Chapter 124: An Unexpected Threat
The recoil from such a powerful jutsu sent Kaito flying backward through the air.
From that vantage point, he had a clear view of everything. He watched as the devastating wind blades tore Rintaro apart into dozens of pieces.
Kaito's eyes widened as something immediately struck him as wrong.
No blood! And the wind cut through him way too easily—like there was nothing solid there at all! A Water Clone? But when did he create it?
The judges and many ninja watching were equally shocked. For Kaito to Body Flicker that quickly and unleash such a devastating jutsu was beyond what any genin should be capable of.
In fact, even among chunin, only a select few could pull that off.
Just as everyone processed what they'd witnessed, Rintaro's severed body parts dissolved into water.
Kaito kept his sensory abilities active while analyzing the situation. Suddenly it clicked.
Chakra was distributed throughout all those fragments. Now all the chakra is concentrated where the water pooled. What kind of jutsu is this?
Kaito pulled back to a safer distance, his mind racing.
The audience only calmed down after seeing the body turn to water.
Suddenly, the scattered water began gathering together, and Rintaro's body started reassembling itself.
Kaito's eyes narrowed. He immediately threw a kunai with an explosive tag attached, aiming right for the center of the forming mass.
He and many other ninja quickly realized this was the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique!
Seeing Rintaro use this jutsu at such a critical moment, the Kirigakure genin all breathed sighs of relief.
Kaito frowned in confusion.
Isn't that a kekkei genkai exclusive to the Hozuki Clan? How does he have it? Is someone in his family from the Hozuki Clan, or is he using a fake name?
Genma commented from the judges' table, "First the Ice Release kekkei genkai, now the Hydrification secret technique. These Kirigakure genin are exceptionally strong."
Raido nodded in agreement. "They are, but Kaito's also incredibly powerful to force him into using that technique."
Ibiki watched Rintaro's body slowly reforming. "He's not very skilled with this jutsu yet. His reassembly speed is far too slow."
Seeing Rintaro activate this technique, the Kirigakure genin grew excited. Kuhaku Rou practically shouted, "In that form, Rintaro's invincible! That Konoha genin doesn't stand a chance!"
Mieko and Hodaka observed carefully—especially Mieko. If Kaito lost, she'd likely face Rintaro next.
Just as Rintaro's body was halfway reformed, the explosive tag reached him and detonated, scattering the water once again. However, it soon began gathering back together.
Kaito grabbed another kunai with an explosive tag, thinking analytically.
His speed is way too slow. If I remember correctly, Suigetsu Hozuki could liquefy specific body parts instantly, making him nearly impossible to hit without Lightning Style. This guy's nowhere near that level.
He threw another kunai, dispersing the water again. This process repeated three more times.
The ninja who understood the Hydrification Technique and expected to witness its devastating power were left speechless—especially the jonin and genin from Kirigakure.
They watched one of their village's most powerful secret techniques being easily countered by cheap explosive tags!
Of course, if Rintaro were more skilled or had better control over the technique, it wouldn't have been neutralized so easily. But that fact did nothing to lessen their humiliation.
Mieko glanced at Kuhaku Rou with a raised eyebrow. "This is what you call invincible in your village?"
Kuhaku Rou's face flushed crimson with embarrassment. He wanted to argue back but couldn't form a single word.
Just as Kaito prepared to throw his seventh explosive tag, Rintaro's jonin instructor leaped into the arena.
Kaito sensed the chakra spike and immediately used Body Flicker to retreat into the forest.
The Kirigakure jonin appeared in front of Rintaro and deflected the kunai. "We forfeit this match."
Disappointed murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Inoichi Yamanaka immediately announced, "The winner of the fifth match is Kaito!"
Ibiki sighed heavily. "First the Hidden Mist assassination technique, now the Hydrification jutsu—both completely dismantled by explosive tags. This is deeply disappointing."
Raido nodded. "We need to consider banning explosive tags, at least for the finals."
Genma agreed. "While explosive tags are essential ninja tools, this is just... unsatisfying to watch."
Kaito and Mieko would never have imagined their battles would lead to explosive tags being banned in the finals!
Rintaro's body finally finished reassembling without further interference. The moment he fully reformed, he collapsed unconscious!
His instructor immediately caught him before he could fall. Within seconds, his clothes were soaked with blood. Medical ninja rushed forward to treat him.
Watching this, Kaito wondered, Can someone using Hydrification still be injured by explosive tags? Or is it just because he's inexperienced with the technique?
The Kirigakure jonin sighed while looking at his student. The Hydrification Technique burns through chakra incredibly fast. Even with his massive reserves, he can only maintain it briefly. If this had continued much longer, he could've died from chakra exhaustion!
