[There’s no way I can block this,] Kaoru thought, frozen in place for a split second as Hora’s blade closed in on his head. The arena seemed to freeze, and for that brief moment, it felt like there was no escape.

Suddenly, the sharp crackle of lightning split the air, followed by a deafening crash. The arena floor exploded into smoke and debris, and the impact sent shockwaves through the crowd. Genin and guardians alike stared at the scene, wide-eyed, as dust and smoke obscured the battlefield.

As the dust settled, the sight that greeted them left the entire arena stunned.

Standing in front of Kaoru was a girl cloaked in dense cyan chakra. The energy shimmered and swirled around her, transforming her hair into what looked like a wild mane. Her eyes were fierce and predatory, glowing with vertical slits like a beast's. In front of her, two figures held her fists in a combined effort to stop her attack—one cloaked in lightning chakra and the other bearing the Senju clan’s emblem.

Just moments before Hora’s blade could reach Kaoru, Maki had appeared like a mother tiger protecting her cub, smashing the massive sword into pieces. Without hesitation, she lunged at Hora, her chakra-infused fist aimed to end the fight in one decisive strike. However, Shin, who was just a step behind her, intervened. He managed to grab Hora and pull him out of harm's way just in time, but he was forced to brace himself as Maki’s chakra-charged swing tore through the air. The Senju judge appeared alongside Shin, and together, they caught Maki’s fist before the aftershock alone could flatten Hora.

“Maki, calm down! Everything’s fine now,” Shin said with a calm tone, however, he never loosened his grip on Maki’s fist.

But Maki’s glowing eyes burned with fury. “Whoever dares to touch my baby brother will die,” she declared, she clearly did not care who her words might offend or how unreasonable she was considering that Kaoru was participating in the Chunin Exams.

The Senju judge, surprisingly, didn’t react with anger or shock. Instead, he smiled—a genuine, almost understanding smile. “Your brother is completely fine,” he said in a calm and respectful tone. “Please don’t cause trouble for Konoha by killing an examinee.”

Maki hesitated for a moment, but it was Kaoru’s gentle touch on her waist that finally broke through her rage. “I’m fine, Maki, really,” he said softly, his voice betraying regret and guilt.

The cyan aura around her dissipated, and her eyes returned to their usual warmth. She immediately hugged Kaoru tightly, whispering, “I’m going to train you until you drop dead when we get back.”

As the three prepared to leave the arena, Hora’s guardian landed gracefully beside them, her presence exuding an air of arrogance and trouble. “So, judge, I assume you’re disqualifying this bunch of weaklings, right?” she asked with a sly smirk.

The Senju judge turned to her, shaking his head firmly. “No, I won’t. Your disciple, however, will be disqualified for violating the rules. While accidental killing can be overlooked, intentionally aiming to kill your opponent is forbidden. Furthermore, he burned his life force—a violation of both the spirit and rules of this exam.”

Realizing she couldn’t disqualify Kaoru, the woman shifted her attention to Maki and Shin. “And what about these two? They interfered in the fight instead of letting you handle it. Surely, that’s a breach of protocol?”

Her taunting gaze locked on Maki, who was on the verge of losing her composure again. But before she could respond, the Senju judge let out a laugh that echoed through the hall. “Please don’t tell me how to handle my job,” he said dismissively. “Their actions, while technically against protocol, prevented further harm to your disciple. In fact, they likely saved him from burning even more of his life force.”

The woman’s smug demeanor disappeared as she glanced around the arena. The crowd’s expressions made their sympathies clear. Konoha shinobi, along with many others, were silently siding with Takimura. After all, if this kind of reckless fighting was allowed, their own disciples could easily end up in Kaoru’s position. Hora still had two teammates who had yet to fight, and the idea of them following his example unnerved many.

Without another word, Maki and Shin led Kaoru out of the arena. Maki was still simmering with anger. Shin kept a calm but watchful gaze, subtly glancing at Kaoru, who walked silently between them. Kaoru, however, was in a very dark place. Despite technically winning the match, it didn’t feel like a victory at all.

[If Maki wasn’t there, I’d be dead right now.] The thought repeated in Kaoru’s mind. Rules or no rules, he couldn’t fool himself. [The Chunin Exams might have regulations, but to me, they’re a simulation of real battles, real missions—and today, I failed. Today, I died.]

His chest tightened as the realization weighed down on him. The confident, strong image of himself that he’d built in his own mind shattered in an instant. [I’ve always known I’m not a genius like Itachi, but today I learned just how fragile my strength is. Without my Kekkei Genkai, I’m weak. Weaker than the people around me who look up to me, who count on me.]

Kaoru clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms. He felt humiliated, exposed, but most of all, determined. In any person's life, the first step to getting stronger is admitting their weakness, and that's exactly what Kaoru did. [I need to step up. I can’t let this happen again.]

His mind raced as he began planning his next steps. [I need to train harder—harder than I ever have. I’ll push myself until my body can’t take it anymore. But that’s not enough. I need to be smarter, to create attack patterns and tactics in advance, instead of trying to come up with strategies on the spot all the time. My techniques, my approach... I have to refine them. I need to find a way to fight effectively without relying so heavily on Suijingan.]

<<<>>>

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The proctor clapped his hands sharply, his voice cutting through the murmur of the crowd. “Next match! Akane Terumi from Takimura versus Saeko Shurui from Sunagakure.” Hearing Takimura got people interested. Everyone knew that Suna kid would be strong, but now they were interested in Takimura too. Regardless of what Kaoru thought his earlier fight earned Takimura some recognition. Even though he needed to be saved by Maki, burning the life force was an extremely lethal technique that increased the shinobi's strength significantly, so no one held it against Kaoru that he was overwhelmed.

