POV: Arano (The Tsuchikage)
After the third battle, a brief pause was announced so that everyone could relax before the next fight.
The upcoming fight, as I know, will feature Okura Shrihana, a genin from my village, facing Imagome, a genin from Kumo.
Both are incredibly talented shinobi who, had it not been for the exams, would already have achieved the rank of Chunin.
I'm not in the arena anymore since there's a small break. There's no need to stay inside, and it's better to be outside where I can breathe fresh air and rest for a few minutes.
Everything would be perfect if not for an Anbu appearing in front of me.
"I have some news, Lord Tsuchikage," said the masked Anbu.
"Go ahead," I responded.
"During the second trial, not all teams qualified. The reason is that not all participants showed up. Special teams were dispatched to search for the missing genin. They found everyone except for one— a girl named Mata. The special teams searched for her for a day but failed to find her, so they reported it to us, the Iwa Anbu. With nothing else to do, we continued the search, but we found no trace of her. We then decided to interrogate her teammate. Thanks to Togi, a member of her team, we now know that they fought a team of genin from Kumo. He also told us that Mata fought all three genin so that he could escape," said the Anbu ninja.
Of course, everything couldn't be perfect this time. The Kumo ninja had to make a move against Iwa, but this time, not directly against me— but against the genin from my village. I won't let this go unpunished, but for now, I'll wait until the exam ends.
"Do you have anything else to add?" I asked, looking at the kneeling ninja.
"We know that Okura will be fighting the leader of the team that attacked Mata," said the Anbu ninja.
"If there's nothing else, you can go," I said.
The Anbu ninja disappeared just as suddenly as he appeared.
As time passes, things are becoming more complicated. Anyway, I should head back— the fight will soon begin.
Some time later, in the arena:
Finally, I'm back in the V.I.P section of the arena reserved for the most important individuals.
The Raikage and Hokage are both here, seated in the same section as me. Fortunately, there's a few meters of distance between me and the Raikage.
"In the fourth fight, Okura Shrihana will face Imagome from Kumo," a loud voice announced.
"I hope we win this fight," I muttered to myself.
POV: Okura & Imagome
Okura and Imagome entered the arena, eyeing each other carefully, each observing the other's movements. The fight had begun, but instead of rushing in, both were standing still, sizing up their adversary. As the seconds passed, the tension between them grew thicker.
The first to make a move was Imagome from Kumo. He charged toward Okura but stopped a few meters from her. Instead of attacking directly, he jumped backward, pulling six shuriken from his pocket and throwing them at her.
To protect herself from the incoming projectiles, Okura jumped backward, using a kunai to deflect the shuriken aimed at her.
Letting him get too close could be dangerous. I should create some distance, Okura thought to herself.
After deflecting all the shuriken, Okura formed several hand signs and unleashed a massive wave of water.
Imagome didn't attempt to counter this, instead relying on his speed to dodge the wave. It wasn't easy, as the wave moved quickly, but he managed to escape unscathed. Had it hit him, several of his bones would have surely been broken.
When the wave of water dissipated, Imagome saw three Okura figures instead of just one.
"A cloning jutsu... this won't be an easy fight," Imagome thought.
"I'll need to fight seriously from now on if I want to win," Imagome said to Okura.
Okura remained silent, her focus entirely on Imagome.
"Well," Imagome said before creating two clones of himself.
The three Imagomes began rushing toward the three Okura figures. As he neared one of them, Imagome did the same as before—this time throwing a smoke bomb at his feet, filling the area with thick smoke.
The Okura clones jumped backward, watching the swirling smoke. After several long moments, three Imagomes emerged from the smoke, charging at the real Okura, who was positioned in the middle.
To protect the real Okura, the two clones on the right and left jumped to intercept the three Imagomes.
The first Imagome was pierced by a kunai and vanished.
The second Imagome was stabbed by the Okura clone on the right and left, disappearing with a puff.
"This one is the real one," said the real Okura as she rushed toward the remaining Imagome.
Imagome attempted to retreat into the smoke, but his path was blocked by Okura. He turned around, only to see the two clones blocking him from the other direction.
"You've lost. You're surrounded. Surrender now, and I won't hurt you," said Okura, staring at the Kumo ninja.
"Huh?" said Imagome, staring at his opponent.
"As you wish," Okura said, ready to strike.
Just as the crowd believed the fight was nearing its end, something unexpected happened.
From the smoke emerged another Imagome, running toward Okura with a kunai charged with electricity in hand.
Okura, who was very close to the smoke, didn't have time to react to this surprise attack. Unfortunately for her, she was pierced by the electrified kunai.
Soon after, the two Okura clones disappeared, leaving only the real Okura, now lying on the ground, covered in her own blood.
"The winner of this fight is Imagome from Kumo," a booming voice announced.
The arena fell silent, everyone shocked by how the fight ended. Even the Kage were stunned.
Autor note : Hello
Hello
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