_________ POV Narration _________
Countless voices and cheers bled together as the arena started filling with people of all backgrounds, all potential investors taking an interest in the youth of the Hidden Villages.
The Chunin Exams were not just a chance for the children in the Hidden Villages to rise up the ranks and gain more benefits. The final stage of the exam was always a vehicle for said Hidden Villages to showcase their power and flex on competition.
It was always good to showcase their prosperity through their youth, and this year was indeed stacked.
Ken and the other leaders of the Alliance all stood on the highest seat, overlooking the large arena with a greater vantage point. Not that Ken could appreciate the view in any way.
"I can't wait to see who wins, competition's pretty tight this year," Hiruzen said as he slowly sat down, rearranging his red Kage hat with a smile.
"Well, the most likely candidate to win would be the Number 1 of the Brotherhood, the One-Legged Devil... We have yet to see his limits, despite the fact that he had fought a rather tough opponent in the preliminaries."
The one to respond was a tall man with spiky white hair, wearing a regular Jonin's garb with a red headband. Strapped to his back was a blade.
It was none other than Sakumo, the White Fang of the Leaf.
He had a rather good impression of Tatsukio/Number 1, as their fighting styles were somewhat similar.
He also had a great amount of respect for a person with enough mental fortitude to manage to turn an otherwise debilitating disability into a weapon.
"Well, Kushina and Yugito both have decent chances as well. They both can use chakra from their Tailed Beasts without losing control.
Yugito especially seems to have already gained plenty of experience using the Two-Tailed Beast's powers." Mifune. also knew that the One-Legged Devil was the one likely to win, but he didn't want to write off the other competitors so quickly.
"Heh, That brat Number 2 also seemed pretty decent, didn't he? And then there's that haughty kid from the Uzumaki, those annoying chains sure give him a decent advantage."
The Raikage also had quite a few people in mind for the number 1 spot in the Chunin Exams, it was only a matter of circumstance, it almost felt as if the competition could go in any direction.
He knew firsthand how annoying the Adamantite Sealing Chains were, whilst he wasn't there to see Takehiko use them in person, he was still briefed on the outcome.
"I am still confident that Takehiko can win this for out Uzumaki Clan... But I guess we'll have to wait and see."
Yorihikko's confidence was still unshaken. Ken's senses washed over him for a second, and the Blind Assassin couldn't help but feel a tinge of pity.
'You really have no idea what's about to happen... I almost feel bad for you.'
In his lack of eyes, even if Ume lost to the Uzumaki Prodigy, he would lose to both Morita and Tatsukio, and that was something simply unavoidable.
Number 1 and 2 were way ahead in their training when compared to Ume, in fact, if she were to face either of them, it wouldn't even be a fight.
This was not the case when she was faced with Takehiko. Despite being written off by the other leaders already, the little girl had a decent chance of putting up a good fight maybe even winning under the right circumstances, especially after Ken's training.
The leaders of the alliance continued conversing with one another for a while, much like the many people in the audience below, they were there to enjoy a good show.
They were not competing with one another anymore, so they didn't have much stress at the prospect of fighting for the support and interest of investors.
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
Through financial and political ties those worries were all but annihilated. The Three Corners Alliance leaders had become a rather close-knit group, even if Yorihhiko and the Raikage still didn't quite get along that well.
The jovial atmosphere contained, the bustling sounds of endless conversations were almost grating to Ken's rather sensitive ears.
But thankfully, everyone hushed down the very moment the announcer's voice was broadcasted throughout the arena.
"First fight of the day! Number 1 of the Dark Brotherhood facing off against Uzumaki Kushina of the Leaf Village!"
The two competitors walked out into the barren field. they had a lot of space, and the arena gave little opportunity for assassinations, as it was meant to be a dome for straightforward battle.
It was not exactly the Dark Broterhood's specialty, but Tatsukio/Number 1 could still manage.
He walked into the arena, his relaxed smile hidden underneath his mask, most of his body hidden within a long coat, obscuring his hands and making it hard for his opponent to tell what his next move would be.
Kushina also stepped out in the arena at around the same time, her deep red hair billowed in the wind, her outfit resembled that of a true kunoichi, and she wore the symbol of the Leaf proudly on her forehead.
