Final
On the second day of the Chūnin Exams, Shirō, Minato, and Kitsuchi stood before the referee to draw lots.
The results were as follows: Kitsuchi would fight Minato first, then Minato would face Shirō, and finally Shirō would battle Kitsuchi.
To claim the championship, one had to win both matches. If each of the three lost once, then a free-for-all would be held, and the last one standing would be crowned the ultimate victor.
For Konoha, this arrangement was favorable—two of the three finalists were their shinobi.
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Minato vs. Kitsuchi
The referee signaled the start, and Kitsuchi cracked his knuckles, sizing up his younger opponent.
"Why not surrender?" he said with confidence. "The age gap between us is insurmountable."
"That's not necessarily true." Minato's tone was calm, polite. "No more talk—please, enlighten me, senior."
"Heh… very well. Come."
"Then, pardon me."
With a flick of his wrist, Minato sent several specially-marked kunai flying across the field and immediately closed in.
Kitsuchi dodged the first volley and swiftly wove hand seals.
"Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique!"
His body grew lighter, his movements sharper—only with this technique could he hope to match Minato's speed. Without it, the fight would have ended before it began.
The clash of steel followed. Clang! Their kunai and fists collided in a furious Taijutsu exchange. At such speed, Ninjutsu requiring long seals was impractical.
From the stands, Shirō analyzed every movement. He noted Minato's habits carefully: the occasional kunai knocked from his hand, the subtle timing of his replacements. Kitsuchi, taller and more experienced, thought little of it. But Shirō, wary of Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique, looked closer.
With Clairvoyance, he noticed something others would have missed—when Minato crouched and touched the ground, faint markings flickered into existence.
Those are Flying Thunder God formulae… He's seeding the field with teleportation points!
Shirō's stomach tightened. Minato's technique wasn't yet perfected—some markings were faint or incomplete—but even so, in a real battle, it was terrifying. Most shinobi would assume avoiding his thrown kunai was enough, only to be blindsided when he reappeared from a mark carved into the ground.
No wonder Tobirama was feared across the continent… Even half-complete, Hiraishin changes the entire battlefield.
But exposing those marks carried risk. Hiraishin seals were permanent unless erased. If enemy villages discovered where Minato had carved them, they could identify weak points or even launch assaults. Shirō instantly imagined a future tactic: entering an enemy stronghold with Minato, projecting countless weapons, unleashing Broken Phantasms in an overwhelming strike, then retreating instantly through Flying Thunder God.
The thought was enough to make him set aside the fantasy—Konoha would never allow such secrets to be revealed carelessly.
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The Turning Point
Back on the field, Kitsuchi smirked as his Earth Clone distracted Minato.
"I admit, you're strong, but too young! This ends now!" He slammed his palms together.
"Earth Release: Mountain Jutsu!"
The ground surged upward—two massive domes of rock collapsing toward Minato.
But before they struck, Minato's voice came from behind Kitsuchi:
"You're right—the battle is over."
"What?!" Kitsuchi's eyes widened. Pain lanced through his back as Minato's kunai struck. Even with his Hardening Technique active, the blade had cut deep.
"When… when did you—?!" Kitsuchi choked, disbelief etched on his face.
"You lost," Minato said simply, withdrawing his kunai.
It wasn't an ordinary kunai strike. From the stands, Shirō had seen it clearly—Minato's blade was sharpened with Wind Release nature transformation, slicing through Kitsuchi's hardened body like paper.
Kitsuchi, breathing heavily, managed a bitter chuckle. "So that's… the Fourth Hokage's genius… I lost."
The referee declared Minato the victor.
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Observations
Shirō narrowed his eyes. Wind Release… and at his age, he's already learned nature transformation?
It wasn't something just anyone could achieve. Most genin and even many chūnin had no grasp of elemental manipulation at this stage. But Minato, with the guidance of Konoha's elite, had already begun refining it. Talent combined with mentorship—no wonder his growth was meteoric.
This was why Shirō worked so hard to earn the Hokage's trust. His system gave him knowledge, yes, but fragmented and incomplete. Projection and Reinforcement could only carry him so far without proper guidance. Minato's progress showed the difference between raw talent with support and talent without it.
And with that realization, Shirō's confidence wavered. Facing Minato directly would not be easy. He had a premonition—this time, he might lose two battles in a row.
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Elsewhere in the Stands
The referee's announcement rang through the arena. Minato advanced, leaving Shirō to prepare in the lounge.
But in the Kage box, the mood was grim.
The Third Kazekage's expression was thunderous. He had poured resources into this Chūnin Exam, intending for Sunagakure to secure victory and bolster its reputation. Instead, Suna had been eliminated before the finals.
The stage now belongs to Konoha and Iwagakure.
Minato, wielder of Tobirama's fearsome legacy, already stood out as a prodigy who would one day rival legends. Shirō, though mysterious, had shown combat instincts beyond his peers. And Kitsuchi, though defeated, had proven his mastery of Earth Release to be Jōnin-level.
For Sunagakure, this was a humiliation. For the other villages, it was confirmation: a new generation of monsters was rising in Konoha.