form. “You clearly have received damage from my Fireball Technique, and you are in a losing fight. Just to be a gentleman here, I suggest you give up if you don’t want to get hurt further.”

Guy chuckles heartily, wiping a streak of blood from his cheek. "Obito, my friend, you underestimate the power of youth and the sweat that fuels it! Giving up is not in my vocabulary. Now, prepare yourself for the final round!"

Obito smirks, appreciating Guy's unwavering determination. "Alright then, Guy. Show me what you've got left. Show them damn Jonins and bigshots watching you, just what is your worth!” Obito directs a leering smile at the few adults watching their duel.

Guy, with a sudden burst of speed, charges at Obito once more, his movements becoming a blur. Obito narrowly avoids a series of lightning-fast kicks, realizing that Guy is pushing himself to the limit.

"You're not the only one with tricks, Obito!" Guy declares, his eyes gleaming with intensity.

Suddenly, Guy executes a swift hand movement, creating afterimages that confuse Obito's perception. Obito struggles to keep up with the unpredictable assault, and this time… he is really tempted to use his Sharingan with equal intensity.

"First Gate: The Gate of Opening!" Guy shouts, delivering a rapid barrage of punches and kicks from various directions.

Obito, despite his agility, finds it challenging to predict Guy's movements with absolute precision. "You're not just a weirdo in spandex, Guy. You're a formidable opponent."

In the midst of the onslaught, Guy laughs heartily, "And you, Obito, are a true warrior! Let's settle this in one final exchange!"

The two clash persistently sticking to the other, retreating, and then alternate, they exchange powerful blows and jutsu. Obito's chains dance in the air, while Guy's fists create whirlwinds of energy.

And then.

“Front Lotus—” Before Guy can even unleash his best move, Obito hastily outflanks Guy.

Since Guy has opened the First Gate, Obito has become extremely wary. Obito is not confident that he won’t be pushed around if Guy’s Front Lotus connects, thus Obito decides to immediately end the fight now. “You did well, Guy.” He reappears at Guy’s rear using the Body Flicker Technique.

A kunai is delicately placed on Guy’s throat, but Guy is persistent as he parries the kunai with the back of his hand, but Obito has anticipated this. Guy is confused as his arm just passes Obito’s image… In fact, the Obito that Guy has perceived is simply a product of the Clone Technique.

Unlike the Shadow Clone Technique, the Clone Technique is at the bottom end of jutsus, and is considered the most elementary of techniques. It is because the technique is easy, but more than that, just as easy to detect….

But Guy doesn’t know ninjutsus or genjutsus.

Truth be told, Guy is vulnerable even against the aforementioned jutsu such as Clone Technique which is considered generally weak. Guy feels the cold and sharp metal of the kunai and adjacent to him stands a proud Obito.

Obito remarks with a sincere glee in his eyes, “You did excellently, Guy! You lost though, but still, you did excellently! Stand tall and walk proud.”

“Damn,” Guy murmurs, feeling like he had just been played.

But then, Guy looks at the adult ninjas watching from the terrace. And then Guy notices the Third Hokage who at some point has begun watching their duel. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, claps his hands, and... following suit is the clap of others are more.

“The victor, Obito Uchiha!” The proctor announces.

Yet, the clap just continues on, a few familiar ninja cheers for Guy, the kid who lost.

Obito just grins as if expecting this.