The arena was bigger than it was in my memories, but that wasn't as surprising anymore. First, the village had been larger than it looked in the show, then the Forest of Death had felt different than any animated or black and white background could properly communicate, and now this place… Well, it wasn't a colosseum or anything ridiculous, but it was impressive. The fighting ground itself was a wide circular pit of packed dirt, surrounded by raised seating that climbed in tiers around it. The walls were high enough to stop someone from being flung into the crowd by accident, or at least I think that was the idea behind it. What surprised me was that there were seals carved into the walls, probably to reinforce them. I could see them even without the Sharingan, but when I took a look with turning them on, I could trace faint black lines around the stonework, probably to make them resistant against jutsus that would be thrown around inside the arena.
Above the main stands, several elevated viewing areas were reserved for important people. Naturally, the Hokage had his own central platform, all cozy, shaded beneath a red awning and flanked by the most senior shinobis we had, including Jiraiya-sensei. Next to his booth, there were ones for village officials, and a few for the guests from the smaller nations surrounding us, the same ones who sent their Genins over. I was surprised to see so many had come, but, of course, I couldn't recognize anyone I knew personally, meaning Hanzo from Amegakure also refused to attend. I only recognized Sakumo standing below at the arena entrance, who would be the referee for the matches.
As I moved my eyes, I saw the clan heads in their own section, which meant Fugaku was there, sitting with my parents. Who, of course, waved at me, and I waved back, my grin reaching from ear to ear. Like I would care if anyone saw us do it, heh! Let them be jealous!
"Please stop... everyone is looking at us now!" Sayuri said beside me, nudging my ribs.
"Hm?" I turned towards her, "And?"
"My parents are here!"
"Oh? Where?" I asked, looked around, found them, and then began waving at the two. Naturally, Daddy was sour as a grapefruit, but Sayuri's mother, I think it was her mother anyway, waved back.
"Sthaaaap!" Sayuri moaned, pulling my hand down from the air, struggling to keep me seated.
"Just marry already," Kushina leaned around Sayuri, squinting at me. "Stop embarrassing me, dattebane!"
Naturally, we were sitting in one of the side VIP sections, which was still funny to me. I didn't have a match in the first round thanks to the stupid lottery, so instead of standing with the other participants below, I was told to wait with the guests until my turn came in the next round. That is how I ended up with Kushina, who had been allowed out under 'special supervision,' which was the official way of saying a bunch of ANBU operatives were watching her from at least six different angles, dressed in civilian clothing.
I spotted one sitting next to a support beam close to the left stairway, another disguised as a maintenance worker near the lower railing, and at least two on the rooftops overlooking the arena, wearing their uniforms. There were probably more hidden beyond my sight, but I wasn't going to waste chakra on finding them. Naturally, Sayuri noticed me scanning again and elbowed me.
"Stop counting them."
"Can't help it." I chuckled, making Kushina shrug.
"Pretend they are not there, dattebane... It works for me." She pouted, crossing her arms. "They think I can't tell too, dattebane. I may not see them like you do, but I'm not stupid."
"No one said you were," Sayuri replied, leaning over, patting her hands.
"They act like it."
Well... That made the mood around us dip a little, making me shrug. I guess... It can't be helped, but the important part was that Kushina was here and could feel she was part of the village again. It was then that Minato appeared near the arena floor, and her entire face lit up again.
"He's first!" she said, jumping halfway out of her seat.
"So he is," I chuckled, nodding at him.
"Hmmm..." Sayuri glanced at me with a grin. "You sound way too calm."
"I'm trying to be mature."
"You? Fat chance!"
"Painful, I know." I grinned, "But soon, I will be so adulty that all the other adults can't adult like I do."
"Pervert." They both said, looking at me, making me grin.
"Who thought about perverted things? Not me." I shrugged, waving their reddening faces away, "You need to grow up, girls, tsk, tsk! Ow!" I flinched as Sayuri's hand landed on the back of my head, "Stop hitting me, dattebane! Ow!"
