Iwagakure and Konoha stood nearly equal in overall strength—but Konoha possessed the edge where it mattered most.
Top-tier shinobi.
Tsunade had no intention of underestimating Iwagakure, but neither did she believe they would recklessly ignite a war. The cost of open conflict far outweighed the value of a single bargaining chip.
And beyond the mountains, Kumogakure watched like a hawk.
After all, the Third Raikage—the father of the current Raikage—had fallen in battle against Iwagakure. That old hatred had never truly faded.
"There's good news as well," Kitazawa added lightly. "I've mastered Sage Mode."
Tsunade blinked, and then her smile bloomed brilliantly.
"Then we have even less to fear."
Ōnoki's Dust Release was terrifying, yes. But with Sage Mode, Kitazawa's power would unquestionably surpass the old Tsuchikage. Aside from Ōnoki, Iwagakure had only a handful of true elites—Kitsuchi at best and perhaps the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, Han.
"When do you plan to look for Roshi?" Tsunade asked thoughtfully. "I'll come with you."
"After the Genius Class final exam," Kitazawa replied, withdrawing his hand from her warm embrace with visible reluctance. "The day after tomorrow."
Tsunade nodded, then smiled knowingly. "Let's go home."
The Next Day – 9:00 AM
The training ground buzzed with anticipation. Every member of the Genius Class—and all supervising instructors—had gathered.
Kitazawa stepped forward.
"This semester's practical final exam will be conducted as a Team Battle."
He paused.
"But there is a new rule."
A ripple of curiosity spread through the students.
Kitazawa turned to Iruka. "Distribute them."
Iruka immediately began handing out thick stacks of paper.
Sasuke received his copy and glanced down—and froze.
It was a chart titled
Genius Class Students – Restriction Conditions
Each student had three listed limitations.
The first row read:
Naruto Uzumaki
– No Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu
– No Tailed Beast Power
– No Konoha Dragon God
Sasuke's eyes gleamed.
'If Naruto loses those three… I can definitely win.'
The second row:
Yakumo Kurama
– No Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique
– No Horror Illusion
– No Illusion: True Life
Sasuke raised a brow.
'Without those, she's almost ordinary.'
Then he saw his own name.
Sasuke
– No Hatake Swordsmanship
– No Sharingan-type Genjutsu
– No Lightning Release: Double Chidori
His expression darkened.
'That would cut my strength by at least a third.'
Every student had three listed restrictions.
Kiba Inuzuka shot his hand into the air. "Do these apply automatically during the Team Battle?"
"That," Kitazawa replied calmly, "is the new rule."
"The opposing team may select three restriction conditions for their enemies. Each individual may be restricted by a maximum of two."
The field erupted in murmurs.
For the first time, hope flickered.
If Naruto were sealed under two conditions, defeating him might become possible.
Before, he could overwhelm three opponents through sheer force alone.
"Now," Kitazawa continued, producing a lottery box, "we draw."
The students fell silent.
Team assignments and battlefield maps had already been arranged by Iruka yesterday.
Kitazawa opened the first slip.
"Round One. Match One: Kimimaro's Squad versus Yakumo's Squad."
"You have five minutes to discuss. After that, the captain will declare your restriction selections."
Seven squads now stood complete after Shion's and Chino's addition.
Kimimaro—ranked seventh in the midterm—served as temporary captain. His teammates: Jūgo and Tayuya. A partial reunion of the Sound Four.
Yakumo ranked third. Her team consisted of Ino and Haku.
Tayuya groaned. "Great. Of all people, we get Yakumo."
Jūgo remained calm. "Restrict horror illusion and hell viewing techniques. That neutralizes most of her killing potential."
"But they'll restrict us too," Kimimaro said quietly.
"We have the advantage," Jūgo replied evenly. "You and I are primarily taijutsu fighters. Even if we lose one domain, we still retain combat effectiveness."
Tayuya crossed her arms. "Fine. Horror Illusion. Hell Viewing. What's the third?"
Kimimaro didn't hesitate.
"Haku's Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals."
Across the field, Yakumo's eyes narrowed slightly as she observed them.
The air grew tense.
At the same time, the three members of Yakumo's squad gathered in a tight circle, voices low but urgent.
"What if we ban Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Larch and his Cursed Seal of Earth: Stage Two?" Ino suggested after a moment of thought.
Among the Genius Class, Kimimaro and Jugo both bore the Curse Mark of Earth. However, the restrictions only forbade Stage Two. Stage One was still permitted—its enhancement limited, but usable.
