"Huh?"
Everyone exchanged glances.
In just a few minutes, such a drastic change had occurred?
Earlier, it was the Kirigakure ninjas doing the slaughtering, but now, in the blink of an eye, the Kirigakure ninjas were the ones being wiped out.
The situation had shifted too quickly!
Genji stood up in a panic, "What happened?"
"Uh..."
The Takigakure ninja glanced at Jiraiya and Dodai.
He didn’t say anything, but the implication was clear.
Genji’s expression darkened, but he couldn’t lash out now because, chronologically, it was the Kirigakure ninjas who had started the trouble by killing other villages’ genin.
This kind of behavior wasn’t uncommon in Kirigakure.
The village’s current education system was bloody and war-focused. The graduation exam for the academy even required students to kill each other, or they wouldn’t graduate.
So.
He wasn’t surprised by his ninjas’ behavior.
But...
What Genji hadn’t expected was that the Kirigakure ninjas would be slaughtered so badly.
Konoha and Kumogakure.
Konoha’s representative was likely that kid, Kyohiko.
That brat was indeed strong, with speed that was top-tier among his peers. If he continued to grow, he might beco the next White Fang.
But Kumogakure...
Genji frowned.
Who was it?
And where were Mangetsu and the others?
Had they also been defeated by the ninjas from those two villages, or worse...
Genji was deeply worried.
"Ahem, the second exam turning out like this is quite unexpected..."
Jiraiya coughed, breaking the tense silence.
He glanced around.
Only Dodai seed as calm as he was, clearly confident that their team mbers were safe.
But.
The key issue now was the smaller villages.
They had suffered the most.
However, since it was Kirigakure that had caused the trouble, it had nothing to do with them...
Even so, Jiraiya sighed inwardly and then voiced his suggestion, "Chief Jōnin, since this is your village hosting the Chunin Exams, I have a proposal..."
Jiraiya looked around.
"The purpose of these exams is to understand each other’s situations, promote peace, and foster mutual growth. But the current situation has clearly deviated from that goal. How about we skip the third exam and grant those who passed the second exam the rank of chunin? What do you think?"
Takigakure was different from many other villages.
Their leader wasn’t a ninja but an ordinary person. During warti, Takigakure would seek to boost their combat strength, but after the war, they would cut back on such expenditures.
So.
Takigakure’s philosophy was the opposite of Kirigakure’s.
Avoid fighting whenever possible and resolve issues through discussion.
Therefore, Jiraiya’s proposal was sothing the Takigakure leader would gladly accept, not reject.
A smile appeared on his face.
"I personally agree wholeheartedly. What do the rest of you think?"
"Agreed."
Dodai nodded cheerfully.
Kumogakure had only sent two elite teams this ti, one of which was a filler team that had been eliminated in the first round, embarrassing even him.
But.
There was a silver lining to the embarrassnt.
At least they hadn’t participated in the second round, saving their lives.
The other small villages quickly agreed, leaving only Genji silent. However, with Konoha and Kumogakure leading the charge and the other villages agreeing, what could Kirigakure do?
Genji sighed and reluctantly nodded.
"Agreed!"
...
On the mountain, the battle was still raging.
The two sides had split apart, leaving only Kyohiko and Yugito.
It wasn’t that Kyohiko was being chivalrous and insisting on a one-on-one duel with Yugito. He knew that as a jinchūriki, Yugito’s full power would be too much for numbers to overco.
So.
Whether it was one person or six, it didn’t make much difference at this point.
A one-on-one fight was the best way to minimize losses. Moreover, Kisa and the others were still lurking, and having three teams on standby could prevent them from taking advantage.
Kisa was indeed in a tough spot.
As a Kirigakure ninja, he had plenty of patience, but seeing the duel-like scene in front of him was hard to comprehend.
What era was this? How childish!
Just then, Kyohiko created several clones.
Yugito raised her hands, and blue, mouse-shaped fireballs ford on her fingers.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The fireballs flew in all directions.
However.
Kyohiko dodged and weaved, his movents so fluid that the fireballs missed him entirely.
Yugito was slightly surprised.
Earlier, Kyohiko had used his real body alongside shadow clones, making it hard to distinguish between the real and the fake.
