After a brief intermission following the first round of the third phase of the Joint Chūnin Promotion Exam, the colosseum was buzzing with excitent once again.
By now, the dark clouds that had lood over the sky earlier because of the Raijin v/s Uchiha Sasuke fight had dispersed, revealing a clear and bright expanse above. The arena had been restored, leveled, and reinforced with Earth-style ninjutsu, making it sturdier than before. Although the people responsible for this job understood quite well that these enhancents were likely futile, given the overwhelming power of the ninja competing in the upcoming matches, it’s better than nothing, so they did the job regardless.
Despite the slight humidity lingering in the air, everything was ready for the next round. As the Kages and Daimyōs settled back into the VIP section, the Quarterfinals were about to comnce.
As Uchiha Itachi made his way to the arena to announce the first matchup, the Kages began to discuss the remaining eight Genin among themselves. "The ones still in the competition are Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Neji from Konohagakure, Darui from Kumogakure, Deidara from Iwagakure, Itsuki from Sunagakure… and Raijin, Tengu, as well as Samsara from Agakure."
“Who would have thought three unknown ninjas from Agakure would make it this far…” murmured the Raikage, a hint of bitterness in his voice. He hadn’t anticipated this outco and struggled to mask the hint of killing intent in his eyes. Unlike so of the other Kages, Ay had more knowledge about these three mysterious Agakure ninjas. While he didn’t have the full picture, the reports from Darui, Shee, and Atsui had given him a fair understanding.
Raijin is on the edge of mastering the Lightning Chakra Mode, Samsara has extraordinary mastery over so kind of miraculous Iryō Ninjutsu capable of instantly healing extrely serious physical ailnts and injuries as well as Genjutsu expertise to instantly defeat Temari of Sunagakure, and Tengu has proven himself strong enough to easily overpower Shee and Atsui. It was clear that none of the three were ordinary in the slightest.
Putting aside Raijin and Tengu, it was Samsara’s miraculous healing abilities that particularly intrigued the Raikage. ‘It’s a pity their squad never left Konoha before the final phase,’ he thought with a sigh. He had hoped to catch them outside Konoha, intending to eliminate Raijin and Tengu and then capture Samsara, but his plans had been foiled, leaving him deeply frustrated. He had even considered taking action against the three Agakure ninjas within Konoha, but doing so would cause unnecessary problems and send a negative ssage to the world if discovered. It would make it seem as though the Raikage couldn’t tolerate the existence of three talented shinobi from Agakure. This impression wouldn’t only agitate Agakure but also make other smaller shinobi villages, like Kusagakure, Yugakure, and Otogakure, more vigilant against Kumogakure. Additionally, other great shinobi villages might seize the opportunity to rally these smaller villages away from Kumogakure’s side, potentially isolating his village.
Raikage knew he had to be strategic. Moving against the three Agakure shinobi was still on the table, but it would have to be done discreetly, away from prying eyes. Until the perfect opportunity arose, he could only bide his ti and monitor them.
‘Well, let’s for the Chūnin Promotion Exam to end,’ with that in mind Raikage shook his head to clear his thoughts and also set aside his murderous intent. However, he still couldn’t but furrow his brows as he reflected on the origins of these three exceptional Agakure shinobi. ‘Still, it’s astonishing that such talented shinobi have co out of Agakure…’
Pondering further, he reminded himself that this wasn’t the first ti Agakure had produced extraordinary ninjas. Uzumaki Nagato and Konan are also Agakure ninjas, and before them, Hanzō of the Salamander was a force to be reckoned with.
While the Raikage was lost in thought, Ōnoki spoke up in response to his earlier remark. “It is indeed surprising that three Genin from Agakure have made it this far… and…” He paused, glancing at the Mizukage with a smirk, “It’s a pity that no Genin from Kirigakure has reached the quarterfinals.”
Ōnoki’s voice carried a biting edge, almost as if he were mocking Kirigakure. Considering that Deidara had defeated the Mizukage’s own daughter, this remark was clearly intended as a taunt. The longstanding enmity between Iwagakure and Kirigakure, stemming from the death of the Third Tsuchikage at the hands of the Third Mizukage, only fueled Ōnoki’s disdain. Although he no longer actively pursued this old grievance, it didn’t stop him from taking a jab whenever the chance presented itself.
Terumi i was visibly irritated by Ōnoki’s taunt, after all, Tamako, Suigetsu, and Chōjūrō were her disciples, so the responsibility for their failure was also her responsibility, but the Mizukage remained unbothered, he looked rather bored and yawned lazily.
