Just as Tekka's body tensed, ready to move but not yet in motion, Kiyohara curled the five fingers of his right hand— still extended from his earlier throw— inward with a sharp tug.
Behind those three shuriken wrapped in blazing arcs of lightning, the nearly invisible copper wires suddenly tightened.
Under Kiyohara's precise control, the three shuriken began to shrink their encirclement, spiraling inward as they twisted toward the center—towards Tekka attempting to bind and tear him apart!
"Not good."
Tekka's brows furrowed tightly. His Sharingan clearly traced every trajectory, but his physical body simply could not keep up with such abrupt and unpredictable changes in direction.
He managed to dodge two, but the third shuriken, coiling with crackling lightning he could not avoid completely. It grazed the outer part of his arm as it shot past!
Crackle!
A violent surge of electricity burst across half his body. Agonizing heat and paralyzing numbness instantly spread through Tekka's arm.
His movement froze for just a single heartbeat—yet that one heartbeat was enough.
Kiyohara, riding the momentum of his earlier leap, closed the distance in a flash. His black kunai extended forward, its tip pressing firmly against Tekka's throat.
"…I lost."
Only now did Tekka force chakra through his system to dispel the paralysis, but that slight delay had already determined the outcome.
As a proud member of the Uchiha clan, he could not bring himself to say anything else.
His face flushed red with humiliation, yet defeat was defeat.
Excuses, empty threats—those were things only the weak relied on.
Kiyohara looked at the complicated expression on his opponent's face, then slowly withdrew the kunai.
"I got lucky," he said with a faint smile.
It wasn't bravado—it was truth. It truly was luck.
Without Missing-nin Kiyohara assisting him, he doubted he could have won so easily or perhaps he wouldn't have won at all.
Unfortunately for Tekka, at this moment…
"Kiyohara's system rest above Tekka's Sharingan."
The referee paused in surprise, then quickly announced in a loud voice:
"Winner—Kiyohara!"
Hyūga Tetsu, who had been observing the fight through his Byakugan, subtly frowned.
In general, the Sharingan could only see chakra flow.
But the Byakugan could not only see chakra, it could also see muscles, organs, and physical structure clearly.
Thus, he saw more than anyone else: that final leap Kiyohara made, the one that defied the limits of physical capability, was not something an ordinary genin should be able to perform.
"A secret technique?"
Tetsu silently wondered.
He could only assume Kiyohara had prepared something before the match, and its effect had only manifested when fighting Uchiha Tekka.
After all, the shinobi world was vast—full of countless secret arts and bloodline limits existed.
The chief examiner stood at the edge of the field, his gaze lingering on Kiyohara for several seconds before lowering his head.
He found Kiyohara's name on the evaluation form, then firmly wrote two large characters next to it: Excellent.
Admiration flickered openly in his eyes.
'Minato's judgment is truly sharp. This boy isn't just well-rounded in basics, his adaptability and situational awareness are also exceptional… direct promotion is more than deserved.'
Kiyohara steadied his breathing, then walked off the stage and approached the examiner.
"Examiner-sir, may I ask when the next round will begin?"
The normally stern man looked at the young, composed face before him, and for once revealed a gentle smile.
He tapped the evaluation board lightly and said:
"There will be no next round.
Your performance against Uchiha Tekka just now has already proven your strength, tactical sense, and ability to adapt under pressure, all far beyond the expectations for a genin.
According to regulations and my own judgment, you have already met the standard for a chūnin.
Once all matches conclude, we will distribute the chūnin flak jackets reserved for those who pass."
Direct promotion!
For a moment, Kiyohara froze then delight surged through him.
That saved him plenty of trouble. No need to waste more time fighting.
"You hear that?"
he whispered inwardly to his missing-nin counterpart.
"Looks like I'll soon complete your second last will."
"I heard," the spirit replied with a faint nod, his ghostly form hovering quietly at Kiyohara's side.
Kiyohara could feel Missing-nin Kiyohara's gaze drifting toward the examiner, then slowly back to himself.
"To become a chūnin. A legitimate and acknowledged chūnin…
Heh. Perhaps your future won't be like mine—hunted down like a stray dog."
His soft, vague chuckle carried layers of emotion: relief, bitterness, perhaps even a trace of envy.
"Once you officially attain the rank of chūnin, my consciousness will dissolve.
At that moment, you and I will merge, and you will inherit a portion of what I leave behind.
But the path ahead… must be walked by you alone."
Missing-nin Kiyohara's voice faded.
Kiyohara fell silent.
He understood.
This was, in a sense… a final farewell.
Without another word, Kiyohara turned and headed toward the spectators.
Kurenai was already waiting there, holding a bag of snacks she had just bought.
Seeing him approach, she hurried toward him, her voice mixed with awe and lingering fear:
"That was amazing, Kiyohara! I was scared to death just now, when he activated the Sharingan, I thought you were going to lose!"
"Barely won," Kiyohara replied with a small smile.
His resolve simply outclassed Tekka's.
He accepted the skewer of tricolored dango she handed him, taking a bite.
The sweet, sticky flavor melted in his mouth, easing the fatigue from the battle.
"What was that jutsu you used just now? I've never seen you use it in the Land of Grass."
"That one," Kiyohara said, "is something I came up with myself. I call it Lightning Release: Guided Current Manipulated Shuriken Technique.
It combines lightning release with the manipulated shuriken technique.
It only worked thanks to some Lightning Release insights Kakashi shared earlier."
"Kakashi, huh…"
Kurenai nodded, half-understanding. She wasn't skilled in Lightning Release.
But Kiyohara's improvement was good news. For a team headed toward a brutal battlefield, strength meant survival.
"No matter what, I'm glad you're getting stronger!"
Kiyohara ate another bite of dango and looked back toward the still-ongoing matches below.
One-tomoe Sharingan… truly powerful.
But for the Uchiha, this is only the beginning.
Two tomoe, three tomoe, and the legendary Mangekyō…
Stronger dojutsu and more terrifying enemies awaited in the future.
Right now, he was still far behind.
Which only made him more curious—
After he merged with Missing-nin Kiyohara, what exactly would he inherit?
The missing-nin had only fused with one of his last wills; the second had been left unfinished before his death.
Kiyohara hoped—at the very least—to inherit more chakra.
Because honestly…
He really, really didn't have enough.
(End of Chapter)