"Tsk, tsk, tsk… how terrifying."
Hidden among the branches of a large tree, Kizaru watched the battlefield through the cover of invisibility, his tone lazy and amused.
Below him, Rasa was reaping the benefits of the situation with frightening precision.
Using his Magnet Release kekkei genkai, Rasa controlled the gold dust around him. Imitating the ninjutsu of his teacher, he compressed the glittering sand into a sharp triangular pyramid nearly one meter long.
Under Rasa's control, the golden cone shot toward Kitsuchi, who had already been badly injured and could barely move.
Rasa had chosen to attack Iwagakure's Kitsuchi first, not because Kitsuchi looked unpleasant, but because compared to A, who was being protected by Blue B, a shinobi with jōnin-level strength, Kitsuchi's team was clearly weaker.
After ordering his puppet master teammate to send puppets forward and test both sides, Rasa had quickly judged the situation and chosen the easier prey.
As for Kumogakure's team, A had taken Kitsuchi's Rock Fist Technique head-on. Several of his ribs were broken, and even his internal organs had been injured. Under Blue B's protection, he had no choice but to retreat.
After letting Kumogakure's genin team escape, Rasa's group focused entirely on Kitsuchi.
"Hand over the scroll. Fire your signal flare and withdraw from the exam," Rasa said coldly, raising his right hand as the golden cone hovered toward Kitsuchi. "Do that, and I'll spare your lives."
"Bastard…" Kitsuchi gasped.
His right arm and shoulder had been broken during his fight with A. Even standing was difficult, but his eyes still burned with anger as he glared at Rasa.
"I'll give you three seconds," Rasa said.
His voice carried absolute confidence. To him, the outcome had already been decided.
Kitsuchi said nothing.
He glanced at the teammate beside him. Their eyes met for only an instant, but for shinobi, that was enough.
"One…"
Rasa's fingers twitched slightly.
"Two—"
The moment they reached an agreement, Kitsuchi and his teammate moved.
Forcing down the pain tearing through his body, Kitsuchi suddenly crouched and slammed one hand against the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth Core!"
Under his control, the ground beneath Rasa's feet surged upward violently.
"Tch!"
Rasa's body shook from the sudden rise. Just as he prepared to drive the gold dust cone into Kitsuchi, the other Iwagakure genin had already leapt high into the air above him.
He was an Explosion Release user.
"Explosion Release: Great Explosion!"
Falling from above, the Iwagakure genin thrust his right hand toward Rasa.
Fire sparked from his palm.
The next instant, a violent explosion erupted, creating a shock wave that crashed down toward Rasa.
Facing the attack, Rasa neither dodged nor defended.
He continued controlling the gold dust cone, sending it straight toward Kitsuchi.
It was not because he intended to trade his life with Iwagakure.
It was because he trusted Karura.
And Karura did not disappoint him.
Before the explosion's shock wave could hit, Karura, who had been standing beside him, had already formed a half-dome of sand above them.
The sand, strengthened by her chakra, became incredibly hard and blocked the surprise attack.
At the same time, Rasa's golden cone pierced Kitsuchi.
It tore through half of his abdomen.
"Gah—!"
Kitsuchi had only just forced himself upright before he spat out a mouthful of blood and bent forward weakly.
Seeing that, Kizaru finally moved.
Just as Rasa was about to push the golden cone deeper, Kizaru turned into a streak of golden light and flashed onto the battlefield.
His foot struck the gold dust cone.
Crack!
The cone snapped in half.
Kitsuchi was saved.
"Ooh… how scary." Kizaru supported Kitsuchi, whose abdomen had been pierced through, and looked up at Rasa standing on the raised platform. "Could you give me some face and stop here?"
Konoha's Golden Flash.
Shimura Kizaru.
Rasa recognized him instantly. The moment he saw the man who had killed his teacher appear, a fierce killing intent flashed through his eyes.
"If you still want to fight," Kizaru said with a relaxed smile, "I don't mind keeping you company."
Rasa's expression darkened.
He wanted revenge.
But he also knew very clearly that he was not Kizaru's opponent.
So he forced down the hatred in his chest and spoke coldly.
"Give me their scroll."
As soon as Rasa said that, the Iwagakure genin who had used Explosion Release rushed to Kizaru and Kitsuchi's side.
"Thank you," he said to Kizaru, his voice heavy with gratitude.
