The stadium was completely silent as the medical team rushed in to carry Akira away.
In the VIP booth, Earth Daimyo had an expression that showed he doesn't care what's happening, while the Lightning Daimyo was laughing, "That boy came out of nowhere and won the chunin exams, can you believe it?"
While the Fire Daimyo had a grim expression on his face, he said, "Well, that Uchiha boy fought good as well, he almost won."
Kazuki let out a long, exhausted breath. His entire body was in pain, and his chakra reserves were almost empty. He slowly stood up, his legs trembling slightly, and started heading towards the exit tunnel.
The moment he stepped into the dim light of the tunnel, a pair of hands suddenly wrapped around him, pulling him into a tight hug.
It was Yuki. She buried her face in his shoulder, her body shaking slightly.
"I was so scared," Yuki whispered, her voice soft. "I was so scared something was going to happen to you. I was about to jump down there myself, but then I saw those ANBU step in."
She pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes, offering a small, reassuring smile. "You fought well out there, Kazuki. You almost won. Don't be sad about how it ended, Alright?"
Kazuki relaxed, he gently patted her head and said, "Thanks, Yuki. I'm okay now, so don't worry."
"Oh my, what do we have here?" a teasing voice echoed down the tunnel.
Akari walked toward them with a teasing smirk on her face, leaning against the stone wall. "My cute little students, sharing a touching moment in the dark. Should I come back later?"
Yuki immediately let go of Kazuki, her face flushing bright red. "Sensei! It's not like that, I was just making sure he was okay!"
Kazuki kept quiet, he finally caught on. 'What, is this what I think it is? Probably not, sensei's just joking.'
Akari's smile slowly faded, replaced by a serious expression. "We should go check on Ryuma. They took him to the nearby hospital."
When they arrived at the Iwagakure hospital, the atmosphere was tense. They found the head medical ninja assigned to Ryuma standing outside his chamber.
"How is he?" Akari asked, her voice tight.
The medical ninja sighed, looking at his clipboard. "He is stable, but his injuries are severe. The blunt force from that attack shattered four of his ribs and fractured his collarbone. One of the broken ribs narrowly missed puncturing his left lung. On top of that, his arms have multiple micro-fractures from trying to block the impact, and he has severe electrical burns across his chest that will require weeks of treatment."
Yuki covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. Kazuki clenched his fists. The sheer destructive power of the that Lariot attack was massive.
"He will live, and he will be able to continue working as a shinobi," the doctor added, noticing their expressions. "But he won't be taking any missions for at least two months. As for you, young man..." The doctor pointed a pen at Kazuki. "You're checking in right now. Follow me."
Kazuki didn't have the energy to argue. He was admitted into a secure recovery ward on the same floor.
Meanwhile, high up in the VIP booth of the stadium, Onoki sat alone, his face darkened by heavy shadows.
He thought, 'That Kumogakure brat... he's a monster. To possess that level of chakra and mastery over the Lightning Armor at such a young age, he is far too big of a threat to ignore. If he grows up, he'll become a nightmare for the Hidden Stone.'
Onoki stroked his beard, his eyes narrowing as he recalled the Kumo guards assigned to escort Akira.
'But something isn't right. The guards they sent with him, they look incredibly weak. Inexperienced, and there are hardly any of them. Why would the Raikage send their newest ace to an enemy village with so few guards?'
A dark realization dawned on the Tsuchikage. 'Are they using him as bait? Or do they simply not care if he dies because of those Hoshigaki traits?'
Whatever the reason, Onoki made his decision. 'I cannot let that boy leave Iwagakure alive. Too bad I can't do anything about that Uchiha brat. He killed Deidara and took Akatsuchi's arm.'
Back at the hospital, Kazuki slowly opened his eyes. He was lying in a comfortable hospital bed.
He turned his head to the side and blinked in surprise.
Lying in the bed right next to him, staring blankly at the ceiling, was Akira.
Akira looked terrible. Both of his hands were wrapped in thick, heavy bandages. The medical ninja had explained earlier that the intense heat from Kazuki's fire-enhanced sword had severely burnt his knuckles. Furthermore, forcing his nervous system into 'Overdrive' with lightning chakra for a long time had caused minor internal organ damage, leaving him bedridden.
For a long moment, the room was completely silent. The only sound was the steady ticking of the wall clock.
Kazuki had a deadpan expression on his face. 'What kind of situation is this? Is that doctor weak in the head or something?'
"Hey," Akira suddenly said, his voice raspy. He didn't turn his head to look at Kazuki.
Kazuki raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Akira clenched his bandaged fists slightly. "I'm sorry for what happened at the end there. I wasn't thinking straight. I lost control." But he didn't look at Kazuki even once.
Kazuki was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected someone like him to apologize.
Akira turned his head, glaring at Kazuki with his sharp, shark-like teeth. "But don't get the wrong idea. I still hate you Leaf shinobi."
Kazuki looked at him for a moment, then a small, genuine smile formed on his face.
"I know," Kazuki said calmly. "I understand why you hate the Leaf. I saw it."
Akira flinched, his eyes widening as he remembered the genjutsu. The memory of his mother and the memory of his friend dying in the dirt.
"I saw what those shinobi did to your friend," Kazuki continued softly. "It was cruel, and they were wrong from your perspective but in reality, they were also doing their jobs. It's not right to hate them. If you want something to hate, then hate this system that forces people of different villages to fight.
Akira's eyes widened slightly as he realized that if the villages didn't fight, he wouldn't have to wear a mask, her mother wouldn't have hated him as much, and his friend would still be alive.
Akira scoffed, turning his face away to look out the window. "Whatever. Don't think you can take me to your side just by some talk."
Kazuki made a deadpan expression, staring at the ceiling.
He thought, 'Damn it. It worked so perfectly when Naruto did it.'
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