Unlike the civilians, various other people were not happy with the result at all. Not only was Konoha in the lead in the exam, but there was also a very high chance that only Konoha ninjas would reach the finals. So all 1st, 2nd, and 3rd positions would belong to Konoha.
If Konoha wanted to show its dominance, then this was the perfect way; other villages weren’t even in the competition anymore. Such monstrous talent is the reason Konoha has been able to handle four villages attacking it at the sa ti, and now it was showing off that talent.
The place where the Daimyo were sitting was silent. There was a smile on the Fire Daimyo's face, while the Earth Daimyo looked a little tense, but the person most unsatisfied was the Lightning Daimyo.
“It’s alright, my friend. Winning and losing are part of the tournant. Kumo did its best; it's just that my land is blessed with talent, hohoho,” the Fire Daimyo gloated with a silly smile. For a few years, Konoha had been losing continuously—Village Sunagakure even won one ti—but not Konoha.
During that ti, he could only listen to such words from others, but now that he got a chance to return the favor, there was no way he was going to miss it.
The Lightning Daimyo could only put up a fake smile. “Of course, the match was a close one. Konoha ninjas sure are lucky,” he said.
“Close one? If it was close, then both of them should have been in the hospital. But maybe you are correct, and I’m just too happy to win so much money to think things through,” the Fire Daimyo said, painfully bringing up the topic of Darui being admitted to the hospital, not giving the Lightning Daimyo any way out.
‘Kumogakure will have to face the brunt of the money I lost because of them,’ the Lightning Daimyo thought, unknowingly sealing his fate with resentnt.
“Well, it’s not like you won; Iwagakure is still in the competition,” the Earth Daimyo said. Most of the ti, he was like Onoki, a fence-sitter, but when it ca to money, he beca the most active person around.
“Yeah, yeah, but his next match is against Itachi, right?” the Fire Daimyo said, putting on a thinking gesture. “Well, I wish you the best of luck.”
“Sa to you.”
---
“Bro, we won so much! This is the easiest money possible!” Kaida shouted, to which Shisui just nodded his head.
Due to the low conversion rate, they only got 1.5 tis their betting price, but still, 5 million ryo in just minutes is no small amount by any ans.
“Yeah, with this much we could resu our plan for expanding the business,” Shisui said.
Kabuto, who was listening, wanted to ask sothing but kept his mouth shut, as what he wanted to say was sothing he wouldn’t take pride in. But Kaida, who knew Kabuto quite well from both the ani and from living with him for so long, could guess what he wanted to ask.
“Brother, since it was because of Kabuto that we won this much, shouldn’t we do sothing for him as well?” Kaida asked.
“Sure, what do you want to do?” Shisui understood what Kaida was trying to do.
“Let’s donate 1 million to his orphanage. How about it, Kabuto?”
“…Thanks,” Kabuto could only say this, too moved to say anything else.
Shisui and Jiraiya just smiled at that, while Itachi shifted his attention to the stadium, which was ready for the next match.
As the proctor stepped forward, the crowd settled, and a hush fell over the arena. “Next match: Itachi Uchiha of Konoha versus Deidara of Iwagakure!”
The mont the match was announced, excitent rippled through the stands. Stall owners shouted the latest betting odds, their voices blending into a cacophony of numbers as fans made last-minute bets, torn between the genius Uchiha and Iwagakure’s explosive artist.
In the center of the arena, Itachi and Deidara faced each other, both calm. However, Deidara looked toward the audience, especially at Kaida, with visible killing intent in his glare. Kaida just responded with a wave and a smile, further angering Deidara.
“Because of your teammate, you will die today. But don’t worry; I’ll make it quick,” Deidara said, turning back toward Itachi.
“You can try,” Itachi responded without expression.
“Begin!” the proctor called.
Without a mont’s hesitation, Deidara reached into his pouch, pulling out a handful of clay and molding it with rapid, expert movents. Small clay spiders and birds ford in his hands before he sent them toward Itachi, each one enlarging on its own as it moved, becoming bigger and deadlier to test his opponent’s defenses.
Itachi calmly reached into his pouch and pulled out a single shuriken. Holding it with a practiced grip, he sent it spinning through the air. “Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!” With a series of hand seals, the single shuriken multiplied mid-flight, becoming a rain of gleaming steel.
Each clone hit a target precisely, piercing through the moving clay animals as if individually guided by Itachi’s hand.
The audience held their breath, stunned by the mastery of Itachi’s technique. It wasn’t just the sheer number of shuriken—it was the impeccable precision, each one striking its target as if calculated down to the milliter. It was the pinnacle of throwing technique, not less deadly than any elental jutsu itself.
