The stands were buzzing with discussion. Although Hyūga Shigeo had claimed the gold chest with his own hands yesterday, very few in the audience actually favored him for today's event.
"Who did you bet on?" Maito Gai grinned, waving his ticket as he nudged Kakashi in the escort seats.
"Uchiha Itachi," Kakashi replied flatly. "If it hadn't been for his teammates dragging him down yesterday, he would've already won. You?"
Yesterday, neither of them had placed bets, but today, with the chance before them, they wouldn't miss it. Nara Shikaku had even cleaned up yesterday, secretly betting on Team 3.
"Captain Nara, who's your pick today?" Gai asked, smirking mysteriously, his hand covering his ticket.
"Hyūga Shigeo," Shikaku said plainly.
"Ha! I knew it! Secretly, I picked him too!" Gai burst out, laughing with satisfaction.
Kakashi rolled his eye and sighed. "No vision. You two are just throwing your money away."
On the dais, the announcer's booming voice declared that all competitors should proceed to the second arena.
The western gate of the coliseum creaked open. Fifty-one contestants filed out, heading for the labyrinth outside the city walls.
This was an individual trial—it would be every shinobi for themselves.
This time, no one charged recklessly ahead. Everyone knew the test wasn't about ninjutsu or speed. It was about intellect.
Shigeo walked calmly into the maze. Talismans covered the walls, seals that clearly suppressed chakra use. The other competitors scattered in every direction, each trying their luck. Only Shigeo stayed composed, step by step, as though sensing something strange.
After a quarter-hour, he had already gone deep inside. Silence pressed in around him. It was as if he were completely alone.
"You are Hyūga Shigeo?"
Suddenly, the earth walls behind him slammed shut, cutting off his retreat. Two masked Iwagakure ANBU emerged ahead.
Shigeo understood immediately. So this so-called "friendly exam" was just a trap.
He smirked. "Gentlemen, am I allowed to call for help?"
The two flinched, then charged. "By the order of the Tsuchikage, you must die here. These seals suppress chakra—you can't use ninjutsu. Accept your fate!"
One of them already wove hand seals.
"Doton: Doryūheki no Jutsu!"
Earthen walls erupted, caging Shigeo. Overhead, the ceiling sealed shut. To outsiders, it would just look like part of the labyrinth shifting, but in truth, it was an execution ground.
They thought sealing his chakra made him helpless prey. And with only two ANBU, they expected the kill to be simple.
Shigeo ducked aside, countering with a rapid spin and a series of kicks. His strikes forced the ANBU back.
Without chakra, a shinobi was just a human.
Even someone like Rock Lee, famed for pure taijutsu, still needed chakra to strengthen his blows. Shigeo, locked down by the seals, couldn't draw on ninjutsu at all. If he unleashed Sage Mode to break the suppression, it would expose him and cost him disqualification.
He remembered his promise to the Sandaime: win this exam. He wasn't about to throw that away, especially not to give those Konoha brats an excuse to mock him later.
So, two options: steal the enemy's release tag… or make one himself.
He pressed forward with taijutsu, trying to pickpocket their seals. But after grappling and searching, he found nothing—they must've hidden the talismans against their skin.
A sudden kick sent him sprawling. One ANBU molded earth, the other water, trying to entomb him alive.
But Shigeo leapt past them, landing behind their backs. By the time they turned, he held brush and paper in hand.
The two stared in disbelief. Was he actually trying to write his own解除封印 (kai jufu, Release Seal)? Impossible! Iwa's sealing arts weren't as legendary as the lost Uzumaki clan, but they were among the best in the world. A child couldn't possibly counter them.
They lunged, kunai flashing.
"Doton—!"
The ground vanished beneath him. A pit trap yawned open.
Shigeo almost dropped, but jammed the end of his brush into the wall, suspending himself above the abyss.
One ANBU rushed in, kunai aimed for his heart.
"Got him!" the second sneered.
But Shigeo twisted, letting the blade scrape past, and dashed toward the earth-style user. His intent was clear: take down the jutsu caster first.
Yet without chakra, could he even manage it?
Both ANBU relaxed as they saw him stumble. Just a few steps across the wall—and his footing gave way. He fell into the pit.
"Bury him!" the earth-user barked.
"Doton: Great Burial!"
The soil surged, collapsing to smother him once and for all.
(End of Chapter)
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