The moment Senju Yosuke finished speaking, Hatake Sakumo instantly vanished into a blur, appearing beside Akasuna with lightning speed.
His movements were so fast they dazzled the eyes, light and swift like a gust of wind.
Drawing his short blade, its edge gleamed coldly, and in an instant, a white crescent-shaped slash filled Akasuna's entire vision.
It was a blade arc like a new moon—sharp and deadly—sending a strong chill through Akasuna.
His pupils contracted, heart pounding wildly, and he quickly activated Body Flicker to retreat.
At the same time, the scroll in his hand silently unfurled.
"Clang~"
In the next moment, three puppets dressed in white jackets quietly appeared.
Though his reaction speed was already very fast, against an opponent like Hatake Sakumo, it was still insufficient.
Because in that instant, Sakumo's short blade was already pressed against Akasuna's neck, freezing his movement in place.
The blade was pressed tightly against Akasuna's carotid artery; with just a slight push, Sakumo could easily end his life.
At that moment, the entire examination hall seemed to fall into silence.
Akasuna's defeat came too quickly, too suddenly.
Some spectators who had just turned to speak found the match already over; the speed was astonishing.
The Second Raikage, who had been smiling cheerfully moments ago, now wore a grim expression.
He knew well how crucial this exam was for the Hidden Cloud Village, but the result before him was disappointing.
Watching from the stands, Uchiha Hikaru couldn't help but sigh,
"White Fang really lives up to his name; that blade is incredibly fast."
Just then, Senju Yosuke suddenly appeared in the center of the arena.
He looked around, then loudly announced, "Hatake Sakumo wins!"
The announcement shattered the previous silence.
The hall instantly erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
The audience stood, applauding and celebrating Sakumo's victory.
Sakumo stood in the center, a faint smile on his face.
As the excitement died down, Yosuke continued,
"Next match: Uchiha Hikaru from Konoha versus Dodai from the Hidden Cloud Village, please step forward."
Hearing his name, Uchiha Hikaru slowly rose from the stands.
He glanced at Dodai opposite him and couldn't help but find it amusing.
This unlucky guy had just lost to him yesterday, and now they met again in the first round.
It felt like too much of a coincidence, making Hikaru laugh to himself.
However, when he noticed Uzumaki Mito's teasing smile, he nodded knowingly.
He understood it was all Mito's arrangement.
Perhaps because Mito's expression and setup were too obvious, the Third Raikage's face instantly darkened.
He clenched his fists and shot a furious glance at Mito.
The ground beneath him seemed to sense his anger; with a crisp crack, fine fissures appeared.
But none of this could change what had been decided.
The next moment, Uchiha Hikaru stepped into the arena.
Dodai, wearing a bitter expression, slowly descended from the stands, his back looking lonely and helpless.
When the audience saw Dodai's weak entrance, they booed harshly, clearly dissatisfied with his performance.
And when they saw that Konoha's contestant was just a child, they exclaimed and questioned even more.
"A kid this young is allowed to compete?"
"Even if he's a genius, he's too young."
"I heard this Uchiha Hikaru is still a ninja academy student? What is Konoha thinking?"
The Five Kage on the stands, confused, also began to argue.
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, wanting to save face, was the first to mock:
"Is Konoha out of people? How can they send a child to endure this kind of trial?"
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire wanted to retort but didn't know how.
After all, he was unaware of Hikaru's true situation, which made his face look awkward.
However, just as he was considering how to respond, Dodai from the Hidden Cloud Village suddenly spoke:
"I... surrender..."
Yes, Dodai surrendered.
From Hikaru's eyes, Dodai saw a look of disdain—a gaze more terrifying than murderous intent.
He was afraid. Afraid of dying here without meaning.
Upon hearing Dodai's surrender, the Land of Fire Daimyo's face showed clear delight.
He sneered, saying,
"No way, no way, someone surrendered before even fighting?"
That wasn't all; he then sarcastically added,
"Don't know if the Hidden Cloud Village is out of men, how else would they send such a coward?"
This statement directly targeted the Hidden Cloud Village, causing the Land of Lightning Daimyo to clench his teeth in anger.
The Third Raikage grew even more agitated. He stood up angrily and shouted,
"Bastard! Do you know what you're doing, Dodai?!"
His voice echoed throughout the hall, letting everyone feel his fury.
The Third Raikage was not uncaring toward his comrades, but this exam was simply too important.
No one knew Hikaru's true strength; all they saw was a child.
Yet, Dodai had already surrendered.
This would undoubtedly sink the Hidden Cloud Village's reputation to rock bottom.
Moreover, the Third Raikage knew this directly affected the village's development resources.
It was obvious even without thinking that the Daimyo must be very dissatisfied with the Hidden Cloud Village now.
All of this directly affected the village's resources and prestige.
In fact, Dodai's surrender caused huge losses to the Hidden Cloud Village.
The Third Raikage stared furiously at Dodai, as if trying to bore a hole through him with his gaze.
Dodai bowed his head low, avoiding the Third Raikage's furious stare.
He knew his surrender brought great loss to the village, but he had no courage to face Hikaru's disdainful eyes.
Besides, he had already surrendered; it was clearly too late to say anything.
But when he looked at Hikaru again, he saw the boy's face was serious, with none of the earlier ease.
At that moment, Uzumaki Mito suddenly stood up and shouted,
"Anbu, evacuate the staff!"
The ground suddenly trembled, and a tremendous roar came from afar.
Everyone present looked up. A giant turtle covered in countless spikes had appeared inside Konoha.
As the crowd gasped in terror, another roar echoed.
A massive beast with two horns on its head and eight octopus-like tentacles appeared not far away.
Outside Konoha, a six-winged, tailed beetle rapidly flew toward the scene.
Uzumaki Mito's face changed dramatically as he murmured,
"The Three-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Eight-Tails—all appearing here?!"