Deidara clenched his teeth, impressed but unfazed. “Not bad… but let’s see how you handle sothing bigger!”
Once again, he put his hand in his pouch, pulling out a large amount of clay with both hands to craft a larger clay bird, one agile enough to evade attacks according to Deidara’s commands. Controlling it with swift hand gestures, he directed it to soar and twist through the air, dodging the shuriken that ca its way.
Itachi responded imdiately, his hands weaving into seals. “Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!” He released a massive torrent of fla shaped like a dragon, roaring through the sky with intense heat and speed.
The fire dragon t Deidara’s bird mid-air, and the impact was instantaneous—a blinding explosion that sent shockwaves through the arena. A wave of heat and light washed over the spectators, who shielded their eyes from the brilliance of the blast.
For a brief mont, Deidara was stunned, awe-struck by the fiery explosion. ‘This… this is art,’ he thought, captivated by the beauty of the flas resulting from the collision of two jutsu capable of mass destruction alone. Combined, the effect only increased. ‘One of the most beautiful creations I’ve ever made.’
Deidara regained his composure, eyes narrowing with determination. Unlike what most thought, his carefree personality didn’t an he didn’t use his brain in battle.
No matter how hot-headed he was, he remained calm during fights; otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived this long. Seeing his attack doing no damage, Deidara quickly changed his plans.
“I was saving this for later, but… you’re worthy of seeing my latest masterpiece!” A massive clay bird appeared next to him, big enough to carry several people. He climbed onto its back, and with a powerful leap, soared into the sky.
The crowd gasped as Deidara took flight. In the shinobi world, such a feat was rare and feared. Flying ninjas had a trendous advantage on the battlefield, and with Iwagakure already boasting one, Deidara’s ability made them even more formidable.
From above, Deidara laughed like he had already won the match, tossing smaller clay bombs down at Itachi. Each one moved with such speed that it hit the ground within seconds, far heavier than they looked.
With no ti to counterattack, Itachi could only dodge. Explosions erupted around him, forcing him to continuously move.
Realizing the disadvantage, Itachi thought, ‘I need to even out our playing field.’ He rembered their training with Jiraiya.
He ford a shadow clone and jumped on its palm. The clone used its strength to throw Itachi upward, while Itachi tid his jump perfectly, using precise chakra control. As he ascended, the clone used Gale Palm Jutsu, a powerful burst of wind that propelled Itachi even higher—just as Kaida had done during their last sparring session against Jiraiya.
Now in mid-air, Itachi ford signs. Fire Release: Great Fla Flower! Thirty massive fireballs ford around him, crackling with intensity as he targeted Deidara from multiple angles.
Now the situation was reversed; Deidara’s bird wasn’t nimble enough to dodge the fireballs, which were carefully guided by Itachi himself. Deidara’s eyes widened as the fireballs closed in. He maneuvered his clay bird skillfully, evading two simultaneous fireballs, but the third hit its mark. The impact blasted the bird to pieces, sending a massive explosion of clay and fla through the stadium.
At the last second, Deidara leapt off, but he hit the ground with a painful thud, his legs buckling as a shockwave of pain surged up his legs, nearly fracturing them. Pain flashed in his eyes as he struggled to stand. Realizing his predicant, he decided to head skyward once more.
But before he could craft another bird, Itachi landed in front of him, his Sharingan blazing. With a calm, unshakable gaze, he pointed his finger directly at Deidara’s forehead.
“You lost,” Itachi declared, his voice a quiet storm.
Deidara froze, his eyes locked onto Itachi’s finger. Ti seed to slow as he stared, unable to react. For the audience, it seed like a simple gesture. But for Deidara, what he saw was a nightmare.
In the blink of an eye, Itachi vanished from his line of sight and appeared directly in front of him, his hand plunging through Deidara’s chest, ripping out his heart, still beating in his palm. Blood dripped from his fingers as Deidara looked on, horrified and helpless.
But it was all an illusion. Itachi had cast him into a brutal genjutsu, a touch harsher than usual due to the irritation he felt from the burns sustained in the fight. He had decided to return the favor to Deidara.
In reality, Deidara remained standing, staring blankly at Itachi’s finger. The match had been decided the mont Itachi pointed; Deidara was frozen, lost in the vision of his own death, and then collapsed to the ground after losing consciousness.
Itachi withdrew his hand, satisfied, as the proctor stepped forward. “Winner of the match: Itachi Uchiha!”
The crowd erupted in cheers, their voices mingling in a thunderous ovation as they celebrated Konoha’s prodigy. Itachi gave a slight bow and turned, leaving Deidara to process what he had seen.
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