"Stop copying me, dattebane!"
In the meantime, below us, the finalists began lining up near the entrance, and being the opening fighter, Minato stood in front of the others. Across from him, Daichi Murasaki nervously rolled his shoulders and bounced once on the balls of his feet, getting some stretches in, expelling his nerves while doing so. As I looked, I could tell that despite being nervous, he also looked eager. He was not stupid to take Minato lightly, but he had the courage to face him without flinching. I will give him that!
"First match," Sakumo announced, his voice silencing everyone, not even giving a grand speech, just getting into the middle of it at once. "Minato Namikaze of Konohagakure against Daichi Murasaki of Yugakure."
With the erupting claps and shouts, it was shown that Minato's name was no longer unknown, while Daichi also stepped forward with a renewed grin, cracking his knuckles as he entered the ring, probably thinking some of that hollering was towards him. Or he told himself to think like that, since it was also a good strategy for battling fear.
"OI!" Kushina cupped her hands around her mouth, yelling. "MINATO! WIN FAST, DATTEBANE!"
Naturally, he heard her, because Minato's shoulders twitched, and I began laughing instantly.
"Heh," Sayuri hid her smile behind her hand as she spoke, "You're embarrassing him."
"That is my right!"
"It really is," I agreed, "As a wife you—, OW?! Stop hitting me, dattebane!"
"Damn," Daichi looked up toward us, then back at Minato, finally shaking his head. "Popular, huh?"
"Yeah," Minato smiled a little. "Something like that."
"Treasure it... Friends mean more than anything else."
"True." He nodded and, after that, cupped his hands towards Daichi, clearly feeling more respect towards him than before.
"Huh," I leaned forward, watching the two, still with just my regular eyes.
"Can he win?" Sayuri asked, "I mean, Minato's opponent."
"No," I said at once.
"Heh!" Kushina grinned at me. "Good answer."
"It's the truth," I muttered while Sakumo raised one hand, yelling:
"Begin."
Daichi moved first, not wanting to give Minato the time to choose an attack. To his credit, he was fast, probably fast enough that most Genin in the arena would have lost track of him. He crossed half the distance in a low burst, something that was a bit more flashy, but not as flashy as a body flicker technique. It was built on more... hm, raw physical acceleration that got boosted by the chakra rushing through his legs. With a sweeping motion, his right fist came in from low below, aimed at Minato's ribs, while his left hand stayed close to guard against an expected counter.
He had a good form, but against Minato, that wasn't much. He simply shifted one step sideways, allowing Daichi's fist to miss him by a hair, and just then, Minato's hand tapped his wrist, redirecting the follow-up strike Daichi had in store for him. Feeling the tapping motion, he adjusted instantly, pivoting into a sweeping kick aimed at Minato's knee. No luck there because Minato merely hopped over it.
"He's gauging him," I said, before Kushina could laugh, "Don't mock Daichi, he can't help it that it looks like Minato is toying with him. It isn't... intentional."
"Are you sure?" Sayuri asked, holding back a laugh herself.
"Yeah." I shrugged, "He could have countered twice already."
"Hmph!" Kushina frowned at that. "Then why isn't he?"
"Because this is the final round," I said, watching them carefully. "Everyone is watching. And he just doesn't want to embrace him too much. I think he wants to give him a chance to show what he has, so he may still get the promotion, even if he loses."
Below, Daichi probably noticed the same thing, or at least he noticed that Minato wasn't engaging him fully. With a much more serious look, he feinted another straight punch, then shifted into a shoulder rush that would have turned into a grapple if it connected, but, having experienced Kushina fighting like that, Minato didn't let it play out. He stepped inside the move before Daichi completed it, placed two fingers against Daichi's chest, and... pushed. Outwardly, it looked gentle, but it was anything but, as Daichi slid backward three meters, forcing him to look down at his chest, holding it, gulping back something, probably tasting blood on the tip of his tongue.
