章 58: 58. Shocking

(Guys, We are in 9th Position!, Give me your Powerstones, so that we could reach the Tenth Position)

Akira, still maintaining his silent persona, simply reached into his pouch and pulled out a length of wire. Without warning, he dipped the wire into the water and channelled his chakra through it.

Electricity crackled across the water's surface, racing towards Yumi at breakneck speed. The Electricity made contact, however, Yumi's form shimmered and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Akira's eyes widened in surprise. 'A shadow clone?' he thought, impressed despite himself. 'When did she learn that?'

From his perch atop the earthen wall, Akira scanned the arena, searching for any sign of the real Yumi. The electrified water below crackled ominously, a reminder of the deadly trap he'd inadvertently set for himself as well.

Just as he was considering his next move, a muffled explosion rocked the base of his earthen perch. The wall began to crumble, sending Akira plummeting towards the electrified water below.

In the stands, several spectators gasped, certain they were about to witness a gruesome end to the match. But Akira, demonstrating remarkable composure for his age, quickly wove a series of hand signs.

"Earth Release: Hollow Rock Sphere!"

Just before he hit the water, Akira was encased in a perfectly round boulder. It splashed into the electrified water, bobbing like a giant, stony apple in a very dangerous punch bowl.

A moment of tense silence fell over the arena. Then, to everyone's amazement, the top of the boulder cracked open, and Akira emerged, standing atop his makeshift floating ball with a look of grim determination.

Across the arena, Yumi stood on a floating chunk of the destroyed earth wall, her Byakugan still active as she assessed her opponent. For a moment, the two young shinobi stared each other down, the tension in the air palpable.

Then, as if responding to some unspoken signal, they both dashed forward, meeting in the middle of the watery battlefield. Their elbows collided with a resounding crack that echoed through the arena.

What followed was a furious exchange of blows, each combatant showcasing skills far beyond their years. Punches were thrown and blocked, kicks were dodged, and jutsus were countered with split-second timing.

In the stands, the spectators were on the edge of their seats. Civilians cheered and gasped with each near miss, while the more experienced shinobi analyzed every move with keen interest.

"Their taijutsu is remarkable," Guy commented, his eyes shining with excitement. "Such youthful energy!"

Kakashi, standing beside him, simply nodded, his visible eye narrowed in concentration. "They're both holding back," he observed. "I wonder what other tricks they have up their sleeves."

As if in answer to Kakashi's musings, the battle below took another unexpected turn. In the midst of their close-quarters combat, Yumi's fingers suddenly intertwined with Akira's. For a split second, it almost looked like they were holding hands.

Then, to everyone's shock, Akira's hands began to glow with chakra. He wove a series of one-handed signs, using Yumi's fingers to complete the sequence.

"What in the world?" Asuma exclaimed, nearly dropping his cigarette in surprise.

Even Shikaku Naru sat up straighter, his eyes widening. "Using an opponent's hands to weave signs... I've never seen anything like it."

Before anyone could fully process what was happening, the electrified water beneath Yumi surged upward, engulfing her in a crackling cocoon of liquid lightning.

For a heart-stopping moment, it seemed as though the match might be over. But then, from within the watery prison, came a familiar cry:

"Rotation!"

The water exploded outward as Yumi's chakra dome expanded, freeing her from Akira's trap. However, the continuous use of such an advanced technique was clearly taking its toll. Yumi's breathing was laboured, and beads of sweat dotted her forehead.

Realizing she couldn't keep up the Rotation indefinitely, Yumi made a split-second decision. Still spinning, she launched herself directly at Akira, turning her defensive technique into a devastating offensive move.

Akira, caught off guard by the unexpected tactic, barely had time to react. Just as Yumi's rotating form was about to collide with him, his body shimmered and dissolved into water.

"A water clone!" Yumi gasped, stumbling as she came out of her spin.

