Everyone watching couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for Kotetsu.
After all, standing in the arena and waiting for your turn, especially after watching your strongest teammates get slapped till unconscious, isn't exactly the most encouraging experience.
As Kotetsu and Muku entered the arena, Guy, the proctor for the match, broke the silence. "Let's begin," he announced, before stepping back to give the two contestants ample space for their showdown.
Wasting no time, Kotetsu sprang into action. With swift movements, he hurled multiple kunai toward his opponent while weaving through a sequence of hand signs.
"Multiple Shuriken Jutsu!" he shouted. Instantly, the kunai multiplied in midair, transforming into a flurry of sharpened projectiles flying straight at Muku.
Muku pulled out a kunai of his own, gripping it in reverse. He began to parry the incoming blades with remarkable precision, deflecting them one by one.
The crowd watched in awe as he danced through the airborne steel, his movements fluid and seemingly unhindered by the barrage.
Kotetsu's lips curled slightly into a grin. He had planned for that. It wasn't just a direct attack. It was a distraction. One of those kunai, hidden among the others, was wrapped in explosive tags.
Thanks to the "Multiple Shuriken Jutsu," the explosive kunai had been duplicated along with the rest, making it nearly impossible to spot among the swarm.
An explosion erupted near Muku's position. The blast sent dust and debris into the air, shaking the ground and clouding visibility. Muku, reacting quickly, jumped high to evade the explosion. Though he remained unharmed by the blast itself, the thick smoke severely hindered his vision.
Back on the ground, Kotetsu moved quickly. He pulled out a summoning scroll and unfurled it in a flash, calling forth his most trusted weapon: the infamous "Conch Shell Mace."
Without hesitation, he channelled his chakra into the weapon, then hurled it toward Muku with force and precision. As soon as the mace left his hand, Kotetsu vanished, using the Body Flicker Technique to charge at Muku at high speed.
As the Conch Shell Mace flew through the air, it began to transform. Ethereal wings sprouted from its sides, and it moved with surprising agility, twisting and turning like a living creature. Muku, by now descending from his jump, caught sight of the incoming threat just as the dust was beginning to clear.
Unshaken, Muku quickly formed a series of hand signs and unleashed one of his signature jutsu: "Fire Style: Demon Lantern." Instantly, multiple fireballs shaped like demonic faces launched forward, aimed directly at the flying mace. The crowd gasped as flames lit up the arena.
But the Conch Shell Mace was no ordinary weapon. With uncanny dexterity, it weaved through the flames, dodging the fireballs with an almost serpentine grace. Muku landed on the ground, bracing himself. He realised he would have to deal with not just the weapon, but Kotetsu as well, who was now rapidly closing in.
Muku spun just in time to dodge the mace by inches. At the same moment, he manipulated the remaining fireballs into a single massive orb, a merging of the demon lanterns into one enormous fiery entity, larger than a grown man.
The inferno roared as it surged forward at terrifying speed, aimed straight at the charging Kotetsu.
The crowd watched with bated breath. Kotetsu, now fully committed to his offensive approach, had little room left to manoeuvre. His momentum had become a liability. The moment he realised it was too late to stop or dodge, his eyes widened.
"I surrender!" he yelled, both hands raised in a frantic gesture. His voice cracked through the noise, aimed at the proctor in a desperate plea for salvation.
Guy, the proctor, was already preparing to intervene, but he wasn't fast enough. The massive demon lantern was only moments away from impact. Just as everyone feared the worst, a flash of yellow light tore through the air.
In an instant, Minato appeared.
The Fourth Hokage had been watching closely from the sidelines. At the critical moment, he flung his custom-marked kunai and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear behind Kotetsu in a split-second blur.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the young Genin and teleported away, back to the balcony where Team 1 stood.
The demon lantern slammed into the arena floor where Kotetsu had just been standing. The resulting explosion was massive, ten times louder and more powerful than the one Kotetsu had triggered earlier.
This is the true power of B-Rank Ninjutsu, which is typically used for an area attack.
The audience was left speechless, eyes twitching and mouths agape. It was hard not to feel like this had been Muku's way of returning the favour to Kotetsu, although it was delivered with far greater force.
Once the dust settled and the arena was deemed safe, Guy let out a deep sigh of relief. That had been a really close call. He might have had to take the hit himself if the Fourth Hokage had not intervened. Regaining his composure, he raised his voice to announce the victor.
"Muku wins!"
The crowd erupted into applause. Muku, as composed as ever, made his way back to the balcony. On his way, he gave a casual wave to Ryuzetsu and Shiba, his teammates, who were clearly thrilled by his victory.
No time was wasted after that. Multiple Konoha shinobi quickly descended into the arena to clear the debris and restore order for the next battle. The maintenance was efficient, and within minutes, the arena was spotless once more.
Then, the large black screen above the arena flickered to life. The names of the remaining Genin began to scroll across it, selecting the next two participants.
The tension in the stadium rose once again.
After a moment of anticipation, the next match was announced: Akatsuna of the Hidden Sand versus Shiba of Kusagakure.