Shaking his head and abandoning pure taijutsu, Daichi's body suddenly gathered his chakra, and I could see how his muscles tightened, and the air around him gave off a faint ripple as he reinforced his stature with his chakra. A close-combat hardening style? Not exactly an earth release, but maybe Yugakure taijutsu is built around impact absorption...? Or something like that? I couldn't tell for sure, but by then he charged again. This time, when Minato dodged, Daichi's foot smashed into the ground and sent broken chunks of dirt and stone upward. With the same intensity, he punched one of the spinning debris in mid-air, launching it like a projectile toward Minato's head, then followed behind it, like a bullet.
"Smart," I chortled, "He knows he can't catch Minato directly, so he's making obstacles and distractions. It could have worked against someone weaker."
As I said that, Minato tilted his head without looking, letting the stone pass by him, watching as Daichi used that instant to close the distance and slam both palms toward Minato's torso. For a split second, it looked like it landed, and I could hear how Kushina stiffened, but by then, Minato's figure blurred away, disappearing. It was not the Flying Raijin, not yet, just his regular, pure speed. Daichi's palms struck empty air, and Minato appeared behind him with a sweeping kick that caught Daichi behind the knee, forcing him to drop to one knee. Before he could recover, Minato's kunai was already out, held between his fingers, bringing it down, straight into the side of his neck, stopping it exactly just when the tip would sever the aorta.
Complete silence... but then the crowd exploded, a bit prematurely, because Daichi had moved and Sakumo remained motionless. His hand snapped up, grabbing Minato's wrist, not willing to lose so easily. He twisted as forcefully as he could, trying to pull Minato over his shoulder and slam him into the ground. As an answer, Minato allowed him to pull on his arm for half a breath, then stepped with it, turning the throw into a pivot. His other hand caught Daichi's elbow, and he redirected the force downward. The result was that Daichi hit the ground face-first, hard enough for everyone to hear a loud crack.
"Ouch," Sayuri said with a wince.
"Ouch," I agreed, hissing the same way as every spectator was.
"Heh!" Kushina was leaning forward so far that I was worried she would fall into the arena. "Come on, Minato! FINISH HIM, DATTEBANE!"
"This isn't Mortal Kombat," I muttered, rolling my eyes, watching as Daichi coughed, pushing himself up with one hand. His nose was bleeding heavily, but his eyes were still clear... Huh. He wasn't done.
He spat the blood to the side, then pulled out a short baton from behind his back, and it extended with a click, metal segments locking into place. Minato, glancing to the side, was waiting for something... but Sakumo didn't stop them at all, so... The fight wasn't over yet, making him shrug, flipping the kunai between his fingers. Daichi attacked with a different rhythm now, spinning the baton in tight-looking arcs, forcing Minato to block instead of simply evade. Each strike aimed at certain joints, or his wrists to disarm, sometimes for his collarbone, or going for his temple. To everyone's surprise, Minato gave ground for the first time.
"That's not good, right?" Sayuri asked, unsure, looking at me for answers.
"No," I said with a smile. "But... It's bait."
Daichi drove forward, seeing Minato retreat, taking it. He committed to a heavy overhead strike and just then... Minato threw his kunai straight at the ground behind him. Naturally, the kunai landed point-first in the dirt, and Daichi noticed it, but it was too late to understand why Minato did it. The next moment, Minato's chakra flashed for a moment, and most people probably missed it entirely. For one instant, Minato stood in front of Daichi, but then, by the next blink of an eye, he was behind him, beside the kunai, and Daichi's strike hit nothing. Instead, Minato's palm landed between his shoulder blades, and Daichi flew forward, rolled twice, and skidded to a stop near Sakumo's feet, trembling from the pain.
"What was that?!" Someone yelled.
"Body flicker?"
"No, I didn't see movement!"
"Did he switch places?"
"Ugh..." Kushina froze. "That idiot… dattebane... Revealing it so early!"
