Kaito Chapter 99
With his Sharingan predicting C's movements, Itachi swung his tanto at C. C struggled to block it with his kunai as he desperately tried to keep up with Itachi's speed and skill. Finding himself on the defensive, C jumped back to gain some distance and made a few hand signs as he unleashed another jutsu. "Lightning Style: Thunderbolt!" as he called out lightning bolts shot out from his palms and aimed directly at Itachi.
Itachi, who was close to C, was struck by the lightning bolt. However, as the lightning bolt hit him, his body turned into a murder of crows as they split apart and scattered in all directions. Reappearing behind C, Itachi twisted C's arm and slammed him onto the ground, placing his tanto at the back of C's neck.
…
C gulped hard, feeling the sharp edge of Itachi's tanto pressed against the back of his neck as he was pinned to the ground. Itachi calmly spoke, "Please forfeit." just as Raido landed next to them, seeing the situation he announced, "The winner is Itachi Uchiha!" The crowd erupted into loud cheers and applause at Raido's announcement.
Itachi released his hold on C's arm and stood up, sliding his tanto back into its sheath. nodding to Raido he made his way back to the waiting area. the crowd continued to cheer. C stood back up, and flexed the arm that had been pinned moments ago. He couldn't help but think, 'I didn't stand a chance against Itachi.'
Raido then announced to the crowd that there would be a 10-minute break before continuing with the tournament. The audience eagerly chattered among themselves, some heading off to use the facilities or get refreshments while they waited for the next round. Raido himself headed towards the waiting area.
Up in the stands
Fugaku couldn't help but smirk as he watched his son pin the Kumo genin down on the ground. "Well done, son," he thought proudly. "Like a true Uchiha." Nearby, Mikoto's smile shone brightly as she heard her eldest son announced as the winner of the match.
Kushina, sitting beside Mikoto, shouted out in excitement. "Well done, Itachi-kun! You did great, ya know!" Sasuke joined in cheering for his elder brother, proudly exclaiming, "That's my big brother!" As Itachi was declared victorious and the crowd erupted in cheers, Sasuke couldn't help but think to himself "Itachi-nii is so strong."
Naruto, sitting below Sasuke, couldn't contain his amazement. "Wow, how did Itachi-nii transform into crows like that?" he asked Shikamaru who sat next to him. Shikamaru signed and replied, "It was probably a substitution jutsu with a genjutsu."
Meanwhile, Kushina sat in between Mikoto and Hitomi and pondered aloud. "Since there are three genin left," she mused, "will it be a three-way fight between Kaito, Itachi, and Hotaru?" Mikoto hummed "I think so,"
While Hitomi added, "I've never seen a three-way fight in the Chunin Exams before."
Fugaku chimed in from Mikoto's other side. "That's because there hasn't been one," he confirmed. "The Chunin Finals have always been a one-on-one fight. They'll pit two of them against each other, and the winner will face the remaining contestant."
Kushina couldn't help but voice her concern. "But that isn't fair to the others, ya know" she protested. "One of them will have to fight again right after another match." Fugaku explained, "Being a shinobi isn't about fairness. It's about adaptability, strength, and endurance. One of them will have to fight, and they must be prepared for anything."
Shisui sat beside his fellow Uchiha, and one of the Uchiha police force members cheered loudly for Itachi. "Way to go, Itachi!" he exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm. "Truly the son of the chief, a prodigy of the Uchiha clan!" The rest of the group joined in on the praise, their voices filled with pride.
Shisui watched Itachi with a small smile, thinking to himself, "Well done. Itachi"
Meanwhile, Izumi and Hana were both filled with excitement as they watched Itachi take down the Kumo genin. Izumi couldn't help but gush, "Itachi-kun was so cool taking down that Kumo genin like it was nothing!"
Hana nodded eagerly in agreement. "I thought he was hit by that lightning release jutsu, but then he turned into crows only to reappear behind the kumo genin and take him down!".
In the waiting area
Itachi made his way in, his teammates already there waiting for him. Kaito, always the friendly one, walked over and draped an arm around Itachi's shoulder. "You did great out there, Itachi," he said warmly. "Looks like all three of us made it to the final round." Hotaru too joined in on the praise, congratulating Itachi on his performance.