Completely sealing off the Curse Mark would cripple them unfairly.
As for Dance of the Larch, Kimimaro had only recently mastered it.
"That works," Yakumo agreed calmly.
In any squad, the captain was the axis of strength. Most restriction choices would inevitably fall on them.
Yakumo already knew which two restrictions would target her—
Horror Illusion and Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique.
"What about the third?" Ino pressed. "Any ideas?"
Haku thought briefly. "Either Jugo's Cursed Seal: Stage Two… or Tayuya's Demonic Flute: Chaos in the Demon Realm."
Tayuya's restriction list didn't prohibit summoning the Three Wrathful Demons. Removing that would halve her combat power—too extreme to be balanced.
Unlike her was Tenten, whose restriction explicitly forbade the Shiromari. If opponents didn't choose that limitation, she could unleash it freely.
Kitazawa had once restricted it to preserve balance. But now—most of the Genius Class had reached jonin-tier strength.
Balance had shifted.
"We'll choose Jugo's Stage Two," Yakumo decided at last.
After both teams finalized their selections, they reported to Kitazawa.
"If any restricted technique is used—even accidentally—points will be deducted," he stated evenly.
Kimimaro and Yakumo nodded.
"You may enter the arena. The battle begins in fifteen minutes."
The two squads entered the Forest of Death from opposite ends. Their supervising instructors—Kurenai Yuhi and Chen—followed silently.
Left Side – Kimimaro Squad
"We have two taijutsu specialists," Jugo said, halting their advance. "Close combat maximizes our advantage."
"Yakumo's team doesn't have a sensor ninja," Tayuya smirked, cracking her knuckles. "We rush them and surround them."
"We don't have a Sensor Ninja either," Kimimaro reminded calmly.
"I can communicate with small animals," Jugo replied at once.
Tayuya's eyes lit up. "Right! We've got this."
In previous team battles, facing Yakumo would've been terrifying. But with three restrictions in play—and none targeting her directly—Tayuya's confidence surged.
"Fine," Kimimaro decided. "Tayuya, pressure from the front. Jugo and I will flank."
Right Side – Yakumo Squad
"Our strategy is simple," Yakumo said, eyes steady. "I'll trap Kimimaro and Jugo with Illusion: True Life. You two eliminate Tayuya, then reinforce me."
"Understood," Ino and Haku replied in unison.
Fifteen Minutes Later – Battle Begins
Yakumo's team held position.
Guided by Jugo's animal network, Kimimaro's squad advanced swiftly.
Then—
A flute's eerie melody sliced through the trees.
Boom!
The Three Wrathful Demons materialized, charging forward with monstrous roars.
"They're here," Ino's voice echoed directly into her teammates' minds.
'Ninja Art: Mind Transmission Technique.'
They wore earplugs—physical defense against Tayuya's sound-based genjutsu.
"She's not using illusions," Haku murmured mentally.
"I don't see Kimimaro or Jugo," Ino added.
"They're waiting," Yakumo replied softly. "Probably for me."
"Be careful."
Ino and Haku broke off toward Tayuya.
Moments later—
A violent gust erupted behind Yakumo.
She turned.
Kimimaro and Jugo burst from concealment, Curse Mark Stage One activated, and chakra surging.
Yakumo calmly tossed out a scroll.
Lightning exploded outward.
A sea of lightning surged between them.
"Kimimaro—jump!" Jugo roared.
He accelerated violently.
"Violent: Leaf Hurricane Strong Whirlwind!"
His leg, wreathed in green chakra, smashed into the lightning field—splitting it open.
"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Willow!"
Kimimaro stepped on Jugo's shoulder and launched upward.
Bone erupted from his palm—
He was upon her in an instant.
But—
Yakumo dissolved into scattering leaves.
Kimimaro's pupils shrank.
'She learned body flicker?'
He scanned desperately.
"Kimimaro—your feet!" Jugo shouted.
Too late.
The ground trembled.
Buried seals activated.
Earth condensed—
Hundreds of earthen senbon erupted upward.
Kimimaro crossed his bones defensively, blocking most—
—but not all.
Thin needles pierced through.
Blood blossomed across his pale skin.
His body faltered—and he crashed to the ground.
Just then—A scorching wave of heat surged through the forest.
Kurama snapped open another scroll, and a massive fireball roared into existence, hurtling toward her opponents like a blazing comet.