Below us, I watched as Daichi tried to rise, his arms shook, yet he still got one knee under him, pushed... then fell back, stopping the struggle.
"Mhm," Sakumo watched him carefully. "Can you continue?"
"Ugh..." Daichi looked at Minato, who stood calmly near the embedded kunai, shaking his head with a dejected smile, "…No."
"First match is over!" Sakumo raised a hand at once, "Winner: Minato Namikaze!"
"Heh," Sayuri leaned close to me. "He's terrifying. He doesn't even look tired..."
"Yeah," I said, still watching him retrieve his kunai, cupping his hands towards Daichi. "He is only just getting warmed up."
I glanced toward the Hokage's platform as I said that, and as far as I could tell, Hiruzen's expression was calm, while Sakumo's was unreadable down below. Then, as I turned, I noticed that Fugaku was watching Minato, then me, making me simply grin, and not because I was confident, but because I caught how my Mom and Dad were jumping around, yelling Minato's name, waving towards him, making the idiot blush down below.
The arena attendants quickly cleared the field after the first match, smoothing the broken dirt and checking the seals along the wall. Daichi was helped out by one of the medical staff, though he walked on his own, which earned him some applause as well, and the second match was called soon after.
"Hiashi Hyūga of Konohagakure against Ayame Hotori of Yugakure."
Hiashi entered first, walking in a way that made me think that he was flaunting the fact that he had never once tripped over anything in his life. His long hair was neatly tied back into a ponytail, while his pale eyes were strictly looking forward, watching his opponent, Ayame. As for the girl, her hands remained inside her sleeves, and the moment she stepped into the arena, I felt her chakra spread out, forcing Hiashi to activate his Byakugan at once.
"Oh," I murmured, also turning on my Sharingan.
"What?" Sayuri asked, glancing at my eyes.
"She started already... I don't know if this is against the rules or not."
"With what?" Kushina narrowed her eyes. "Genjutsu?"
"Probably the foundation for one..." I muttered.
Of course, Sakumo noticed too, but, without saying anything, he allowed it... Taking it as a preparational stage? Or something? Who knows, but when the word 'begin' was shouted, Ayame's fingers flicked out at once, and the sound of a tiny bell rang out. The crowd didn't notice at first as most people leaned forward, waiting for... something. However, I saw it with my Sharingan: there was a thin pulse of chakra, directly riding the sound, spreading in a circular ripple across the arena floor, while Hiashi had begun advancing towards her.
"Gentle Fist, yes?" Sayuri whispered to me, making me nod.
"Yeah."
Ayame hurriedly stepped backward, flicking another bell, then another, all of them having three different but overlapping tones. Ignoring the sounds, Hiashi stepped forward, chasing her, but after the third step, his foot landed half a pace off from where he intended.
"Oh?" I smiled, "She had already thrown him off-balance." I explained it to them.
"That's it?" Kushina blinked, smirking. "Already? The greatest clan Konoha has..."
"What is she using?" Sayuri asked, unable to tell for sure.
"It's not a full illusion." I hummed, watching the fight, "It is... More like sensory misalignment."
"And..." Sayuri frowned. "Can the Byakugan counter that?"
"Partially," I guessed, seeing how he was keeping up with the chase. "He can see her chakra, and for sure, he can see his own pathways. But if his ears and sense of direction are being messed with, seeing isn't everything... So he will have to do something else to turn it around."
Just as I said that, Ayame flicked her right hand, and three senbon shot from her sleeve. Easily, Hiashi tilted his body aside and deflected them with two fingers, but, thanks to the imbalance, one passed closer than it should have, and that made his eyes narrow. At the same time, Ayame's left foot traced a circle in the dirt, and another bell chimed just then.
Following the noise, the arena floor seemed to blur, and Ayame's presence split into afterimages, forcing Hiashi to stop his chase. If he went after the wrong one, he would expose himself... However, pausing wasn't the best move either, because Ayame used that moment to throw another volley, this time mixed with two thin wires that caught the light for half a second before vanishing into the shimmer. Countering, Hiashi's palm struck the air, and a heavy burst of chakra knocked the weapons aside, all of them being deflected.