Kaito couldn't help but ask, "So, you guys think that we are going to have a three-way final round?" But their conversation was interrupted by Raido, who had followed after Itachi into the waiting area.
"Not exactly," Raido interjected, causing the three friends to turn their attention towards him. Kaito questioned, "Huh? What do you mean?"
All eyes turned to Raido as he explained the situation. "The finals have always been one-on-one matches," he clarified. "Due to the odd number of participants, we'll have a preliminary round before the finals. Two of you will fight, and the winner will face the remaining contestant."
Raido continued, "That brings me to why I'm here. Because of the brackets, Kaito Uzumaki will face Hotaru Hyuga. The winner will then face Itachi Uchiha in the final round." Just as Raido finished speaking, Hotaru raised her hand and spoke up. "I'll forfeit," she said calmly.
Kaito, taken aback by her sudden declaration, turned to her with a puzzled expression. "Huh? What do you mean, Hotaru-chan? Why are you forfeiting?" he asked.
Hotaru explained, "I don't have enough chakra left to fight you Kai-kun, and then face Itachi in the next round." she admitted. "Breaking free from the Water Prison Jutsu took a lot more chakra than I thought."
Hotaru continued, "If we fight now, neither of us will be at our full strength when facing Itachi. It would also give him an easier fight," she admitted. "I know both you and Itachi-kun want to face each other in the Chunin Exams. Plus, I think I've already shown my capabilities enough to be promoted to Chunin." With a small smile, she added, "No matter who wins this match, it'll be a victory for our team."
Kaito looked conflicted but ultimately respected Hotaru's decision. "Are you sure about this, Hotaru-chan?" he asked one last time.
She nodded firmly. "Hai, I'm sure."
Raido interjected at that moment, "Well then, if you're both certain about this decision, we'll proceed with the final match between Itachi and Kaito." With a final nod of confirmation, he left the room, "You have approximately five minutes before the finals,".
she pulled both Kaito and Itachi into a team hug. "Good luck to both of you," she said sincerely before turning "I'm going to find a seat with our parents before the match starts. And please," she added with a playful grin, "don't kill each other out there."
Itachi and Kaito watched her leave before turning to each other. Kaito spoke up. "Well then, let's get going," he said, leading toward the arena with Itachi following close behind.
Up in the stands
As Kaito and Itachi walked onto the field. Hotaru made her way over to where her parents were seated. Hitomi noticed her approach and asked with surprise, "Hotaru-chan, what are you doing here?"
Sitting down next to her father Hiashi, Hotaru replied calmly, "I decided to forfeit the last round."
Curious, Hiashi inquired further, "Why did you choose to forfeit?"
With a small sigh, Hotaru explained, "I didn't have enough chakra left to take on both Itachi and Kaito back-to-back. Breaking free from the water prison jutsu took more chakra than I had anticipated."
Hiashi nodded understandingly and said, "You made a sensible decision, Hotaru." Smiling at her father's support, Hotaru settled in to watch the match unfold before them.
Down on the arena floor
Raido stood on the arena floor, facing the excited spectators who had just returned to their seats. He consulted his stopwatch and announced with a booming voice, "The Chunin Exams final will now continue." As the crowd quieted down, he continued, "Since Hotaru Hyuga has forfeited, the final match will be between Kaito Uzumaki and Itachi Uchiha."
As soon as Raido finished speaking, both Kaito and Itachi emerged onto the field, greeted by thunderous cheers from the crowd. They walked towards Raido and stood opposite each other.
Kaito couldn't contain his excitement and loosened his shoulders. "How about a bet, Itachi?" he called out confidently.
Itachi narrowed his eyes at Kaito. "And what's the bet?" he inquired calmly.
Kaito grinned mischievously. "The loser treats the winner for a full month, their favorite food," he proposed.
Itachi nodded, accepting the challenge. "Hai,".
Raido observed the exchange between the two opponents and asked, "Are you both ready?"
Both Kaito and Itachi locked eyes with each other before nodding simultaneously.
With a final nod from Raido, the match began with a resounding call of "Hajime!"
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