Anger

'I should stop them...' Furrowing his brows, Shigeo prepared the shadow-possession technique. If he saw Kushimaru aiming for a vital organ, he would stop the match immediately.

"Kukuku... It looks like your eyes are now useless! Because of you, I feel burning pain all over my body. I'll make sure that you pay!" Descending into madness, Kushimaru aimed to pierce off one for Ren's arms. "Say goodbye to your career as a ninja!"

Near the Hokage, Danzo's eyes flashed with malicious light as he formed a hand seal.

Before Shigeo could react, Kushimaru's sword extended way more than before and sliced off Ren's arm, causing him to wake up and scream in pain. It had all happened to fast for him to react.

"GYAAAAH!" Trembling from the pain, Ren looked at his arm, laying on the ground motionless. Unable to feel his fingers, his face lost all blood as he fell unconscious.

"Oh my god!" Covering her mouth, Nozomi couldn't help but take a step back. This was worse than dying... Ren had been crippled!

"Shit!" Restraining Kushimaru, Shigeo watched as the mist faded. Once the scene was revealed, silence befell the arena. No one could believe their eyes.

"Ren!" ignoring all rules, Mikoto jumped down from her seat, running down the wall and reaching Ren's unconscious body. He had holes everywhere, as his blood covered the ground. "REN!"

As she held him tightly, Mikoto couldn't hold back the tears. Quickly, the medical-nin rushed to the scene and took him away from her, rushing him to the hospital.

Gnashing her teeth, Mikoto slowly got up, turning her face towards Kushimaru. Her eyes burned bright red. In the center of them, small circles floated up, with three comma-shaped magatama jewels.

"I won't forgive you!" With tears in her eyes, she picked up Ren's kunai and rushed towards the restrained Kushimaru, causing him to panic. "Wait! This isn't-"

Before her kunai could piece through his heart, her body stopped. In a puff of smoke, Masaki appeared right behind her, restraining her arm.

"Mikoto... Don't be rash." His words were hoarse, as if he couldn't restrain the anger and sadness he was feeling. Even so, he knew what the right thing to do was.

"But father...! He-"

"I said, stop! This is the Chunin exams!" Narrowing his eyes, his face shifted, making eye contact with Danzo. "We'll avenge your brother, but now is not the time... That mist ninja is not the culprit."

'That old man... Did he notice?' Smiling, Danzo stared right into Masaki's eyes. Even if Hiruzen hadn't noticed, he was smart enough to know of Masaki's visual prowess. 'He's attentive... Was he watching me from the start?'

"That was a close call. It seems like the Uchiha are quite the rowdy bunch, huh?" Smiling lightly, the Kazekage spoke in an amused tone.

"..." Hiruzen was unable to respond. Thankfully, Masaki had avoided the worst-case scenario. If Mikoto had killed Kushimaru, it might have even triggered a war. 'We dodged a bullet there... phew.'

Watching all this unfold, the audience was speechless. Although no one could hear what Masaki was saying, they couldn't believe their eyes.

"Kushimaru Kuriarare is the winner!" Raising his hand, Shigeo yelled. Watching Kushimaru walk back up, he couldn't help but furrow his brows. It just didn't make any sense. 'By right, I should've been able to stop him... How did he become so fast all of a sudden?'

Being a Nara, he was naturally able to sense the problem in the situation. He knew there was something else, something he couldn't deduce. Feeling powerless, he clenched his fists in frustration.

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Special thanks to Frozoka Swaggins, God Erebos, and Daniil!

Don't forget to drop some stones!

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