Chapter 156: The Final Match
With Han's name cut from the scroll, the final contestants were decided.
Hiroto Uzumaki of the Hidden Cloud Village versus Minato Namikaze of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Perhaps it was fate. One representing the current strongest village, the other the former. The final match suddenly had a strong dramatic element.
Even the high-ranking officials of the two villages on the stage had realized it.
The final match could not be lost.
If the Cloud won, they would continue to suppress Konoha, further solidifying their position as the strongest. If Konoha won, it would prove that they were still the same old Konoha, just having suffered a temporary setback, their village still filled with prodigies.
As for "the future ultimately belongs to Konoha," they did not yet have the face to say such a thing. After all, Yotsuki Dana was still sitting in the audience.
Finally, on the last torii, the one marked "Final," two scrolls unrolled. Unlike before, these were bordered with gold, giving them a "this is the final" feel.
The two scrolls, with their names on them, would hang there until one of them was cut down.
That night, Dana once again hosted a party for all the contestants at the same barbecue restaurant. The owner was overjoyed to see his big customer again.
"The usual, a hundred orders of the special beef to start."
Most of them had already put the exam behind them. Good or bad, it was now a time for relaxation and release, like the first few days after the college entrance exams in his previous life. The atmosphere was even more lively than last time.
In the midst of the revelry, Hiroto and Dana were sitting at a corner table.
"Are you nervous?" Dana asked.
"Not really," he said, shaking his head. "By the way, Dana, after this, can you show me that jutsu from last time again? I have an idea."
The banquet ended in a joyous celebration. For all the contestants, their trip to the Land of Rain would be a precious memory of their youth. This kind of collective experience was rare.
After sending everyone back to their dormitories, Hiroto and Dana went to the training ground. Though it was an open area, there was no one there at this time. If they wanted to find another place, they would have to ask the Rain, which would be a hassle. And besides, this jutsu was no secret. Half of Konoha had already seen it.
"What do you need me to do?"
"That jutsu from last time," he said after a moment of thought. "Please, show me again."
"It's not really a jutsu," he said with a nod. "Just an application of chakra. But it's not easy for me to control in my normal state."
He clapped his hands together. "SAGE MODE!"
Pale blue, lightning-shaped markings appeared at the corners of his eyes, and a lightning-shaped pattern appeared between his eyebrows. His hair turned a pale blue and stood on end. The lumbar part of his spine was providing a continuous supply of sage chakra.
He tried to keep it down, but Hiroto could still feel the dangerous aura coming from him. He looked up. In the perpetually gloomy sky of the Land of Rain, a faint rumble of thunder could be heard.
At that moment, he looked like a thunder god.
"This move requires a huge amount of chakra," he said, pointing to the diamond-shaped mark on his collarbone, "so sometimes I have to draw from my Yin Seal."
He then held out his hand for Hiroto to see up close.
A liquid chakra, glowing with a blue light, flowed from his palm. The ethereal liquid was held in place by some unseen force, and it gradually covered his entire body, solidifying into a suit of impressive-looking armor.
"Sage Art: Sage Lightning Armor!"
"Though it's called a Sage Art," he said, "it's really just an application of lightning chakra. There's still room for development. For example."
More of the glowing blue liquid flowed from his hand and solidified into a massive long spear.
He swung it, and it made a dangerous humming sound.
"It can be formed into a weapon, any shape I want. But there's a problem. When the weapon collides with something, it just explodes. It doesn't cut."
"Explodes?" he asked, curious.
"Yes," he said with a nod. "Because it's a product of pure chakra control, once the balance is disrupted by an external force, it will go haywire and explode. This is different from the armor. The armor just needs to be strong. But a weapon needs to be able to kill. So, although the explosion is powerful, in reality, no matter what shape of weapon I use, it's just an exploding stick. It has no 'cutting' or 'sharpness' attribute. I'm still working on that. It might be different in the future."
"Explodes?" he mused.
In the distance, in the Konoha contestants' dormitory, Fugaku, with his excellent vision, was looking at the brilliant figure in the training ground. "That armor," he grumbled. It was the same as in the "Night of the Purple Moon."
In the Sand's dormitory, Sasori, unable to sleep, was also looking at the training ground from his balcony. So this is the strongest new star of the ninja world... to have destroyed Konoha and escaped unscathed.
And in another corner, the bandaged Tsuki was secretly watching, her eyes fixed on the brilliant, colorful figure, as if a god had descended to earth. She was mesmerized.
"So beautiful."
The next day, the crowd was even larger than the day before. The venue was packed. Today was the final day of the Joint Chunin Exams. A champion would be born.
On the torii marked "Final," the names of Minato Namikaze and Hiroto Uzumaki fluttered in the wind on a gold-bordered scroll.
A barrier had been erected around the arena to protect the audience. The Rain ninja clearly thought this would be a very intense battle.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two contestants came to the center of the arena.
