As everyone else wracked their brains but still failed to answer correctly, Hyuga Shigeo breezed through the maze, cutting down challenge after challenge. Dozens of questions came at him, and it was as if he already knew every answer—he passed them all with ease, weaving through the winding paths until he finally emerged from the exit.
The moment he appeared at the worktable outside the maze, the live broadcast cameras zoomed in on his face. Inside Wucheng's grand spectator arena, the crowd erupted in shouts.
Though the second event wasn't nearly as thrilling as the first, because it was an individual competition and few had bet on Shigeo, his early victory made many spectators groan in disappointment.
At the second venue's exit, Might Guy rushed forward, sweeping Shigeo up in a hug.
"Wow! You're brilliant, I can't believe you got through so fast! Nothing happened inside, right? Everything's okay?"
"Don't worry, Guy-sensei. Nothing at all," Shigeo replied with a smile.
Meanwhile, Guy was already pulling out his betting slips, calculating his winnings with glee. At his side, Kakashi silently reassessed the boy. Two victories in a row—was that really just luck?
While Shigeo had cleared the maze, many others were still trapped inside, their frustration spilling over.
"What kind of ridiculous questions are these? Who comes up with this stuff?"
"This makes no sense! That can't possibly be the right answer!"
By the end, the second round concluded with Shigeo in first place again, Uchiha Itachi in second, and a Mist Village ninja in third.
…
On the third day, the final stage of the joint examinations began. This time, the matches were held in the central arena itself. The massive platform in the middle had been dismantled, and the announcers moved to one side of the stands.
The hosts explained that the last trial was once more an individual contest. The 51 participants would draw lots to face each other in one-on-one matches, with the winners advancing to the next round. Because the number was odd, whoever drew lot number 51 would advance directly into the final showdown.
The process would continue until only 13 remained—the 12 duel winners plus the one with the automatic pass—who would then all brawl in a single chaotic melee. Whoever stood last would be crowned champion, with the others ranked according to their performance.
The rules promised a lively and brutal spectacle, and after yesterday's quieter puzzle contest, the crowd was buzzing with excitement.
Many had already placed bets on their favorites. Though plenty still doubted Shigeo's strength, some gamblers saw fortune in his uncanny streak of luck. Among them were Konoha's own mentors, Nara Shikaku and Might Guy.
"You two really put your money on Shigeo again?" Kakashi asked as he eyed their betting slips. "I've got a feeling Itachi will win this one. He reminds me of myself at that age."
Guy huffed, unconvinced. "Well, Shigeo reminds me of me when I was a kid, right, Shikaku-sensei?"
Shikaku cleared his throat, avoiding a direct answer. He knew Shigeo wasn't like Guy. The boy was sharp, resilient, and watchful. He saw more than he let on, though he rarely spoke of it.
Take yesterday, for example. Shigeo had claimed nothing happened in the maze, but Shikaku didn't believe it. His clothes, his pack, and even his shoes bore traces of soil and dampness—clear signs of Earth and Water Style jutsu used against him. Yet he'd said nothing.
As for today's competition, on the surface it seemed fair. But why end with a free-for-all among the last twelve? That raised questions Shikaku didn't like the answers to.
"Shikaku-sensei, who did you bet on?" Guy asked, noticing the man had no betting slip in hand.
"I didn't bet this round," Shikaku replied, glancing toward the sky where heavy clouds gathered. "Just a hunch."
High up in the stands, cloaked in black, a lone figure looked down at the 51 children assembled below, a faint smile curling his lips.
The lots were drawn. When Shigeo unfolded his slip to reveal number 51, pandemonium erupted in the crowd.
"Get out, you little brat! You cost me two rounds already, you lucky bastard!" someone shouted, crumpling a newspaper and hurling it into the arena.
That act sparked a chain reaction. Soon, a hail of paper rained down on the stadium, filling the air in a wild storm.
Even Shigeo's mouth dropped open at the spectacle.
"Wow… impressive."
"Throw him out! He's not worthy of being a ninja! First time he just lucked into it, second time he coasted on riddles, and now he wins by sheer dumb fortune again? Why him?"
On the Konoha side, his peers' faces were flushed with shame. Why should he, of all people, advance directly while they struggled for every inch?
"He must've rigged it," one muttered.
"No way," another countered. "The organizers are Iwa and Taki. Didn't you see the way they looked at him? Like they wanted him dead. Why would they help him cheat?"
Suspicion and resentment swirled in the stands, but over in the Iwa officials' office, confusion reigned.
"What happened? Weren't we supposed to plant lot 51 for Deidara? How did that brat get it?"
They had hidden the slip in a false bottom, impossible to spot even with the Byakugan. And yet Shigeo had plucked it without hesitation.
What they didn't know was that while his eyes might not see, his mirrored sensory ability was sharper than any standard detection jutsu. Every trick they had tried was laid bare to him.
Their plan had been to force him into open matches, expose his techniques, and wear him down. Instead, Shigeo had turned their scheme against them, claiming the free pass with ease.
(End of Chapter)
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