As the murmurs and excitement from the previous match died down, and repairs were completed, the proctor once again stood at the center of the stadium.
"We will resume the matches now. Next match: Kabuto from Konoha and Ren from Amegakure." Unfortunately, the strongest contestant from Amegakure was already out of the competition, leaving a weaker teammate behind.
But that was still enough for them, as their goal was never to win this competition. It was simply to show that Amegakure could stand shoulder to shoulder with the giants known as the Five Great Ninja Villages.
"How can a ninja from a minor village stay in the competition for this long?"
"Isn't he from some minor village? What was it called again?"
"Amegakure. The referee just announced that, you dunce!"
Such conversations rippled through the crowd as the proctor announced the next match, and now Kaida understood why there was such a strong team from Amegakure in the exams. Pain needed heavy funding for his 'projects,' so he'd decided to utilize the village he would use as his base as a money-making facility.
Now, he had shown the world that Amegakure ninjas weren't much weaker than those from major villages. The number of missions Amegakure would receive would increase in the future as well.
'That's quite a smart plan. Without doing much, Pain secured a nice side hustle. Akatsuki will be the main one, but still, this isn't bad at all,' he thought. With his knowledge from the anime, he could perceive things more clearly than most people present.
But that didn't mean others hadn't noticed.
'A small bird is trying to fly way too close to the sun. It may burn its feathers soon,' thought A, who was watching the match. Other higher-ups from various villages had similar thoughts.
However, Pain didn't fear any consequences. If needed, he could take on one or two major villages alone.
---
Unknown to them, Kabuto and Ren had already appeared in the stadium, ready to give their all.
The air was thick with tension as they faced each other in the center of the arena. Seeing both participants ready, the proctor raised his hand and signaled the start. "Begin!"
Ren dashed forward, immediately channeling chakra into his palms. "Lightning Release: Shock Palm!" He thrust his hand forward, sending a surge of lightning toward Kabuto.
Kabuto sidestepped quickly, weaving signs for an Earth technique. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" A thick rock wall shot up, blocking Ren's advance and deflecting the lightning.
Ren smirked. "You're hiding already?"
Kabuto just grinned back, letting the earth wall crumble. Ignoring Ren's taunt, he performed another set of hand signs. "Water Release: Water Bullet!" A rapid stream of water shot from his mouth, aimed at Ren's feet to make him lose his balance.
Ren jumped, twisting mid-air to dodge the water bullet, and landed gracefully. 'Water, huh?' He quickly formed hand seals. "Lightning Release: Thunderbolt!" A bright bolt of lightning shot from his hand, sizzling as it cut through the air toward Kabuto.
Kabuto dodged, feeling the electricity graze the edge of his jacket. 'I'm not fast enough,' he noted. Ren's lightning was powerful and fast but direct. A head-on clash wouldn't benefit him, but that wasn't his plan anyway. "Water Release: Water Trumpet!" Though the water attacks aimed for Ren's vitals, Kabuto knew his opponent was skilled enough to dodge easily. Streams of water pooled around Ren's feet, creating patches of mud.
Ren narrowed his eyes. Kabuto was clearly setting something up—most likely his last attack from the previous round. But Ren had no intention of letting him control the terrain. After weaving hand signs, Ren extended his hand forward. "Lightning Release: False Darkness!" Lightning spears shot from his palms, forcing Kabuto to halt his casting and dodge.
Kabuto smirked, jumping just out of range. "Not bad, but let's see how you handle this." He quickly formed hand seals and slammed his hands onto the ground. "Earth Release: Tearing Earth Turning Palm!" The ground trembled as chunks of rock rose and broke apart, further churning the mud from his Water Release.
Ren stumbled but recovered quickly. The battlefield was slowly turning muddy, just as Kabuto intended.
By now, the earth had softened considerably, and Ren realized Kabuto's intentions. "So that's your plan? Turn this place into a swamp?"
Kabuto chuckled. "Maybe. Or maybe I just enjoy watching you dance around."
Ren sneered, weaving signs and channeling more chakra than before. "Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang!" A snarling beast made of lightning emerged from his hand, darting toward Kabuto with rapid, erratic movements. This jutsu homed in on Kabuto's chakra, making it extremely difficult to dodge.
After one dodge attempt, Kabuto realized it was futile. He released his countermeasure. "Earth Release: Mud Wall!" He molded the earth with moisture, creating a dense wall to absorb the lightning beast's impact. The beast struck the mud wall, dissipating into steam.
Kabuto was about to use his signature jutsu when Ren, who had gained ample time, moved far from the mud.
"Did you really think I'd fall for that flashy jutsu?" Ren asked, recalling the mud wolf jutsu vividly, as did the audience.
But Kabuto merely smirked. "That's not the only jutsu I know." Kabuto made a series of hand signs and then slammed his hand on the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Jutsu!" A huge dragon head emerged from the ground, drawing awed gasps from the crowd.
Without giving Ren a chance to react, the dragon began spewing dozens of mud bullets toward him. With no chance of completely dodging, Ren used lightning chakra to boost his speed, trying to avoid the bullets. But his speed wasn't enough to evade hundreds of mud bullets. After getting hit once, he slowed down, suffering hit after hit.
By the time the jutsu ended, Ren was covered in mud, with a couple of bones broken. Kabuto, not taking any chances, swiftly appeared behind Ren with a kunai at his neck.
"Winner of the match: Kabuto Yakushi!" the proctor announced.
"Woo!"
"Wow!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd as they witnessed the dragon spewing hundreds of bullets.