Shino collapsed to a knee, one hand braced on the slick floor, breath tearing in and out.
Suigetsu shaped a vast Water Dragon and sent it snapping for Shino's throat. If it landed, Shino would die on the spot.
The final round of the exam was sliding out of control. Ever since Sasuke and Naruto's duel, every clash had tilted toward the edge—as if cursed. The longer they fought, the more each fighter wanted a killing blow. Ninjutsu came heavier, consequences be damned. Even against an enemy spent of chakra, they swung for the neck.
The dragon roared down—and, at the last instant, Choji surged huge, his body swelling into a hardened sphere that slammed down between Shino and the strike.
It hit like a hammer.
Water exploded. Choji grunted, skidding two steps backward, grit teeth holding the pain in place. Someone in the stands saw it first: the dragon was water, yes—but it bit. Choji's belly was already blooming red.
Shikamaru and Ino took positions left and right, shielding Shino.
Ino turned and gave Shino a quick smile.
Shikamaru's eyes were steady. "With us here, you're not dying."
"Thanks," Shino managed, voice thin.
Across the floor, Lee and Kiba found themselves ringed by "genin" in Grass forehead protectors. At last the masks fell: Cloud shinobi—grown and lethal—had slipped into the exam as children. Root wasn't the only nest Danzo had set inside the arena.
Minato stood at the edge, watching the reveals. By any normal rule, the exam should end here. But a message had arrived moments earlier from Kaede: "See nothing. Continue the exam."
What was their God's Shadow planning? Orders were orders—and their obedience came from the trust Kaede had earned.
Lightning Release: Thunder Spheres burst from the Cloud ring. Lee wove through them, throwing the Eight Gates open; Kiba and Akamaru fused into the Three-Headed Wolf and slammed back. Lightning cracked, thunder rolled, and the storm-boosted jutsu hit harder in the rain.
But the Twelve of the Land of Gods were not the children they used to be. They would not fall easily.
The arena had split cleanly into three wars: Neji versus Mangetsu. Ino–Shika–Cho standing against Suigetsu. The disguised Cloud pressing Lee and Kiba.
The fighting crested higher.
The Twelve were more united than ever, each one moving to cover the others.
For Gaara, the rain was ruin—sand heavy and slow. The whole stage had become what Mangetsu wanted: a map of pits and pools, the perfect field for him and his brother.
After flurries of Water Style, Suigetsu burst from a sump with Zabuza's blade and leapt, body arcing, momentum driving the cut straight at Choji.
Choji swallowed a power pill; muscle surged down his arm and met the steel. He squinted, pain bright at the corners of his eyes, and locked the blade in place.
"I won't let you hurt our friends!" he shouted, burning every thread of strength into the bind.
Suigetsu bared serrated teeth and laughed, low and cruel. "Then I'll cut you all down—leave none behind."
(End of Chapter)
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