The noise of the arena had not completely died down yet.
Even after the last match ended, the stadium still carried a restless energy. Excited murmurs moved through the stands like ripples across water as spectators discussed what was most likely the climax of the tournament.
Would there really be any other fight that compared?
Down on the field, the proctors were cleaning up the arena for the final time with earth ninjutsu. But up in the higher sections, where the major clans were seated, the conversations were brewing.
Among the several rows filled with black raven-haired individuals with a fan logo, the current head of the Uchiha, Ketsuna Uchiha, sat with his arms folded loosely inside his sleeves. His expression remained calm, though his eyes lingered on a certain white-haired Genin that he could spot. Sitting high up on a platform, next to the Hokage, casually chatting.
The boy named Jiraiya had surprised him.
Purely because of the strength he's displayed. Using Genjutsu and making fake clones, fire ninjutsu, and direct hand-to-hand combat. Ketsuna could respect such a fighter, even at a young age; the Uchiha respect strength above all things. Age was just a factor.
The clan head had expected the Hokage's student to be somewhat talented, but dismissed it to nepotism.
For a moment, the man's gaze shifted slightly toward Sarutobi Hiruzen. A few months ago, he received a letter from the Hokage with a request, but he swiftly refused.
Ketsuna had an uncharacteristic smirk, which made the Uchiha Jounin next to him tense up.
'Interesting.' Without moving his head, he spoke quietly to one of the Uchiha seated nearby. "Send an apology to the Hokage in my name. If there's any particular promising Uchihas... make sure to give me a list."
If Ketsuna was anything, he was direct.
A few rows away, in another reserved section, the Hyūga clan was having a quieter conversation of their own. An elder leaned slightly toward the others, his pale eyes focused on the arena floor.
"The Hokage's student is… Impressive. Perhaps we should try to invest in him, elder."
The elder folded his hands together inside his sleeves. Rubbing them together to create some heat. A sort of greed flowed through him, the thoughts of being able to curry favour with the growing Hokage faction.
"The Hokage places a lot of importance on bonds. If we offer up some ninjutsu or a talented Hyuga for reconnaissance and safety. I'm sure the Genin would appreciate the gesture." The Elder's suggestion, which made a few others nod in agreement.
A few of the clan members exchanged small glances. No decision was made aloud. But the thought had been planted. Other clans had similar conversation such as the Trio, Aburame and Inuzuka all coming to the same conclusion.
Across the stadium, the roar of the crowd gradually began to quieten as people realised the next match had not yet been announced. For now, the arena waited.
From the Hokage's viewing platform, the arena looked a little quieter than it had earlier.
"Tell me something, Jiraiya."
Jiraiya, who was breathing heavily, glanced up. Still trying his best to recover any amount of stamina he could. Hiruzen turned slightly toward him. "Do you still plan on fighting the final match?"
"Huh? Why would I not?"
Hiruzen didn't elaborate immediately. Instead, he looked back out over the stadium, scratching his chin as if considering how to phrase the thought.
"You've already displayed quite a lot today," He answered slowly. " Realistically, there isn't much more you could do to improve your standing."
Now those words made Jiraiya pause. Was Hiruzen telling him that his promotion was imminent?
'I already know that I'm going to become a Chunin after this exam, sensei. If anything, I'd complain to a high degree considering Shikamaru did far less than I and still ranks up.' Jiraiya thought with squinted eyes.
Not ranking up wasn't something going through his head. Especially right now, when the village needed any manpower it could get.
Hiruzen wasn't saying it bluntly, but the implication was clear enough. The people who mattered had already seen what they needed to see.
"My own teacher, Lord Second, once told me something I've never forgotten. The best investment a shinobi can make is in their own strength. There isn't a need to push yourself needlessly."
'Yeah... I think Danzo is taking that a bit too far. Pretty unsuccessfully as well to be honest...' He thought, sitting there a bit awkwardly.
Maybe he should splurge on more high-quality food and keep himself as healthy as possible. With the money Jiraiya got from just saved-up missions and his own ninjutsu, he's rolling in cash.