Excitement surged through the audience. Everyone was eager to see what the mysterious Shinobi from the Sunagakure abilities. His presence had been enigmatic from the start of the Chunin Exams. Meanwhile, although Shiba had been eliminated early during the previous day's team battles, many believed he still had hidden cards to play.
As Akatsuna stepped forward, all eyes were on him. His face betrayed no emotion, exuding a cold, silent confidence that bordered on menace. He moved slowly and, his aura thick with killing intent. That intensity had been noticeable since the very first round, but now it seemed to have tripled.
Instead of leaping straight into the arena like many others, Akatsuna calmly walked down the stairs, opting for a more reserved approach. Perhaps he was trying to avoid drawing too much attention to himself or attempting to create a subtle psychological pressure on his opponent.
Ironically, the effect was unmistakable. Shiba was sweating, visibly nervous under the weight of his opponent's momentum.
The slow descent of Akatsuna into the arena carried with it a heavy tension. Each step he took down the stairs seemed to amplify the atmosphere. Spectators could not help but lean forward slightly, wondering just what this Shinobi from the Hidden Sand was capable of.
In contrast, Shiba made no effort to match that eerie pacing. With a brief hop forward, he leapt directly from his team's balcony and landed firmly in the arena. He simply stood his ground, eyes locked onto the approaching Akatsuna, ready for whatever would come.
Once both participants were in place, Guy did not waste time. With a firm voice, he announced the beginning of the match, then quickly stepped out of the arena, giving the two Genin room to face off without interference.
As expected, Akatsuna was a puppet user, an infamous style that had long been associated with shinobi from the Hidden Sand. With steady hands, he unrolled a scroll and summoned not one but two puppets. Each appeared menacing in its own right. One had a humanoid form with a hunched back, while the other stood upright like a silent sentry.
Shiba, wasting no time, drew his twin tanto blades. He dropped into a solid combat stance, his focus razor-sharp. With practiced precision, he began to channel chakra into his weapons. Light Green wisps of energy danced along the blades' edges, revealing his affinity for Wind Release.
In the world of elemental chakra natures, wind is known for its cutting power and deadly effectiveness in close combat. It is considered slightly superior to lightning release because it naturally counters it, even though both share similar attributes.
Without any hesitation, Shiba charged forward. He knew better than to give a puppet user time to prepare. As he closed the gap between them, Akatsuna calmly extended his chakra threads, attaching them to his first puppet. It moved to intercept with startling speed, its scorpion-like tail swiping at Shiba with calculated precision.
Despite the puppet's mechanical nature, it matched Shiba blow for blow. Every strike of his chakra-infused tanto was met with surprising resistance. The puppet's joints absorbed the impact expertly, showing no sign of wear or damage. Its unpredictable movements made the exchange even more difficult, forcing Shiba onto the defensive.
The material used in the puppet's construction must have been exceptional. Even under the strain of Shiba's B-rank chakra flow technique, it remained intact. It reminded the spectators just how dangerous puppeteers could be, especially those trained in the Hidden Sand's most secretive techniques.
While the first puppet kept Shiba occupied, the second remained motionless in front of Akatsuna, acting as a barrier between him and any potential threat. Shiba noticed this and immediately became wary. The second puppet had not moved an inch since it was summoned. That kind of stillness was more intimidating than motion. It could be a decoy or it could be holding back something lethal.
Shiba began to reassess. If he wanted any chance of victory, he would need to get past the puppet and engage the puppeteer directly. But charging blindly toward Akatsuna would be reckless, especially with the unknown threat posed by the second puppet.
He was caught in a dangerous dilemma: close the distance and risk walking into a trap, or continue fighting the puppet and risk being worn down until he made a fatal mistake.
Despite being on the back foot, Shiba did not fight without a plan. His strikes were not only aimed at disabling the puppet but also at slicing the chakra threads that controlled it. However, Akatsuna's technique was refined.
His control over the threads was fluid and tight, giving Shiba no real opening to sever them. The puppet danced between attacks like it was alive, adjusting its angles without hesitation.
In the audience, Enso watched intently. His eyes narrowed as he studied the puppet's design. There was something oddly familiar about it: the shape, the movement, even the posture. It took him only a moment to recognise what he was seeing.
This was no ordinary puppet.
That hunchbacked form, the human-like appearance, and the smooth, unpredictable movement were all too familiar. Enso was almost certain that the puppet being used was one of Sasori's, the S-rank rogue ninja from the Hidden Sand who would one day become a feared member of the Akatsuki.
If his guess was correct, then Akatsuna was not just a random Genin. He was Sasori himself, hiding in plain sight.
The realisation hit hard.
Sasori had been a major antagonist in the anime Enso remembered. He had slain countless Shinobi during the Third Shinobi War and had turned many of his victims into puppets, using their bodies as weapons long after their deaths.
If he truly was present in this timeline and had not yet joined the Akatsuki, then his intentions remained unknown.
Why was someone of his calibre participating in the Chunin Exams?
This does not bode well for the Hidden Leaf, as an S-Rank level shinobi with an unknown purpose has seemingly managed to sneak into the Chunin exam undetected.