The start of the match was announced, but neither party acted instantly.
Kushina was quite wary, as she had seen Tatsukio's past performance, and knew that his speed was rather ridiculous.
Tatsukio also hesitated, as he didn't know the extent of the 9-Tails power that Kushina could use.
It was a battle of minds at first, each running simulations in their minds, for the worst-case scenario if they were to act first.
In the end, the one that broke first was Kushina. She realised that she had no chance of winning on her own, so she immediately started using the accumulated Tailed Beast chakra that had leaked out of her seal.
In an instant, a red bubbling aura surrounded her, a cloak giving her large fox ears and a chakra tail.
"Going all out from the start, huh?" Tatsukio muttered underneath his mask, his guard was firmly up as his eyes darted around the arena.
Kushina moved at quite impressive speeds, the chakra cloak around her fist seemed to expand, forming a large chakra claw which swiped at her opponent in an instant.
Tatsukio was not to be outdone however, he dodged the swipe with a very simple move. He leaned backwards, shifting his centre of gravity towards the ground.
Kushina's eyes widened for a moment, it was rare that an opponent allowed themselves to fall to the ground after all. Someone with only one leg could not quite control their centre of gravity as well.
Unfortunately for her, Tatsukio was the exception to that rule. Before his back touched the ground the soles on his foot lit up, and he immediately shot backwards with a shockwave.
The sound barrier broke instantly, creating a deathly howl of wind.
Kushina barely had the time to blink before three more howls were heard, and she instinctively leaned backwards as well, just as Tatsukio's blade rushed past where her neck was just a split second ago.
Kushina felt the tip of that blade graze her neck as she relied on her instincts to reel back and roll away.
Earlier, in that short timespan, Tatsukio had used his Flash Step to swerve to the right thrice, ending up with his blade almost sliding into Kushina's throat.
Had it not been for her chakra coat alerting her of the blade in that split second she would have certainly been taken out...
The young Jinchuriki grabbed her throat with a slightly frustrated gaze, a thin red line present there. 'That was too close for comfort...'
The scratch didn't bleed, as her chakra cloak provided her with regenerative abilities as well, but it was still concerning, especially for Yorihhiko, who had gripped the railing in front of him so hard that it cracked.
"Ken, I hope your children understand that these are not supposed to be matches to the death..." His words were filled with anger, and poorly suppressed killing intent too.
"Calm down, Tatsukio knows when and how to hold back."
The Uzumaki leader was still rather miffed at seeing his daughter almost killed, but Ken's words managed to reassure him momentarily.
Down in the Arena, the two participants were in a world of their own. Kushina's gaze gained a serious and dangerous glint, whilst Tatsukio looked at her with acknowledgement.
"You're strong, Kushina, was it?" The one-legged assassin spoke out for the first time, not bothering to hide the curiosity in his tone.
"That's right, and you better remember it! I'm the one that will become the first woman Hokage!" Her boisterous voice reverberated throughout the arena, as she immediately punched the ground with both hands, digging her fists into it.
Immediately, the One-Legged Devil shot towards Kushina like a bullet, breaking the sound barrier once more, this time however, his path was intercepted by a large charka claw that sprouted out from the ground right in his path.
Two more sonic booms were heard, as Tatsukio swerved around the charka appendage in an instant, Kushina sweated as she shouted in frustration.
In an instant, an overwhelming amount of chakra exited her fists and entered the ground.
The entire floor of the area was immediately segmented, and Tatsukio was pushed back by the shockwave, but he recovered just as quickly, rushing towards Kushina just as she finished the Jutsu she had been preparing.
"Wind Release: Rending Gale Maelstrom!"
In an instant, a great tornado seemed to surround Kushina, it spun in such a way that it pushed everything away into the corners of the arena, rocks were picked up from the segmented ground, and they were thrown like bullets all over the arena.
'An S rank Ninjutsu powered by a Tailed Beast's chakra...? Seems Kushina has grown a lot...' Ken mused for a second, as the chaos below was almost destroying every wall of the arena through sheer force.
'... How will you respond to that, Tatsukio?'