Capítulo 108: Ch.108 It's All My Fault!
After failing two consecutive attacks that seemed sure to hit, Sasuke lay on the ground, his mind short-circuiting from confusion.
Haku and Karin, clearly just as bewildered, exchanged nervous glances, unsure of what had just happened.
"Did Sasuke slip just now?"
"It must have been that!"
"Haku and Karin got so lucky!"
The crowd around the field erupted into murmurs again. Pointing and whispering, they seemed to be a mix of confused, shocked, and even a little amused. After all, not everyone liked Sasuke's perpetually cocky attitude.
...
In the Academy Building.
"Hmm?"
Danzo furrowed his brow.
The surprised and panicked expressions on Haku and Karin's faces hadn't escaped his sharp eyes. He could tell that Sasuke's failures were not a result of any planning by Haku and Karin.
But for Sasuke to keep messing up like this? Danzo couldn't make sense of it.
Similarly puzzled were Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
Koharu asked, "Could it be that his body hasn't fully recovered from his earlier defeat by Kimimaro?"
Homura nodded. "That seems likely."
Although both elders were skilled, neither were dojutsu users, so they couldn't see all the fine details from such a distance. They could only make guesses based on their experience.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi, as a master of ninjutsu, had much sharper insight.
Reflecting on Sasuke's exchanges with Haku and Karin, Hiruzen felt that something was off. But given Koharu's suggestion, and the fact that Sasuke had just fought Kimimaro, even Hiruzen couldn't entirely dismiss the possibility that Sasuke was still not in peak condition. So, he said nothing.
...
On the Field.
Out of everyone, Uchiha Shinji was the only one who truly understood what had happened.
Others might think Sasuke had simply made mistakes or was not in good form. But Shinji knew that it wasn't Sasuke's fault.
Haku and Karin had simply outclassed Sasuke in terms of speed, strength, insight, and anticipation, leading to his confusing losses.
If it had been any two other people, no matter how fortunate or well-coordinated, they would not have been able to block Sasuke's attacks.
If you can't read your opponent's movements, keep up with their speed, or match their strength, then no amount of luck will help you.
Still, Shinji knew he couldn't let Sasuke keep embarrassing himself like this.
Otherwise, the true extent of Haku and Karin's abilities might be exposed.
So, Shinji walked over to Sasuke and said loudly on purpose, "Sasuke, it seems like your body hasn't fully recovered yet!"
Sasuke, his face full of frustration, climbed to his feet.
Hearing Shinji's words, he suddenly felt that maybe the reason for his mistakes was because of the earlier battle with Kimimaro, and that his condition hadn't fully recovered yet.
"Too bad, this is a class match. Even though it's unfair, I have no choice but to step in."
With that, Shinji vanished and reappeared right in front of Sasuke.
"What?!"
Caught off guard, Sasuke instinctively threw a punch.
Shinji easily dodged the punch with a slight tilt of his head and then struck Sasuke in the chin with an upward palm strike. The blow sent Sasuke flying out of the ring.
Having effortlessly dealt with Sasuke, Shinji shook his head. "You couldn't even block that. You're really not in good shape!"
"So Sasuke was injured? No wonder he was getting beaten so badly by Haku and Karin!"
"Such a shame!"
"Well, now it's up to Kimimaro!"
Shinji's words provided the crowd with a reasonable explanation, and they all subconsciously accepted his conclusion.
Even Sasuke, lying outside the ring, frustratedly pounded the ground with his fist. "Damn it, I shouldn't have gone all out against Kimimaro earlier!"
It was clear that even Sasuke believed Shinji's explanation.
After dealing with Sasuke, Shinji quickly defeated Naruto and Sakura as well. As Mizuki announced their victory, Shinji made the "Reconciliation Seal" and hurried off the field with Haku and Karin.
Mizuki then announced, "Next match: Neji's team versus Kimimaro's team!"
With the previous match over, the slightly subdued atmosphere reignited, and all attention shifted from Sasuke to Neji and Kimimaro, who were now leading their teams into the arena.
