Promotion Commotion (Part-8) [That Wasn’t a Golem, That Was Target Practice]

Raising his hands, Hitoshi announced, "I surrender."

The crowd erupted into cheers like background NPCs, some even whistling as they clapped. The proctor nodded and stepped forward, raising his hand toward Itachi.

"The winner of the fifth match is Itachi Uchiha!"

He turned around and walked back toward the other proctors to prepare the slips for the next stage of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Itachi lowered his kunai and looked at Hitoshi. The two of them, who had just gone all out in a fierce battle, now stood like casual acquaintances having a chat after school.

"How did you know you were poisoned?" Hitoshi asked, adjusting his glasses as he straightened his sleeves.

Itachi responded calmly, "I started having hallucinations when you swarmed me with the insects for the last time. Since Genjutsu wouldn't work on me I figured it had to be poison."

"Ah, makes sense." Hitoshi nodded, then glanced at his side pouch. "Looks like I need to make some changes. If it had worked properly, there wouldn't have been any hallucinations. Your chakra flow would have shut down silently, and your body would have just gone limp. No symptoms, just silence."

He pulled out a small glass vial and held it out.

Itachi took it without question and downed it immediately.

Hitoshi raised a brow. "You know, I was going to use a syringe, but alright."

Itachi tucked the empty vial away. "When did you poison me?"

Hitoshi gave a slight smile. "The moment you landed on the ground. One of my normal insects slipped into your sleeve. Each time you were swarmed, more of them latched onto you, slowly increasing the dosage over time."

Itachi nodded slowly in understanding. "Subtle."

Hitoshi gave a small bow. "Thanks for the match. I hope your fight with Ren will be just as interesting."

"I look forward to it," Itachi replied.

With that, Hitoshi turned and walked away toward the audience stand while the proctors made the necessary preparations for the next round.

Up in the participants' stand, Ren and Yugao had been watching the exchange from afar.

Yugao tilted her head slightly. "Looks like Hitoshi had fun."

Ren nodded. "Yeah, I've never seen him smile like that after a fight before. Not even after any of our sparring matches."

Yugao agreed. "Guess he prefers cerebral battles over explosive ones."

"Yeah. That's probably why he doesn't enjoy fighting me all that much," Ren replied.

Soon enough, the proctors finished preparing the selection slips, and Inokawa Yamanaka stepped forward to address the remaining Genin.

"All those who passed the first round, please come down."

The five remaining Genin, Ren, Itachi, Yugao, Akatsuchi, and Kurotsuchi, jumped down from their respective stands and approached him.

Inokawa held up a small wooden box and explained, "We will now determine who among you will receive a bye for the second round. Each of you will draw one slip from this box. The one with 'BYE' written on it will be exempt from the next match and proceed directly to the semi-final round."

Each Genin reached into the box and picked out one slip of paper.

Itachi unfolded his and calmly showed the word "BYE" printed in bold ink.

The proctor nodded. "Itachi Uchiha will receive a bye for the second round and move directly to the semi-final match."

That left Ren, Akatsuchi, Yugao, and Kurotsuchi to compete in two separate matches for the round.

Match 1: Ren Takahashi vs. Akatsuchi

Match 2: Yugao Uzuki vs. Kurotsuchi

The five were separated. Ren and Akatsuchi remained in the arena while the other three were sent back up to the participant stand.

The crowd buzzed with excitement. After Ren's explosive first match and Akatsuchi's solid victory earlier, expectations were high.

The proctor raised his hand and spoke loud enough for the whole stadium to hear.

"The first match of the second round of the third stage of the Chunin Exam: Ren Takahashi of the Leaf vs. Akatsuchi of the Stone..."

His hand came down swiftly.

