The Cloud Village's Chunin Exams skipped written tests and survival challenges. It was straight-up, no-nonsense arena battles: win and move on, lose and get out. This suited Kazama just fine.
As he stepped onto the stage, he'd already checked the participant list and spotted the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii. But to face her, he first had to take down the scar-faced ninja in front of him, Kuroya.
"Lord Raikage, you've arrived!" an attendant said, ushering the Fourth Raikage to his seat in the stands.
"Any promising fighters this year?" the Raikage asked.
"Quite a few, actually—Darui, Xi, Yugito… but there's also a Leaf ninja who showed up today."
"What?!" The Fourth Raikage's eyes widened. "You're saying Konoha sent a ninja to our Cloud Village's Chunin Exams?"
"That's right. He's officially registered."
"How many? Where are they?"
The Raikage knew tensions between the Cloud and Leaf Villages were high. He was eager to see what kind of gutsy Konoha ninja would dare enter their exams.
"Just one, named Sanada Kazama. He's about to face Kuroya."
"Sanada Kazama? Never heard of him. I thought the Third Hokage would send someone from the Uchiha, Hyuga, or Aburame clans," the Raikage said, disappointed. "And his luck's rotten, facing Kuroya in the first round!"
The attendant eagerly hyped up Kuroya's record. "Kuroya's the youngest captain of our assassination squad. He's been on missions for years, missing past Chunin Exams, so he's still a Genin. But his strength? It's Jonin-level, no question."
"Not bad," the Raikage nodded, clearly dismissing Kazama as a threat. "I wonder what that old fox, the Third Hokage, is playing at, sending a ninja to our exams. Didn't Konoha just hold their own Chunin Exams?"
"I'm not sure, sir. But with our tense relationship with Konoha, if Kuroya accidentally kills this Leaf ninja in the arena…"
"Send word to the guards below," the Raikage interrupted. "If the Leaf ninja's life is in danger, stop the fight immediately. Peace is hard-won—I don't want a war with Konoha over this."
"Understood! But even if we can't kill the kid, we can cripple him. Show Konoha and the Land of Fire the Cloud Village's strength!" the attendant suggested.
"Sounds good!" the Raikage agreed.
Just as they assumed Kazama was doomed, the referee below signaled the start of the match.
"Kid, you think you can cause trouble in my Cloud Village? Ready to die?" Kuroya taunted.
Kazama shook his head, exasperated. "Like I told you, it was self-defense. That Kuruki Ichiro was trying to kill me. If I hadn't taken him out, I'd be the one dead."
"Enough talk! Kuruki Ichiro was a punk, but it's not your place to deal with him! Lightning Style: Shuriken Clone Technique!"
With a roar, Kuroya unleashed a storm of shuriken at Kazama, each crackling with Lightning Style, boosting their speed and destructive power to the max.
"This Konoha kid's done for. Kuroya's Lightning Shuriken is his trump card!" a spectator jeered.
"Yeah, as an assassination squad captain, Kuroya's killed thousands with that move!"
"No way around it—the kid's bad luck for facing our Captain Kuroya first."
"You're dead, brat!" Kuroya snarled.
In the same instant, he used the Body Flicker Technique to flash behind Kazama, cutting off his escape.
Against anyone else, this would've been a death sentence. But Kuroya was up against Kazama, whose body was fortified by the Indestructible Diamond defense.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of sharp clashes rang out. The barrage of shuriken either bounced off Kazama or were incinerated by the Volcanic Stone Flame coating his skin.
"This… this can't be!" The crowd below was stunned.
Even Kuroya, standing behind Kazama, was floored. He'd never seen anyone tank his Lightning Shuriken like that.
"You're not my real target, so I don't have time to waste on you. See ya!" Kazama said.
Before Kuroya could react, Kazama spun and delivered a swift roundhouse kick, sending him crashing off the stage.
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