But this time, the referee was not the same Rain ninja as before.
"I will be the referee for this match," Hanzo of the Salamander announced, his voice booming. "And under my witness, you will fight to the finish!"
It was a very "Hanzo" thing to do.
"Thank you, Lord Amekage, for your witness," both of them said with a nod.
"Now then," he said, "the Seal of Confrontation!"
The two of them formed the seal and pointed at each other.
"The ceremony is complete! The match is not decided until a winner is declared! Fight!"
He waved his hand and quickly retreated.
Minato didn't hesitate. He immediately drew the short sword from his back and charged.
Hiroto's hands were a blur of hand seals. "Earth Release: Mobile Core!"
The newly flattened ground immediately began to churn, and a series of square stone platforms rose and fell, like the keys of a piano. Hiroto was quickly lifted into the air, and Minato was sent sinking.
He used his powerful Body Flicker to weave between the massive, moving stone pillars, trying to get close to him.
But Hiroto had already made his next move. Three of him scattered in different directions.
A clone? Or a Shadow Clone? Which one is real? I'll just get one first.
He quickly made a decision and charged at the nearest one.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Technique!"
Three lifelike, ferocious water dragons rose from the ground and chased after him. They were like living creatures, rolling and tumbling, snapping at his heels.
He used the uneven terrain to his advantage, constantly changing direction, causing the water dragons to crash into the stone pillars with a loud boom.
The crowd was in an uproar. The battle had been so intense from the very beginning.
But Hiroto was not done.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
"Wind Release: Net!"
"Lightning Release: Earth Runner!"
The three clones simultaneously used different large-scale ninjutsu, attacking him from all sides.
With no escape, he formed a one-handed seal. "Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"
He disappeared into the ground, and the barrage of ninjutsu hit the spot where he had been, turning it into a sieve.
The next moment, one of the clones, as if sensing something, suddenly leaped into the air. The next moment, Minato burst from the ground below.
"RASENGAN!"
The blue ball was pressed against him.
"Earth Release: Great Mobile Core!"
The airborne Hiroto did not try to dodge, but instead controlled the earth beneath him to shift, causing him to miss. Then, a massive amount of earth began to converge on him, trying to bury him.
He didn't linger. He threw a kunai upwards, which was easily dodged and flew off into the distance.
He then quickly retreated, and the closing earth walls slammed shut on empty air.
"Lightning Release: Wave of Inspiration!"
The three water dragons continued their pursuit, now infused with the power of lightning. The power of the combination ninjutsu was so great that he did not dare to be touched by it.
In the stands, the high-ranking officials were watching with wide eyes. Though the contestants were all a bit "overqualified," they had never expected two young men to be able to create such a commotion. Even they thought that these "Genin" were a bit much.
And in the arena, Hanzo, as the referee, was filled with a fiery excitement. Though he had to constantly dodge to avoid being caught in the crossfire, he was enjoying the opportunity to witness the rise of a prodigy up close. Just as he had at Mount Tenmoku, when he had witnessed the rise of Yotsuki Dana.
This was what he lived for.
Dana, his arms crossed, was watching the two of them with a keen eye. The battle was indeed exciting, worthy of the final match.
Just as everyone was marveling at Minato's agility, a kunai suddenly appeared behind one of the Hirotos. No one had seen him throw it.
It seemed to have fallen from the sky. Just as it was about to hit, he instinctively dodged.
And Minato, who was being chased by the water dragons, suddenly formed a one-handed seal.
"Substitution Jutsu!"
The next moment, he, who had been a good distance away, had switched places with the kunai, and in the instant he appeared, his short sword was already swinging.
Even Dana was surprised. This Minato had some skills.
Was that the kunai he threw upwards? It fell back down? Did he really calculate all that?
He seemed to have a particular fondness for using kunai. No wonder he would have the Flying Thunder God kunai in the future.
The kunai had been thrown so high that no one had paid it any attention. Even Dana had not been watching it. And yet, it had been a part of his plan.
He swung his sword with no hesitation, as if he had already been halfway through the swing before he had even arrived. The sudden spatial shift had not affected him at all.
The blade connected, and the Hiroto clone dissipated into a puff of smoke.
"A Shadow Clone," he muttered, a little disappointed.
In the distance, the real Hiroto looked at him with a grim expression. A tricky one.
The crowd was in an uproar again.
"Hey! What just happened?! How did the golden-haired one get there?!"
"I don't know! I was watching him the whole time!"
"Where did that kunai come from?!"
"My god! That red-haired one is also a monster! To be able to use such a powerful ninjutsu with just a Shadow Clone!"
With one of the clones defeated, one of the three water dragons also dissipated into a pool of water.
Minato knew it was not over. He leaped into the air, looking for his next opportunity.
At the same time, in a corner of the arena, Hanzo's eyes were glowing.
"Good! Good! Good! I must think of a worthy title for these two young men!"