Chapter 159: The Curtain Falls and Their Respective Titles
With Minato's fall, the final match was over.
Hanzo of the Salamander stood behind the unconscious Minato, preventing any further combat, and gave Hiroto an approving nod.
The audience was whispering, and even the contestants and high-ranking officials of the various villages were not quite sure what they had just seen.
"What did he just do?"
"I didn't see. It looked like he threw a punch?"
"But why would a punch cause a flash of lightning? Was it a nin-taijutsu?"
Dana jumped down from the stands and appeared in front of Hiroto, who was now exhausted and panting heavily. He discreetly supported him, preventing him from falling.
"Huff... huff... thanks."
Dana looked at the massive wound on his abdomen and shook his head. In the end, Minato's jutsu-slashing slash had broken through his newly developed technique and had caused serious damage.
But Hiroto had been the one to have the last laugh.
Dana applied several Healing Talismans around the wound, and with a faint glow, Hiroto's expression visibly relaxed.
He looked at the unconscious Minato in the distance and, with a sigh, took out a few more Healing Talismans, activated them, and threw them at him with a special technique.
But as if on purpose, all the talismans stuck to Minato's forehead and face, making him look like a sealed zombie.
Hanzo nodded, came to Hiroto's side, raised his hand, and announced to the entire arena, "The match is over! The winner is Hiroto Uzumaki of the Hidden Cloud Village!"
With that, he threw a kunai, and the scroll with Minato's name on it was cut down, leaving only Hiroto's.
"Woooo!"
"We're the champions!"
"Cloud! Cloud! Cloud!"
The Cloud's contingent in the stands went wild, shouting and cheering.
In the VIP section, the Thunder Daimyo frowned slightly.
The Third Raikage nodded in satisfaction, while the Konoha elder, Koharu, looked disappointed. In her view, the gap between the two of them had not been that great. Minato had lost due to a lack of intelligence.
The other contestants, who had long since been eliminated, were speechless. In their own villages, they might have been called "geniuses," but after watching the final match, they now knew that the gap between geniuses could be even greater than the gap between a genius and an ordinary person.
Hiroto, supported by Dana, basked in the cheers of his comrades. The audience also gave him a warm round of applause.
After half a month, the first Joint Chunin Exam officially ended.
Its significance was far-reaching. It was the first multi-village joint exam, the first multi-village joint activity, in the 43 years since the establishment of the ninja village system.
War did not count.
It was also the first time that the various villages had a way to communicate outside of war and the Kage Summit.
And the gathering of the talented of all the villages had become a touchstone for "geniuses." Who was strong, who was weak, it was all clear. And, win or lose, the "geniuses" of all the villages had all grown considerably.
This was why the tradition of the Joint Chunin Exams would be preserved.
In the years to come, the Joint Chunin Exams would be taken more and more seriously by the various villages, and would undergo a variety of changes. But that is a story for another time.
The host of this event, the Hidden Rain, had earned a great deal of prestige. It had gradually deepened the ninja world's impression of the "five villages becoming six." Though their own contestants had not performed well, it had still been a very successful event.
The Cloud's victory had once again solidified their title as the strongest of the new generation of the five great villages, and their fame had spread far and wide. The news was met with great celebration back in the village. And though Konoha had taken second place, the performance of their contestants had been there for all to see. Many of the merchant guilds and organizations had also shed their contempt.
The other great villages also had their own outstanding contestants. But when the dust had settled, everyone realized that the final rankings of the Joint Chunin Exams seemed to perfectly match the ninja world's perception of each village's strength.
Cloud, Leaf, Stone, Mist, Sand.
And it did not seem to be a coincidence.
This further solidified the idea that the "Joint Chunin Exams" were a true test of a village's strength.
The next day, the final event of the Joint Chunin Exams began. Hanzo presented the prizes to the top three.
Besides the small villages that had already left, all the contestants were gathered in the training ground of the dormitory area, the contestants of each village standing in rows.
Hanzo announced that the top three would all receive an additional prize from the Hidden Rain. The first, second, and third place winners would receive one million, five hundred thousand, and three hundred thousand Ryō, respectively.
Hiroto was beaming, a childlike smile on his face.
Hanzo walked to the third-place winner, Han, and handed him a bronze kunai.
Han took it, confused. There was no such custom in the ninja world. The kunai looked fragile and couldn't be used as a weapon, though his name was engraved on it.
Dana, who had suggested this, was smirking in the stands.
"Young man," Hanzo said, "congratulations on your excellent performance in the Joint Chunin Exams. I hope that in the future, you will become an even more outstanding ninja. I, Hanzo of the Salamander, have decided to bestow upon you the title of 'Steam Boy.' The 'Steam Boy' of the Stone. When you come of age, we will change it to 'Steam Ninja'."
He clapped Han on the shoulder and then moved on to the next person.
Han was completely bewildered. He hadn't even figured out what the bronze kunai was for, and now he had been given a strange title.
I didn't want a title, he thought. And what the hell is 'Steam Boy'?! I may be the youngest of the three, but 'boy' is so weak!
Hanzo ignored him. He thought the boy was just overcome with joy. After all, this was a title bestowed by the "demigod" of the ninja world. The last to receive this honor had been the "Yellow, Gamble, and Poison Three Ninja" of Konoha.
He continued on to Minato and handed him a silver kunai.
"Minato Namikaze!" he said. "A very exciting battle. You have demonstrated all the qualities of a ninja: calmness, speed, agility, and an excellent mind. I, Hanzo of the Salamander, bestow upon you the title of 'Yellow Flash.' The 'Yellow Flash' of Konoha!"
Minato was also a bit bewildered. The silver kunai seemed to be made of pure silver. But with his name engraved on it, it was a nice memento. Yellow Flash, he thought. Not bad. Better than 'Steam Boy'.
Hanzo continued on to Hiroto and, to his excited eyes, handed him a golden kunai.
He weighed it in his hand. It was at least three pounds.
Hiroto was beaming, a childlike smile on his face.
"Hiroto Uzumaki," he said, "your talent has been transformed into strength. The future of the ninja world will surely have a place for you. I, Hanzo of the Salamander, bestow upon you the title of 'Crimson Fortress.' The 'Crimson Fortress' of the Cloud. You alone are a mobile fortress on the battlefield!"