Chapter 127: Advancing to the Finals
The audience sat in shocked silence, faces reflecting a mixture of terror and awe.
The feudal lords were equally stunned, their faces pale as they imagined being on the receiving end of such devastating ninjutsu!
Some newly promoted ninja were shocked as well, though veterans of the Third Great Ninja War weren't particularly surprised by the destructive power itself. What did shock them was that a ten-year-old genin could actually perform such high-level ninjutsu.
Sakai Yumi and several other Kirigakure genin in the waiting room were completely stunned! They stared at the arena, faces filled with horror!
They quickly thanked whatever gods they believed in that they hadn't become targets of that technique!
Underground, Kaito assessed the damage. Okay, things aren't quite as bad as I thought. Those lightning-charged kunai did scare me for a second. I thought they'd pierce deep enough to make even being underground unsafe.
This must be someone who infused kunai with Lightning Release and sealed them in that scroll. Mieko just summoned and deployed them. Man, the Uchiha Clan is seriously loaded! They spent over three hundred thousand ryo just for a Chunin Exam match!
As the bombardment ended, he emerged from underground and returned to the surface.
Mieko was breathing heavily! That technique had reduced her chakra to below twenty percent.
She saw Kaito surface and laughed triumphantly.
"Let's see where you can hide now!"
She used Body Flicker under the cover of dust and launched a Fire Style: Fireball jutsu.
Kaito sensed her approach, Body Flickered, and dodged the attack.
The crowd, still reeling from the previous shock, was startled again by the explosion.
Soon, the sound of kunai clashing echoed throughout the arena.
But due to the thick dust clouds, the audience couldn't see what was happening. Only those with Sharingan or Byakugan could follow the action.
Inoichi Yamanaka looked worried—he couldn't see the specific situation either.
Inside the arena, after dodging her fireball, Kaito created a shadow clone to engage Mieko directly.
His clone attacked first while Kaito provided support. Mieko was breathing heavily, her chakra nearly depleted.
Kaito's shadow clone sighed while deflecting her kunai strikes.
"You've only got about ten percent of your chakra left. Surrender. Even if you somehow win, you won't have enough left to compete in the finals."
Mieko frowned and shouted back.
"How can I surrender without even fighting your real body!"
Although she shouted defiantly, she thought to herself, With just one look, I can turn this whole thing around!
Kaito knew she was still counting on her Sharingan genjutsu.
The shadow clone continued. "Don't even think about using Sharingan genjutsu on me. I'll never fall for it. Besides, I haven't even drawn my sword yet. If I did, you wouldn't last a second."
Mieko frowned at his words. The image of Kaito cutting down two waves of bandits with his blade was still vivid in her mind. However, she reasoned, He won't use his sword here—it's too lethal. Otherwise he would have already.
She snorted and continued attacking. Kaito and his clone both sighed, realizing she hadn't taken the bait.
Her analysis was accurate. Kaito couldn't guarantee she wouldn't be seriously injured or killed if he used his sword.
He looked at Mieko and decided. Alright, time to end this.
He immediately began gathering chakra. Unlike Mieko, Kaito still had more than half his reserves remaining.
When Mieko saw Kaito accumulating chakra, she immediately went on high alert.
She tried to attack him but was intercepted by his shadow clone.
Suddenly, after blocking her strike, Kaito's clone grabbed her right arm.
Mieko tried to break free, but all her counterattacks were perfectly deflected by the clone.
Just then, Kaito appeared behind his own shadow clone and formed hand seals. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Mieko's eyes widened as she realized Kaito was targeting both his clone and her together.
Unfortunately, she had neither the time nor enough chakra to react.
Kaito's shadow clone dispersed immediately. The powerful wind technique hit Mieko with full force, sending her flying across the arena!
She slammed into the arena wall and lost consciousness.
Kaito's jutsu also cleared all the dust from the battlefield.
Unfortunately for the spectators, a massive amount of dust was blown directly into the stands. People immediately started coughing and covered their eyes, noses, and mouths.
Several ninja who could use Wind Release stood up and began clearing the dust from the audience area.
While the dust was being cleared, medical personnel appeared in the arena and carried Mieko away on a stretcher.
Once visibility returned, Inoichi Yamanaka raised his hand. "The winner of the second semifinal match is Kaito!"
The crowd offered weak applause. The cheers were subdued for several reasons.
First, the audience was still annoyed by the dust storm they'd just endured. Second, most people had bet on Mieko to win.
Kaito left the arena floor and headed to the waiting room. When he entered, Sakai Yumi looked at him with a complicated expression. She thought to herself, His opponent was incredibly strong, yet he won so easily! Even I would probably lose to that Uchiha girl. Fighting Rintaro or Shinichi would be a major challenge for me.
But he not only won all three matches—he's not even injured, and he still has enough chakra to fight me at full strength.
She sighed, realizing the finals looked hopeless.
Unlike the other genin fighting today, Sakai Yumi had been trained specifically to be a capable squad leader.
Although she still had her honor and pride, compared to her peers, she was better able to calmly analyze situations and draw accurate conclusions.
Like Sakai Yumi, experienced ninja in the crowd also took note of Kaito's performance.
Hiruzen chuckled to himself. "Very good. Renjiro wasn't wrong about him. And he hasn't even used his sword or the Senju taijutsu style in battle yet."
"Setting aside those two skills and his chakra reserves, he's not overwhelmingly stronger than Mieko in terms of raw ability. But the tactics he employs make all the difference. If he becomes an elite jonin, Konoha will gain another highly capable ninja."
The judges were equally impressed. Genma commented, "Despite all that destruction, Kaito still won handily. He knows exactly when to retreat and when to press the attack. His clone usage is exceptional."
Raido nodded. "In all three matches, Kaito completely outmaneuvered his opponents tactically. Mieko is strong, but she's lacking in that area."
Ibiki added thoughtfully, "Yes. However, many of the things Mieko said were likely just to maintain her confidence. After all, for someone with the Sharingan, one look can decide everything."
"Unfortunately, Kaito has excellent self-control. He doesn't react to taunts, and he never lets his guard down even after winning. So despite her Lightning Style bombardment, she never had a chance to actually suppress him."
The judges continued discussing the match in detail.
The finals would be held in half an hour, so some spectators began packing up and squeezing toward the public restrooms.
The break was normally an opportunity for vendors to sell snacks and merchandise. Unfortunately, all their items were now covered in dust. Much of the food and goods were ruined.
Only packaged items or things in sealed containers had survived. Mieko and Kaito were secretly cursed by every vendor in attendance!
During the break, several ninja used Earth Release techniques to repair the arena floor.
Allowing genin to fight in a completely destroyed arena would damage Konoha's reputation. More importantly, considering Kaito's Wind Style techniques, they expected he might blow dirt directly into the stands otherwise.
Half an hour later, Kaito and Sakai Yumi were called down to the arena.
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