Then he quickly reached into the pouch tied to Kitsuchi's thigh and took out their scroll.
He threw the scroll toward Rasa.
His eyes were filled with hatred.
"Iwagakure will remember this."
Rasa caught the scroll and crossed his arms.
"I'll be waiting," he said calmly. "But next time, no one will come to save you."
The Explosion Release genin's eyes flashed with anger.
But beside him, Kitsuchi's condition was too severe. He could only suppress the rage in his heart.
Kitsuchi, supported by Kizaru, forced himself to raise his head and burn Rasa's face into his memory.
He could accept defeat.
He could even accept death.
What he could not accept was being struck down by someone who took advantage of another person's injury and then acted as if he had won through strength.
Damn Sunagakure…
One day, I'll return everything from today.
Every bit of it.
"Hahaha! Sunagakure and Iwagakure have always shared a long friendship. Now that Konoha is powerful and Kumogakure is aggressive, if the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth form an alliance and advance or retreat together, both sides will be able to protect their interests and homelands far more effectively."
"Hahaha! That is exactly what I had in mind."
Taking advantage of the Chūnin Exams, Ebizō had secretly arranged a meeting with the Third Tsuchikage.
After a pleasant exchange, the two of them reached a preliminary agreement regarding an alliance.
Just as Ebizō had said, Konoha was strong, and Kumogakure was forceful.
If they wanted to protect their interests in the shinobi world, then the best option was for the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth, which were geographically close, to form an alliance.
If the two villages could truly become allies, then whether they faced Konoha or Kumogakure, both sides would gain more confidence and more options.
For that reason, Ōnoki was willing to consider an alliance with Sunagakure.
"Tsuchikage-sama!"
Just as Ōnoki and Ebizō were chatting and laughing, an Iwagakure shinobi suddenly burst in from outside.
"Kitsuchi has been severely injured! His life is in danger! He's currently being treated at Konoha Hospital!"
Ōnoki's heart trembled.
He immediately stood up.
Ebizō, who had been sitting across from him, also rose. A thoughtful look flashed through his eyes.
Today was the second round of the Chūnin Exam.
For Ōnoki's son, Kitsuchi, to be badly injured, it had to have happened during the exam.
As Sunagakure's strategist and intelligence chief, Ebizō naturally knew some things about Ōnoki's son.
Kitsuchi had strong talent. Although he was only a little over ten years old, he already possessed strength close to a jōnin.
In this Chūnin Exam, only a few genin were capable of seriously injuring him.
At the very least, in Ebizō's opinion, Sunagakure's genin team did not possess that level of strength.
The one who had badly injured Kitsuchi was most likely either the Raikage's son from Kumogakure or a shinobi from Konoha.
No matter which side it was, if they had seriously injured the Tsuchikage's son, it would only benefit the alliance between the two countries.
Thinking of that, Ebizō maintained a concerned expression on the surface, but a trace of joy quietly rose in his heart.
"What happened?" Ōnoki asked sharply, staring at his subordinate.
"During the second round, Kitsuchi's team encountered Kumogakure's team. Both sides fought."
Hearing that, Ebizō was overjoyed.
The alliance was secure.
The heavens were helping Sunagakure!
"Kitsuchi and the Kumogakure shinobi were evenly matched. After a fierce battle, both sides suffered heavy injuries. But then…"
At this point, the Iwagakure shinobi who came to report turned his eyes toward Ebizō.
His gaze was filled with hatred.
Ebizō, who had still been feeling pleased a moment ago, froze.
His heart sank.
An ominous feeling rose inside him.
No.
Surely not.
Rasa shouldn't have been capable of that.
"Then Sunagakure's genin appeared. They took advantage of Kitsuchi's injuries and attacked him, leaving him on the verge of death!"
It was over.
Everything was over.
At that moment, Ebizō felt as if he had swallowed something rotten.
He quickly turned to Ōnoki, trying to salvage the relationship.
"Tsuchikage-sama—"
"I am not in the mood to talk today," Ōnoki said coldly.
His eyes carried a trace of killing intent as he looked at Ebizō.
"We will discuss this another time."
After saying that, Ōnoki flew straight toward the room's exit.
"Follow me to Konoha Hospital!"
"Yes!"
The Iwagakure shinobi present glared viciously at Ebizō before following Ōnoki out.
Watching them leave, Ebizō's face darkened with frustration.
This was truly a disaster for Sunagakure.