Having watched the anime, Enso is certain that this individual must be here to kill someone. After all, most of Sasori's puppets were crafted from real human flesh, making his intentions all the more sinister. But the question remains: who is the intended target?
Konoha is home to many Shinobi who would fit Sasori's criteria for puppet creation.
Clans such as the Nara, Akimichi, and Aburame, for instance, provide excellent material for puppets due to their unique abilities and body structures. Not to mention the distinguished members of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, whose skills and lineage would make them highly valuable to someone like Sasori.
Enso was unsure whether he should inform Minato or let things play out. He hesitated because he didn't have any solid evidence to support his claim, and he certainly couldn't just tell people that he had learned this from watching an anime called Naruto.
Back in the arena, Shiba finally disengaged from the puppet. With a swift jump, he created distance between them. He took a deep breath, beads of sweat clinging to his brow. The battle was already pushing him to his limit, and he had not even engaged with the second puppet yet.
He realised he had to shift tactics. Staying locked in a battle of attrition would only end in defeat. He turned his focus toward the second puppet, which had yet to move. Whatever secrets it held, he needed to find out before it was too late.
Making his decision, Shiba intensified the flow of chakra into his kunai before hurling it with destructive force directly at the floating puppet.
The puppet's face was completely concealed beneath a black hood, sparking curiosity among the spectators about its true appearance and, more importantly, its combat abilities.
Akatsuna gave a slight shake of his hand, prompting the humanoid puppet to raise its arm forward. Suddenly, the mechanical joints of the puppet's arm released multiple smaller arms that seamlessly formed a shield. More than ten pairs of these arms created a rotating, spherical defence that spun in a continuous circular motion in front of the puppeteer.
At the same time, the hunchbacked puppet surged forward and engaged Shiba in close quarters combat. Thanks to its mechanical joints, the puppet could move in unnatural and inhuman ways, forcing Shiba once again into a defensive posture.
Akatsuna's mastery over his puppets drew praise from the audience. Even Minato and Hiruzen nodded approvingly at his skill and combat prowess.
Not wishing to prolong the fight, Akatsuna commanded both puppets to attack Shiba simultaneously. The hunchbacked puppet used its scorpion-like tail to target Shiba's vital points, while the many-armed puppet attempted to restrain him using more than ten mechanical arms.
Reacting swiftly, Shiba pulled out several smoke bombs and used them to cover his movements, dodging the relentless attacks from the hunchbacked puppet. As the arena filled with smoke, Shiba seized the opportunity to throw multiple kunai from within the obscured field.
The kunai flew in unpredictable patterns. Some were rigged with explosive tags tied around their rings, while others were infused with chakra.
Before the smoke cleared, kunai covered the ground. Most of the explosive tags landed near the two puppets, erupting in bursts of light and sound reminiscent of fireworks.
As the smoke began to dissipate, one kunai imbued with wind chakra landed precisely on the string controlling the many-armed puppet. The crowd gasped in shock, realising they had underestimated the Blackhorse from Kusagakure.
Yet, to their astonishment, the multiple-armed puppet remained standing. Instead, it was Akatsuna who suddenly collapsed to the ground.
This unexpected turn sent shivers down the gathered Chunin and Genin. They realised that the puppeteer they had been watching so closely was merely a decoy. The true controller had been hidden in plain sight all along.
As the smoke cleared completely, more than ten pairs of mechanical arms burst from the ground, successfully restraining Shiba in place. The hunchbacked puppet surged forward, aiming for a decisive strike, but before it could reach him, Shiba shouted, "I surrender."
The match had ended. While Akatsuna was rightly chosen as the winner, Shiba's performance had been surprisingly impressive.
Not only had he discovered a way to handle a puppeteer, but he had done so in a manner that could be described as spectacular, given his overall level of skill.
Had it not been for Akatsuna's cunning and trickery, the match might very well have been Shiba's to win.
Akatsuna stopped his puppets' movements, quickly retracting and resealing them. The many-armed puppet had been his true form all along. With his puppets safely sealed, he pulled back his hood, revealing a face that mirrored the decoy puppet.
As he made his way back to his team's balcony, the arena erupted in applause. Even the Third and Fourth Hokage joined in clapping for his victory.
Anbu operatives quickly filled the arena's gap with earth-style jutsu, preparing the space for the next match.
As the black screen began to spin, the next participants for the ongoing Chunin Exams were selected.
*If you're enjoying the story, consider blessing it with a Power Stone!
Regarding my book being sabotaged, I haven't received any response from the WEBNOVEL team. However, I do have a contingency plan in place. I will create another account and post two chapters a day until it catches up to the latest chapter.
In the meantime, I will continue releasing this book, but only at three chapters a day. This will continue until the new version reaches the current chapter count.
To prevent it from being sabotaged again so soon, I won't announce the new book just yet. But if you happen to come across a new book that feels very similar to this one, it's likely part of my contingency plan. No need to worry. I'll also release it on other platforms.
Also, if you've made it this far and haven't left a review yet, please consider doing so. It would really help me out.
I'm counting on your POWER STONE, REVIEWS and Interaction (comments). Share your thoughts, your vision, or how you would do things differently.*