The atmosphere in the Chuunin Exam arena was thick with tension. Genin from all over the village stood in line, waiting for their names to be called. Some were filled with excitement, others with anxiety, but all of them knew that this was their chance to prove themselves.
In the center of the arena, Hayate Gekkō, the proctor, stood with his hands behind his back, ready to begin the third phase of the exam. His cough was faint but present, yet his sharp eyes missed nothing.
"Welcome to the third stage of the Chuunin Exams," Hayate's voice echoed through the arena. "This will be a one-on-one battle. Fight to incapacitate your opponent or force them to surrender. The match will end when I declare a winner. The first match will be Hyuk Haruno..."
The crowd stirred as the pink-haired boy stepped forward, his icy gaze scanning the arena. Whispers followed him, many still influenced by the rumors circulating through the village, but Hyuk remained unfazed. His mind was sharp, focused solely on the fight ahead.
Hayate glanced at his clipboard. "...against Shikamaru Nara."
---
The Match Begins
Shikamaru let out an exaggerated sigh as he stepped into the ring. "Man, how troublesome. Why did I have to get paired up with him?"
Hyuk's eyes narrowed. Though he respected Shikamaru's intelligence, he wasn't going to take this lightly. Shikamaru may have appeared lazy, but Hyuk knew better than to underestimate him.
The two genin faced each other, tension building. Hayate raised his hand and quickly brought it down. "Begin!"
In an instant, Hyuk dashed toward Shikamaru, closing the distance with blinding speed. He thrust his hand forward, sending a wave of icy shards from his fingertips. Shikamaru narrowly dodged, his body falling into a crouch as he tried to create distance.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu," Shikamaru muttered, sending his shadow slithering across the ground towards Hyuk.
Hyuk quickly sidestepped, avoiding the grasping tendrils of shadow as he formed a series of hand seals. "Ice Style: Ice Bazooka!"
A massive blast of compressed ice energy shot out from Hyuk's palms, aimed directly at Shikamaru. The Nara boy had no time to dodge, but just as the icy attack reached him, Shikamaru formed a quick seal and substituted himself with a rock from the arena floor.
"Not bad," Shikamaru muttered from his new position. "But I'm not going to fight you head-on."
The match continued, Shikamaru's strategy clear: stay out of reach and look for an opening. But Hyuk was relentless, his ice techniques freezing the ground and limiting Shikamaru's movements. The arena slowly turned into a frozen battlefield, making it harder for the Nara boy to move without slipping.
---
Realizing he couldn't keep dodging forever, Shikamaru made a bold move. He extended his shadow to its maximum reach, trying to corner Hyuk. At the same time, Hyuk smiled, forming another set of seals.
"Ice Style: Ice Tsunami!"
Suddenly, a massive wave of ice surged from the ground, sweeping across the arena. Shikamaru's eyes widened in shock as the frozen wall surged toward him, too fast to avoid. He was forced to retreat, losing control of his shadow possession in the process.
Hyuk took the opportunity, charging at Shikamaru and closing the distance once more. With his ice sword in hand, he swung at the Nara boy, but at the last moment, Shikamaru ducked, his hand reaching out to grab Hyuk's ankle.
"Shadow Possession: Success."
Hyuk's movements froze, his body locked in place by Shikamaru's jutsu. The audience watched in stunned silence as the tables suddenly turned.
---
But Hyuk wasn't done. Despite being trapped in Shikamaru's jutsu, he could still manipulate his chakra. Concentrating, he focused his ice release on the ground, creating a thin layer of ice under Shikamaru's feet.
Before Shikamaru could react, his legs slipped on the ice, and he lost his grip on the shadow possession.
Hyuk immediately broke free, spinning on his heel to deliver a swift kick to Shikamaru's side. The Nara boy was thrown across the arena, crashing into the wall. He lay there for a moment, coughing as he tried to catch his breath.
Hayate raised his hand. "Winner: Hyuk Haruno."
---
The crowd erupted into murmurs as Hyuk stood tall, his cold expression unchanging as he looked at his fallen opponent. Shikamaru slowly got to his feet, rubbing his side as he sighed.
"Troublesome," he muttered. "But I guess I'm done for today."
Hyuk gave him a small nod of respect before turning his attention back to the proctor, ready for the next phase of the exam.