Neither Kimimaro nor Neji were the type to talk big. They exchanged a glance and immediately began their battle.
Boom, boom, boom.
In no time, the sound of rapid and fierce blows echoed across the field.
Compared to Sasuke's flashy style, Neji's approach was much more grounded.
He didn't engage Kimimaro in a wide-open brawl but instead held his ground, defending a small area around him, using his defense as his offense.
Facing Neji's tight defense, even Kimimaro found it difficult to break through Neji's Gentle Fist, and the two quickly found themselves locked in a battle of attrition.
During this time, Tenten and Lee didn't stay idle.
While Neji kept Kimimaro occupied, they defeated Shion and Yakumo one after another and then joined Neji in fighting Kimimaro.
However, this level of combat was far beyond what Tenten and Lee could handle. Not only did they fail to help Neji, but they also caused him to break his focus a few times, nearly leaving him open to Kimimaro's attacks.
Fortunately, that situation didn't last long.
Before too much time passed, Tenten was knocked out of the ring by Kimimaro, and Lee, after holding on for a while, was also kicked out of the arena.
Soon, only Kimimaro and Neji remained!
Watching the fierce battle, the students on the sidelines held their breath, afraid to make a sound.
Hinata wrung her hands together, muttering, "Brother Neji!"
Kiba's jaw dropped. "Are those two even human?"
Ino, worried, asked, "Shikamaru, can our class win?"
Shikamaru shook his head slightly. "It's too early to say. If Neji keeps dragging the match out like this, even if Kimimaro wins, he'll probably use up too much chakra. Remember what happened to Sasuke."
"Yeah, and don't forget, their class still has Shinji!" Ino nodded before adding with a dreamy smile, "Even though he hasn't awakened his Sharingan yet, he's just as cool as Sasuke. If he grew his hair out a little more, he'd be even more handsome!"
Shikamaru gave Ino a surprised look, but seeing her lost in admiration, he decided to hold back the words on the tip of his tongue.
Meanwhile, Choji, still munching on snacks, said, "Don't forget, we still have our squad!"
"Tch!" Ino scoffed, clearly unimpressed.
Shikamaru sighed. "Women are such a hassle."
On the other side, Sakura rushed to help Sasuke. "Sasuke, is your face okay?"
Realizing that his face was swollen, Sasuke's expression twisted with embarrassment. "Damn it! I let my guard down. I should have dodged that punch!"
Sakura quickly changed the subject. "Do you think Kimimaro will win?"
Sasuke's expression turned serious. "After his fight with me, Kimimaro is probably injured. It'll be tough for him to beat both Neji and Shinji!"
Sakura panicked. "Then does that mean we'll lose?"
Sasuke sighed. "I shouldn't have pushed myself so hard against Kimimaro earlier!"
...
On the Field.
The fierce battle continued.
Kimimaro had the advantage in both speed and strength, but with Neji focused entirely on defense, Kimimaro couldn't find an opening to land a decisive blow.
Growing impatient, Kimimaro decided to stop dodging Neji's Gentle Fist and instead went for a direct clash.
"An opening!"
Neji immediately sensed the opportunity and struck at several of Kimimaro's key points: his arms, shoulders, and abdomen.
In Neji's mind, as long as he sealed the chakra points at any of those vital areas, victory would be his!
Boom, boom, boom.
Within just a few seconds, the two exchanged a dozen or so blows.
Suddenly, Neji stumbled and fell to the ground.
"Why?!"
His mind was filled with confusion.
He had clearly hit at least three of Kimimaro's major chakra points with his Gentle Fist. By all logic, Kimimaro should no longer be able to control his chakra.
Yet Kimimaro appeared completely unaffected. He continued to trade blows with Neji and eventually landed a punch squarely on Neji's chest, knocking him out of the match.
"You've lost," Kimimaro said calmly before lightly kicking Neji out of the ring.
As Neji lay outside the ring, he quickly used his Byakugan to observe Kimimaro. To his shock, the chakra points he had struck were flowing freely as if nothing had happened.
"Did my Gentle Fist just fail?!"