Fortunately, thanks to Kizaru's timely rescue and Tsunade's superb medical ninjutsu, by the time Ōnoki hurried to Konoha Hospital, Kitsuchi was already out of danger.
"Tsuchikage, don't worry. Kitsuchi's life is no longer in danger. He's still receiving treatment."
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had received the news immediately and arrived at the hospital even earlier than Ōnoki. By now, he already understood the entire situation.
"Where is Kitsuchi?" Ōnoki asked.
Knowing his son's life was no longer in danger, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression regained some calm.
"Follow me."
Hiruzen led Ōnoki into the treatment room where Kitsuchi was being treated.
At that moment, the wound in Kitsuchi's abdomen had already been stitched by Tsunade. A medical jōnin stood beside the bed, using the Mystical Palm Technique to continue treatment.
"Kitsuchi…"
Looking at his son lying pale on the hospital bed from excessive blood loss, anger surged in Ōnoki's chest.
He knew that casualties in the Chūnin Exams were normal.
But knowing that and accepting it when it happened to his only son were two different things.
Especially after he had received a more detailed report from his subordinate on the way here.
Sunagakure…
A bunch of shameless bastards.
"Old man Tsuchikage," Tsunade said while looking through Kitsuchi's examination results. Seeing her teacher enter with Ōnoki, she walked over and explained the situation. "Your son is fine for now, but his internal organs were badly damaged. He'll need a long time to recover."
"Will there be any lasting effects?" Ōnoki asked, looking at Tsunade.
"No," Tsunade answered directly. "But for the next six months, he can't do anything strenuous."
Ōnoki nodded.
Then he looked at Kitsuchi again, many thoughts passing through his mind.
Sunagakure had just been preparing to form an alliance with him, and then something like this happened.
Was it truly an accident?
Or was someone secretly interfering?
If someone was behind this, then the most suspicious parties were Kumogakure and Konoha.
Only those two villages would be unwilling to see Iwagakure and Sunagakure form an alliance.
Thinking of that, Ōnoki turned his head and looked toward the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Feeling Ōnoki's gaze, Hiruzen looked back at him and gave a faint smile.
The situation was still unclear.
For now, Ōnoki could not make a judgment.
He decided to wait until Kitsuchi's treatment was complete, then privately question the surviving Iwagakure genin and learn every detail of what had happened.
The Tsuchikage's son had been severely injured and almost died, but that did not stop the second round of the Chūnin Exams from continuing.
After three days and three nights, among the twenty-four genin teams that had advanced to the second round, six teams successfully collected both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls and reached the finish line.
The team led by the Third Raikage's son, A, was also among the teams that advanced.
Although A had broken ribs and serious injuries from his fight with Kitsuchi, with Blue B's help, the two of them managed to make it through.
Konoha achieved the best results among all the participating villages, with three teams advancing.
The first was the three-man team of Namikaze Minato, Might Duy, and Senju Nawaki.
The second was the team of Uchiha Inabi, Hyūga Tōda, and Shimura Yuki.
The third was a genin team that had graduated from one of Konoha's secret technique clans a year earlier.
The Sunagakure team led by Rasa also successfully advanced to the third round.
In addition to these five teams from the Five Great Shinobi Nations, one team from Amegakure also advanced.
This result made Hanzō, who had personally led Amegakure's team to Konoha, feel extremely satisfied.
His subordinates had not embarrassed him.
After the second round ended, the candidates were not given much time to rest.
That very afternoon, the preliminary matches for the third round began.
Six teams.
Seventeen genin in total.
One Kumogakure genin had died during the second round.
Their names were shuffled and randomly selected for one-on-one battles.
The winners would advance to the official matches held one week later.
The losers would be eliminated immediately.
As the examiner for the third round, Kizaru wore his usual yellow striped suit and a white coat with the Shimura clan emblem on the back.
With brown sunglasses on his face and both hands in his pockets, Kizaru walked into the center of the arena under the gazes of the candidates and their jōnin leaders.
He slowly looked around the venue.
Then his lips curved into his usual lazy smile.
"You genin are all monsters… how scary."
Kizaru's voice echoed clearly through the enclosed arena.
Everyone present heard him.
The Second Shinobi World War had only recently ended, and Kizaru, who had single-handedly defeated the forces of three nations and brought the war to a close, was currently at the peak of his fame.
Combined with his unmistakable style of dress, every shinobi present recognized him immediately.