Medical personnel stabilized Rintaro in the arena before carrying him away on a stretcher.
His wounds weren't serious and would heal easily. The real problem was severe chakra depletion.
Kaito left the arena floor, thinking to himself, What an anticlimax. He trapped himself with a jutsu he couldn't properly control. I was expecting an intense battle.
Kaito's disappointment was shared by all the jonin and most of the chunin in the stands. The battle's ending had been thoroughly underwhelming.
Genma looked at Kaito's retreating form. "He's definitely ready for chunin promotion."
Ibiki and Raido both nodded in agreement.
Although his opponent had made several critical mistakes, Kaito had capitalized on every single opening and exploited them perfectly. His performance had been outstanding.
As Kaito climbed the stairs back to the waiting room, two men dressed in black suddenly blocked his path. Kaito studied them carefully.
One spoke in a gravelly voice, "In the next match, you're going to lose to Uchiha Mieko."
Kaito's eye twitched. "I'm going to? Why?"
At the same time, he thought, Do these idiots threaten genin before every match?
The man continued, "Our boss placed a huge bet on that Uchiha brat. If you win, he loses everything. So you're throwing the match, or we'll make you regret it."
Kaito ignored the threat entirely. "How much did your boss bet?"
Both men looked taken aback by the question. They'd done this intimidation routine several times before, but nobody had ever asked them that.
The second man asked suspiciously, "Why do you want to know?"
Kaito gave him a flat, unimpressed look. "You two don't even know how much your boss wagered, and you're here threatening me?"
His dismissive tone made both men angry, but they controlled themselves—Kaito's calm demeanor was unnerving.
The first man replied reluctantly, "Twenty million ryo on the Uchiha girl."
Kaito considered this for a moment. "I see."
He looked at them evenly. "Give me four million ryo, and I'll forfeit the match."
Both men stood speechless, internally cursing him. The second man snarled, "You little brat! You think you can extort money from us?"
Kaito said calmly, "If I win, your boss loses twenty million. I'm not even asking for half. Do you really think if I win, your boss will let you walk away unpunished?"
That pushed them over the edge. Both immediately drew kunai and moved to threaten him.
"If you don't agree, we'll make sure you can't participate in the match at all!"
"We used to be ninja from the Land of Grass. A kid like you is nothing!"
Kaito sighed theatrically. "Alright, fine. I'll forfeit the match."
Relief washed over their faces. They lowered their kunai, showing triumphant grins. "You finally understand your—"
At that moment, a razor-sharp wind technique struck without warning. Both men's throats were slashed open. Dozens of cuts appeared across their bodies.
They dropped their kunai and tried to scream, but Kaito grabbed both their faces and slammed their heads against the stone stairs. They immediately lost consciousness.
Kaito crouched down and began searching through their clothes, muttering, "How can people be this stupid? Didn't they watch my matches?"
He found both their wallets containing eighty thousand ryo total. There were also several scrolls. He collected everything and sealed it into his own storage scroll.
Kaito descended the stairs and scanned the crowd. He spotted an Uchiha Police Force member and an ANBU operative in the stands. He thought carefully.
Who should I report this to?
After a few seconds, he decided on the ANBU, reasoning it through. Those two attacked me to help Mieko win. I don't think the Uchiha would go easy on them for that, but it's possible. Plus, if they use the Sharingan to interrogate them and find out how much money they had, the Uchiha might start asking me questions.
With ANBU, they'll focus more on the attack itself than what these thugs were carrying. Even if they do care about the money, it'll take forever to sort out. Those gangsters will just assume ANBU confiscated everything.
Decision made, Kaito used Body Flicker to appear in front of the ANBU operative, who looked startled.
Kaito waved casually. "Hey there. Two former ninja from the Land of Grass just attacked me on the stairs. Could you go arrest them? I'm a bit injured."
The ANBU ninja looked alert. "Why did they attack you?"
Kaito shrugged. "Not entirely sure, but they mentioned something about their boss placing bets on the matches."
The ANBU operative understood immediately and nodded. "Well done reporting this. I'll handle their arrest."
He disappeared in a Body Flicker.
This ANBU member would apprehend both men and send them directly to the Torture and Interrogation Department. There they'd be interrogated until they revealed who their boss was.
Once they confessed, they'd face even harsher consequences for their crimes. Their boss would also be arrested, and all his assets would be seized by Konoha.
But Kaito remained unaware of the chain reaction his self-defense would trigger as he returned to the waiting room.
There was a thirty-minute break before the semifinals began. Hodaka, Kaito, and Mieko were all deep in thought. Sakai Yumi looked noticeably nervous.
Our village started with six Kirigakure ninja participating, while Konoha only had three. Now, besides me, all five others from our village have been eliminated!
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