The Arena.
Just as Uchiha Tekka prepared to move, Kiyohara's right hand hooked inward.
The three shuriken embedded in the floor weren't just projectiles; they were anchors.
Behind them, the almost transparent copper wires pulled taut.
Snap.
Under Kiyohara's control, the electrified triangle collapsed. The wires shrank inward, coiling around Tekka's escape route like a constrictor snake made of lightning.
"Damn it."
Tekka's frown deepened.
His Sharingan saw the trap. He saw the chakra flow. But seeing the future and changing it are two different things. His body was already in motion; he had no leverage to stop.
He twisted mid-air, dodging two of the wires.
But the third one caught him.
CRACK-ZAP!
The wire grazed his forearm.
It didn't cut deep, but the payload was delivered.
A high-voltage current surged through his nervous system. His muscles seized. The synaptic signals misfired.
Tekka froze, his arm numb and useless.
In that split second of paralysis, Kiyohara landed.
Leveraging the momentum from his "impossible" double jump, he blurred forward.
He extended a black Kunai.
The cold steel tip pressed gently against Tekka's throat.
The arena fell silent.
"I... lost."
Tekka exhaled, finally dispelling the lightning chakra with a burst of his own.
But it was too late.
The pride of the Uchiha Clan prevented him from making excuses. His face was flushed with frustration, but he didn't whine. A loss was a loss.
Kiyohara looked at the boy's complex expression and slowly withdrew his weapon.
"Just a fluke," Kiyohara smiled disarmingly.
He wasn't being humble; he was being honest.
Without the Missing-nin overriding his physical limiters for that jump, he would have been hit by the shuriken.
'Unfortunately for you,' Kiyohara thought, 'my Urn is a higher-tier cheat than your Sharingan.'
"Winner, Kiyohara!" the referee announced, his voice echoing through the stands.
Up in the stands, Hyūga Tetsu leaned forward.
His veins bulged around his eyes. The Byakugan was active.
Generally, the Sharingan sees Chakra flow and kinetic prediction.
The Byakugan sees everything—chakra points (Tenketsu), muscle fibers, and internal organs.
Tetsu frowned.
'That final jump...'
He saw the muscle fibers in Kiyohara's core contract with violence that should have torn them apart. It defied normal biomechanics for a Genin.
"A secret technique?" Tetsu mused. "Or a forbidden drug?"
He filed the information away. Kiyohara was dangerous.
Beside the arena, the Chief Examiner looked at his clipboard.
He found Kiyohara's name and forcefully wrote "Excellent" next to it.
'Minato wasn't exaggerating. Solid fundamentals. High tactical intellect. Adaptability.'
Kiyohara walked off the stage, calming his breathing. He approached the Examiner.
"Sir, when does the next round begin?"
The Examiner looked at the young face and smiled.
"There is no need for another round."
"Excuse me?"
"Your performance against Uchiha Tekka demonstrated everything we need to see," the Examiner explained. "Tactics, skill, and composure. You have exceeded the standard."
"According to regulations, you pass. Once the matches conclude, you will be issued your Chunin Vest."
Direct Promotion.
Kiyohara blinked, then grinned.
'Efficiency. I like it.'
'Did you hear that?' he projected his thought inward. 'I'm a Chunin. Your second dying wish is fulfilled.'
"I heard," the Missing-nin replied.
His spiritual body floated beside Kiyohara, looking at the Examiner, then at the sky.
"A legitimate Chunin... Heh."
The spirit let out a faint chuckle. It carried a mix of relief and self-mockery.
"Perhaps your future won't be like mine. You won't be a stray dog chasing scraps in the rain."
"Once you receive the vest, my consciousness will dissipate," the spirit continued, his voice fading slightly. "We will merge. You will inherit what I have left... but the path ahead is yours to walk alone."
Kiyohara remained silent.
He knew these were the true "Last Words."
The transaction was complete.
Kiyohara walked up to the stands.
Kurenai was waiting, holding the bag of snacks.
"That was amazing!" she exclaimed, handing him a skewer of Three-Colored Dango. "You really scared me. When he activated the Sharingan, I thought you were done for."
"It was close," Kiyohara admitted, taking a bite.
The sweet, soft texture of the dango melted in his mouth, replacing the metallic taste of adrenaline.
'Sugar is good. Survival is better.'
"What was that jutsu?" Kurenai asked. "I didn't see that in the Grass."
"Lightning Release: Wire Trap," Kiyohara explained between chews. "I combined it with the shuriken. Kakashi gave me some pointers on conduction."
"Kakashi, huh..." Kurenai nodded.
She didn't understand the mechanics, but she understood the result: Her teammate was getting stronger.
Kiyohara chewed thoughtfully, looking down at the arena where the next match was starting.
'A One-Tomoe Sharingan...'
Tekka was strong, but he was just the starting line.
In the future, there would be Itachi. Obito. Madara. Sasuke.
Eyes that could burn for a week, summon meteors, and rewrite reality.
'I am still far from that level.'
He glanced inward, at the fading presence of the Rogue Ninja.
The merger was coming.
'I hope I inherit his Chakra reserves,' Kiyohara thought greedily. 'Experience is great, but without the fuel to use it, I'm just a glass cannon.'
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