Zwei vs. Zaku Abumi
Orochimaru's subtle smile didn't escape Mitsuro's notice.
"Huh?!"
Daiki descended the stairs with slow steps. Unlike when the Chunin Exam began, he wasn't wearing his goggles; his face was scratched and his clothes were badly torn.
Mitsuro's heart began to pound:
"Don't tell me..."
Zaku Abumi faced Daiki, his expression full of excitement.
Up on the viewing terrace, Karin murmured Daiki's name anxiously, and Shibuki leaned closer to the railing for a better view.
Fū yelled at the top of her lungs, "Zwei! Don't you dare lose! You can do it!"
"Begin!"
As Gekko Hayate announced the start, Zaku immediately pointed his hand at Daiki. A wave of compressed air shot out from the holes in his palm.
"Decapitating Airwaves!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Daiki pulled back and reached into his ninja pouch to throw a few shuriken. But then, his body's rhythm began to falter... His heart rate quickly became erratic, and his body felt stiff. His chakra was starting to become disrupted.
His foot slipped, and he dropped to one knee.
Zaku instantly aimed his hand, firing two powerful blasts of air toward him. Daiki barely managed to twist away, rolling across the ground.
Mitsuro's hands began to tremble. Now, he fully understood the danger.
The flow of chakra in Daiki's body gradually began to change—it was as if his entire reserve had suddenly been drained.
Zaku, seeing Daiki's weakness, seized the chance. He aimed both hands at Daiki: "If you can, try escaping this!"
"Sound Wave Slash!"
A much stronger wave of wind was thrown at Daiki, who was barely back on his feet. The massive blast slammed into him as he tried to dodge, pinning him violently against the hall wall.
A long gasp escaped Daiki's mouth before he fell back to the floor. Despite the pain, he struggled to rise again.
Zaku looked down at Daiki with contempt. "You're quite resilient, aren't you? Stand up again, and I'll actually kill you!"
Rage was slowly taking him over. He forced himself to his feet and lunged at Zaku.
Zaku sneered and easily leapt aside. "Too slow!" He tried to kick Daiki in the chest to knock him down, but Daiki quickly evaded. Instead, Daiki countered with a kick of his own, sending Zaku reeling back.
Zaku stumbled a few steps but kept his balance. He aimed his hands at Daiki, shouting in frustration, "I've been too soft on you!"
"Decapitating Airwaves! "
He unleashed an even greater force of air pressure toward Daiki. The violent wind hit the ground and missed. It was only Daiki's good luck that Zaku hadn't aimed correctly, or Daiki would have certainly been in deep trouble this time.
Still, Daiki felt a strange wave inside his body and his head spun. He couldn't grasp what had happened, but Zaku explained with a smirk that his air pressure could inject sound waves into the body's water, increasing pressure on the inner ear and causing dizziness.
He then laughed and declared, "You don't stand a chance against me! Just give up now!"
Daiki lowered his head. "You said you use sound and air, right? Then try this!"
He painstakingly gathered his remaining chakra. Suddenly, he placed two fingers on his lips and let out an incredibly high-pitched sound with all his might!
Zaku's body seemed to freeze instantly... his vision slowly blurred... Daiki sprinted toward him to finish the fight with one punch, but his chakra pulsed violently again.
Orochimaru's smile widened.
Suddenly, the comma-like mark on Daiki's neck looked like it had ignited... it rippled and slowly began to cover his body.
The agony of the Cursed Seal erupted from his neck. Daiki let out a short scream. His vision darkened, and he felt his control slipping away.
"Aghhhhh!"
Black veins began to protrude from Daiki's neck, spreading across his face and torso. His chakra exploded, scattering a wave of chaotic, dark energy around him.
Daiki's Genjutsu was instantly canceled.
Karin screamed in terror, "Daiki!"
Zaku, who never expected a ninja from Takigakure to pull off a sound Genjutsu, quickly backed away. "You trash! I'll destroy you right now!"
He raised his hand to launch another air blast, but he was too late.
Daiki, with most of his body now covered by the black seal band, landed a solid punch directly on Zaku's face, sending him flying backward. Zaku barely stayed on his feet, blood dripping from his mouth. He quickly raised his guard for the next attack, but Daiki wasn't charging.
He was standing still, his eyes squeezed shut, covering his face with one hand.
"Damn it! Damn it!" he began to yell.
Then, he dropped his hand and slowly opened his eyes.
Mitsuro, watching the unfolding horror, felt a wave of dread. He knew it was over...
Daiki's eyes opened, turning a shocking crimson, much to the surprise of everyone present. His Two-Tomoe Sharingan had activated.
"It's too late,"
Mitsuro inwardly lamented.
Mitsuro felt all his careful plans crumbling. His fists clenched so tightly that his fingernails pierced his own palm, drawing blood.
Naruto's voice rang out from the terrace: "Huh?! He has a Sharingan too, just like Sasuke!"
Sasuke, who was already aware of the mark, simply stared at the fight with a serious, intense expression.
All the Konoha Jonin frowned. Kakashi put his hand under his chin and muttered to himself, "An Uchiha born outside of Konoha? Is that even possible?"
Daiki instantly appeared behind Zaku: "I'm done with your ridiculous Jutsu!"
CRACK.
Zaku's arm twisted unnaturally.
"Ouch!"
Daiki, wearing a repulsive smile, stated, "I'm going to kill you!"
He then used a kunai to slice through both of Zaku's hands.
Blood spattered into the air.
His speed was too great for most of the Genin to follow. Zaku writhed in agony and collapsed to the ground before everyone's stunned eyes.
But Daiki, with a terrifying grin now plastered on his face, lunged forward to finish him. Before he could strike, Mitsuro suddenly appeared in front of him, placing a hand on Daiki's forehead. Gekko Hayate appeared behind Daiki at the same moment, pressing his hand on his shoulder to stop his movement.
Mitsuro announced in a strained voice, "This fight ends here!"
Orochimaru, having seen enough to enjoy, took a step back and did not interfere to save Zaku.
Mitsuro sent a pulse of chakra into Daiki's head, knocking him unconscious. As Daiki passed out, the seal began to retreat, condensing back into the three comma-like marks on the back of his neck.
Mitsuro preempted Gekko Hayate's official call and announced, "The winner is Zwei, from Takigakure."