In a remote corner of Konoha Village, the five members of the Akatsuki gathered together.
At the forefront was none other than Pain, his Rinnegan glowing a pale purple.
"Leader, Uchiha Akira's strength has grown considerably compared to seven years ago!" Sasori of the Red Sand spoke up.
As someone who had fought Akira in the past, Sasori had hidden with his puppetry during today's Jonin exam. He had witnessed Akira's fight with Gaara and the rogue ninja firsthand, confirming that Akira's strength had indeed increased a lot.
"Heh heh heh, stronger, huh? That means he's earned the right to die under my art!" Deidara grinned as he spoke.
"Kisame has been pretty excited ever since we got to Konoha. Aside from the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, there's that panda-eyed guy who's also the One-Tails' Jinchuriki!" Kisame gave the sword strapped to his back a quick pat as he spoke.
Hearing this, the rest of the Akatsuki glanced at Pain with questioning looks.
Capturing the Tailed Beasts was the next step in the plan Pain had recently proposed for the Akatsuki.
Now, with the One-Tails' Jinchuriki out wandering, should they seize the opportunity?
"Our goal this time is Uchiha Akira. Don't get sidetracked," Pain's Rinnegan scanned the group, his expression as calm as ever.
But Pain didn't completely shut down the idea, adding, "Of course, once we finish the job with Akira, if the opportunity arises, capturing a Jinchuriki wouldn't be a bad choice."
"Heh heh heh, sounds good! When do we start? I can't wait to show the people of Konoha my art!" Deidara, grinning like a war-crazed maniac, asked eagerly.
"Be careful. After all, this is Konoha Village," Sasori, seeing Deidara's excited expression, reminded him calmly.
Even though their primary target was Akira, not the whole village, Sasori still felt this mission wouldn't be an easy one.
"Itachi, what about you? You've led us past Konoha's defenses, but you've barely said a word since we got here," Pain asked, his gaze shifting to Uchiha Itachi.
Upon hearing this, the others also turned their attention to Itachi.
Despite his young age, Itachi's presence within the Akatsuki was significant, and no one underestimated the power of his Mangekyo Sharingan.
"I think the leader's right. Our main focus should be Uchiha Akira," Itachi replied, glancing at Pain before speaking.
"Alright, let's assign tasks," Pain continued. "First, the ninjas from Iwa will create an opportunity for us. When the time comes, we'll strike Akira together in a quick and decisive battle!"
"Next, if Konoha's forces react too quickly, Deidara and Sasori will handle them with explosions and puppets. Don't let them get close!"
"Kisame, you're on close-quarters combat. Keep Akira busy and stop him from using any jutsu!"
"Itachi, be ready with your Sharingan. You'll assist me from both near and far when necessary."
Pain laid out the battle plan, making sure everyone knew their role when the time came.
The members of Akatsuki all nodded in understanding, silently preparing for the upcoming mission.
Meanwhile, the next morning, the teams from the Five Great Shinobi Nations had all gathered together.
Fifteen participants would draw lots to decide their opponents!
Of course, if luck was on their side, they could draw a blank and advance without fighting. After all, luck is sometimes part of one's strength!
Once the drawing was complete, each participant knew who their opponent would be.
Akira's focus was mainly on the Konoha team, noting that they seemed in good condition. This helped him relax.
As for the other villages' ninjas? Akira quietly shook his head, finding nothing that caught his attention.
In terms of battle, it all seemed fairly routine to Akira.
After three rounds, Akira's spirits lifted as he realized the next match was Hinata Hyuga's turn!
Hinata's luck wasn't great this time, though—her opponent was Kankuro!
In terms of strength, Kankuro, as an important supporting character in the original story, was strong.
Additionally, as a puppet master, Kankuro's abilities were somewhat of a counter to the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist.
After all, the Gentle Fist can block an opponent's chakra points, which is the Hyuga clan's greatest strength.
