"My god… are we really the same age?"
"Damn it. If anyone calls me a genius again, I'll lose my temper. Compared to him, I'm pure trash."
"It's pointless. Might as well surrender. We're losing no matter what."
"Shut up, Omoi. No one thinks you're stupid if you don't talk."
"Oh? You can still argue? Guess you've got some chakra left."
The Genin were sprawled messily across the rooftop, faces pale, chakra completely drained.
Joking with each other was the only comfort left in their despair.
The Jonin weren't much better. Their movements were sluggish now, and the power behind their ninjutsu had clearly weakened.
On the stone pillar, Naruto still hadn't changed expression once.
He casually cast ninjutsu after ninjutsu, calmly blocking every attack.
Despair began to spread.
Even for people as iron-willed as the Kazekage and the Raikage, it was crushing to realize that no matter how powerful their techniques were, Naruto could dissolve them effortlessly—completely neutralizing even earth-shaking attacks and keeping the entire venue intact.
That slender stone pillar remained unscathed from beginning to end.
Uzumaki Naruto had not moved even half a step.
"This Uzumaki Naruto… he's not the one I met before," Rasa thought grimly.
"With this kind of power, you could tell me he's the Sage of Six Paths and I'd believe it."
A felt exactly the same.
They both looked up at Naruto, smiling brightly atop the pillar, and shuddered at the same time.
A smiling devil.
The smile was as warm as the sun—
but the person behind it felt like an abyssal demon.
The battlefield fell silent.
The Jonin were panting heavily, soaked in sweat, limbs trembling from exhaustion.
Rasa could no longer maintain his levitation. He dropped to the ground, eyes filled with regret and despair.
Before acting, he had hesitated. Struggled. Imagined the consequences.
This had been a gamble.
And losing meant gambling away the future vitality of Sunagakure.
Yet in the end, he had still placed the village itself on the table.
And he lost.
Fourth Raikage A also felt regret—something he never believed he would experience.
Stubborn and proud by nature, regret had never existed in his dictionary.
But now… it was unavoidable.
If he fell here in Konoha, along with the forces he brought, then with Uzumaki Naruto already having everything calculated, Cloud Village would suffer devastating losses.
Meanwhile, Konoha—backed by Naruto—would soar again, repeating the era of the First Hokage dominating the ninja world.
Cloud would bow its head for decades.
All of it because A couldn't restrain his greed—because when Shukaku appeared, he sent out the invasion signal without hesitation.
A closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
When he opened them again, they were cold and resolute.
"Kazekage," A said heavily,
"it's come to this. Let's fight to the death."
Rasa stared at him in shock.
Then he saw the resolve in A's eyes—and understood.
A desperate battle?
Rasa tasted the words… and smiled bitterly.
"Then… let's fight to the death."
"I'll enter Lightning Style Chakra Mode. Use my strongest Lightning Armor—and then Hell Stab. That's the most powerful move I have."
"My strongest move," Rasa said slowly,
"is Gold Dust Explosion: Tornado Cone. I'll compress all my chakra into gold dust, condense it at the tip, and drive it with rotational force. The faster it spins, the stronger it becomes."
They spoke openly, without hiding anything.
Naruto didn't interrupt. He simply smiled and waited.
The Jōnin of Sand and Cloud squeezed out every last bit of chakra they had, preparing their final techniques.
They were determined to clear the path—even if they couldn't win, they would weaken Naruto enough to give their Kage a chance.
"This is it… one decisive clash!"
"The Raikage and Kazekage are going all out!"
"My heart's racing—this is insane!"
"This is rare! Two Kage-level powerhouses unleashing their ultimate techniques together!"
"This Chūnin Exam was worth it. I'll brag about this for the rest of my life."
"Let's bet—can Uzumaki-sama block this? Will he be forced to step back?"
"I'll bet he blocks it."
"Tsunade-sama—please don't—"
"What? You looking down on me?"
The audience erupted into chaos.
Excitement. Anticipation. Blood boiling.
Even Mizukage Yagura and Tsuchikage Ōnoki held their breath, eyes locked on the battlefield.
"Can Uzumaki Naruto stop this…?"
On the rooftop, Orochimaru stared intently, just like Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Defeating opponents was one thing.
Blocking the ultimate attacks of two Kage-level shinobi head-on was something else entirely.
Even those who trusted Naruto couldn't help feeling tense.
This was too much.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Pillar!"
"Cloud Flow—Flash—Thousand Cuts!"
"Wind Style: Ultra Gale Blade!"
Blinding lightning surged toward Naruto, dazzling beyond limit.
Wave after wave of attacks from Samui, Baki, and the other Jōnin poured toward the stone pillar.
"Blind the eyes first… then overwhelm the mind?"
Naruto chuckled.
"How naïve."
"Wind Style: Wind Blade Barrage."
With a simple hand seal, transparent wind blades swept out.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Every Jōnin attack was shattered.
A basic C-rank jutsu—
used with S-rank power.
The lightning glare had no effect at all.
To Naruto, it was no different from ordinary sunlight.
"Lightning Style Chakra Mode…
Strongest Lightning Armor…
Hell Stab—One Finger!"
The Fourth Raikage finally moved.
His hair stood on end. Lightning wrapped his body like armor.
He became a living thunder god, leaving blue afterimages in the air.
He was so fast that almost no one in the entire venue could track him.
Only flickering afterimages proved he was even moving.
He circled the stone pillar faster and faster.
Faster.
Still faster.
"I didn't want to use your move, old man… but I have no choice," Ai thought.
"I am the Fourth Raikage. Even if you were the strongest Raikage in history… today, I must surpass you."
"This is my only chance… to escape the monster called Uzumaki Naruto."
"Faster… I can still be faster!"
His chakra erupted.
His speed doubled again.
At the same time—
Luosha clenched his teeth.
"If the Raikage can do this, how can I fall behind?"
"I lost the gamble… but I will never give up Sunagakure's last chance!"
"Even if my body burns out—this strike must succeed!"
Gold dust flooded the arena, condensing into a massive cone.
It compressed further and further—
until it became a fist-sized golden drill.
It spun faster.
And faster.
A terrifying tornado formed around it.
At the center, only blinding golden light remained.
The momentum reached its absolute peak.
The two Kage-level shinobi unleashed everything they had.
The air vibrated.
Visible ripples spread outward.
A chilling silence fell.
This was the final strike.
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