Being completely ignored by Mizukage left Ōnoki a bit dissatisfied, but he chose to drop the matter. Instead, he turned his attention toward the Agakure Waiting Room with a thoughtful expression, ‘If what Deidara said is true, then that girl from Agakure isn’t an ordinary kunoichi… But how is it that such talented shinobi like Raijin and Samsara are suddenly erging from Agakure? We hadn’t heard a thing about them until now…’
Ōnoki had already conducted a background investigation on the three Agakure ninjas. Yet, based on his years of experience, sothing felt off. ‘Their history and backgrounds were easy enough to uncover, but until the Joint Chūnin Promotion Exam, they were completely unknown. Ninjas with this level of strength and talent don’t remain unknown for years. Even if they had been trying to remain hidden, there should have been at least so indication of their existence. Yet, he had received no intelligence about Raijin, Samsara, and Tengu before the Chūnin Promotion Exam. Their situation reminds of…’
Suddenly, Ōnoki’s eyes widened as he recalled other instances of similarly inexplicable appearances over the past decade. “Is that really the case?” he murmured, thoughtfully stroking his chin.
His instincts told him he was onto sothing, though he lacked solid confirmation for his suspicion.
‘If my hunch is correct,’ he thought, ‘it would certainly explain their extraordinary strength and talent at such a young age…’
‘If these three are really connected to that organization, it’s likely the Hokage knows sothing about them…’ With this thought, Ōnoki shifted his gaze toward ‘Kuroto.’
Sensing Ōnoki’s stare, ‘Kuroto’ turned and asked, “Is sothing troubling you, Tsuchikage-dono?”
After a brief pause, Ōnoki chose not to reveal the theory he had just pieced together. Instead, he replied with a smile, “I hear both Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Neji are your disciples. For both of Konohagakure’s quarterfinal contenders to be your disciples… you certainly train exceptional shinobi.”
‘Kuroto’ chuckled lightly. “Ah, yes, that’s true. Naruto and Neji are both incredibly hard-working and gifted,” he replied, then added humbly, “But compared to your disciple, Deidara, they are still wet behind the ears and have a way to go in terms of skill and experience.”
“No… no… dealing with Deidara is always a headache,” sighed the Tsuchikage with a helpless expression. “That boy cares about nothing but his art. I can't understand what’s so fascinating about it that he refuses to focus on more important matters.”
‘Kuroto’ smiled. “Well, he’s still young. Youth often bring passions in unexpected directions that are difficult for others to comprehend. I’m sure he’ll grow out of it and mature with ti.”
Ōnoki murmured, “I can only hope that happens sooner rather than later.”
At that mont, Pakura interjected, “Hokage-dono, who do you think will make it to the semifinals?”
‘Kuroto’ shook his head with a shrug. “It’s impossible to say. I don’t even know the matchups yet,” he replied. “But if I had to guess, I’d say Deidara, Darui, and Raijin have a strong chance of advancing. Still, if they end up facing each other in this round, it could change everything.”
Pakura’s eyes lit up with interest. “Deidara v/s Darui? Now that would be a match worth watching. I wonder who’d co out on top.”
Hearing their conversation, both Ōnoki and Ay exchanged glances, a silent challenge passing between them. If Deidara and Darui were to clash in the quarterfinals, only one could advance. Both Kages quietly wished for their own disciples to win. The rivalry between them wasn’t just a matter of old grudges—it was also a matter of pride for their respective villages.
As the tension between Ōnoki and Ay simred, Pakura and ‘Kuroto’ turned their attention back to the arena. Pakura silently hoped Itsuki wouldn’t have to face either Darui or Raijin, knowing that battling against Lightning Style specialists would put Itsuki at a serious disadvantage.
‘Kuroto,’ however, remained calm. Despite his earlier claim of not knowing the matchups, he was fully aware of them. He simply chose to watch the events unfold, his eyes occasionally glancing at his Shadow Clone stationed near the arena.
As for the Mizukage, with no Kirigakure ninjas left in the tournant, he had lost interest in the outco of the Chūnin Promotion Exam. For him, it was now just a matter of watching the upcoming battles for entertainnt.
While each of the Kages was lost in their own thoughts, Itachi's voice rang out, announcing the first matchup of the quarterfinals. “Raijin of Agakure and Hyuga Neji of Konohagakure, please co to the arena.”
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