The first fight of the second stage passed quickly and without any particular surprises. The team that had taken first place on the test faced the team that had ranked last. In the battle, the standout team consisted of a tall boy who wielded a katana masterfully, a girl who threw senbon with astonishing accuracy, and an Inuzuka with his loyal dog.
Their opponents, apparently either overestimating themselves or having no alternatives, attempted to force close combat but were quickly suppressed: the swordsman easily deflected all the kunai thrown at them, the girl's senbon paralyzed two opponents, and the Inuzuka, using his speed, finished off the last one. The victory was clean, but nothing remarkable.
The genin on the balconies began whispering among themselves, comparing their strength to what had just been shown. Kuro merely snorted, crossing his arms.
"That was rather boring."
"Actually, teams like that often go far," Mikoto replied beside him.
The second fight promised to be more interesting. Team Seven stepped onto the arena: Hyuga Hiashi, Inuzuka Tsume, and Aburame Shibi. Their opponents were sturdy-looking genin around eighteen years old, all from small clans specializing in taijutsu and fire ninjutsu.
From the very beginning, it was clear this was an entirely different level. Hiashi took the center, calm and composed, his Byakugan activated from the start of the fight. Tsume moved along the flank with her ninken, the two of them constantly attacking and creating tremendous pressure, while Shibi stayed slightly behind, already releasing a swarm of insects.
Although their opponents did not surrender easily and tried to resist using their experience and fire techniques, Team Seven needed only a single mistake. After that, Hiashi blocked his opponent's tenketsu, and they methodically capitalized on their numerical advantage.
"They're really strong," Nawaki noted, watching the battle closely.
Mikoto nodded.
"They act in perfect coordination and complement each other. I didn't think that Hyuga was capable of working in a team."
Kuro watched silently, analyzing what was happening. Hiashi clearly dominated in close combat over nearly all the exam participants. Tsume's attack speed had also increased significantly, and paired with the Hyuga, it created a deadly tandem. Meanwhile, Shibi could support his teammates by creating insect screens or attacking from long range.
At that moment, a group of three children familiar to them approached Team Nine, led by a tall man with long white hair and a sly grin. It was Jiraiya — one of the future Sannin and the mentor of Team Six.
"Oh, well, look who we have here!" Jiraiya declared loudly, clapping Orochimaru on the shoulder. "I didn't think your brats would make it to the second stage. Did you threaten the examiners?"
Orochimaru pulled away, his eyes gleaming with a predatory light.
"Are you jealous again, Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya burst into laughter.
"Ha! Jealous? My students are pure gold! Each with their own unique style. And yours? A Senju, an Uchiha, and a Nara — sounds like a recipe for disaster."
"If I remember correctly, your 'unique style' once consisted of useless running around and irritating shouting?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.
"What are you even talking about? I have always been the most brilliant shinobi of the Leaf Village!" Jiraiya protested dramatically, bringing a hand to his face.
"Perhaps… in those moments when you weren't wasting your time on 'research' in the hot springs."
Jiraiya clutched his chest theatrically.
"Hey! That's below the belt! But seriously, let's make a bet. Whichever of our students goes further in the exam wins. The loser fulfills one wish."
Orochimaru glanced at his students for a moment before agreeing.
"Agreed. And believe me, you won't like my wish."
"Don't even dream about it. My team consists of true geniuses," Jiraiya replied confidently, briefly lingering his gaze on Minato.
"We shall see."
Kuro's and Namikaze's teams exchanged glances. Nawaki chuckled quietly.
"Do you think the sensei are always like this?"
Kuro shrugged.
"Seems so. They were on the same team, after all."
The argument between the future Sannin lightened the atmosphere, but the exam continued. Soon the next match was announced, after which it was time for Team Nine to step onto the arena.
"Next match," the examiner's voice echoed through the hall, "Team Nine versus Team Eight. Participants, please descend to the arena."
"Finally," Nawaki smirked, rolling his shoulders. "I was starting to get bored."
