Eliminate Another Person
"Boom!"
With a thunderous roar, the flaming version of the Human Bullet Tank, used by Shō, collided perfectly with the deep crater where Kazuhiko had taken cover.
However, due to its massive size, the attack lodged at the top edge of the pit and failed to strike its target directly. It could only rely on its spinning momentum to dislodge surrounding debris and inch downward.
This brief delay gave Kazuhiko just enough time to react. He swiftly recalled all the parasitic insects he had previously deployed. With Kakashi and Kazuo having already broken through the encirclement behind Shō, there was no longer any value in remaining. Prioritizing survival was now paramount.
Some residual insects, although few in number, crawled back toward him. They were insufficient to halt the enemy's advance, but Kazuhiko knew even the smallest resistance could buy time.
> "Damn it… If it weren't for these injuries to my legs and arms, I wouldn't be stuck here, barely avoiding death."
Kazuhiko felt the loss of each insect as though it were a piece of himself. The enemies burned through his swarm too easily, and his chakra reserves had dwindled dangerously low—he couldn't accelerate the hatching of new insects.
The real danger was the fire coating Shō's body. A standard Human Bullet Tank would never have posed such a problem. He had made the mistake of not relocating earlier using his insects. Arrogance. He had assumed victory was in hand and didn't want to further strain his injured body.
Worse, he hadn't expected Shō to adopt such a reckless, almost suicidal tactic—so uncharacteristic, it was nearly a taijutsu-based kamikaze.
---
> "This batch of Genin is showing some promise," Jiraiya commented, observing the match from a secure location.
> "They're reckless idiots," Tsunade yawned. She had only shown real interest when Yuyan was on the field. Unlike with Shizune—her loyal apprentice—Yuyan held a more personal stake. As the niece of someone Tsunade had once loved, she had quietly resolved to nurture the girl and ensure she remained in the village.
Tsunade still remembered her promise: to leave a light burning in Konoha, even if she herself no longer believed in the Will of Fire.
---
It didn't take long for Shō to close a third of the distance across the battlefield.
By that point, the insects Kazuhiko had managed to recall finally regrouped and began to swarm around Shō in an attempt to smother the flames.
Elsewhere on the field, Kakashi had engaged Shō in a fast-paced melee. The intensity of their clash had escalated, and neither had the time or space to perform hand seals. The clatter of kunai and short swords echoed relentlessly.
Their movements bordered on choreographed—a brutal dance in which each swing either deflected an incoming strike or narrowly grazed skin.
One misstep would mean instant elimination.
The battlefield naturally split into two fronts. Aside from the weariness in Kakashi's lone visible eye, the rest of the Genin bore expressions of fierce determination.
Everyone was pushing themselves to the limit for a shot at victory.
No one noticed that, far underground, Bai Ye moved his fingers for the first time in what felt like an eternity.
Beneath layers of dried blood, his skin had returned to a healthy hue. Most of his ruptured tendons had mended.
> "Tch. Never be overconfident again," he muttered to himself.
---
Kazuhiko, having sacrificed countless insects, finally succeeded in extinguishing the flames around Shō. The fire died out just as Shō reached three-quarters of the way across the field.
Kazuhiko exhaled in relief and struggled to wipe the sweat streaming down his forehead. His swarm then lifted him slowly from the pit, surrounding Shō with a second wave of insects.
Now that the fire-enhanced rotation was gone, Shō's attack power had plummeted. The remaining insects closed in quickly.
Shō tumbled forward, his spinning body crashing into a crumbling wall and triggering a collapse of rubble.
The sound disrupted Shō, who had momentarily let down his guard. Though he dodged Kakashi's counter, he failed to notice two hands emerging from the earth beneath him.
They latched onto his legs just as he landed, dragging him waist-deep into the ground, leaving only his upper body exposed.
> "When did you plant another shadow clone?" Shō muttered, already conceding defeat in his mind.
He looked up to see a second Kakashi appear from behind. There was no way his opponent had cast a clone mid-battle—it had been prepared beforehand.
> "I brought more than one before the match started," Kakashi explained as his clone dispelled in a puff of white smoke.
He looked exhausted but not smug. It wasn't his nature.
> "I was too naïve…" Shō admitted with a bitter smile. "Didn't plan ahead. I deserve to be out."
---
> "So now we're down to three," Jiraiya said softly, as Kazuhiko rose from the crater at last, revealing himself fully for the first time since the battle began.
He looked frail, barely standing with the help of his insects, but wore a confident smirk nonetheless.
Shō, leaning dazedly against a shattered wall, was red-skinned—burned from head to toe. The plan had been straightforward: soak in toad oil, ignite, and charge like a fiery meteor. Shō had set him ablaze before launch.
But the flames had burned him too. Shō had no choice but to keep spinning to dissipate the heat. At this point, he didn't seem capable of further combat.
Kazuhiko's only remaining threat was Kakashi—and even he looked drained.
Despite only a quarter of his insects surviving, Kazuhiko still had enough chakra to direct them. He couldn't use complex jutsu anymore, but he could cover the field with chakra-leeching parasites.
Half the swarm buzzed toward Kakashi. The rest advanced on the weakened Shō.
---
"Now!" Kakashi shouted suddenly, his voice calm but firm. The timing was too precise.
Kazuhiko felt a cold dread. He tried to move—but pain shot through his legs like lightning, sending him collapsing face-first.
Before he could recover, white-hot light erupted around him from carefully drawn seals hidden underground.
"Boom!"
The ground around Kazuhiko detonated in a controlled explosion, the blast consuming the deep pit in an instant.
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