"Begin!"

~~~

As soon as the proctor gave the signal, Akatsuchi didn't hesitate. He jumped back, slammed his hands into the ground, and immediately activated his jutsu.

[Earth Style: Stone Wall Formation!]

Thick slabs of stone erupted from the arena floor, rising in a circular dome around him. The formation was solid, no gaps, no weak spots. It was the kind of defense that made most Chunin opponents either stall out or resort to ranged tactics.

Ren, however, didn't even slow down. 'Defensive type, just as expected. Shouldn't take more than three hits.'

Ren calmly walked toward the stone dome. His hands glowed faintly with concentrated chakra, veins bulging slightly along his arms from the chakra enhancement. With each step, the cheers from the crowd grew louder, but Ren tuned them out.

He reached the wall and raised a glowing blue fist.

BOOM

The first punch echoed like a thunderclap. Cracks spider-webbed along the surface of the stone wall, but it didn't break.

Inside, Akatsuchi's expression shifted. He immediately layered a second jutsu.

[Earth Style: Reinforced Mud Shell!]

A secondary layer of chakra-infused mud hardened beneath the cracked surface. He hoped it would buy him some time, at least.

Ren pulled his arm back and struck again.

BOOM

The second hit sent dust flying across the arena floor. Large chunks of rock shattered off and flew into the air, crumbling down like debris in a collapsed tunnel.

Inside, Akatsuchi started sweating. 'Two hits and it's already crumbling? His physical strength is absurd.'

Before he could think of a new plan, the third punch came.

CRACK - BOOM

This time, the wall didn't just crack, it exploded.

The crowd gasped as the reinforced dome burst apart in a shower of rock and dirt. Akatsuchi stumbled back, barely keeping his footing. But Ren was already inside.

He flickered in front of him before Akatsuchi could finish weaving hand signs.

Crack!

A single palm strike hit Akatsuchi in the gut. He didn't use enough strength to incapacitate, but the force sent him flying into the wall of the arena.

Ren didn't follow immediately. He dusted off his sleeves and cracked his neck.

"You good?" he called out casually, not even out of breath.

Akatsuchi stood up slowly, groaning. "Y-yeah."

Ren didn't answer. He just started walking forward again, not rushing, not going for theatrics. Each step echoed lightly in the silence that followed the last explosion.

Akatsuchi knew there was no way to match Ren in a direct clash. So he quickly formed another seal.

[Earth Style: Golem Guard!]

A humanoid figure of stone shot up from the ground, standing between him and Ren. This one was almost ten feet tall, its fists raised like a boxer, its frame nearly as wide as the arena wall itself.

Ren finally stopped walking. 'Oh? This should be fun.'

He rolled his shoulders and crouched slightly. Then, with a burst of speed that cracked the tiles beneath him, he dashed forward and leapt.

His chakra-enhanced foot slammed into the golem's chest.

BOOM

The golem staggered back, a spiderweb crack forming across its torso.

Ren didn't land, instead, mid-air, he twisted and brought down his elbow like a hammer.

BOOM

The golem's chest caved in and it fell to one knee. Ren hit the ground and didn't stop, he moved in, sliding between the falling chunks of stone, and punched straight through the golem's chest.

The entire construct collapsed in a pile of rubble.

Akatsuchi's eyes widened as he stepped back again.

He barely had time to react as Ren flickered behind him and delivered a sweep kick that sent him skidding across the ground.

Akatsuchi groaned and rolled over, trying to push himself up, but a boot came down right beside his face.

Ren stood there, looking down at him. 'He's durable, I'll give him that. But there's nothing more he can do.'

The proctor walked over and checked on Akatsuchi, who gave a small nod to indicate he was done.

"The winner of the first match of Round Two is Ren Takahashi of the Leaf!"

The crowd cheered wildly once again. A few civilians even threw confetti, which made no sense, but the energy was there.

Ren stepped back and offered his hand. Akatsuchi took it, still panting.

"That strength," Akatsuchi muttered. "You could punch through a fortress."

Ren smiled faintly. "Let's hope I don't have to."

He helped him up and walked back to the participants' stand as the crowd roared.

'One more fight to the finals. If it's Yugao, I'll hold back. But if it's Kurotsuchi, well, I doubt I'll need to go all out either.'

He sat down and crossed his arms, wished good luck to Yugao and started watching the arena below.

"Next match!" the proctor announced. "Yugao Uzuki of the Leaf versus Kurotsuchi of the Stone!"

~~~

The two kunoichi landed on opposite sides of the arena, eyes locked and weapons ready.

Kurotsuchi dropped into a low stance, one hand already forming seals. Yugao adjusted her grip on her katana, the edge already crackling faintly with lightning chakra.

The proctor raised a hand. "Begin!"

Without hesitation, both moved.

Kurotsuchi's hands blurred through seals.

[Earth Style: Rock Needle Barrage!]

Dozens of stone shards erupted from the ground in front of her, launching toward Yugao with deadly precision.

Yugao didn't blink as her body shifted, chakra enhancing her movement as she dashed forward, weaving between the sharp projectiles like a stream of lightning.

Just as she closed in, her blade sparked to life.

[Lightning Flash Style: Arc Sever!]

With a sudden forward sweep, her sword released a burst of lightning, splitting the remaining stone shards mid-air. Kurotsuchi rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the tip of the blade as it sliced through the air where her neck had been moments earlier.

"Fast," Kurotsuchi muttered.