After a few minutes of thinking, Jiraiya leaned back slightly in his seat with a smirk. He just thought of a way to earn some brownie points. He's been ignoring one key thing about his sensei, and it was about his little will of fire.
Say anything about glazing the higher ups. But in life there are times when you have to hug that thigh to get higher in the world. And in this world? That man was the ninja president, there wasn't a better train jump on at this current moment.
Did he pay much attention or care about this will it at all?
Nope, the doctrine was more fit for a cult. But who said he couldn't just lie?
"Why should I back down now? My fire of will or something like that isn't so weak, sensei. If I back down at something this trivial, then how will I grow into a strong tree that protects Konoha?"
Hiruzen's eyes widened in surprise at Jiraiya's "honest" answer. The Hokage was shaken; he had never heard such words from his favourite student.
The mispronunciation of the Will of Fire did make his mouth twitch in annoyance.
'My student might need to be educated in that department a bit more.' Hiruzen thought with a cold smile, promising lots of beating- training... Though a soft spot for his student did hit a little too close to home.
Seeing himself in Jiraiya.
'Where else can I get an all-out battle without any consequences of death or property damage?' Jiraiya thought with some sweat going down his face. Not being able to look his sensei in the eyes due to his shamelessness.
This was the perfect place to be able to test out some strategies he wanted to use in real battles. Simply, to dodge is a complete waste.
It wouldn't ruin his reputation or anything. But also, that outcome felt a little lame.
Ending the tournament by saying "Nah, I'm done" felt like hitting surrender halfway through a tournament match online. The small competitive voice in his head told him victory was a need and not a want.
Hiruzen, after some silence, just laughed out loud. Patting his student's shoulder with a proud smirk. This was truly the will of fire!
...
"The final match of the Chunin Exam tournament will now begin!"
A new ripple of excitement moved through the stands.
At one end, Hiro Uchiha stepped onto the field. A twelve-year-old Genin who was destined to join the Police Force carried himself with the quiet confidence expected from a member of the Uchiha clan.
His eyes were already active. Showing a single tomoe, spinning tantalisingly slow. Across from him, Jiraiya walked forward wearing his red Warring States Era armour.
Compared to his opponent, the white-haired boy was only up to his neck. From the stands, the contrast was obvious.
"Let's go, Jiraiya! Win it for us!" A civilian called out.
"I bet so much money on you, Uchiha. Please!"
"Jiraiya-sama!"
The proctor stepped between them, raising one hand.
"Final match. Jiraiya versus Hiro Uchiha."
Both competitors nodded as, for a brief moment, the arena fell silent.
Jiraiya rolled his shoulders once, loosening up. His eyes glanced toward Hiro for a split second.
'I need to create some space to summon.'
'I can't let him have any space to summon.'
The proctor's arm dropped.
"Begin!"
Hiro moved instantly.
Three shuriken flashed from his hand in a tight arc, spinning toward Jiraiya with sharp whistles cutting through the air. In an instant, Jiraiya vanished using a seal-less [Body Flicker].
But Hiro's using his Sharingan, easily tracked the direction he was heading.
'There.' His eyes narrowed. Hiro flickered forward himself, appearing beside Jiraiya almost immediately, closing the distance before the younger boy could react further.
Or so he thought. The white-haired Genin wasn't idle, weaving some hand seals right before the Uchiha could stab him with a kunai.
Tiger → Boar → Ox
*Poof*
Right where Hiro stabbed was a log. Making him abandon the extra kunai.
"Substitution-" Hiro's eyes squinted, ignoring the log initially to search for Jiraiya. But a small cluster of chakra in the log made his instincts flare up. From several meters away, the real Jiraiya raised one hand and formed a quick seal.
Rat.
The tag attached to the log flashed.
*Boom*
The explosion kicked up a cloud of dirt and splinters, forcing Hiro to leap backward to avoid the blast. But the momentum of the blast ended up carrying him farther. A few of the wood chunks even embedded themselves into his thighs and shoulder.
When he landed, he slightly kneeled in pain.
'I've seen his teammate use this trick... I didn't think he would have it as well.' Hiro thought in dread.
