Chapter 211: It's So Great to Be Konoha's Dog!
The fire dragon and the earth dragon collided, and explosions and heatwaves swept across the entire area.
Although Iwagakure's combination ninjutsu hadn't been fully charged, they had, after all, specialized in this for many years. Talented Iwagakure ninjas would begin learning this in their academy days. Compared to them, the three ninjas of the Sarutobi clan were inferior in both numbers and proficiency. Therefore, in this round of confrontation, the fire dragon they spewed quickly fell into a disadvantage.
"Gorō!" Shikamaru, seeing the situation, loudly urged the other squad that was charging up beside Sarutobi Konosuke.
"Got it! Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
In the next moment, a rolling tide joined the battle. Although the impact of the Water Release offset the power of the Earth Dragon Bullet, the fire dragon previously released by the Sarutobi clan was also extinguished by this wave of water. Billowing steam churned upwards, straight into the clouds.
"Are you Konoha people kidding? Using Water Release to support Fire Release? Doesn't your ninja academy even teach the most basic ninjutsu counters?" Seeing this, an Iwagakure ninja grinned and laughed mockingly.
However, as the sky above grew darker and darker, Kurotsuchi, who had been constantly suppressed by Naruto, seemed to realize something. No longer concerned about chakra consumption, she spat a large mass of Lava Release lime at Naruto, forcing him back, and then loudly reminded her comrades on the field, "Gather, and prepare defensive ninjutsu!"
"You've realized it? A pity, it's a bit too late." Kurotsuchi's words reached Shikamaru's ears, but a smile of someone confident of victory appeared on his face. At the same time, he issued the final command of this battle, "Everyone, fall back, clear out an area!"
"And then, watch Sasuke's performance," Shikamaru said, using his Shadow Paralysis Jutsu to pull back several teammates who had gone deep into the enemy lines. Then, he looked up at the sky.
From deep within the slowly gathering cumulonimbus clouds came a roar like that of an ancient behemoth.
Sasuke leaped down from the tallest treetop on the battlefield. After landing steadily, he unhurriedly strode towards the Iwagakure crowd, forming seals one by one with his hands. The chakra around his body pierced into the clouds along the updraft. The thunderstorm energy poured back into his body through his meridians, and every cell seemed to scream. Purple plasma constantly churned around him.
The eyes of the gathered Iwagakure ninjas were fixed on the approaching Sasuke. Almost everyone's hair stood on end. Even though Sasuke was still a long distance away from them, at this moment, they all felt as if they were locked on by a wild beast.
Thud, thud, thud.
It was as if the only sound left between heaven and earth was Sasuke's seemingly leisurely footsteps. These footsteps, like a death god's countdown, struck the hearts of the Iwagakure ninjas present, one step at a time. This fear was like that of a herbivore facing a top predator; even the simplest resistance required immense courage.
Finally, an Iwagakure ninja could no longer bear the heavy pressure and, gritting his teeth, threw a shuriken at Sasuke.
However, when this string of shuriken approached Sasuke, they hovered directly in front of him.
When the final hand seal was completed, a blinding white light split the sky!
A bolt of lightning over ten meters in diameter condensed into the head of a Kirin. Hundreds of intersecting lightning bolts formed its horn and mane. It flickered amidst the thunderclouds, containing within it the majestic might of heaven.
Sasuke raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The lightning wrapped around his body scattered like spirit butterflies, converging on the Iwagakure crowd from all directions.
"Everyone, concentrate your chakra, use Earth Wall!" Kurotsuchi roared. Having been completely at a disadvantage in her clash with Naruto, her face had long since lost its previous composure. Now, facing the thunder that could descend from above at any moment, she shouted, her voice filled with panic.
The lightning bolts that landed beside the Iwagakure members flickered, and the Kirin in the thunderclouds let out a deafening roar.
"Lightning Release: Kirin!" Sasuke said softly.
In the next moment, the Kirin condensed from blue-white lightning shattered the cloud layer. The thunder behemoth in the sky swooped down, blindingly bright light constantly flashing. The smell of ozone produced by the ionization of the air completely overshadowed the lingering smell of blood from the previous battle.
At this time, above the heads of the Iwagakure ninjas, layer after layer of earth walls rose up, blocking the path of the roaring thunder behemoth.
The earth walls were vaporized into crystalline particles under a million volts. The circular rock prison collapsed in the lightning's glow. The surrounding forest was ignited by this lightning, crackling loudly.
The Iwagakure ninjas under the earth walls reinforced their defenses layer by layer, yet, in the face of nature's heavenly might, everything was futile.
The earth wall formation, painstakingly constructed by nearly twenty people, shattered. The summoning wristband formulas activated one after another, accompanied by the惨叫 (cǎnjiào - miserable shrieks) of the Iwagakure ninjas.
"Lightning Release: Kirin..." In the VIP room, apart from Uchiha Douhuan who was leisurely lifting his teacup for a sip, everyone else's face was filled with gravity, especially A and Onoki.
