The spectators were still under the impression after the end of the match, discussing what they had seen, arguing and sharing their observations. Some admired the Uchiha's talent, others the Uzumaki's strength, but most of the talk was about Kuro.
On the upper tier, leaning on the railing, stood Jiraiya. His face showed a mix of irritation and reluctant acceptance.
Orochimaru, standing nearby, curved his lips into a thin, almost innocent smile.
"Well then," he said softly, not taking his eyes off the arena, "it seems the wager has come to an end."
Jiraiya snorted and turned sharply.
"Don't even start! Why the hell did that Nara not even look tired at the end? Uzumaki is on my team, not yours! Is that even a fair bet?!"
"You were the one who proposed it. Being so confident in your dear students that you completely forgot… who exactly trained them."
"What do you mean?" Jiraiya grumbled, not immediately understanding his friend's words, but soon burst out in indignation. "Hey! Who are you calling a loser, you slimy little snake?!"
Orochimaru chuckled quietly and was about to continue the argument when an annoyed voice came from behind them. Tsunade, standing nearby, rolled her eyes and, as usual, tried to calm her teammates.
"You two—are you adults or academy kids? Maybe stop embarrassing us."
Hearing this, Jiraiya grimaced in annoyance but still admitted defeat.
"Fine, fine. I lost. Make your wish."
"Oh, no need to rush," Orochimaru's voice carried a light mockery. "We still have plenty of time ahead."
A little farther away, in another section of the stands, stood representatives of the Nara clan.
Shikuma Nara watched as Kuro left the arena. His face was calm, but his gaze was focused. Nearby stood Enzo, who tried to hide his joy, though not very successfully.
"He's grown a lot since our last meeting," the clan head spoke first. "And even so, it seems he's not using all his strength."
"Yes," Enzo nodded. "Recently Kuro has been training a lot, and the combat experience from missions has clearly benefited him."
"Are you proud?"
"Of course."
Shikuma shifted his gaze to the arena, where traces of destruction still remained.
"Such a shinobi can significantly strengthen the clan's position in the future. If he continues to grow at the same pace, many opportunities will open for the clan… however—"
Enzo looked at him grimly.
"War."
"Yes, no matter how talented one is, no one is safe on the battlefield," Shikuma replied calmly and glanced around. "And unfortunately, danger does not always come only from external factors."
The very next day after the exam, Kuro went out again to become stronger. He followed his usual route until dense canopies closed above his head. The Forest of Death greeted him with its familiar atmosphere.
His clearing had barely changed, trampled ground, traces of past training, deep grooves from the claws and bodies of enormous beasts.
Kuro stopped right at its center.
"It's time," he said quietly, forming the necessary hand seals.
The shadow beneath his feet trembled. Right during the exam, he had managed to break through the threshold of thirty percent of Sukuna's power, which meant unlocking a new shadow.
"Come out."
The ground beneath him trembled, and the shadow spread outward, expanding greatly as a massive figure slowly began to rise from it.
First came the tusks—long and curved. Then a huge head with sunken eye sockets and black markings on the forehead and crown. The body resembled a mammoth more than a normal elephant. Massive back, heavy knees with dark patterns.
Max Elephant.
With a heavy crash echoing across the clearing, the new shikigami fully emerged into the light. The elephant let out a deep, drawn-out roar and sharply inhaled with its trunk.
Kuro was already leaping away from his spot, because in the next moment a monstrous stream of water burst from the beast's trunk. With tremendous force, it swept away everything in its path. Trees behind Nara cracked, the ground washed away, and the clearing turned into a muddy mess in seconds.
"You're going to be very useful to me," the boy muttered, and forming hand seals again, decided to try a new summoning method. He didn't want to lose one of his shadows to strengthen another, so Kuro immediately decided to merge Yami and Yuki, just as he had done with other types of shikigami before—and surprisingly, it worked.
The symbiosis of the two dogs turned out to be astonishingly strong. It was larger, more massive, its fur denser, claws longer, and its eyes gleamed predatorily.
"Hm," the corner of the boy's lips twitched. "Interesting."
The dog dashed forward. Despite its size, its speed had also increased. Dodging a trunk strike, it drove its claws into the elephant's leg, leaving deep grooves even on its thick hide.
The elephant roared in pain and crashed down with all its weight, the ground trembling beneath it as it cracked apart, and the fused divine dog barely managed to jump back.
"Even that might not be enough," Kuro said calmly.
From his shadow burst forth the Great Serpent. Its long body swiftly wrapped around the massive elephant, trying to restrict its movements.
The rebellious shikigami continued to resist. Twisting sharply, it tried to shake the snake off with its trunk, but it was difficult.
In the next second, the crack of lightning echoed above the clearing. A new figure was already flying through the air, instantly releasing a lightning strike that hit the elephant directly in the head.
Under the continuous assault of three shikigami, the elephant staggered and fell again, shaking the ground with its weight. Kuro quickly appeared above the beast's body and, placing his hand on it, used Cleave.
The massive figure split into hundreds of small pieces and slowly began to dissolve, returning to the shadow of its new master. After the battle, Kuro stood in the middle of the muddy ground, surveying the destruction.
He lowered his gaze to his shadow, and many thoughts immediately flashed through his mind.
Max Elephant is indeed a very useful shikigami. Soon I'll try to use its water stream as a compressed jet without summoning the shadow itself. I should also experiment with combining its water with Nue's lightning. But most importantly, the next shadow will be the long-awaited Round Deer, thanks to which I'll be able to heal ninety-eight percent of injuries. RCT is far more useful than medical ninjutsu.
After taming the new shadow, Kuro's life stabilized and returned to its usual rhythm—training, missions, meeting friends. Soon three months passed, during which life in the village itself changed slightly.
During this time, all members of teams six, seven, nine, and ten successfully received promotions. Minato, Mikoto, Nawaki, Hiashi, Hizashi, Kushina, Choza, Shibi, Tsume, Inoichi, Shikaku, and, of course, Kuro—all of them now proudly wore chunin vests.
That same evening after receiving their rank, all the youth gathered at their favorite place—a small restaurant on the outskirts, where the best barbecue in the village was served. Tables were filled with meat, vegetables, and drinks. Laughter, jokes, and teasing flowed endlessly.
"To the new chunin!" Nawaki raised his cup.
"And may the next exam not be so troublesome," Shikaku added, yawning.
Kuro sat between Mikoto and Kushina. The girls exchanged glances and simultaneously nudged him with their elbows.
"Don't get cocky, winner," Mikoto smiled.
"Believe me, we'll beat you very soon, dattebane!" Kushina added confidently.
Despite the promotion, Team Nine continued to stay together. Orochimaru did not rush to disband them. They still went on missions—from escorting caravans to reconnaissance near the borders. Their sensei became more demanding, but their results improved with each assignment.
One day, returning from another mission, they heard shocking news that spread through the village even faster than the official announcement. A border outpost bordering the Village of Kagero had been attacked.