Chereads / Naruto: Chronicles of a Fire Ninja / Chapter 286 - Chapter 282: Preparations for the Final Stage

Chapter 286 - Chapter 282: Preparations for the Final Stage

The stadium, once meant to host the third and final stage of the Chunin Exams, now lay in ruins. Dust clouds rose into the sky as the sound of debris settling echoed through Kumogakure. At the center of the wreckage stood two imposing figures: Raikage A and his younger brother, Killer B, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. Their recent sparring session had gone beyond what the structure could handle.

 

"Brother, that was a bit much, don't ya think?" B said, wiping sweat off his brow as the remnants of lightning chakra flickered around him from the attacks he tanked.

 

Raikage A grunted in response, his chest heaving. "You are getting rusty, B. You should have been able to perform better after all this time."

 

B nodded, though he didn't fully agree. But there was one more doubt in his mind. "Brother, there was another reason for this fight. No way you'd cause all this destruction, am I right? In our own village, too much damage, no doubt. You wouldn't do all this just to throw your weight about."

 

The Raikage cracked his neck, his muscles flexing. "The Konoha team is way stronger than expected. There's a very high chance they'll win this Chunin exam. That's why I needed some time to make sure we don't lose in our own village."

 

B nodded in understanding. While they were discussing, a message was sent to every notable figure attending the Chunin Exam, stating that due to the destruction of the stadium caused by a fight between A and B, the exam was postponed by a week.

 

---

 

(After 12 hours)

 

All the participants, viewers, and nobles were discussing why this sudden postponement happened. According to the official report, the spar between the Raikage and B was important to keep the Eight-Tails under control.

 

For normal people, tailed beasts were ultimate monsters, which needed to be sealed for eternity to maintain peace. But those who knew the truth suspected something else was going on, with the tailed beast as a cover. Many decided to visit the stadium to check for themselves. While this was happening, Darui was summoned to the training area by the Raikage, after receiving some medical treatment.

 

 

Darui stood in the training grounds, waiting for his Raikage. Lightning crackled around his fingertips as he focused on channeling his chakra. He knew what was coming: two weeks of intense training that would push him to his limits. The whole exam had been postponed for this, so there was no way his training was going to be easy.

 

After some time, Raikage A arrived, his gaze as intense as ever. "How was the exam, Darui?" was the first thing he spoke.

 

"Greetings, Raikage-sama. We were not able to perform as per your expectations. I'm sorry for that," Darui bowed and said.

 

"It was not your fault. Those two stages were perfect for a Sharingan user; that's why you didn't come first. But the next round will be a true test of strength. I want you to win that round at any cost. For that, I will help you polish your skills myself," A said.

 

"Thank you very much, Raikage-sama," Darui bowed.

 

"We don't have time for formalities. We're going to start now. Attack me with your Kekkei Genkai."

 

Darui nodded and made one hand sign after another.

 

*Gale Style: Laser Circus Jutsu*

 

Darui released a dozen beams toward the Raikage. The Raikage moved with blinding speed, zigzagging across the field. Darui's eyes narrowed, focusing his chakra into the white beams that shot from his fingertips. Then the beams changed trajectory, following A closely.

 

"Too slow!" A said as he appeared behind Darui and tapped him on the neck. If this had been a real fight, Darui would have died without landing a single scratch. Such was the power gap between a high Kage-level ninja and an elite Jonin.

 

"I'll give you one more chance. Try again," A said, appearing back at his starting position.

 

Darui adjusted, once again made hand signs, and fired multiple laser beams toward A, but the result was the same.

 

"Hmm, this needs more work. Now, let's see your max attack power. Attack me with your best jutsu," A said.

 

Darui, not foolish enough to worry about the safety of a man who could fight a tailed beast on his own, began building up an immense amount of chakra.

 

*Lightning Release: Black Panther!*

 

A fierce-looking black panther lunged toward A with speed difficult to follow with the naked eye. Suddenly, A was covered in blue lightning chakra all over his body. Though he could have dodged the jutsu easily, that wasn't his goal.

 

*Boom!*

 

With an explosion and debris flying everywhere, A's voice echoed from within the dust cloud. "With this speed and power, most ninja your age don't stand a chance against you. But you're up against a Sharingan user. They have amazing reflexes and perception. We need to work on both. So let's start now," A said as the dust settled. His full figure came into view, completely unharmed. His clothes weren't even scratched.

 

---

 

*Konoha's Team Lodgings:*

 

After surveying the stadium, Jiraiya returned to the lodging, where Kaida, the team, and Shisui were waiting for him.

 

"Good evening, Sensei. You're doing even more sightseeing than us, and we came to this village for the first time," Kaida said mischievously.

 

"I wasn't gone for sightseeing, brat. Sigh… Looks like things aren't going to be as easy as I thought. There will be some unexpected twists during the last stage," Jiraiya said, sitting on the chair with a thud.

 

"What happened, Sensei?" Itachi asked.

 

"They're intentionally postponing the exam. There was no need for the Raikage and B to fight in the stadium," Jiraiya said.

 

"But according to the report, it was to control the Eight-Tails or something," Kabuto said.

 

'B is almost a perfect Jinchuriki; there was no need for them to fight to control the Eight-Tails at all,' Jiraiya said.

 

"You guys performed a little too well during the exam. They may have gotten anxious about you winning. As much as I know about Raikage, he won't accept someone coming to his village and defeating his ninjas. He must be training Darui, and that's why he needed the time. Though it's just my speculation, and there may be other reasons as well. If it were someone like Onoki, I might worry about some scheme behind our backs. But Raikage won't cheat in a competition," Jiraiya said.

 

"Is two weeks enough to make that big of a difference?" Kabuto asked.

 

"Darui is already at the same level as you guys. In two weeks, though he may not learn something new, he might polish his current skills. With his Kekkei Genkai, it'll be very difficult for you guys," Jiraiya said.

 

"It's not like we're going to sit here and wait for our opponent to power up, right? We can also use these two weeks to train, right?" Kaida asked.

 

"Yes, but we've already polished your skills. What you guys need is the opposite. I want you guys to learn some counters against opponents. Kaida and Itachi, you will focus on Genjutsu. Since we have Shisui here, he will be responsible for you. I'll teach Kabuto something else," Jiraiya said.

 

"As you wish, Jiraiya-sama. But learning new Genjutsu that will be of use in the match, and that too in two weeks, is kind of tough," Shisui said.

 

"They both know the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Use that, and with the help of the Sharingan, it should be manageable. Even if they don't learn anything new, it's still fine. It's not like they can't win without it," Jiraiya said. Shisui nodded.

 

"Make sure you give it your all during training," Jiraiya said.

 

"Yes, Sensei," both replied.