Blocking this ninjutsu from Sasuke was not a difficult task for them. However, the one using this jutsu now was just a 12-year-old genin. So, what kind of power would this ninjutsu have in the hands of his teacher, the creator of this ninjutsu?
Thinking of this, Onoki and A couldn't help but look at Uchiha Douhuan.
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Lord Hokage's disciple has truly and perfectly inherited your style from back then," Takagi Shōban broke the silence at this moment, clapping and speaking loudly.
Hearing this, everyone present found it a bit hard to maintain their composure. Style from back then? Who here didn't know where this ninjutsu first made its name?
It could be said that the most numerous victims who died under this ninjutsu were your Kirigakure ninjas. For you, the Mizukage, to stand up and say this now is a bit too ridiculous.
Feeling the strange gazes from those around him, Takagi Shōban didn't care. As one of the few in Kirigakure who had escaped from Uchiha Douhuan's Lightning Release: Kirin with his life, it could be said that no one knew better than him the power of this ninjutsu in Uchiha Douhuan's hands. Although he had escaped from Uchiha Douhuan's grasp by shamelessly selling out his teammates, for a long time after that war ended, Takagi Shōban would have nightmares of Uchiha Douhuan waving his hand amidst raging thunder and taking countless lives.
But now, after seeing the power of this ninjutsu in Sasuke's hands, Takagi Shōban felt no fear at all. After all, only the enemies of Uchiha Douhuan and Konoha needed to consider the consequences of this jutsu. As long as he was a good dog for Konoha, this jutsu would never fall on his head.
[It's so great to be Konoha's dog!] Takagi Shōban said to himself with pride.
Inside the Forest of Death.
The lingering might of the Kirin slowly dissipated, and a downpour followed, extinguishing the surrounding trees that had been set ablaze by the lightning. Puffs of white smoke rose up.
The air within the field was purified by this thunder, smelling exceptionally fresh.
Sasuke, holding an umbrella he had acquired from somewhere, slowly walked to the front of the area where the Iwagakure ninjas had gathered.
Right now, all that was left here was a pile of various supplies that had burst out and then been blasted into charred fragments by the thunder.
The message for the next safe zone refresh was transmitted to Sasuke's wristband.
At this time, the people from Konoha's side also gathered.
"Basically, only we are left in the exam area," Shikamaru said. "The squads from other factions probably didn't dare to come close after seeing the commotion from Kirin just now and were eliminated outside the safe zone."
"Currently, including the Kirigakure squad you brought back yesterday, we have 10 squads here. In other words, one of our squads can't enter the next test," Shikamaru said.
"Um, Young Master Sasuke, we won't advance. We didn't help at all in the previous battle," the Kirigakure squad spoke up at this moment.
"Do you think I'm some kind of untrustworthy person?" Sasuke glanced back at the three and said with a blank expression.
"We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare," the three Mist ninjas hurriedly shook their heads. The heavenly might of the lightning jutsu just now had scared them silly. The three of them were of an age where they hadn't experienced the Third Great Ninja War, so their impression of Kirigakure's nightmare, Azure Lightning Douhuan, was limited to rumors. But just now, after seeing Sasuke's performance, they also understood what the seniors in their village had been terrified of.
"I said I would let you advance to the next round, so I will definitely let you advance to the next round," Sasuke said.
"Our squad won't go to the next round," Shikamaru spoke up at this time. "We told Kakashi-sensei that we were participating in this Chunin Exam this time only to assist you and Naruto. Now that the people from other villages are gone, our mission is complete."
"Not staying for two more rounds? With your strength, making it to the top eight shouldn't be a big problem."
"Forget it, it's too much trouble," Shikamaru said.
"Yeah, rather than advancing to the next round, I'd rather go home early and eat potato chips. I've already finished the chips I secretly brought in," Choji also said at this time.
Ino had no objection to her teammates' choice.
With that, the three waved to the crowd and walked together towards the outside of the safe zone.
After Shikamaru was eliminated for staying outside the safe zone for too long, the wristbands on the hands of everyone else remaining in the arena also lit up.
In no time, the nine qualifying squads were all transported to the area for those who passed the test.
The second part of the joint Chunin Exam hosted by Konoha, the survival test, thus came to an end.
"Congratulations, Lord Hokage. In this Chunin Exam, your Konoha has truly taken the lead. They say Konoha is the cradle of geniuses, and that statement is indeed true. For Lord Hokage's disciple to have such strength and strategy at such a young age is truly admirable," Takagi Shōban said with a smile to Uchiha Douhuan.
"Mizukage, you flatter me. I'm also having a headache that this kid turned the Chunin Exam into this. Almost all who advanced to the third round are our Konoha ninjas. For the tournament in two weeks, I estimate the Daimyō from various countries probably won't be coming anymore. That will cost our Konoha a lot in ticket revenue."
(End of chapter)