The crowd buzzed with excitement, eager to move on from the earlier tension. Akane stepped into the arena, her blade, a nodachi-like sword with a slightly curved blade nearly as long as her arm, resting easily in her hand. The metal glinted faintly, showing the wear of countless hours of training. Across from her, Saeko Nami entered with a calm, confident demeanor. Two wind-infused disks spun lazily in her hands, shimmering faintly in the light.

“Let’s have a good match,” Akane said, bowing.

Saeko returned the bow. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

The proctor glanced between them. “Ready? Begin!”

Saeko wasted no time. Her disks flew out of her hands, spinning toward Akane at high speed, their edges glowing faintly with wind chakra. Akane sidestepped the first and deflected the second with her blade. Sparks flew as the disk scraped against the metal.

[She’s quick,] Akane thought, watching the disks curve back toward Saeko like boomerangs. The Suna girl caught them mid-spin and launched them again in a fluid motion, closing the distance as the disks flew.

Akane shifted her stance, as she swung her sword upward, intercepting both disks at once. This time, her blade didn’t just deflect them—it sent them hurtling into the ground, leaving shallow cuts in the arena floor.

Saeko grinned. “Not bad.”

She flickered forward, faster than Akane anticipated, slashing at her with one of the disks in a close-range attack. Instead of blocking, Akane swung her blade, overpowering Saeko with sheer strength. Unlike Kaoru, who took it very slow, Akane had perfected chakra rotation in her hands and her right leg, significantly boosting her overall power. Her strength now surpassed most kids her age. Despite being thrown off balance momentarily, Saeko quickly recovered and launched a flurry of rapid attacks, forcing Akane to stay sharp.

Akane gritted her teeth, pivoting on her leg to avoid another strike. “You’re fast,” she said, slashing horizontally to create space.

“And you’re strong,” Saeko countered, leaping back and throwing her disks again. This time, they spun erratically, darting through the air at unpredictable angles.

Akane raised her blade, her eyes tracking the disks’ movements. She shifted slightly to the left and slashed downward, splitting one disk clean in two. The second veered off course, and Akane took the opening to close the distance between them. She lunged forward, swinging her sword in a wide arc.

Saeko ducked under the blade and retaliated with a swift kick aimed at Akane’s side. Akane blocked with her arm, her enhanced cells absorbing the impact and preventing damage. She countered with a low sweep of her leg, forcing Saeko to backflip out of range.

The crowd roared in approval at the exchange.

“Your chakra control is impressive,” Akane said, as she saw Saeko catching her remaining disk and spinning it between her fingers. “But you’ll need more than that to win.”

Saeko narrowed her eyes and launched her disk again. This time, she formed quick hand seals. “Wind Release: Cutting Gale!” A sharp gust of wind followed the disk, turning it into a lethal projectile.

Akane didn’t hesitate. She flickered to dodge the attack and quickly formed a series of hand signs.

“Fire Release: Fireball Technique!”

A roaring fireball shot toward Saeko, and for a brief moment, worry flashed in her eyes. She couldn’t counter with her wind release against fire—it would only fuel the flames. Saeko had hoped Akane wouldn’t be skilled with fire release, but now her weakness was exposed, and Akane could exploit it. Forced to flicker out of the fireball’s path, Saeko barely evaded the attack. Akane immediately closed the distance, her blade already swinging but Saeko has already gotten her disk back as she raised it, ready to block.

“You’ve got great technique,” Akane said mid-swing, her blade colliding with Saeko’s wind-infused disk. “But speed alone won’t win this.”

Saeko smirked. “And brute strength won’t either.”

She ducked under another swing and spun behind Akane, aiming a strike at her exposed back. But Akane twisted on her leg, faster than Saeko anticipated, and caught her wrist mid-strike.

“Got you,” Akane said, her grip like iron.

Saeko’s eyes widened as Akane pulled her forward, delivering a swift knee to her midsection. Saeko stumbled back, coughing, but didn’t fall.

“You’re tougher than you look,” she admitted.

Akane smiled faintly. “And you’re faster than I expected.”

Saeko launched a disk this time infused more chakra. Akane planted her feet,

“Earth Release: Earth Wall!” she shouted, slamming her hand into the ground. A thick wall of earth erupted in front of her, intercepting the attack. The disk slammed into the wall, cracking it but not breaking through.

Before Saeko could react, Akane flickered around the wall, appearing at her side. Her leg was already swinging downward, forcing Saeko to block with her arm. The impact sent Saeko sliding across the ground, her breathing labored.

“It’s over,” Akane said, standing tall.

Saeko hesitated, then sighed and dropped her hands. “I yield.”

The proctor stepped forward. “Winner: Akane Terumi!”

The crowd erupted into cheers as Akane sheathed her blade and approached Saeko. She extended a hand, her expression warm. “You fought well. I’d like to spar with you again someday.”

Saeko took her hand, smiling despite her exhaustion. “Only if you promise not to hold back next time.”

Akane chuckled. “Deal.”

The mutual respect Akane and Saeko displayed during their fight was a refreshing contrast to the intensity and cruelty of the previous battle. It brought a sense of balance, lightening the mood in the arena once again.

**

A/N/ -

I tried focusing more on taijutsu in this fight, though I did sprinkle in some ninjutsu here and there. Overall, it was primarily about physical combat. I hope you enjoyed it! The preliminary matches are wrapping up soon, and then we’ll dive into the main event.

Character Notes:

Kaoru - Depressed - “I just want to sit in a dark corner and sulk…”

Maki - Unreasonable - “I demand my brother’s opponents be respectful, friendly, and absolutely never injure him!”

**