Jugo reacted instantly.
He threw himself in front of Kimimaro.
"Violent: Leaf Hurricane – Strong Whirlwind!"
His leg, wrapped in vibrant green chakra, lashed out. The fireball shattered under the impact, bursting into scattered embers that rained harmlessly around them.
"Kimimaro, are you alright?" Jugo asked, breathing hard.
"I… I'm fine."
Kimimaro forced himself upright, blood still trailing down his pale skin. Pain throbbed through his limbs, but his expression remained calm—cold as a stone.
"Then we end this. Now," Jugo muttered, eyes flashing.
Kimimaro nodded. A sharp crack echoed as a pristine bone sword slid from his palm.
Jugo's feet exploded with chakra, and he charged forward like a cannon shot.
Yakumo tore open another scroll.
Water surged upward, forming a thick, swirling wall between them.
Jugo didn't slow down.
Relying on the defensive boost of Curse Mark Stage One, he slammed straight into it.
Boom!
The water wall dented inward violently but held.
Kimimaro repeated their earlier tactic. He stepped onto Jugo's shoulder and launched himself skyward.
"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Willow!"
Bone blade thrust forward—
"Fox Heart Technique."
The moment their eyes met, Yakumo's genjutsu activated.
It wasn't her infamous horror illusion—currently restricted.
This was something subtler. Something taught to her by Kurenai.
A C-rank illusion.
Easy to dispel—but only if you had time.
Kimimaro's body faltered midair.
Yakumo opened another scroll without hesitation.
Lightning descended from the sky.
Kimimaro, trapped in illusion for that split second, fell helplessly.
Below him—
The water wall.
The lightning pierced through it, accelerated by conductivity—
—and struck.
The entire barrier became a crackling prison of electricity.
Kimimaro convulsed once—and went still.
Jugo, who had been preparing to break the wall again, was caught in the surge as well. The electrified water swallowed him whole.
Silence fell.
Yakumo exhaled slowly.
With Kimimaro and Jugo down, Tayuya alone posed no real threat.
Moments later, Ino and Haku returned—Tayuya defeated.
"The winner of Round One, Match One… is the Kurama Yakumo Squad."
Kitazawa's voice rang clearly across the forest.
"When did Yakumo learn the Konoha Body Flicker Technique?!" Kiba blurted, eyes wide.
"This is troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed. "With Body Flicker added to her arsenal, closing distance becomes nearly impossible."
"Good thing we have restriction rules this time," Tenten muttered, still shaken.
Neji nodded faintly.
Without restrictions, Yakumo's Body Flicker combined with Horror Illusion would have been a nightmare.
Off to the side, Sasuke felt a tightening in his chest.
Naruto was improving.
Yakumo was improving.
If he didn't awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan soon...
The gap would only widen.
"Round One, Match Two: Neji Hyuga's Squad versus Hinata Hyuga's Squad."
Kitazawa drew the slip calmly.
"You have five minutes."
Five minutes passed swiftly.
Both squads targeted their opposing captains.
Hinata and Neji were each restricted from using Explosive Arrow and Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
In the end—
Hinata's squad claimed victory.
"Since there are seven teams," Kitazawa continued, standing before the lottery box, "one team will receive a bye. The last team not drawn advances automatically."
He pulled two slips.
"Round One, Match Three: Uzumaki Naruto Squad versus Shino Aburame Squad."
He paused.
"The Uchiha Sasuke Squad receives the bye."
"We're doomed…" Kiba groaned bitterly. He was Shino's teammate.
Shino adjusted his glasses calmly. "It makes little difference. If not Naruto's squad, it would have been Sasuke's."
Kiba fell silent.
He couldn't argue.
Still… against Sasuke, there might have been a sliver of hope.
Against Naruto?
Almost none.
Even with restrictions.
"Youth must never surrender!" Lee declared passionately, giving a blazing thumbs-up. "Leave Naruto to me!"
His spirit burned bright—
But in the end, he still couldn't defeat Naruto Uzumaki.
After announcing Naruto's squad as the winner, Kitazawa clapped once.
"Fifteen-minute break. The second round begins after."
Advancing to Round Two:
Uzumaki Naruto Squad
Hyuga Hinata Squad
Kurama Yakumo Squad
Uchiha Sasuke Squad
With four teams remaining, no further byes were required.
Unlike previous tournaments—this time, every victory would be earned through battle alone.
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