Konoha's Golden Flash.
The genin who had advanced to the third round all wore complicated expressions.
Being called monsters by an actual monster…
Somehow, it didn't feel like praise.
As everyone silently complained, the name of the first match appeared on the electronic screen at the front of the venue.
Might Duy VS Karura.
"Ohhh! The first match is mine!" Might Duy shouted excitedly, jumping down from the second-floor platform into the arena. "My youth is burning!"
"Duy-nii, do your best!" Standing beside Minato, Nawaki cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted loudly.
"Yeah!"
Might Duy looked up at Nawaki, raised his right hand high, and gave him a bright thumbs-up.
"That Konoha idiot…" Rasa muttered from the second-floor platform, crossing his arms as he watched the exchange between Might Duy and Nawaki.
Then he turned to Karura beside him.
"Karura, defeat him."
"Mm."
Karura answered softly.
Her eyes became firm as she stepped forward and jumped down from the platform.
Standing in the middle of the arena, Kizaru looked at Might Duy and Karura as they walked to opposite sides of him.
For some reason, he found this scene very interesting.
It felt almost like Lee versus Gaara from the anime.
Only this time, their strengths were reversed.
A super-enhanced version of Lee against a weakened version of Gaara without any extra advantages.
"Begin."
After announcing the start of the match, Kizaru instantly appeared atop the stone statue at the edge of the arena.
Facing the twelve-year-old Karura, who did not have a tailed beast sealed inside her, Might Duy did not open the Eight Gates.
He relied purely on taijutsu.
Karura's sand manipulation was skillful, and her control was much better than an ordinary genin's.
But against Might Duy, who had been personally trained by Kizaru, it was still not enough.
With explosive power, frightening speed, and powerful strikes, Might Duy quickly broke through the wall of sand controlled by Karura.
Then he spun his body and kicked out.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
Bang!
Karura was sent flying.
This guy is strong.
A, who was receiving emergency treatment while watching the match, silently gave his evaluation.
As someone who also relied heavily on taijutsu, A could feel Might Duy's strength more directly than most people.
However…
He narrowed his eyes.
He still isn't my match.
After analyzing Might Duy's movements, A made that confident judgment in his heart.
After Might Duy won the first match, the second match began immediately.
The second match was a Konoha civil war.
Uchiha Inabi VS Senju Nawaki.
Uchiha against Senju.
The moment those names appeared, everyone's attention was drawn to the arena.
At the beginning of the match, Uchiha Inabi, who possessed the two-tomoe Sharingan, gained the upper hand. Relying on sharp Fire Release and genjutsu, he suppressed Nawaki's movements.
But as the battle continued, Nawaki began to reveal the advantages of the Senju clan.
A tough body.
A large amount of chakra.
Strong endurance.
Uchiha Inabi could injure Nawaki, but he lacked a decisive finishing move.
After all, as everyone knew, Fire Release rarely killed anyone when it mattered.
Relying on solid Earth Release and taijutsu, Nawaki gradually endured Inabi's fierce opening attacks and dragged the match into a war of attrition.
And once the battle became a contest of stamina, it entered Nawaki's territory.
After the two fought bitterly for more than ten minutes, the match ended with Uchiha Inabi exhausting his chakra first.
Panting heavily, with burns across several parts of his body, Nawaki forced himself to remain standing.
He looked at the fallen Uchiha Inabi and smiled.
"I… win…"
After saying that, Nawaki finally reached his limit.
His vision went dark, and his body fell forward.
As the examiner, Kizaru naturally could not watch his brother-in-law collapse face-first onto the ground.
In a flash of golden light, he appeared in front of Nawaki and reached out to support him.
The medical team prepared by the village immediately entered the arena.
After the two were carried away, Kizaru used Earth Release to restore the damaged stage.
Once everything was ready, he began the third match.
Namikaze Minato VS Matsutani Maru, Sunagakure puppet master.
The result needed no explanation.
Minato did not even use the Rasengan.
Relying only on the Wind Release ninjutsu taught to him by his adoptive father, Danzō, he defeated his opponent cleanly after only a few exchanges.
Starting from Minato's match, the following battles were mostly one-sided, with little suspense.
Rasa defeated Kusano Tsunayoshi from Amegakure.
A defeated Shimura Yuki.
Hyūga Tōda defeated Morimoto Miki from Amegakure.
By the end of the afternoon, the third round preliminaries had concluded.
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