Shinju curled his lip.
"Like you held back last time."
The grudge between him and Kankurō had started from the moment this guy swaggered into the village.
Now, it was time to settle it.
"Don't get cocky. I'll let my Crow show you your place!"
Kankurō shouted irritably.
As soon as he finished, he formed hand seals.
Almost at the same instant, Shinju hurled a Flying Thunder God kunai.
The kunai shot straight toward Kankurō!
In the blink of an eye, Shinju pressed his hand into a Rasengan, teleporting beside the kunai with the Flying Thunder God Technique and driving the swirling sphere into Kankurō's chest!
"Whirrr!!"
The violent chakra slammed into Kankurō's chest, blasting him flat onto the ground.
But under the impact of the Rasengan, Kankurō's clothes tore apart—revealing what was beneath.
Shinju froze.
Instead of flesh, his opponent's insides were made of wood—like a puppet!
Something's off!
This wasn't Kankurō at all!
Realizing instantly, Shinju leapt backward.
Sure enough, the "Kankurō" he had knocked down shed its disguise, revealing the puppet—Crow!
The crowd roared in surprise at Kankurō's trick.
At that moment, the bundle on Crow's back suddenly burst open with a rip of bandages. Kankurō's real body emerged from inside, kunai gripped in his hand.
"Too bad your Flying Thunder God was so fast. Otherwise, this kunai would've nailed you, and you'd have lost." Kankurō said with a hint of regret.
Shinju narrowed his eyes.
"Clever. You disguised your puppet as yourself and hid in the sack meant for it, planning a sneak attack, huh?"
"Didn't work out, though."
Kankurō sighed.
That chance just now had been his only shot. But against someone with the Flying Thunder God, there wouldn't be another.
"You already wasted your only opportunity. Now that your trick is exposed, you don't stand a chance."
Shinju spread his hands.
He had to admit, Kankurō had some skill as a puppeteer.
Just… not enough.
ヽ( ￣д￣;)ノ
With those words, Shinju flickered beside him in an instant, kunai pressing against Kankurō's throat.
"I give up."
Kankurō's face was helpless.
Shinju had marked Crow with the Flying Thunder God seal during the Rasengan strike. As a puppeteer, Kankurō's taijutsu was weak—if anyone got too close, he was done for.
And Shinju's close-quarters strength was overwhelming.
"Figures. That redhead's ridiculously strong," Temari muttered from the stands.
"He's the strongest in this exam. Other than me, none of you can beat him."
Gaara crossed his arms, his gaze cold.
Not far from Gaara, Naruto pumped his fist excitedly.
"Awesome! Shinju crushed him with overwhelming power!"
"The Flying Thunder God is insane. Always striking where you least expect it," Sasuke said.
Gekko Gekkō, the proctor who had been watching all along, sighed in awe.
"No matter how many times I see the Flying Thunder God, it always leaves me shaken."
"So the Yellow Flash finally has a successor…"
The first battle was decided.
Shinju, after winning, didn't leave right away.
He wanted to watch the remaining matches carefully and prepare for the finals a month later.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll never lose a hundred battles.
...
The second match was Aburame Shino versus a Hidden Rain shinobi.
Shino barely moved, standing in place while his insects swarmed forward. His opponent panicked and surrendered outright.
Once again, Shinju saw the variety of shinobi arts—puppets, bugs, even dogs like Inuzuka Kiba.
Next was Rock Lee versus Gaara.
Though Lee's taijutsu couldn't compare with Shinju's, he was still one of the best among genin.
Opening the Fifth Gate gave him strength and speed far beyond the ordinary.
Against most opponents, he would've won quickly.
But against Gaara, he struggled.
Gaara's sand shielded his entire body—a near-absolute defense that countered every direction of attack.
Lee managed to break through at times, but Gaara was no pushover.
In the end, Lee lost.
Because Lee refused to yield, Gaara crushed his left leg into a comminuted fracture with sand!
Might Guy appeared to carry him away.
"With injuries like that, Bushy Brow might never be a shinobi again…" Naruto said sadly after watching the brutal fight.
At first, Lee's challenge to Shinju had left a bad impression.
But his unwavering spirit, his refusal to give up, and that burning "flame of youth" he shared with Guy-sensei… it moved everyone present.
"Who knows. Once the matches end, let's go check on him," Shinju said.
...
After a few more battles, Sasuke's turn came.
His opponent was a member of Kabuto's team.
Thanks to Shinju's sealing techniques, the Curse Mark had little influence on Sasuke. He still wielded both ninjutsu and the Sharingan freely.
After a few exchanges, Sasuke secured victory.
Then came Neji versus Hinata.
Chōji versus a Hidden Rain ninja.
Shikamaru versus…
...
The ninth match: Naruto versus Inuzuka Kiba!
At first, Kiba was relieved.
After all, back at the Academy, Naruto was infamous as the dead last.
Facing him felt like a free ticket to the finals.
But Naruto proved just how much he had grown.
After a tough fight, Kiba went down.
"Naruto, you won. You've really grown fast." Kiba said sincerely after the loss.
Naruto's face was bruised all over, but he stood tall.
(◍ ´꒳` ◍)
Shaking Kiba's hand, he grinned.
"I'm working hard to become Hokage!"
Finally, all ten battles were over.
The finalists were:
Shinju, Gaara, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Nara Shikamaru, Hyūga Neji, Temari, Shino, Tenten, and one Hidden Rain shinobi.
Out of the ten, seven were from Konoha.
Gekko Gekkō nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright then, everyone. We'll meet again in a month."
"I hope none of you disappoint me."
...
Between the preliminaries and the finals lay a full month.
Shinju and his team decided to use it to sharpen their strength.
So, they went to find Kakashi.
The moment Kakashi saw the three, he immediately guessed their intentions and felt a headache coming on.
"What a hassle…"
"My ninjutsu suits Sasuke better, since he has the Sharingan."
"As for Naruto, I've arranged a new teacher for him."
Shinju, seeing Sasuke and Naruto already assigned, quickly pointed at himself.
"What about me, Kakashi-sensei?!"
Kakashi: "You…"
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