(A.N: powerstones please?)***The atmosphere in the stadium was electric as the five hours of rest came to an end. Everyone was eagerly anticipating the next match: Kaida from Konoha versus Darui from Kumogakure. The tension was palpable, especially for the Kumogakure spectators, who pinned their hopes on Darui.
It was his time to shine as their last remaining participant. Since most of them were from Kumogakure, the cheering for Darui to win was loud, with many people shouting his name.
As Kaida stepped onto the battlefield, he felt the hundreds of eyes focusing on him, most of them wanting him to lose.
'Sorry, guys, I can't grant you this wish. I have to win this,' Kaida thought as he walked inside the stadium, while Darui entered from the opposite side, a confident smile on his face as he waved to the crowd.
'He's totally getting his main character moment,' Kaida thought as he watched the scene in front of him, where he was the villain the main character had to defeat for the reputation of his village.
From the stands, the Raikage watched intently, arms crossed. This was the first match of the third round he was actually paying attention to, along with many other elders in the stadium.
"Place your bets, everyone! Kaida from Konoha has already proved his worth in the first match at 1:2.5, and everyone's favorite, Darui from our own Kumogakure, at 1:3 as well. Let's see who trusts the strength of our village and who doesn't!" Taking advantage of the excitement, the stall owner was swimming in money.
Jiraiya himself went to one of the stalls.
"I want to bet on Kaida."
"How much, sir?" the owner asked with a business smile on his face.
"5 million Ryo. Here's the check. Jiraiya from Konoha," Jiraiya said. The owner almost dropped his expression with the amount. He didn't even check the check; Jiraiya's reputation in the ninja world was no joke. He swiftly took the check and gave Jiraiya a ticket.
"That's quite a huge amount, Jiraiya-sama."
"Shisui, you're here too. How much are you betting?" Jiraiya asked.
"Well, it would look bad if I didn't trust my brother enough," Shisui said, and went ahead, taking a ticket for five million for himself as well.
"That bathhouse is making gold for you guys, huh?" Jiraiya said, seeing Shisui betting such a huge amount as well.
"It's nowhere near what you make, Jiraiya-sama," Shisui said with a chuckle. Jiraiya, being an active S-rank ninja of Konoha, had taken on more S-rank missions than many ninja would take in their entire lives. With his books being famous as well, he was one of the wealthiest men in the Fire Country, and in the world.
By now, the preparations were done, and the match was ready to begin. The proctor raised his hand, and the crowd fell silent in anticipation.
"Begin!"
As soon as the proctor gave the signal, Kaida activated his Sharingan. Even though he wasn't going to use it extensively, just activating it created a form of pressure on his opponent. Now they had to be careful about genjutsu for the entire fight.
Along with increased perception and the ability to see chakra, there was no reason not to activate it. Darui, from the start, paid close attention to avoid looking into Kaida's eyes, so even though he didn't confirm the Sharingan was active, he was going to fight with the assumption that it was.
Without wasting a second, Darui launched the first attack. With a series of hand signs, a bolt of Black Lightning streaked toward Kaida with terrifying speed. Kaida's Sharingan spun as he sidestepped effortlessly, dodging the attack with a flicker of motion. The ground behind him exploded as the bolt hit, leaving a smoking crater.
"Not bad," Kaida muttered under his breath, his Sharingan analyzing Darui's movements. He quickly formed hand seals, launching a Fireball Jutsu at Darui. Even without Sharingan, dodging a fireball wasn't difficult, especially for someone proficient in Lightning Release. Darui flickered away easily, dodging the fireball.
But Kaida wasn't done. He followed up with a Wind Blade, slicing through the air, aiming to catch Darui off-guard. Darui dodged those as well, showing the true speed of a Lightning Release user. To the audience, Darui appeared like a blur, appearing in various places and then disappearing the next second. As soon as he disappeared, the position was bombarded with Wind Blades.
Seeing Darui easily dodging the attacks, the audience cheered crazily, but those experienced in fighting knew the actual battle hadn't started yet. Both ninjas were just testing each other. After dodging most of the attacks, Darui stopped 20 meters away from Kaida, his hands moving so fast they appeared as a blur to everyone—everyone except Kaida. With the Sharingan active, he could not only see Darui's hand seals but also the chakra he was molding.
'A combination jutsu,' Kaida thought, quickly making hand signs of his own.
"Lightning Release: Wave of Inspiration," Darui used his signature B-rank jutsu, with a wave of highly pressurized water going toward Kaida, mixed with Black Lightning as well. A deadly attack, notoriously difficult to block or evade because of its range. But since Kaida had already made his hand signs, he used "Wind Instantaneous Movement Jutsu," disappearing from his position and reappearing just outside the attack's range.
'Enough with these ninjutsu battles,' Kaida thought and made a hand sign.
"Fire Release: Fire Stream Jutsu," a stream of fire was released toward Darui, not only targeting him but evaporating the water in the path. Darui easily dodged, but the aim was never to hit him in the first place. With the wall of fire blocking Darui's vision, Kaida appeared behind him with the Body Flicker Jutsu, sword drawn and aimed at Darui's neck.
But Darui was very alert. Uchiha were famous for their kenjutsu, so as soon as he sensed Kaida behind him, he took out his sword, effectively blocking the attack. After that, they started exchanging strikes. Kaida's attacks were precise, aiming for vital points with the help of the Sharingan, while Darui's movements were fast and reactive, deflecting each strike with calm, lethal efficiency, using lightning to boost his speed. Both fighters were evenly matched, pushing each other to the limit.
Seeing the stalemate and no sign of fatigue in Kaida's movements, even after exchanging many strikes, Darui leaped back, creating distance, his fingers crackling with energy.
"Storm Release: Laser Circus!"
Multiple beams of lightning shot out from Darui's fingertips, zigzagging unpredictably toward Kaida.
'I was waiting for this,' Kaida thought with a smirk. His Sharingan kicked into overdrive, dodging most of the lasers. Though he didn't have time to counter, dodging wasn't difficult, especially with the Sharingan predicting their trajectory. Even though Kaida managed to dodge the initial barrage, it became increasingly difficult. Darui was cornering him with each attack.
After some time, Kaida realized he was effectively trapped. All the beams now targeted various vital parts of his body, but there was one path he could use to dodge them.
'There's no way he left that open. It's most likely a trap. Sigh, but I don't have many options. Let's see what he's planned,' Kaida thought and dodged the attack.
"Lightning Release: Black Panther!"
The massive panther-shaped lightning attack roared toward Kaida, its dark, crackling form too fast to evade completely. The attack hit its mark, enveloping Kaida in a surge of black electricity. The crowd gasped, watching the smoke rise, obscuring Kaida from view.