In the viewing stands, the pupils of the Third Kazekage and Ōnoki contracted sharply once again.
Earth Grudge Fear?!
That's Kakuzu's arm!
"Earth Grudge Fear…" The Third Kazekage spoke in a low, restrained voice, his gaze locked onto the grotesque arm coiled around Hiroki's waist. "That is Kakuzu's technique."
"Sarutobi!" Ōnoki suddenly rose into the air, chakra lifting his short body from his seat. His expression was a mix of disbelief and horror. "Kakuzu—did Konoha kill him?!"
That question carried more weight than the inexplicable instant knockouts from moments earlier.
Kakuzu was no ordinary rogue ninja.
He was a living legend of their era—a monster who had survived battle with the First Hokage himself. An immortal taboo of the underground world, infamous for his undying body and mastery over all five chakra natures.
Ōnoki had personally witnessed the overwhelming might of god-like figures such as Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama. Even by those standards, Kakuzu was a name that demanded caution.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly lifted his pipe.
Under the sharp, almost murderous gazes of the other two Kage, he calmly lit it, took a measured drag, and let the smoke curl around his face.
"Kill him?" Hiruzen chuckled softly, his tone light but carrying undeniable authority. "No. We did not."
He gestured downward with the pipe, pointing toward Hiroki below, as if discussing something entirely mundane.
"During a mission in the Land of Rain, Kakuzu foolishly attacked my disciple, Orochimaru. As a result, we sealed him."
The smoke drifted lazily through the air.
"That arm," Hiruzen added, "is merely a trophy."
Boom.
The minds of Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage went completely blank.
Sealed… Kakuzu?
Not killed—sealed?!
"He was a participant?" Ōnoki asked sharply, his eyes narrowing.
"Of course," Hiruzen replied, raising an eyebrow with faint, deliberate confusion. If the boy had not been a participant, then why would he possess a trophy taken during a mission?
Ōnoki took several deep breaths, struggling to steady himself.
As he stared at the unnervingly calm black-haired youth below, a bone-deep chill crawled from his feet straight up his spine.
Konoha…
Bringing that stubborn, rebellious Roshi along had been the correct decision after all.
The Third Kazekage remained silent.
His thoughts drifted to Bunpuku—the ancient immortal who would rather rot away in a Hidden Sand prison than ever set foot in Konoha. For the first time, the Kazekage felt genuine regret.
He should have tied the old man up and dragged him here by force.
—
Despite everything, the arena was no longer as quiet as before.
The first incident—two ninja collapsing without any visible cause—had been too incomprehensible, too abstract. But now, with a tangible and grotesque object involved, the shock was easier to process.
At least, that was true for the lower-ranked ninja.
Most of the audience lacked the clearance to know what Earth Grudge Fear truly was. Many had never even heard of it. The technique had been lost within Takigakure for nearly three or four decades.
To them, Hiroki was simply terrifying—unnatural, even sinister—but not incomprehensible.
In fact, for many, the shock was still less than watching Sasori manipulate four puppets at once.
"Ahem."
Iruka Umino finally recovered enough to speak. He glanced uneasily at the strange tension between the three Kage, then looked back at the frightened examinees below.
Forcing his voice to remain steady, he announced, "In that case… does anyone wish to challenge the victor?"
His gaze swept across the arena.
Soon, defeated examinees began gathering around other winners from the first round—Pakura, Minato, and several others. Sasori, having lost earlier, quickly selected a different target among the victors from the smaller villages.
Only around Hiroki did an invisible vacuum form.
A circle nearly ten meters wide, completely empty.
No one looked in his direction.
No one dared approach him.
The subsequent matches proceeded swiftly.
Ninja from smaller villages like Hidden Grass and Hidden Waterfall were eliminated one after another, falling to Sasori or unlucky challengers from the larger villages. The arena gradually filled with noise once more, but almost everyone instinctively avoided looking toward the black-haired youth sitting quietly at the edge of the field.
Hiroki yawned.
He was genuinely bored.
Unlike last time—when he had at least been showing off—this time there was no feedback. No awe-filled stares. No whispered admiration.
It is a well-known truth: when you deliberately try to look cool and receive no emotional response, you get sleepy very quickly.
Hiroki's attention drifted inward.
He reviewed his Ninjutsu and quietly summarized the gains from incapacitating the two Iwagakure ninja.
As always, the method was straightforward.
He forcibly connected to the opponent, initiated Brain Overload, and modified their physiological data. The key question, however, was how he established that forced connection.
The principle itself was simple.
It was the same method Orochimaru had once used on him.
In Hiroki's System, every individual's body and spirit operate on an internal network formed by their chakra. Each network broadcasts a unique "network name"—a chakra frequency and fluctuation exclusive to that person.
When a ninja releases perception or chakra, this internal network becomes detectable.
By mimicking the opponent's chakra frequency—adjusting his own chakra to appear familiar and non-threatening—Hiroki could trick the opponent's system into recognizing his chakra as its own.
Just like a device automatically connecting to a known Wi-Fi network.
Once the connection was established, it no longer mattered whether Hiroki injected Genjutsu, corrupted data, or a destructive program.
Brain Overload flooded the mind with temporary thought files.
Lethal muscle-growth scripts altered physiological systems.
Even Ninjutsu could be cut, copied, and stored.
And all of this could be achieved through something as simple as eye contact.
Of course, the method was not invincible.
If an opponent completely avoided Hiroki's line of sight and refrained from using conventional sensory techniques that exposed their chakra network, they could theoretically evade forced connection.
—
Just as Hiroki was drifting in thought, the fighting concluded.
"The combat portion has ended!" the examiner announced. "We will now proceed to the second round!"
"The Chunin Promotion Exam! This stage will test teamwork and combat coordination! Regardless of victory or defeat, anyone who performs exceptionally may be promoted to Chunin!"