"That was close," Sayuri said, glued to her chair.
"Nah, not close enough." I shook my head, smiling.
Hiashi began moving again, and I could tell that his Byakugan tracked everything, no matter what he was being shown via the illusion. He still saw the chakra-filled wires, senbon, all those threads, the bell pulses, everything. The girl had noticed it too, because her expression tightened and she changed tactics. She brought both hands out of her sleeves for the first time, and each of her wrists had a small ring of bells tied to it by a red thread. As her fingers moved, the bells chimed in overlapping patterns once again. Even I felt it tug at my senses from up in the stands, while Sayuri inhaled sharply.
"Ugh," Kushina grabbed her own wrist. "That feels gross, dattebane."
Ayame wasn't trying to trap Hiashi in one illusion as far as I could tell. She was messing with his perception of distance, timing, direction, sound, and... Hm. Probably weight, too. Each modification to his perceived reality was minor enough that his Byakugan couldn't simply pierce through it, and thanks to this, his body hesitated for a fraction of a second on what to do next.
That was when Ayame struck again.
She appeared at his flank, a senbon aimed at his neck, and although Hiashi spun, barely catching her wrist before it landed, she almost did it. Without hesitation, Ayame's other hand came up with a second needle, aimed at his ribs, and if not for his proficiency in the Gentle Fist, he would have missed the timing. But he was good enough that he struck her forearm with two fingers, and her hand went limp instantly.
"First tenketsu hit," I said out loud.
"I saw my stupid partner fight with this style," Sayuri leaned forward, watching, "His is nowhere near as fluent."
"Bet." I snorted, "Well, as for the poor girl... Her arm's chakra flow just got cut."
Ayame retreated with a sharp inhale, but Hiashi followed her as by now his Byakugan had confirmed the real terrain beneath his feet. Trying her best, Ayame rang the bells again, and she pulled the wires tight, trying to catch his ankle. By then, Hiashi was like a hound-dog, locked onto her scent, and easily stepped over them without having to look down.
"Oh," I muttered. "Now she's in trouble."
Ayame knew it, too, as her face hardened and she slammed both palms together, and the bells rang all at once. The sound hit Hiashi like a wave, forcing him to stop dead in his tracks. His Byakugan was still active, but his body stiffened, and apparently, Ayame had gone for a full immobilizing genjutsu. Wasting no time, she sprinted toward him, drawing a kunai, aiming for his throat. For half a second, it looked like she had him, but then Hiashi exhaled, and his chakra flared from every tenketsu across his body. The sound distortion it caused made it sound as if something had broken around him, like glass. Ayame's eyes widened, but it was too late by now. Hiashi stepped inside her guard and let loose his attacks. One palm to the shoulder, then the ribs, followed by another to the abdomen. Ayame staggered backward from it, her legs buckling before she could take another step. She tried to raise her working arm, but it didn't respond anymore. That was when Sakumo appeared beside them before she hit the ground and started spasming.
"Enough." Ayame froze, breathing hard, eyes furious with herself. "Can you continue?"
"I..." She tried to stand, but she couldn't, "No...."
"Winner: Hiashi Hyūga." Sakumo raised his hand at once, and the crowd erupted again, though differently this time. Soon, Hiashi bowed once to Ayame, formally, and she just stared at him for a second, then gave a small nod back, exhaling.
"That was intense!" Sayuri said, exhaling, patting her chest.
"A bit," I grinned. "She was better than I expected."
I watched Hiashi leave the arena, face unreadable, and I was sure that he hadn't shown everything. Which meant if I ended up facing him later, I would need to be careful... Fun!
"Oi," Kushina leaned toward me suddenly. "So? What do you think, dattebane?"
"About?"
"Minato and Hiashi."
"If they meet," I grinned, "His eyes won't see what hit him, even if he has 360 vision."