Deva woke up in a sterile white room. A Konoha medic was at his bedside, finishing a diagnostic jutsu.
"You're awake," she said with a small smile. "You took a serious blow. No permanent damage, but you'll be sore for a while. You were lucky."
He sat up, his body aching. The last thing he remembered was the monstrous wave of sand and a world of pain. "The match?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
"A draw," a familiar lazy voice said from the doorway. Kakashi was leaning against the frame, his book put away. "Gaara was in no condition to continue either. His siblings took him away to calm him down. You fought a monster to a standstill, Deva. You should be proud."
Deva didn't feel pride. He felt the dull ache of failure. A draw was not a win.
He was released a few hours later and joined the others on the balcony to watch the remaining matches. The mood was tense. The genin who had passed were a mix of battered, proud, and wary. The ones who had lost were already gone.
He watched as Naruto was pitted against a Sound shinobi with strange metal gauntlets. It was a hard-fought battle. The Sound-nin was skilled and tricky, but Naruto's sheer grit, stamina, and clever use of his shadow clones eventually wore his opponent down, securing him a surprising but well-deserved victory.
Later, Sasuke's name appeared on the board against Kankuro of the Sand. Sasuke leaped into the arena, his Sharingan already spinning, eager to prove himself after his defeat in the forest. But Kankuro simply raised his hand.
"I forfeit," the Sand-nin said, much to everyone's surprise. Sasuke was furious at being denied a fight, but a win was a win. He advanced to the finals.
The other matches were a blur of different skills. Shikamaru won his match with pure intelligence, out-thinking his opponent into a corner. Neji Hyuga won with his clan's overwhelming power. Temari, Gaara's sister, won with powerful wind jutsu. When the dust settled, the finalists for the third exam were decided. The Hokage announced they would all have one month to rest, train, and prepare for the final tournament, which would be held in front of the Feudal Lords and spectators from across the nations.
That evening, Team 7 met at their training ground. The mood was somber. Sasuke spoke first, his voice cold and hard. "We're weak," he stated, not looking at them. "I was taken down like a child by Orochimaru. I won my match because my opponent gave up."
"I know," Naruto said, his usual loud energy gone. "I couldn't do anything in the forest. I barely won my fight just now. It's not good enough."
They both looked at Deva.
"Our individual abilities are high for our rank," Deva said, his voice serious as he analyzed their situation. "But we have faced that Sannin and a monster. The power levels of our enemies are far beyond what we were prepared for. Sasuke is correct. We are weak."
A new, unspoken agreement formed between them, stronger than any rivalry. They had a month. They had to get stronger. Not just for themselves, but so that their team would never be so helpless again.
Kakashi met them the next morning. He had a plan. "Naruto," he began. "Your chakra control is still your biggest weakness. I've asked Ebisu, an elite tutor, to work with you on the basics, starting with water walking." Naruto complained about the stuffy teacher, but he knew Kakashi was right. His training began that day.
"Sasuke," Kakashi continued. "Your taijutsu has improved, but you lack the explosive speed of opponents like Rock Lee. Your ninjutsu is strong, but you need a true finishing move. We will work on your speed, and I will teach you an assassination jutsu. But first, you must perfect your water walking. It's essential for the jutsu's foundation." Sasuke nodded, his expression fierce with determination.
Kakashi then turned to Deva. "And you. Your problem is different. You have the chakra and the control, but your library of techniques is limited to what you've seen by chance. That needs to change."
Deva met his sensei's gaze. "Sensei, they say you've copied a thousand jutsu. For the next two days, I don't want to spar. I want a demonstration. Show me as many as you can. All five natures."
Kakashi smiled. "I was hoping you'd ask." He knew Deva's unique learning method was their team's greatest wildcard. "Sasuke, get to work on that water walking. Deva, you're with me."
Sasuke didn't object. He understood. The team needed to get stronger, and this was the fastest way. They all had their own paths to walk for the next month.
Kakashi took Deva to a vast, remote training ground with varied terrain. For the next forty-eight hours, he put on a masterclass of ninjutsu. He didn't explain the theory. He just performed the jutsu, allowing Deva's senses to do the work.
He slammed his hands on the ground, creating massive earth walls and defensive domes. He spat torrents of fire, from wide-range annihilation techniques to focused dragon-shaped blasts. He summoned great waves of water and sharks made of pure chakra. He sliced through trees with blades of wind and fired compressed vacuum bullets that punched clean holes through solid rock. He even showed him the principles of Lightning Style, channeling the crackling energy through his body to enhance his reflexes to incredible speeds.
For Deva, it was like drinking from a fire hose. He stood in the center of the elemental chaos, his eyes closed, his mind a living library, absorbing every frequency, every unique chakra molding pattern. It was mentally exhausting, but he didn't miss a single one. He was downloading an arsenal.
At the end of the second day, Kakashi was drained, having used hundreds of jutsu. Deva was mentally exhausted but stood in the middle of a cratered, scorched, and flooded landscape with a universe of new power logged in his mind.
They returned to the village to find Sasuke standing calmly in the middle of a lake, having finally perfected his water walking. He saw the exhaustion on both Kakashi and Deva and gave a slight nod of respect. There was no jealousy, only a shared sense of purpose.
"Good," Kakashi said, a tired smile on his face as he looked at Sasuke. "Your foundation is set." A spark of pure lightning crackled to life in his hand, the sound of a thousand chirping birds filling the air.
"Now, your real training begins."