However, since puppet masters use puppets in battle, they have no chakra points to block, rendering the Gentle Fist ineffective.
In fact, even Rock Lee's Strong Fist would be more effective than Hinata's!
"Hinata, you got this!" As Hinata and Kankuro entered the arena, Akira didn't hold back from cheering loudly for her!
As the head examiner, cheering for one of the participants? The other contestants looked over, their expressions a little strange.
Was the head examiner showing favoritism toward this Konoha kunoichi? Wouldn't that be a problem during the match?
Hearing Akira openly cheer for her in front of everyone, Hinata's face flushed with embarrassment.
But deep down, she felt a surge of warmth and sweetness.
After all, Akira's actions were almost like publicly announcing their relationship, right?
"Is this kunoichi Akira's girlfriend? I guess I'll need to take this fight seriously," Kankuro thought to himself, focusing intently on Hinata.
If Akira had taken an interest in this opponent, she must be someone extraordinary.
Similarly, the others were curious as to what was so special about this kunoichi that Akira favored her.
Hinata, usually unnoticed within her clan and in school, had never been in the spotlight like this. Now, with everyone's eyes on her, she wished she could disappear!
However, spending time with Akira on Konoha's streets, eating and wandering around, had helped her grow accustomed to people's stares.
So, though shy, after giving herself a silent pep talk, Hinata managed to gather her resolve to face her opponent!
"Let the match begin!" Hayate Gekko, the proctor for the second exam, announced.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Kankuro wasted no time. He manipulated his puppet to charge at Hinata immediately.
The puppet looked eerily human, complete with a nose and eyes!
As the puppet rushed at her, Hinata's expression turned serious, and she immediately adopted her Gentle Fist stance, preparing to engage the puppet.
Smack! Smack!
Her Gentle Fist landed heavy blows on the puppet, making a resounding noise.
However, the puppet's defense was incredibly high. Despite many hits, only a slight crack appeared on its surface!
If she had to rely on the Gentle Fist to break this puppet apart, Hinata's hands would likely be swollen before it even fell apart.
They say, "No defense is impenetrable if attacked long enough."
But close-range combat wasn't working in Hinata's favor against the puppet.
After exchanging over a hundred blows, the puppet suddenly opened its mouth and shot out a steel needle!
Hinata reacted quickly, dodging, but not completely unscathed. A thin cut appeared on her arm.
Worse, the blood that flowed quickly changed from red to a strange blue—poison!
Aside from controlling their puppets in battle, puppet masters often use poisons to enhance their attacks.
"If this continues, I might lose right here!" Hinata thought, her arm growing numb and the paralysis spreading. She shot a sharp look at Kankuro.
The Gentle Fist doesn't work on puppets, but it does on the puppet master! The best way to deal with a puppet master was to take out the master himself.
Her resolve strengthened, Hinata executed the Eight Trigrams Footwork, dodging several of the puppet's attacks and closing the distance between her and Kankuro!
"This girl…" Kankuro thought, realizing that relying solely on his puppet to stop her wouldn't work.
In a quick motion, Kankuro's puppet began to dismantle itself, each part—head, arms, legs, and even its chest—turning into weapons, some with blades, others shooting needles, and even some spraying poison!
Kankuro skillfully manipulated these pieces to surround Hinata, leaving her with nowhere to escape.
Dodging left and right, Hinata's space to maneuver shrank as the parts closed in on her like a net reeling in a fish.
In just a few moments, the puppet's parts had left Hinata with no room to escape!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The parts closed in all at once, their attacks aimed directly at her!
With her Byakugan, Hinata could clearly see the attacks coming from every direction.
She knew there was no way to dodge them all!
But she couldn't lose here. She represented the Hyuga clan, she represented Konoha Village, and Akira was watching her. How could she lose her first match? How could she be worthy of Akira if she did?
Taking a deep breath, Hinata raised her hands, her movements seemingly slow but incredibly fast…
*********Announcement**************
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