Mikoto silently touched the hilt of her blade. Her gaze was cold and focused; all previous excitement had been replaced by absolute concentration.
"Remember the plan," Kuro reminded calmly, stepping forward. "No improvisation."
"As you say," Senju replied impatiently.
On the opposite side of the arena, their opponents had already entered. Hitori Kin walked confidently with a katana on her back. Watane Atsushi stepped heavily beside her, clenching his fists. Uchiha Suyen looked straight at them, his one-tomoe Sharingan already active. As he approached, he spoke first.
"I'm glad to face you in battle, Mikoto. With all due respect, I won't hold back."
In response, Mikoto activated her two-tomoe Sharingan.
"Don't get too full of yourself."
Nawaki clenched his fists.
"Let's just start already!"
Kuro calmly shifted his gaze to the examiner, who gave the signal to begin.
The battle erupted instantly. Atsushi burst forward, his speed clearly improved since graduating from the Academy. He targeted Kuro, gathering maximum strength into a powerful punch, but he was intercepted before reaching him.
"Doton: Stone Spikes!" Nawaki shouted, cutting off the enemy and forcing him to retreat immediately.
Kin formed a hand seal and quickly vanished in a shunshin. But to Kuro's reflexes, her speed seemed childish. In the blink of an eye, he turned toward her and delivered a wide punch straight to her face. Although Kin managed to block, the monstrous force of the blow sent her crashing into the nearest wall.
Seeing this, Tsume, who was watching the fight, grimaced at the memories that surfaced. Barely recovering from the heavy impact against the wall, Kin raised her head and froze in fear — a massive torrent of water was rushing toward her. The Raging Wave unleashed by Kuro threatened to completely engulf the kunoichi, who barely managed to raise her trembling katana in front of her.
Fortunately, the examiner reacted faster. A second before impact, he erected a stone wall in front of her and immediately declared Kin out of the match. The situation shocked everyone present — it seemed that Kuro had won too quickly and too easily. Nara shifted his gaze to his teammates.
"I won't interfere in your fight, but don't drag it out too long."
After Kuro's victory, Mikoto and Nawaki burned with even greater determination and gave it their all, as if shedding their final restraints. Thanks to his greatly improved control, Nawaki began to dominate in close combat.
Frustrated by this, Atsushi growled and charged forward again, trying to overpower Nawaki with brute force. His blows were heavy, capable of breaking bones, but Senju met them without fear. Chakra concentrated in his fists in a dense, almost tangible layer.
"Too slow!" Nawaki shouted, intercepting another strike.
He stepped forward and drove his fist into his opponent's torso. For a genin, the strike was unbelievably powerful. It easily broke through Atsushi's defense, knocking all the air from his lungs.
He staggered, unable to recover his breath, and immediately received a second blow to the chin. His body flew several meters before losing consciousness.
The examiner stepped forward, observing closely.
"Eliminated."
At the same time, on the other side of the arena, a true dōjutsu duel unfolded. Suyen and Mikoto exchanged techniques almost simultaneously.
"Katon: Fireball Jutsu!"
Two streams of fire collided midair, making it seem as if the air itself was melting from the heat of the techniques. A wave of warmth swept across the arena, forcing spectators to step back from the balcony railings.
Shuriken followed. The sound of clashing metal rang through the air, sparks flying from the impacts. The Uchiha movements were refined to perfection. Realizing their equal skill, they rushed into close combat.
Suyen's movements seemed faster, and he managed to close the distance first. His kunai slid forward, the blade pressing against Mikoto's chest just as she began to raise her katana.
"I've won," he exhaled with a strained smile.
The world around him trembled. Colors faded, and the noise of the crowd disappeared. Suyen blinked in confusion before feeling cold steel near his neck.
His body froze, shocked eyes staring at Mikoto, who stood behind him, her two-tomoe Sharingan slowly spinning.
"You lost from the very start of the fight," she said calmly.
Suyen slowly lowered his weapon, and the examiner immediately raised his hand.
"The match is over. Victory for Team Nine."