---The Tower - Central Arena---
The atmosphere in the large indoor arena was thick with tension and the smell of unwashed teenagers. The remaining Genin stood in a line, looking up at the balcony where the Third Hokage stood, flanked by his elite Jonin.
But right next to the God of Shinobi, leaning casually against the railing with a bag of potato chips he'd definitely pulled out of an inventory, was Alaric.
"Lord Hokage," an ANBU captain whispered urgently, appearing from the shadows. "This is a breach of protocol. That man might be a Jonin... but technically, he's still a foreign dignitary. He shouldn't be this close to you during a military exam."
Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe, glancing at Alaric, who offered him a chip.
"Relax, Eagle," Hiruzen sighed, waving the guard away. "If an assassin tries to kill me, he's probably the safest shield I have. Besides..." He lowered his voice. "He's richer than the Daimyo. Let him stand where he wants."
Down in the arena, Hayate Gekko, looking like he was one cough away from the afterlife, stepped forward.
"Congratulations on surviving the second exam," he wheezed. "Cough... Now, we begin the preliminaries. The board will select the matchups randomly."
Match 1: Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akadō
The electronic board flickered and stopped.
Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akadō
Sasuke walked down the stairs, his demeanor calm. Yoroi, a Sound spy in disguise, smirked beneath his mask.
"I've heard about you, Uchiha," Yoroi taunted as Hayate signaled the start. "Let's see if the rumors are true."
Yoroi charged, his hands glowing with chakra-draining energy. He aimed to grapple, to suck the chakra dry.
Sasuke didn't dodge. He stood his ground.
'Let's test this,' Sasuke thought.
He focused on the seal at his neck. In the past, this would have been accompanied by searing pain and the whispers of Orochimaru. But now...
A golden warmth flooded his system. The black flame markings spread across his skin in elegant, controlled patterns. There was no rage. No madness. Just a pure, intoxicating surge of strength.
Yoroi grabbed Sasuke's shoulder. "Got you! Now I'll drain-"
BAM.
Yoroi didn't even see the fist. One moment he was holding Sasuke, the next he was embedded in the far wall, a spiderweb of cracks forming around him.
Sasuke stood there, the curse mark glowing with a purified light. He flexed his hand, marveling at the clarity.
"Is that it?" Sasuke asked, bored.
"Winner: Sasuke Uchiha!" Hayate announced as medics rushed to peel Yoroi off the masonry.
Match 2: Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka
The battle of the rivals.
"They look serious," Alaric commented from the balcony, crunching another chip.
"They were best friends once," Kakashi explained from nearby. "Now... well, you see."
The fight was messy. It wasn't a display of high-level ninjutsu, but a brawl fueled by teenage angst and rivalry. Sakura showed improvement... her chakra control allowed her to punch harder than before, and she resisted Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu with sheer grit.
In the end, it was a simultaneous cross-counter. Both girls punched each other in the face with everything they had. They fell back, unconscious.
"Double knockout," Hayate coughed. "Both are eliminated."
The next match was a massacre. Tenten unleashed a storm of weapons. Temari of the Sand simply swung her fan once.
"Wind beats metal," Alaric noted simply. Tenten landed on top of her own fans, unconscious.
Then came Shikamaru vs. Kin.
"That kid..." Alaric pointed at Shikamaru. "He looks like he wants to be anywhere but here."
"That's the Nara way," Asuma chuckled.
Despite his laziness, Shikamaru outsmarted the Sound kunoichi, trapping her in his shadow and knocking her out against the wall. A victory for the lazy genius.
Match 5: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka
"I'm gonna be Hokage!" Naruto shouted, pointing at Kiba.
"In your dreams, loser!" Kiba laughed, Akamaru barking in agreement.
The fight was... chaotic. Naruto was fast, fueled by guts, but Kiba was savage. Fang Over Fang tore up the arena floor.
But in the end, it came down to a moment of pure, accidental genius.
