The tournament advanced to the mid-level rounds, integrating Ninjutsu and Shurikenjutsu. The goal was to test resource management and elemental compatibility, a phase where Makima was expected to dominate due to her massive, refined Uzumaki chakra pool.
Makima faced Hana, the diligent commoner girl who admired Makima's perceived sacrifice but was determined to prove her hard work matched Makima's natural gifts. The tension was high; Hana represented the ambition of the non-clan students. Hana opened the match with a massive, rapidly constructed defensive Doton (Earth Release) Mud Wall, a wall intended to neutralize Makima's speed advantage and force a war of attrition.
Makima did not react with panic. She viewed the wall as a predictable parameter. She simply executed a quick series of seals—Tora, Ushi, Tatsu, Saru—with the mechanical perfection of a flawless automaton.
"Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)," she whispered. The blast that followed was not merely powerful, but a marvel of chakra control. Instead of a wide, chaotic wave, the wind was shaped into a piercing, conical drill, impacting the exact, structurally weakest center of Hana's mud wall. The localized pressure was immense, pulverizing the structure into a cloud of fine dust and flying debris. Makima's use of chakra was efficient; she used only enough to break the wall, not a speck more.
Hana, startled but resolute, didn't panic. As the dust cloud billowed, she utilized the sudden visual obscurity, instantly leaping to a side-angle and unleashing a barrage of seven kunai and shuriken. Her throw was skilled, designed to cover the maximum area and force Makima to commit to a heavy chakra defense. Hana's desperation was admirable.
Makima's response was a revelation of technical finesse. She released a controlled stream of Suiton (Water Release) chakra from her fingertips. This was not a jutsu, but a micro-manipulation: a thin, near-invisible moisture curtain created just a foot in front of her. The high velocity of Hana's blades hitting the curtain caused a minute, but critical, deflection—dampening the momentum and altering the trajectory of the projectiles by a fraction of a degree. Every blade whizzed past her, rendered harmless by an unseen, perfect defense.
Before the last blade landed, Makima moved in. She closed the distance with a burst of her Uzumaki-amplified Taijutsu speed. Hana, expecting Makima to be caught up in the dust and debris, was caught off guard. Makima didn't use Ninjutsu for the kill; she relied on advanced Shurikenjutsu to force a submission.
She hurled three kunai simultaneously. The first two were aimed at Hana's shoulders, forcing Hana's arms into a protective, upward block. The third, thrown underhand and angled to skid off the damp ground, was aimed precisely at the exposed Achilles heel of Hana's rear foot. It was a flawless, geometric trap—block the upper two and expose the lower threat, or defend the foot and take the shoulder hits.
Hana froze, recognizing the inescapable checkmate. With a grunt of frustration, she dropped her stance and raised her hands in forfeit before the final kunai could connect. Makima stopped the third kunai instantly, leaving it inches from Hana's shoe.
Makima approached Hana, who was breathing hard and staring at the perfectly placed projectile. Makima's face was serene, devoid of the cold calculation that had dominated the fight. She offered Hana her hand.
"Hana-san," Makima said, her voice sincere and carrying. "Your Mud Wall was the largest and most concentrated defense I have faced in this tournament. And your immediate counter-barrage was exceptionally clever. You did not break your will when the jutsu failed. That resilience is the mark of a true shinobi. You have my sincere respect."
Hana, exhausted and surprised by the praise, took Makima's hand, feeling a renewed sense of purpose from the heiress's acknowledgment. "Thank you, Utatane-san. I... I will keep working on my control."
The surrounding students immediately burst into loud, supportive cheers.
"Makima-chan is so kind!"
"Even after dominating, she encourages her opponent!"
"She's so graceful and polite! What a good nature!"
Makima offered the crowd a small, delicate bow, accepting their adoration like an earned tribute.
Inner Monologue:Monkeys. Loud, predictable little primates, praising the appearance of morality. They mistake strategy for sincerity, and my flawless efficiency for good nature. Their weak, easily-satisfied wills are the true energy source of this village. Let them believe they worship a saint. It makes the eventual harvest of their loyalty so much cleaner.
Minato's fight was against a skilled fire-style user. Minato understood that the pure elemental clash was a battle of raw power he didn't yet possess. Instead, he leveraged his tactical genius and timing.
The opponent launched a large fireball (Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu). Instead of countering, Minato rapidly threw three smokebombs into the air above the fireball's path. The heat from the fireball ignited the smoke, creating a sudden, blinding flash that temporarily obscured the arena.
In that critical half-second of distraction, Minato didn't retreat; he ran closer. He closed the distance, darting around the opponent's blind side, and applied a restraining Taijutsu hold. Minato won without using an offensive Ninjutsu, relying solely on misdirection and environmental physics.
Makima watched, her gold eyes bright with interest. Minato didn't just understand jutsu; he understood the economy of effort. He made his opponent's powerful attack useful to his own strategy.
He is not merely strong; he is a brilliant chaos engine, Makima thought, a shiver of profound intellectual pleasure running through her.