From that point on, the battle devolved into a high-speed game of cat and mouse. Akira flickered from one floating piece of debris to another, always staying just out of Yumi's reach. Yumi, for her part, pursued relentlessly, her Byakugan allowing her to track Akira's movements even when he briefly dipped beneath the water's surface.

In the stands, the spectators were utterly enthralled. Civilians who had come expecting a simple tournament match found themselves witnessing a display of skill that put many chunin to shame. Even the seasoned shinobi were impressed by the young combatants' stamina and ingenuity.

"They've been going at it for nearly half an hour now," Kurenai observed, a note of awe in her voice. "Most genin would have exhausted their chakra reserves by now."

Gai nodded enthusiastically, tears of joy streaming down his face. "Ah, the power of youth! Their flames burn so brightly!"

Down in the arena, Yumi was growing frustrated with Akira's evasive tactics. "Stop running and fight me!" she called out, her voice carrying a hint of exasperation.

Akira, still committed to his silent persona, responded by hurling a barrage of explosive tags in Yumi's direction. The tags detonated on impact with the water, creating a series of small whirlpools and geysers that further churned up the already chaotic battlefield.

Yumi, realizing that the prolonged presence of water in the arena was giving Akira an advantage, decided it was time to change the playing field. With a series of quick hand signs, she placed her palm on the nearest piece of floating debris.

Suddenly, a series of muffled explosions rocked the arena. The water level began to drop rapidly as it drained through numerous holes that had appeared in the ground.

"Impressive foresight," Shikaku murmured, stroking his goatee thoughtfully. "She must have planted those explosive tags earlier in the match."

As the last of the water drained away, Akira and Yumi found themselves once again on solid ground, facing each other across the now muddy and pockmarked arena floor.

For a moment, they simply stared each other down, both breathing heavily from their exertions. Then, without warning, Yumi charged forward, her hands glowing with chakra.

"Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms!" she cried, launching into the abbreviated version of her clan's signature technique.

Akira's eyes widened in surprise. He had known Yumi was skilled, but to be able to perform even a partial Eight Trigrams technique at her age was astonishing. Unable to counter directly, he resorted to evasive manoeuvres, backflipping away from Yumi's strikes while simultaneously pulling more explosive tags from his pouch.

The crowd watched in awe as Akira deftly avoided Yumi's lightning-fast strikes, all while peppering the ground around them with explosive tags. Each time Yumi thought she had him cornered, an explosion would force her to break off her attack, allowing Akira to slip away once more.

Their deadly dance led them to the arena wall, which Akira promptly began to scale, running vertically up the surface with chakra-infused feet. Yumi, not to be outdone, followed close behind.

Just as it seemed Akira had run out of room to manoeuvre, he suddenly dive-bombed straight down, burrowing into the earth like a human drill.

Yumi skidded to a halt, her Byakugan scanning the ground for any sign of her opponent.

Yumi's smirk widened as she realized Akira had played right into her hands. With a quick hand sign, she activated the explosive tags she had strategically planted in the ground earlier.

A series of controlled explosions rocked the arena, forcing Akira to resurface in a shower of dirt and debris. He emerged, coughing and sputtering, his usually immaculate green hair now caked with mud.

"Gotcha!" Yumi exclaimed triumphantly, lunging forward with her palm outstretched.

But Akira wasn't done yet. His hands flew through a series of signs, and suddenly, three Earth clones burst from the ground around him. As one, all four Akiras flickered towards Yumi at blinding speed.

Yumi's eyes widened in surprise, her Byakugan struggling to distinguish the real Akira from his clones. She barely had time to start her rotation before the first clone reached her and exploded with tremendous force.

The blast forced Yumi to maintain her rotation, her chakra dome deflecting the worst of the damage. But as the smoke cleared, she found herself face to face with the remaining clones, each one charging straight for her.

In the stands, the spectators held their breath. Even the most experienced shinobi leaned forward in their seats, captivated by the young combatants' display of skill and strategy.