Kiba, with his enhanced sense of smell, moved in for the kill. Naruto, strained from the fight, clenched his stomach.
PFFFFFFFT.
A fart. A legendary, silence-shattering fart right in Kiba's sensitive nose.
Kiba recoiled, gagging, his senses overwhelmed. "MY NOSE! IT BURNS!"
"Uzumaki Barrage!" Naruto seized the moment, cloning himself and kicking Kiba into the ceiling.
Alaric burst out laughing on the balcony. "Chemical warfare! That kid is a genius!"
Match 6: Hinata Hyūga vs. Neji Hyūga
The laughter died down as the next names appeared. The atmosphere shifted from comedic to oppressive.
Neji Hyūga stood in the arena, his eyes cold, lecturing his cousin about destiny. Hinata, trembling, refused to back down, inspired by Naruto's cheering.
The fight was brutal. The Gentle Fist was an art of internal destruction, and Neji was a prodigy. He dismantled Hinata's defenses, striking her chakra points with ruthless precision. She kept standing up, coughing blood, fueled by a desire to change.
"You are a failure," Neji spat, preparing a lethal strike. "It is your destiny to die here."
He lunged. His intent was clear. He was going to kill her.
WHOOSH.
Four Jonin appeared instantly... Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai, and Hayate... restraining Neji before his strike could land.
Neji struggled, his Byakugan bulging. "Why do you interfere? The main branch... they are the ones who-"
"That's enough, Neji," Guy said sternly.
On the balcony, Alaric looked at the scene, then turned his head to look at a stoic man standing in the shadows of the VIP area. Hiashi Hyūga.
"Is this the 'noble' tradition of the Hyūga?" Alaric's voice cut through the silence of the arena, loud enough for everyone to hear. He wasn't yelling, but the weight of his presence carried the words.
Hiashi turned, his expression unreadable.
"Watching a cousin beat his family to death?" Alaric continued, stepping away from the railing to face the clan head. "You preach about order and destiny, but all I see is a mismanagement of talent. You brand your own kin like cattle and wonder why they hate you."
The arena went silent. No one spoke to the Hyūga clan head like that.
"It is our clan's affair," Hiashi said stiffly, but his eyes flickered toward the arena, where Hinata was being carried away on a stretcher. He didn't look angry. He looked... tired. And guilty.
Alaric paused. He had expected arrogance. He had expected the 'Main Branch is absolute' rhetoric. But he saw a father who had just watched his daughter nearly die, and a brother who was haunted by the past.
'Ah,' Alaric thought, the heat of his anger cooling rapidly. 'I forgot. He's a victim of this system too. He sacrificed his own brother.'
Alaric scratched the back of his head, suddenly feeling a bit like a bully. He had just publicly shamed a man who was already suffering.
'That was childish of me,' Alaric admitted internally. 'Yelling at him won't fix the Caged Bird Seal. Money and seals fix things. Shouting just makes me look like an ass.'
He sighed, his posture relaxing.
"We'll talk later," Alaric said to Hiashi, his tone softer, almost apologetic. "I might have a solution for your... bird problem. If you're interested."
Hiashi's eyes widened slightly. He nodded, a sharp, jerky motion. "I... will listen."
Match 7
The electronic board shuffled again, the green pixels spinning rapidly before locking into place.
Haku Yuki vs. Misumi Tsurugi
A murmur went through the crowd. The "solo" genin.
Haku leaped over the railing, landing softly in the center of the arena. Misumi, a Kabuto teammate with a body modified to be pliable like rubber, slid down opposite him.
Haku adjusted his gloves, his expression impassive. He glanced up at the balcony, meeting Alaric's gaze.
Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe, smoke curling around his Hokage hat. He leaned forward, resting his hands on the railing.
"Well then, Alaric," Hiruzen murmured, a glint of anticipation in his old eyes. "Let's see what your student is capable of..."
.
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