Two hours later, at the Chunin Exams arena in Konoha, the atmosphere buzzed with anticipation.
"Don't overdo it in the final, stay safe," Uchiha Hayashi said to the two girls resting in the Genin lounge.
"Mm." Mikoto nodded earnestly.
In truth, her pressure was far greater than Kushina's. She had watched every second of Minato's fight with Kushina earlier, and even the incomplete Tailed Beast Ball was something she herself could not block.
I'll have to rush her down, she thought, unwilling to give Kushina the time to prepare another devastating technique.
Mikoto glanced back toward the waiting fox spirit jinchuriki and saw her friend lost in uneasy thought.
The reason was simple. Minato's last‑second Five‑Element Seal had weakened Kurama's chakra link, leaving Kushina's connection to her tailed beast scratchy and unreliable. Talking came out broken and disjointed, and channeling demand‑heavy chakra for a battle was even harder.
In short, she could not rely on her tailed beast chakra for this match.
"I can handle myself; I don't need Big Fox's help," Kushina said fiercely to herself, smacking her own cheek and flashing Hayashi a confident grin as she strode into the arena.
Hayashi did not follow. He stayed back in the competitor corridor, watching the two girls move farther away.
"Huh? Aren't you going with them?" Minato asked from the bench, sipping lemon tea.
"No need," Hayashi replied calmly, "Sakumo is here, I'll leave it to him."
"You're really slacking off," Minato teased, shaking his head. "Fine, don't help, but why not undo the Five‑Element Seal on Kushina?"
"Minato, are you punch‑drunk from your injuries?" Hayashi joked, "I've been so busy I've never studied that Seal, so no, I can't undo it."
"But if you could?" Minato pressed gently.
Hayashi closed his eyes for a moment, then shook his head with a rueful smile. "Too bad, your what‑if doesn't exist."
"Coward," Minato clicked his tongue in mock disdain.
Hayashi spread his hands helplessly, "Better to ask whether I'd save you or Nawaki first if both of you fell into a cesspit."
"Hey, last time it was a river," Minato grumbled.
"A river won't drown you, but a cesspit might," Hayashi shot back.
Minato's face twisted as his wound throbbed, then he sighed, "Right, I'll get a Medical Ninja for you." With that, Hayashi left the now two‑person lounge.
Before stepping out he gazed toward the arena, then slowly turned away.
What he did not tell Minato was that Kushina's skill with sealing techniques alone was greater than theirs by miles. The little fox could break the Seal herself if she wanted to — she simply chose not to.
Onstage, referee Sakumo stood between the girls and announced, "Final round of the Chunin Exams, begin!"
"Kushina, let's do our best," Mikoto said, bowing slightly.
"Same to you," Kushina replied with a determined nod.
With that, they launched at each other without a single hesitation.
The opening exchange stunned every ninja watching.
The two had grown up together, close beyond mere friendship, almost like sisters. To see such intensity from the outset caught even seasoned shinobi off guard.
But what shocked them even more was the battle that unfolded: the previously dominant Kushina was slowly being pressed back by Mikoto.
It made sense — Mikoto had awakened even a two‑tomoe Sharingan, honing her perception and giving her predictive capability over the tiniest movement, while Kushina could no longer access the raw tailed beast chakra she had relied on earlier.
Every punch, every kunai feint, every shift of stance from Kushina was read and countered by Mikoto's keen Sharingan insight.
"Why aren't you using your crimson chakra?" Mikoto asked in a moment of brief pause, eyes narrowed.
Kushina shook her head, but she did not speak of how the sealing technique had severed her link to Kurama. To her, this duel was between them and no one else. She wanted a fair fight, a victory earned with her own strength.
She believed in her own raw stats: stamina, chakra reserves, and recovery speed. Even if she could not out‑fight Mikoto outright, she could out‑endure her.
As the battle wore on, Mikoto's offense grew more relentless. Lightning chakra crackled as she combined Lightning Release with her Sharingan's predictive advantage, striking with speed and precision few could match.
"Give up, I don't want to hurt you more," Mikoto implored in between her attacks.
Staggering slightly, Kushina steadied herself and shook her head. "I will not quit. I'm taking this championship. I don't know why you're so fixated on winning, but I have my own reasons too."
She waited for her chance, a stubborn defense ready to seize a single gap in Mikoto's guard.
Minutes passed, and despite her growing urgency to finish the fight, Mikoto's attacks continued. Her twin‑tomoe Sharingan spun faster, nearing the threshold of a third tomoe.
Inside her chest a strange agitation churned. She and Kushina had always been close; deeper than friends, nearly sisters. Mikoto had known Kushina's affection for Hayashi, and though a hint of jealousy had flickered once or twice, she had brushed it aside because of their age.
But today those feelings was sharper, more unsettling, nearly blurring her focus.
"I have to win this match," she whispered to herself, drawing a deep breath.
In an instant, Mikoto's Sharingan blossomed with a third tomoe and she formed seals with blinding speed, her chakra flaring with violent intent.
Lightning Release, Lightning Beast Tracking Fang unleashed from her palms, a crackling hound of electricity charging across the ground with ferocious speed toward Kushina.
Unwilling to yield, Kushina met the attack with her best Wind Release jutsu while stepping forward to strike.
Hayashi watched from the edge of the field, silence hanging in the air as the sun slipped westward. Long shadows stretched across the ground, splitting it between light and darkness.
At that moment, an old saying crossed his mind with a wry undertone:
Win and you become Hokage, but lose and you marry Sakura.
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