The brief disruption was all Jiraiya needed. He bit his finger and smeared blood on his palm.
Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram
[Summoning Technique]
Jiraiya slammed his hand onto the ground. A massive wave of white smoke exploded outward across the arena floor. The ground slightly trembled as something large appeared. Through the smoke, large glowing eyes stared back at Hiro.
Making the poor Uchiha step back, kunai held in front. Feeling his own skin starting to crawl up his body, this wasn't a good situation for Hiro. Just from his eyes, he could see the chakra that the summon possessed, much less its size.
A large toad stood in the centre of the arena, its wide form easily towering over the young genin nearby, three times his height. Holding a large tanto, equal to his own size. Jiraiya was balanced on one of his heads with a wide smirk, clear for all the spectators to see.
Gamabunta, a "newer" summon not seen by the clans.
"Hey, have you gained... You seem a bit plus-sized..." Jiraiya banters a little, staring ahead.
Gamabunta, hearing this, had some veins showing, clearly ticked off.
"I can control my size, you brat. Shut up and fight." He quips back to his amusement. Jiraiya wanted to theorise if the Tanto could also change size, but held back; now wasn't the time.
Across the arena, Hiro Uchiha had already stopped moving.
The crimson tomoe of his Sharingan spun slowly as he studied the summon and its rider together. Hiro stepped back slightly and began weaving hand seals.
Jiraiya shifted his position slightly on Gamabunta's head.
"Oi, Bunta."
The toad glanced upward with one stink eye.
"What?"
"Let's do the fire combo."
Gamabunta gave a low chuckle.
"…Heh. Now yer talking, brat!"
Across the field, Hiro finished his hand seals and inhaled sharply. A blazing sphere of flames burst forward from his mouth, expanding rapidly as it raced across the arena toward the towering summon.
At the same moment, Gamabunta leaned forward slightly.
A thick stream of oil sprayed from the toad's mouth, surging outward in a wide arc. At the same time, Jiraiya was already weaving his own seals. 'We have to make the most of this, I don't have much chakra left...'
Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger
[Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet]
The moment the flames left Jiraiya's mouth, they collided with the stream of oil. The effect was immediate, and the fire exploded outward, growing several times larger as the move transformed into a tsunami of fire covering 1/5 of the field.
*ROAR*
From the stands, the spectators gasped as the combined technique engulfed Hiro's own fireball. Hiro's eyes widened as he realised he couldn't overpower the surging wave.
He flickered as far as he could that moment. Unfortunately for him, his leg and upper torso were scorched. The sloppy and rushed flicker knocked him forward across the dirt, rolling several meters before he finally stopped.
Despite the fire's size, it never got big enough to rise high enough to the stands. The effects of the ninjutsu still showed, though, as it left its mark on the once green grass.
Then the proctor flickered forward, landing beside the fallen Uchiha.
After a quick glance to confirm the boy was still conscious and breathing, he raised his hand.
"The match is over!" His voice echoed clearly across the stadium. "The winner of the Chunin Exam finals… is Jiraiya!"
The crowd erupted immediately.
Cheers and shouts filled the arena as people stood from their seats to get a better look at the young victor standing atop the giant toad.
Gamabunta let out a booming laugh.
"Gahahaha, not too bad, brat!"
The deep sound echoed across the arena as the toad looked around at the cheering spectators.
Before Jiraiya could respond, the summon disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the white-haired boy standing alone in the centre of the arena as the noise of the crowd continued to swell around him.
...
---
[A/N: The pacing is getting slower, but that's because there's gonna be time skips later on as expected. I've just got several things I want to do before that.
Also can we talk about how terrifying it would be to battle Jiraiya as a Genin or even a peak Chunin. Most Chunin only got like one to two C-rank ninjutsu, plus maybe some poison. The only way I see him lose is by large ass numbers or getting blitzed by someone way faster.
I don't think I've asked you guys to review yet, maybe I'll beg for some after the first time skip...
Do you guys think a Fuinjutsu Chakra Mech would be possible? Separate and make each part connect...]