Now, without shadow clones, it seed even harder to tell which was which!
This...
She took a deep breath, her chakra surging as she prepared for any incoming attacks, while also sharpening her focus and perception.
Left side!
Thanks to her jinchūriki abilities, Yugito sensed the attack’s origin.
Her fingers instantly sprouted cat-like claws, and a special chakra emanated from her palms. Her left claw blocked, while her right claw guarded her body, preventing Kyohiko from changing his attack.
Clang!
The blade and claw collided.
Yugito’s lips curled into a slight smile.
But.
In the next second, she saw what Kyohiko was holding and realized sothing was wrong.
It was a kunai!
She imdiately raised her right hand to block, but in that split second, Kyohiko drew a blade from his waist with his left hand and slashed at her left arm, which was blocking the kunai.
Yugito wanted to pull back, but a sharp pain shot through her arm.
Blood gushed out!
She knew she couldn’t let up.
If she did, Kyohiko’s blade would inch closer, becoming even more dangerous.
Yugito’s entire body surged with chakra, as if she was about to enter her tailed beast state.
Kyohiko remained calm, throwing the kunai in his right hand at Yugito’s attacking right claw, then hurling the blade in his left hand.
Clang!
Yugito crossed her claws, deflecting the blade into the air. But in the next instant—
Her pupils contracted. She couldn’t dodge in ti as a trendous force struck her chin.
Even with the tailed beast cloak partially protecting her...
Her body was sent flying.
As she soared into the air, she wrapped herself in tailed beast chakra, but the next mont, a massive impact hit her from behind.
Boom!
The ground cratered from the force.
Yugito’s stomach was in excruciating pain. She couldn’t believe it—
As Kumogakure’s genius and the Two-Tails jinchūriki, she had been beaten so badly even after using tailed beast chakra!
How could he be this strong?
Her mind went blank.
She landed.
A blade flashed past her neck, missing by a hair’s breadth.
"Still want to fight?"
Kyohiko stood up, looking down at Yugito.
"I lose."
Yugito lay on the ground, her tailed beast chakra receding.
He could have killed her.
The reason he didn’t...
Was probably because she was a jinchūriki.
But.
A loss was a loss.
She could accept defeat and wouldn’t make a fuss.
"But I’m younger than you. I’ll train harder and eventually surpass you!"
Yugito struggled to sit up, coughing up blood.
If it weren’t for the tailed beast cloak, that last kick would have killed her!
What terrifying strength!
How did he even train to beco this strong?
Yugito’s emotions were mixed.
But at the sa ti—
Soone else’s emotions were even more complicated.
Mangetsu and the others, who had been hoping to take advantage of the situation, hadn’t expected to witness such a terrifying duel.
Defeating a jinchūriki in just a few moves?!
What kind of monster was this?!
Although the jinchūriki was still young and hadn’t fully mastered her powers, the fact that she had been chasing down the other Kirigakure ninjas showed her strength.
Which ant...
When Kyohiko had fought them earlier, he hadn’t even used his full strength?
Kisa didn’t dare to breathe.
At this mont, they had no intention of fighting. Their only thought was—
Admit defeat!
They didn’t even dare to move, hoping Kyohiko and the others would leave soon so they could safely descend the mountain.
They couldn’t win, and there was no sha in admitting that!
Kyohiko glanced around, then focused on Yugito.
"I’ll wait for you to challenge again."
Then, he reached out his hand.
Yugito was confused, "What?"
"The scrolls! I spared your life, but you think you can keep the scrolls?"
"Fine!"
Yugito gritted her teeth, reaching into her pocket, only to rember they weren’t on her.
"Ren-senpai, please give them to him. I’ll explain it to Dodai-sama."
"Alright."
Yotsuki Ren tossed over a few scrolls.
Kyohiko caught them and then smiled, "Shall we head down together?"
"..."
Yugito was speechless.
One mont, they were enemies, and the next, they were acting like friends. How did he switch so effortlessly?
"There might still be a Kirigakure elite team hiding in the shadows."
Kurenai reminded.
"Then let’s go together."
"Kurenai, give her so basic treatnt. It’s not good to keep bleeding like that."
"Got it!"
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