"Umm… I'm going to quit."
Kabuto's words cut through the tense atmosphere like a blade, causing a ripple of confusion and disbelief. The other genin turned to him in surprise, their reactions a mix of shock and suspicion.
Naruto's mouth hung open. "W-What?! You're quitting now? After making it this far?!"
Kabuto offered an apologetic smile, adjusting his glasses. "My body's still recovering from the previous fight. If I push myself now, I might not make it."
The excuse was simple and flat, but no one could argue with it outright. Naruto grumbled, clearly dissatisfied, but reluctantly accepted it—along with the other students.
As Kabuto walked away, he glanced up at the observation deck and gave a casual wave to Akuma, who stood silently above the others, arms folded, eyes calm and unreadable as ever.
That wave drew more attention than expected. One by one, the other genin began to notice the silent figure watching from above.
"Hey, who is that boy?"
"I heard about him—he's the one who doesn't have chakra."
"I heard he works directly under the Hokage…"
The whispers spread like wildfire. Akuma ignored them completely, showing no reaction. Instead, his gaze shifted toward one of the Sound ninja.
He stared at the man closely. There was something... off. Too calm. Too composed. His instincts screamed danger.
Then it hit him—Orochimaru.
Disguised as a sound ninja.
Akuma's stare hardened.
Just as he focused on the snake in disguise, a wave of killing intent slammed into him.
His body tensed. His eyes scanned the room, then locked onto another figure—Gaara of the Sand.
The boy stood eerily still, but his eyes… they were locked on Akuma, burning with bloodlust.
'What did I do to him?' Akuma thought. He tried to recall any past encounter, any slight, but came up empty.
After a moment, he let it go. 'Some people just want to kill, I guess.'
Shifting focus, he looked toward Team 7. The situation had escalated there.
Sakura stood beside Sasuke, tears in her eyes. "Please, Sasuke-kun! Don't fight—you're still injured! That curse mark…!"
But Sasuke ignored her. "Stay out of my business, Sakura."
Naruto stepped in. "Hey, don't be stupid! You're hurt. Stop acting all cool and sit this one out!"
Sasuke turned to him, his eyes sharp. "I'm going to be stronger than everyone here. Even Akuma." His voice rose, full of conviction. "And I am stronger than you, Naruto. I'll show him."
The words hit hard—especially for Naruto.
Akuma raised an eyebrow. 'Hmph… So the snake's already gotten to him.'
Just then, Sasuke staggered, clutching his shoulder as the curse mark flared violently. He dropped to one knee, groaning in pain.
Behind him, several sensei immediately began arguing—debating whether he should be allowed to fight.
Then, the Third Hokage raised a hand, silencing the room.
"…Let him fight."
A coughing fit broke the silence as Gekkō Hayate stepped forward, the sickly man addressing the crowd.
"The preliminaries will be one-on-one fights. You will battle until one of you is unconscious, gives up, or I declare a winner. Killing is prohibited—but accidents can happen. Understood?"
All the genin nodded.
"Good. Now look at the board. Your matchups will be chosen at random."
The monitor flickered to life, names spinning rapidly before stopping:
Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akado Yoroi.
Akuma's eyes narrowed slightly.
'So far, the timeline remains intact. That's good. I can still predict what's coming… for now.'
More students began making their way to the observation deck, but Akuma paid them no mind. His attention remained fixed on Sasuke—and on the sinister presence hiding in plain sight down below.
Orochimaru.
The game had officially begun.
As Akuma stood in silence, lost in thought, a heavy slap on his back jolted him back to reality.
"HAH! How are you doing, kid? Are you excited?" boomed Might Guy's voice, full of his usual energy.
Akuma turned his head and saw Guy grinning widely, with his three students—Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten—standing beside him. He simply nodded in response, his expression unreadable.
"Watch me, Akuma!" Rock Lee exclaimed, pumping his fist. "I'll show you how awesome I am!"
"Quiet down, Lee. We're not even fighting yet," Tenten said, rolling her eyes as she turned her attention back to the arena.
Below them, the battle between Uchiha Sasuke and Akado Yoroi was escalating. The crowd watched with bated breath as the two clashed with increasing intensity.
At first, Sasuke held his ground, matching Yoroi's attacks with quick reflexes. But as the fight dragged on, things began to shift. Yoroi's chakra-absorbing ability gave him a steady advantage, draining Sasuke's strength with each touch.
Sasuke gritted his teeth, struggling to fight without using his Sharingan—knowing that activating it might worsen the effects of the curse mark sealed on his shoulder.
Down below, Yoroi lunged forward, intent on finishing it.
Suddenly, a loud voice pierced the tension.
"SASUKE!!!" Naruto shouted from the observation deck, fists clenched. "You said you'd be stronger than everyone here! Is this the best you can do?!"
Sasuke's eyes widened. Naruto's words, foolish and blunt as ever, cut deep—reminding him of his own vow, of the pride that refused to be broken.
In that instant, something clicked.
Sasuke dashed toward Yoroi.
Expecting the same telegraphed punch, Yoroi prepared his counter. But at the last second, Sasuke shifted his momentum, twisting his body into a spinning upper kick—his foot crashing into Yoroi's jaw and launching him into the air.
The crowd gasped.
Sasuke leapt into the air, chasing his opponent mid-flight. But just as he prepared to finish it with a follow-up strike, pain exploded through his body.
The curse mark surged, black tendrils spreading across his skin like wildfire.
He winced, nearly losing control midair, his body shaking as he struggled to suppress it. Below, Yoroi regained his senses and began to form hand seals, aiming to strike back before Sasuke could recover.
But Sasuke made a decision.
With a growl of frustration, he stopped resisting the pain—just for a moment—and redirected everything he had into a final, devastating kick.
It landed with a thunderous impact.
Yoroi crashed into the ground with a sickening thud, unconscious on contact. The dust settled slowly, and the crowd erupted.
Sasuke, panting heavily, landed with one knee on the floor, beads of sweat rolling down his face. But his focus returned immediately—not to the crowd or his win—but to the curse mark, which he now desperately fought to contain.
From above, Kakashi's eyes narrowed with concern. He could tell that the curse was growing stronger… and more dangerous.
Akuma watched silently, arms folded.
"Rock Lee," Might Guy said, his tone suddenly serious as he glanced at the arena below, "did you teach that boy the Lotus technique?"
Lee blinked, surprised. "No, Guy-sensei. I didn't! I think… I think he learned it just from watching our fight. That time I used the Lotus against him."
Might Guy's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed in thought. "So you only used it once? And he still managed to copy it?" He crossed his arms, clearly impressed. "Even with a Sharingan, it's not something that can be copied so easily. That boy… he's a genius."
He smiled proudly, his teeth gleaming.
"He reminds me of Kakashi when he was young. But still—" Guy's voice lifted with a tinge of rivalry, "I have the upper hand."
He gave Lee a hearty pat on the back. "My student Akuma… he's a monster in taijutsu. Even if I just tell him about a technique, he can perform it perfectly—flawless execution from pure instinct."
A confident glint sparkled in Guy's eyes.
"One win for me, Kakashi," he muttered playfully as he turned to look at his old friend—but Kakashi was no longer on the deck.
He was already down below, tending to Sasuke.
Guy chuckled to himself. "Hmph. Ran off before I could gloat properly."
Just then, Gekkō Hayate stepped forward again and announced the next match.
"Next match: Zaku Abumi versus Aburame Shino."
Akuma, watching quietly from above, didn't even blink. But inwardly, he was already analyzing the coming fight, measuring each contestant's movements—learning, absorbing, preparing.
The Chūnin Exams had only just begun, but already, the future was shifting.