For the first time, Neji began to doubt everything he had ever learned.
His Gentle Fist, which had always been invincible, had now failed him twice. First, he had lost to Shinji, and now he had been defeated by Kimimaro.
"So, this is the power of Dead Bone Physique…"
From the sidelines, Shinji had gained a deeper understanding of Kimimaro's Dead Bone Physique.
Neji's Gentle Fist hadn't failed. Instead, before Neji's chakra could strike Kimimaro's chakra points, Kimimaro had created a thin layer of bone beneath his skin, blocking the flow of chakra. That's why Neji's technique hadn't worked.
In essence, Kimimaro had armored his body with bone, a level of mastery over his bloodline that even Neji's Byakugan couldn't fully comprehend.
Shinji thought back to the original timeline, recalling Kimimaro's legendary battle against Gaara.
While others would have been crushed beneath Gaara's tidal waves of sand, Kimimaro had survived purely due to his body's extreme durability and resilience.
Seeing this had cemented in Shinji's mind just how overwhelming Kimimaro's Dead Bone Physique was.
What had started as a fleeting interest in acquiring Kimimaro's cells had now turned into a genuine desire.
After winning a few more matches, Shinji's team finally faced off against Kimimaro's.
This final match, which would determine the overall winner of the exams, had ignited the enthusiasm of all the students in the academy. Even some of the teachers paused their work to watch.
"Shinji, even though we're friends, I won't hold back in this match!" Shion shouted playfully.
"Neither will I," Shinji replied as he pulled out a kunai from his pouch.
Seeing how serious Shinji was, Shion jumped back in surprise, hiding behind Kimimaro.
Of course, Shinji wasn't trying to scare her.
Without his kunai, he wasn't confident that he could gather enough of Kimimaro's cells during their fight.
The two teams quickly exchanged the "Seal of Confrontation" before engaging in combat.
Naturally, Shinji went up against Kimimaro.
Shion targeted Haku, leaving Karin to face Yakumo, who seemed equally frail.
Of all the matchups, the crowd's attention was naturally focused on the two prodigies, Shinji and Kimimaro.
"Strange," Kimimaro thought as they fought.
Unlike Sasuke's flashiness or Neji's rigidity, Shinji's fighting style was pragmatic yet unpredictable. From the very first exchange, Kimimaro could sense that something was different.
Soon, he realized that Shinji seemed to be reading his mind. Every one of his attacks was quietly neutralized before they could fully take shape.
And what surprised him the most was that Shinji was faster and stronger than both Sasuke and Neji.
On top of that, Shinji's use of a kunai increased the threat to Kimimaro, forcing him to take the fight more seriously.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a cry rang out from nearby. Yakumo had been knocked out of the ring by Karin.
Moments later, Haku managed to push Shion out of the ring as well.
Even though his two teammates had been eliminated, Kimimaro remained as calm as ever.
Shinji, however, smiled slightly.
He shot a glance at Haku, signaling him with his eyes. Then, he threw his kunai into the air and quickly formed a hand sign. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Almost simultaneously, Haku completed his own hand seals. "Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
In perfect coordination, Shinji's fire and Haku's water attacks shot towards Kimimaro.
Sizzle!
Water and fire collided, creating a thick cloud of steam that quickly covered the entire arena.
Taking advantage of the obscured vision, Haku and Karin both lunged at Kimimaro, engaging him in a rapid series of blows.
Seizing the opportunity, Shinji caught his falling kunai, dashed forward, and sliced at Kimimaro, managing to cut his arm and take a small piece of flesh. The force of his charge knocked both him and Kimimaro out of the ring.
As the steam dissipated, everyone could see Shinji and Kimimaro tangled together outside the ring, while Haku and Karin remained inside.
For a moment, the entire field was silent.
Then, someone shouted, "We won!"
That exclamation broke the silence, and the entire crowd erupted into cheers. With the outcome of this match, there was no doubt who had won the exams.
On the sidelines, Sasuke was filled with regret. "It's all my fault. I must've weakened Kimimaro earlier, which is why he lost to Shinji!"
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