Naruto: The Medical God

Shin's grip on the kunai tightened, his sharp gaze never wavering as he assessed Sasuke's stance. The crowd watched in rapt silence, their eyes darting between the two combatants, the tension growing with every passing second.

Without hesitation, Shin hurled the kunai once again. The weapon cut through the air like a streak of silver, its trajectory aimed straight at Sasuke. With a quick flash of hand signs, Shin's voice rang out once more, loud and clear:

"Kunai Clone Jutsu!"

The single kunai again split into four identical copies, each rippling with chakra and closing in on Sasuke from different angles.

Sasuke's smirk returned, a sharp glint in his dark eyes as he watched the incoming projectiles. "Again with the same trick?" he scoffed, his tone dripping with derision.

He brought his hands together in a blur of movement:

Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger.

"You think I'll let you pull this off a second time?" he growled, his lips curling into a triumphant sneer.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Sasuke inhaled deeply, his chest expanding as he gathered chakra. In an instant, he exhaled a massive sphere of roaring flames, the heat radiating off it palpable even from a distance.

The fireball surged forward, consuming the air with a ferocious roar, and collided with the kunai clones. The fake kunai disintegrated into harmless puffs of smoke as the real one, still tethered to Shin's chakra thread, was caught in the wave of heat. The thread detached, the kunai spinning off course and embedding itself harmlessly into the ground.

But the fireball didn't stop. Its blazing path continued straight toward Shin, its intensity drawing gasps and cries of alarm from the crowd.

Iruka's eyes widened in alarm as the roaring fireball closed in on Shin, its blazing heat distorting the air around it. His hand shot to the hilt of his kunai, his legs already tensing as he prepared to intervene.

"This has gone far enough!" Iruka muttered, his voice tinged with urgency. He dashed forward, intent on stopping the fight before Shin was seriously hurt.

But just as he took his first step, a firm hand gripped his shoulder, halting him in his tracks.

"Iruka, let them fight," came a calm, authoritative voice.

Iruka turned sharply, his gaze meeting the steely eyes of Shin's father, Hiroshi Hamada. The older man's grip was unyielding, his demeanor calm despite the chaos unfolding before them.

"Hiroshi, your son's going to get hurt if we don't stop this now!" Iruka protested, his brow furrowed with concern.

Hiroshi's gaze remained fixed on the scene before them, his expression unreadable. Then, for the first time, a faint smile tugged at his lips.

"Don't worry, Iruka," he said, his voice steady and full of conviction. "I know Shin can do it."

The fireball surged forward, its searing heat closing in on Shin. But instead of panic, a smile began to form on Shin's face as his hands moved in a series of precise, rapid gestures.

Ox, Horse.

"Earth Release: Earthen Bump!" Shin shouted, his voice steady despite the intensity of the situation.

In an instant, a small mound of earth appeared before him, rising up to knee-height. It wasn't much—just a fragile bump that would crumble with even the lightest touch—but it was enough. The crowd watched in stunned silence as Shin didn't hesitate.

Without wasting a moment, Shin sprinted forward, his feet finding purchase on the earthen bump. With a burst of speed, he leapt high into the air, using the mound like a trampoline to propel himself over the roaring fireball. The fireball passed just below him, its heat grazing the tips of his shoes as it streaked harmlessly into the air beyond.

The crowd gasped, astonished by the sudden turn of events.

At the edge of the crowd, Hiroshi's voice carried through the air, a proud smile spreading across his face, one he hadn't even realized was there.

"Told you he could make it," he said to Iruka, his tone filled with unshakable confidence.

Sasuke's smirk vanished the moment he saw Shin sail over his fireball. His dark eyes tracked Shin's movements, narrowing as he realized his opponent wasn't just dodging—he was counterattacking.

"Uchiha, did you really think you could beat me like that?" Shin mocked, his voice cutting through the tension as he formed a new series of hand signs mid-air.

Snake, Rat.

"Water Release: Bubble Jutsu!"

A small bubble of water formed at Shin's fingertips, shimmering in the sunlight. Light and delicate, it floated in the air, but instead of letting it drift, Shin brought his hand to his lips, placing a single finger in the center of the bubble. With a precise motion, the bubble split into two identical spheres.

The crowd murmured in confusion. "Bubbles? What's he going to do with bubbles?"

Even Sasuke's smirk returned, his confidence reignited. "Hamada, you scared me for a moment. Bubbles? Really?" he scoffed, crossing his arms with a mocking grin.

But Shin didn't respond with words. Instead, he concentrated, the two bubbles growing larger and larger until they dwarfed him in size, nearly as big as the boy himself.

The spectators gasped, their confusion mounting. These weren't ordinary bubbles.

As the bubbles floated, Shin's thoughts briefly drifted back to the hours he spent in the library. He'd learned the Bubble Jutsu from a Genin's scroll and had found it surprisingly easy to perform compared to the other techniques he practiced. It was almost instinctive, as if it were meant for him.

