(A.N: Things are about to get really interesting! I know the wait can be tough, so here's the deal: we currently have 6 powerstones (TT). If we can reach 40, I'll release 3 chapters tomorrow! ^~^)***(After 1 week)
"Oh, come on, go for at least 10 meters," Kaida grunted, once again failing to use ephemeral genjutsu.
"You're close, just focus on the amount and the speed. Also, the stop you're having in your wrist and abdomen tenketsu points should be a little longer. Think of it as loading a spring—the more you force it backward, the farther it will go," Shisui said.
"Okay, brother," Kaida replied, trying again. Even after his best effort, he only reached 12 meters at best.
"It will become simpler if you let your Sharingan do the work, rather than doing everything on your own. Use your Sharingan to mold your chakra," Itachi said from the side. He was resting since he had already learned this jutsu to a satisfactory level, even reaching 30 meters of range, and that too in just 1 week.
'I so fucking want to be a genius,' Kaida thought, then once again resumed practicing. He only had one more week left.
---
(After 1 week)
"Let's go, Kaida. Today the matchups will be announced. We can't be late," Shisui urged Kaida to wake up, as Itachi was already ready to leave.
"Urgh, I'm really tired. There will be no match today, right?" Kaida asked.
"No. Matches will start tomorrow. You'll have enough time to rest when we reach there," Shisui replied.
Reluctantly, Kaida woke up and followed Shisui and Itachi back to Kumogakure.
"I thought something had really happened to you guys. They were just about to announce the matches. Let's go," Jiraiya said, standing in front of the gate.
"Sorry for being late, Jiraiya-sama," Shisui said.
"It's alright. At least we still have some time. Let's go," Jiraiya said, and he and Shisui went inside an official-looking building.
"I don't get it. If we don't have to fight now, why the hell do we need to attend today's event?" Kaida grumbled.
"So that we can make sure the selection is truly random, and they aren't trying to make certain matchups to push their teams to the final," Kabuto explained.
"Oh!"
...
"Welcome, everyone. Since you're already familiar with the event, we'll now proceed with the process. To make this as fair as possible, every participant will take a chit from this bowl. Then we'll use this computer to decide matchups with numbers. After that, you will open your chits and find out who you are up against in the first round of the third stage."
Since the instructions were clear, none of the participants had any doubts. They simply went and took out one paper from the bowl each.
"Let's start," the ninja responsible for the event said. All the Senseis of the teams were present to ensure their students weren't tricked.
The overly large computer screen began showing random numbers one after another. They started shuffling on their own. After a minute of strange animation effects, six pairs were shown on the screen.
"Now you can open your papers, everyone, and then return them here," the ninja said as he started noting down the matchups for the next round. The matchups were:
- Darui vs. Shima
- Kaida vs. Shiro
- Kabuto vs. Suiren
- Ren vs. Kuro
- Itachi vs. Ayami
- Deidara vs. Naoki
"You're really lucky. Otherwise, you would have died in the first round only. Now you've got some more hours, but I'll make sure the explosion of your death will be the perfect explosion," Deidara said to Kaida.
"I'm sorry, who are you again?" Kaida asked, ignoring Deidara as he walked toward his team.
"Youuuu!" a shout echoed in the background.
'Guy's technique to annoy opponents is truly amazing,' Kaida thought.
...
"Why do I have the tough opponent in the first round while you guys got easy ones?"
"What do you mean tough opponent? He specializes in Water Release, and with your Earth Release, you should have the upper hand," Itachi said.
"How could you tell?" Kaida asked, looking toward Itachi, only to notice his Sharingan was activated.
"Oh! I get it. You guys don't know. Those three who came here were once trained by Hanzo himself, and their leader Suiren is especially skilled with poison in combat. They fought two teams who attacked them simultaneously in the second stage and won. One of the teams even had to drop out of the exam due to the severity of the injuries they received," Kabuto said.
"And you know this because...?" Kaida asked.
"I talked to that team," Kabuto said with a big grin on his face.
'I totally forgot this guy was one of the, if not the best spy in the world,' Kaida thought.
"Still, I'm sure you'll do fine," Itachi reassured.
"You guys have already done everything you could. There's no need to worry anymore. Take this day off to cool down a little," Jiraiya advised.
"Yes, I need that. I'm going to sleep in my room. Unless it's really important, don't wake me up," Kaida said.
"Why is he like that?" Jiraiya asked.
"He's been using 20–30 shadow clones for 2 weeks to train in genjutsu. I'm surprised he's still holding up this well. The Senju bloodline truly is something else," Shisui said, shaking his head.
"But don't worry, Jiraiya-sama, it's just some mental fatigue he's feeling. He'll be fine tomorrow," Shisui continued.
"Okay."
...
(Next day)
The stadium was filled with thousands of people. Some were ninjas, but most were civilians. In a world where there were few sources of entertainment for the general public, the Chunin Exams were very popular.
Along with the public, there were also stalls for everything—food, drinks, and betting. This time, the betting was authenticated by the Lightning Daimyo, meaning there would be no fraud. As for who could bet? Everyone. Literally anyone could place a bet, from as little as 100 Ryo to millions of Ryo. Everything was accepted.
Three Daimyo were sitting in their exclusive seats, enjoying some drinks and snacks as they chatted.
"Looks like I'll win this time, hohoho," the Fire Daimyo said, covering his mouth with a fan.
"These are just the results of the two initial stages, and they mean nothing. I'm sure we'll win this time too, just like last time," the Lightning Daimyo said.
"Last time was just a fluke. The result may not be the same this time," the Earth Daimyo commented, covering his mouth with a fan as well.
"Then why don't we raise the bet a little if everyone is so sure?" the Fire Daimyo suggested, a glint in his eyes that disappeared before anyone noticed.
"Fine by me. 30 million Ryo," the Lightning Daimyo agreed.
"30 million," the Earth Daimyo added.
"Let's make it a complete 40 million Ryo," the Fire Daimyo concluded.
A total of 100 million Ryo was bet on the exam, and that too casually. Even S-rank ninjas would risk their lives for that amount, and the Daimyo had bet it like it was nothing—truly the real kings of the countries.