ALL NOVEL Chapter 36: Chapter 36
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"Watch out for the Nara clan's Shadow Imitation Technique. If necessary, keep your distance from Nara Shoshin. You must win this with ninjutsu!"
"And don't let him talk to you. That guy's tricky—ignore him if he tries to chat you up."
The Nara clan.
They were renowned as the strategists of the ninja world, with a collective IQ that could make even the sharpest shinobi look dull. Everyone in the clan seemed to have at least a 200 IQ. Their intelligence gave them an edge that few could match.
"Humph!"
"Just you wait and see, Tetsuya. I'll finish this fight in three minutes."
Uchiha Mikoto shot Tetsuya a brief glance, tightened her ponytail, and walked towards the arena with a calm resolve. The moment the match began, the arena was engulfed in flames.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"
Such a pain.
Nara Shoshin ducked and weaved through the relentless fireballs, his mood growing darker by the second. The ferocity of Team 13's battle style was getting under his skin. Even now, he hadn't found an opening to close the distance with Uchiha Mikoto, and the constant barrage of Uchiha flames kept him scrambling.
Is this just bad matchup luck?
With a sigh, Shoshin glanced up at the glaring sun and let his gaze wander across the destroyed battlefield. After Tetsuya's earlier onslaught, the once solid arena was now in ruins, leaving no terrain for Shoshin to exploit.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
The scorching sea of fire flooding the battlefield left Tetsuya momentarily awestruck. He was growing stronger, and so was Uchiha Mikoto. If he set aside the advantages his system gave him, Mikoto's natural talent as a shinobi easily outclassed his. Her mastery of ninjutsu was leagues ahead.
This technique, Great Fire Annihilation, was labeled as a B-rank jutsu in difficulty, but in the hands of a skilled user, it packed the destructive power of an S-rank jutsu.
"Stop! I surrender!"
As the fire closed in, Nara Shoshin swallowed hard, his hand raised in surrender.
At the last second, Orochimaru appeared beside him, using the Body Flicker Technique to pull him out of harm's way.
Uchiha Mikoto.
Just how terrifying is she?
It suddenly made sense that the Uchiha clan could produce someone like Madara Uchiha—a person who could threaten entire nations.
Shoshin shuddered as Mikoto's eyes landed on him. He cursed himself for ever stepping into the ring. If he had known it would turn out like this, he would have forfeited right from the start.
After the match between Uchiha Mikoto and Nara Shoshin, the following rounds carried on. But the most gripping fight by far was the clash between Ay and Kitsuchi.
Lightning versus Earth. The clash of raw power and defense.
But Ay was simply too strong. Once he activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his speed and strength were unmatched.
Kitsuchi, still nursing injuries from a previous battle, held out for half an hour before succumbing to chakra exhaustion, defeated.
With that, the eight finalists for the Chunin Exams were decided:
Hyuga Momaru, Tetsuya Fujiwara, Minazuki Chione, Uchiha Mikoto, Ay, Uchiha Tono, Senju Hiroki, and Rasa.
The arena roared with cheers as the names were announced.
"Congrats, Tetsuya! Mikoto!"
Yuhi Shin and Aburame Muto's figures grew larger in Tetsuya's vision as they approached from the end of the corridor.
Yuhi shin's mood was clearly great. Earlier, several kunoichi had stopped to chat with him, no doubt interested in his sudden rise in fame. After all, it wasn't every day a jonin taught two shinobi who both made it to the quarterfinals.
With the Chunin Exams in full swing, Shin's status was skyrocketing, and it wouldn't be long before his influence in Konoha followed suit.
Caught up in his excitement, Shin decided to treat Tetsuya, Mikoto, and Muto to barbecue once again, giving Tetsuya a much-needed feast.
———
Hokage's Office
As soon as the matches were over, Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to his office. Joining him were Orochimaru, the proctor for the exams, and Tsunade.
The eight finalists had been decided, and the Uchiha clan had claimed two of those spots. The Hyuga and Senju clans? Only one representative each. And Senju Hiroki had only barely scraped by to claim his victory.
The elders in the Senju clan, unsurprisingly, were already in a frenzy. After much persuasion, they finally managed to drag Tsunade out from Uzumaki Mito's house.
No one was asking for shady tactics or favoritism, of course. But they did want Tsunade to treat Hiroki's injuries and make sure he could fight at his best in the upcoming matches.
"Tsunade," Sarutobi began, exhaling a puff of smoke, "since you're here now, you'll take over as the chief proctor for the remainder of the exams."
Sarutobi's tone left no room for argument.
"Enough hiding. Orochimaru has done more than enough already."
"Fine, fine," Tsunade grumbled, waving her hand dismissively. "I'll handle it."
Those stubborn old fools.
Was Senju pride really so important that they'd drag her back, just to compete for some meaningless title against the Uchiha?
———
"So, Orochimaru, who do you think will win out of these eight?"
Of the eight finalists, five were from Konoha.
Sure, the genin participating in the Chunin Exams weren't necessarily the strongest their villages had to offer, but even so, Konoha's dominance in the exam was hard to ignore.
And that gave Hiruzen Sarutobi significant bragging rights in front of the Daimyo and nobles of the Land of Fire.
Once the exams were over, the volume of mission requests for Konoha would undoubtedly spike.
As these thoughts swirled in Sarutobi's mind, he turned his attention to Orochimaru.
"Heh. You should know better than me."
"Hyuga Momaru, Uchiha Tono, and Senju Hiroki all made it to the top eight, but they can't compare to the Third Tsuchikage's son. They've got potential, but they'll fall short."
Orochimaru's tongue flicked across his lips as his gaze briefly flickered toward Tsunade. Seeing no reaction from her, he continued.
"As for Minazuki Chione, the kid's got Ice Release, sure, but their control is shaky at best. If they run into someone with strong Fire Release or a fast ninja, they're done for."
Sarutobi exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes gleaming with approval.
It seemed they were on the same page.
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