She slammed her foot down.

[Earth Style: Rising Wall!]

A stone pillar shot up beneath her, lifting her ten feet into the air. From above, she launched another set of hand signs and slammed her palms together.

[Earth Style: Earthen Dragon Barrage!]

A snake-like construct of hardened earth burst from the arena floor, writhing and twisting as it raced toward Yugao. The dragon's maw opened, firing chunks of stone like cannonballs.

Yugao braced herself, then moved with lightning-infused speed, her blade shimmered blue again.

[Lightning Flash Style: Thunder Spiral!]

She spun, her katana cutting in a wide circle as she formed a dome of lightning around her. The earth projectiles exploded on contact with the barrier, the arena shaking from the clash of elements.

Kurotsuchi landed and immediately charged in, her speed shocking even the front-row shinobi. She closed the distance with a flying knee, which Yugao barely blocked with her forearm. Sparks flew as their chakra clashed, Yugao's lightning against Kurotsuchi's earth-enhanced Taijutsu.

Yugao jumped back, but Kurotsuchi followed.

Another punch flew in, and this time Yugao deflected with her sword, pivoted, and countered with a rising slash.

[Lightning Flash Style: Crescent Fang!]

A curved blade of lightning tore through the air. Kurotsuchi ducked low, then slammed both hands into the ground again.

[Earth Style: Hardened Shell!]

Stone covered her arms like gauntlets just in time to absorb the edge of Yugao's follow-up downward strike. The sheer force cracked the arena floor, dust flying around them in clouds.

From the stands, Ren leaned forward, eyes narrowed. 'Yugao's matching her speed for speed, but that Kurotsuchi is unpredictable, I'm still not sure if she can use lava style. She's not relying purely on earth techniques either. She's moving like a front-line fighter.'

Back in the arena, Yugao took a step back and exhaled, her blade glowing again as sparks danced along the length of it.

Kurotsuchi grinned, brushing dust off her arm guards. "I didn't think someone with a sword would force me to fight seriously."

"You talk too much," Yugao replied, then vanished.

Zzztt

A sudden burst of lightning and Yugao was behind Kurotsuchi in a blur.

[Lightning Flash Style: Twin Thunder Draw!]

Two rapid horizontal slashes, Kurotsuchi barely spun in time, crossing her stone-covered arms to block the attack. Sparks and stone fragments flew as the blades scraped against her guard.

[Earth Style: Cracking Counter!]

She stomped down hard. The ground beneath Yugao erupted upward like a vertical wall. Yugao back flipped just in time, the terrain exploding behind her as the earth detonated.

They landed again, equidistant, both breathing slightly heavier.

The crowd was silent.

Then, Kurotsuchi smirked. "Let's turn it up."

She went through another rapid set of hand signs, slammed her foot, and channeled chakra into the ground.

[Earth Style: Stone Maw!]

The ground beneath Yugao's feet split open like a living creature's jaw. Fangs of sharpened rock rose up from both sides to snap shut around her.

But Yugao reacted instantly.

[Lightning Style: Flash Step!]

In a literal blink, she shot upward in a vertical bolt of lightning, appearing above the trap mid-air. Kurotsuchi's eyes widened, but only slightly.

"Baited."

As Yugao descended, Kurotsuchi had already slammed her palm down.

[Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spike!]

A spire shot up from the ground toward Yugao's predicted landing path.

Yugao twisted in mid-air, gritting her teeth as she pushed chakra to her limbs.

[Lightning Flash Style: Sky Fang Descent!]

Her sword gleamed white-blue as she flipped upside down, reversed her grip, and stabbed downward into the spike. Lightning exploded on impact, shattering the pillar and sending both kunoichi flying backward from the shockwave.

They hit the ground hard, but rolled back to their feet, blades and fists still ready.

Yugao had a small cut over her brow. Kurotsuchi's stone gauntlet had cracked.

Both of them grinned, eyes locked.

They charged again.

A roar of lightning and a quake of earth collided in the center of the arena and everything was swallowed by the dust cloud that exploded outward.

'That last clash... who got the hit in?' Everyone wondered.

The crowd had gone quiet, all eyes locked on the slowly settling dust.

Inside the arena, only the faint sound of footsteps echoed.

One silhouette emerged from the smoke.

And then the other.

Both battered. Both standing.

The crowd leaned forward and the proctor raised a hand, eyes narrowed, still waiting.

To be continued.

~~~

{It's so damn fun writing fighting scenes, since I keep the techniques they'll use already prepared, it takes barely 30 minutes to write the actual sequence.}

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{STONES!!!!}