With determination, he had refined the technique. Day after day, he pushed the harmless jutsu to its limits, pouring more chakra into it until the bubbles weren't just playful distractions—they became something dangerous.

Shin smiled as he threw the two massive bubbles diagonally, seemingly missing Sasuke entirely.

"What's he up to now?" someone in the crowd whispered.

Before anyone could make sense of it, Shin flicked his hand, and from his fingers, two thin chakra threads extended, attaching to the bubbles. With a sharp motion, he grabbed the threads and swung the massive bubbles in a wide arc, aiming them directly at Sasuke from both sides.

Sasuke's smirk faltered as the bubbles closed in on him. "Tch," he muttered, stepping into a defensive stance. With a swift motion, he swung both arms to pop the bubbles before they could reach him.

But just as Sasuke's hands were about to make contact, the bubbles expanded suddenly, glowing with concentrated chakra.

Boom!

A high-pitched sonic sound exploded from the bubbles, reverberating through the Academy. Sasuke staggered, his hands flying to his ears as the sharp noise overwhelmed him. The crowd gasped, many covering their own ears at the unexpected sound.

"Like my bubbles now, Uchiha?" Shin smirked, his confidence palpable as he watched Sasuke struggle to regain his composure.

The murmurs from the crowd turned to awe as they realized what had happened. Shin had taken a harmless E-rank jutsu and transformed it into something entirely new—and dangerous.

For the first time, Shin's self-developed technique, the Sonic Bubbles Jutsu, had been tested in combat, and it worked perfectly.

Hiroshi watched in stunned silence. His eyes, usually sharp and unreadable, softened as he observed his son's technique.

"Water Release... just like your mother..." he murmured under his breath, a trace of nostalgia in his voice.

It was a rare moment, a flicker of warmth in Hiroshi. Shin had surpassed his expectations—no, he had far exceeded them.

The fight continued, and Shin, seeing Sasuke still struggling with the aftereffects of the sonic bubbles, didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, his feet pounding the earth as he rushed at Sasuke with a speed that belied his earlier calm demeanor.

Sasuke, still wincing from the lingering pain in his ears, barely had time to react. His vision was blurred by the ringing sound, his usual precision clouded by the shock of the attack.

Shin was quick—too quick. He was already within striking distance.

Shin's fist flew toward Sasuke, his knuckles mere inches away. Sasuke's mind raced.

Was this it? Was he about to lose?

"No!" Sasuke's inner voice roared. He couldn't lose—not like this! How could he ever hope to defeat his brother, to avenge his clan, if he couldn't even stand up to Shin Hamada?

The fire in his eyes reignited. As Shin's punch closed in, Sasuke's vision cleared, and the ringing in his ears faded as if his determination alone burned through the haze.

With a swift motion, Sasuke dodged Shin's punch by leaning to the side, his movements sharp and precise. In the same instant, his fist shot forward, slamming into Shin's stomach with enough force to send him stumbling backward.

Shin gritted his teeth, his body absorbing the impact as he skidded to a halt.

But Sasuke wasn't done. Without wasting a second, his hands began to blur through familiar hand signs.

"Great Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke shouted, a massive orb of flames erupting from his lips and racing toward Shin.

The crowd gasped once again.

But Shin didn't falter. He stood his ground, his smirk unwavering as he watched the fireball hurtle toward him.

"Haven't you learned yet, Uchiha?" Shin taunted, his voice cutting through the crackling flames. "This jutsu doesn't work on me anymore!"

With practiced ease, Shin formed the same hand signs as before.

"Earth Release: Earthen Bump!" he called out, and the ground before him shifted once more, forming a small mound of earth just as the fireball approached.

Without hesitation, Shin used the mound like a springboard, launching himself into the air. The fireball roared beneath him, missing entirely as he once again soared over it.

The crowd erupted into a mixture of cheers and gasps, their excitement reaching a fever pitch.

Shin smirked confidently as he soared above the fireball, his maneuver flawless. But his expression froze mid-air when his sharp eyes caught sight of another fireball rapidly closing in on him.

His smirk faded instantly, replaced by wide-eyed shock. Another one? How?

The heat of the approaching flames was intense, and Shin's mind raced. He was mid-air—there was no way to dodge, no earthen bump to leap from this time. He could only watch as the fireball closed in.

"Take this, Hamada!" Sasuke roared from the ground, his voice carrying the weight of his determination.

The fireball engulfed Shin completely, flames consuming his silhouette as the crowd erupted into gasps and cries of shock.

"Shin!" Hiroshi's voice thundered through the Academy, his usually composed demeanor entirely cracking as his sharp eyes widened in alarm.

The crowd was frozen, faces painted with terror as they watched the swirling inferno that seemed to have swallowed Shin whole.

To be continued...

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How was this chapter, guys? Liked it? Yeah, I know, I'm making this fight too long, swear that it'll end in the next chapter!

Also, be sure to check out my original novel, Hyperborea!