Capítulo 50: Finals
The Leaf Village buzzed with citizens delving through the streets.
Today was the day of the Chūnin Exams finals. All roads led towards the towering structure at the heart of the village—the Stadium.
Outside, it was the unofficial pre-match betting floor. Vendors offered trinkets and snacks, their voices yelling over the crowd's enthusiastic chatter. Groups were huddled around stands, pouring money like it was nothing.
"Ten thousand ryō on that Alex kid!" a portly man bellowed with excitement. "That prodigy from the Hyūga clan's got fire in his eyes! Can't imagine anyone else taking this!"
"You're crazy," a wiry woman scoffed. "Sasuke's been training with Kakashi himself! Ya hear? The Kakashi Hatake who fought in a war!"
"Kakashi or not?" another man chimed in. "My money's on that Jasper kid. He's been making a name for himself, but nobody likes him. But who knows what kind of power he's got to make that happen?"
Groups of citizens continued to shuffle their way past the gambling tents and into the Stadium.
Meanwhile, within the confines of a high-rise overlooking the village, two solitary figures stood gazing at the bustling scene below.
"Are you sure this is the only way?" one man murmured to the other.
"Yes… We'll need to make an example in front of everyone."
Elsewhere, sunlight filtered through the cracks in Arthur's window.
He rose, filled his weapon pouch with everything essential, and departed.
As he drew closer, the pre-match buzz grew louder. Booths lined the perimeter of the Stadium, and excitement filled the air.
A short line snaked its way towards a registration booth, with a group of some of the participants waiting their turn. He recognized all their faces: Hinata, Margaret, Alex, and Jasper.
He was here, under the pretense of participating in these finals, while his true thoughts lay elsewhere. When Alice greeted him from behind with a bubbly grin, he forced a smile.
"Arthur! Are you ready to make history?" she exclaimed.
He offered a noncommittal chuckle and said, "Ready as I'll ever be."
There wasn't much to talk about while waiting in line with the others. He only considered how different these finals were compared to what he remembered.
Characters like Hinata were not supposed to be here.
Finally, his turn arrived. A Chūnin manned the registration booth, scrutinizing his ID and confirming his participation in the finals. With a simple nod, he waved him through.
Arthur scanned the growing crowd as he made his way towards the center of the Stadium.
Jada caught his attention from across the field. She waved enthusiastically, her smile wide and genuine. Arthur responded with a small smile and a light wave.
Then he caught a glimpse of Naruto. This was perhaps the only character who fit the picture. So, where were Sasuke and Gaara?
He dismissed the thought. Sasuke was more or less with Kakashi, still practicing the Chidori.
Who piqued Arthur's interest the most was the proctor, Hayate Gekko. This character was written to have died before the finals. Him being here only furthered the idea the idea that Orochimaru's invasion wouldn't take place.
"Welcome, participants," Hayate announced to the Genin, "to the finals of the Chūnin Exams…" He then coughed before continuing. "You have all fought your way through a grueling competition, proving your skills and determination. Today, you will face each other in a series of one-on-one battles to determine whether you're capable of becoming Chūnin or not."
Waves of excitement continued to pass through the crowd. Clans cheered, friends exchanged nervous glances, and the tension quickly began to show.
High above them, on a specially constructed platform, stood the Hokage himself. A sense of calm authority emanated from him before he chose to speak.
With a raised hand, he silenced the crowd to declare loudly, "The time has come…! Let the Chūnin Exams finals commence! May your skills shine, may your strategies be brilliant, and may the strongest Genin prevail! Sit back, all of you, and enjoy this spectacle!"
A roar of approval erupted from the crowd.
Arthur, however, felt this scene was off. On the platform where Hiruzen was sitting, something caught his eye.
That was where the village leaders typically sat, and yet the Kazekage (who was supposed to be Orochimaru in disguise) was conspicuously absent. Not to mention, Arthur hadn't spotted a single ninja from the Sand Village here.
Just then, Hayate turned back towards the Genin to say, "Alright, listen clearly. There have been a few last-minute changes."
Some of the participants gasped. A change in the schedule this late in the game was unusual, but Arthur suspected the reason.
"Due to unforeseen circumstances involving a wanted ninja named Orochimaru," Hayate continued, "the Sand Village has offered their sincerest apologies and respectfully withdrawn from the competition."
That was unexpected. Alice had informed Arthur that they had successfully rehabilitated Gaara. Even Orochimaru was supposedly chased out of the village.
To think the cause and effect of things would lead to the entire Sand Village's withdrawal over the event.
"This means," Hayate declared, "that Naruto Uzumaki, originally scheduled to face Gaara of the Sand, will be given a bye for the first round."
Naruto, who had been fidgeting nervously, let out a relieved whoop. His grin cut through the tension, making everyone believe this was for the best.
Hayate continued with the revised match schedule, showing who everyone would be fighting.
Everything remained the same, only with the absence of Gaara. Hinata would face Margaret, Alex against Jasper, Alice against Jada, and Arthur against Sasuke.
But before Arthur could fully formulate another thought, the crowd came to a sudden hush.
A figure emerged from the shadows on the far side of the arena, his movements ever so calm. As he stepped into the light, a gasp filled the crowd.
It was Sasuke Uchiha with a confident smirk across his face.
His arrival stole the spotlight, pushing the Sand Village's withdrawal to the back of everyone's mind.
"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto screamed, pointing at him. "Why are you so late? You almost got disqualified!"
Sasuke remained calm, brushing the question aside as Hayate, momentarily flustered, cleared his throat.
"Sasuke Uchiha," he announced, "it seems you've made it just in time. Due to the changes, the first match was rescheduled…"
Hayate's voice trailed off as Sasuke's dark eyes locked onto Arthur across the field.
Hayate, oblivious to the silent exchange, finished his sentence: "The first match will be... Sasuke Uchiha versus Arthur Bennett!"
At those words, Hayate ushered the remaining participants towards a designated waiting area.
Only Jada looked a little nervous about Arthur. Still, she gave him an encouraging gesture.
Arthur remained frozen in his spot, his focus entirely on Sasuke's unsettling gaze.
Suddenly, as Hayate was about to initiate the match, a group of figures swiftly materialized around Arthur!
It was a mixed contingent—ninjas from the Yamanaka clan, easily identifiable by their distinctive blonde ponytails, flanked by Nara clan members, and a group of Anbu Black Ops, their faces obscured by masks.
The suddenness of their arrival sent a shock through the whole stadium. Many gasped as everyone turned their attention to the unfolding scene.
Even Sasuke, his initial focus on Arthur momentarily forgotten, shifted his gaze, breaching his usual stoic expression.
Without warning, the ninjas had secured Arthur.
Razor-sharp short swords were held mere inches from his throat. A network of shadows connected to his own from the Nara clan member, further bounding him in a web of control.
"Don't even think about moving," one of the Anbu hissed in his ear.
The entire stadium erupted in confusion. Shouts of "What's going on?" and "Why are they doing that to him?" mingled with gasps of shock.
Arthur took a glance at the other players, their expressions telling him that they were equally as shocked. None of them appeared to have been the cause of this.
Hayate, speechless for a moment, finally regained his composure. He bellowed, "What is the meaning of this?!"
Inoichi, head of the Yamanaka clan, and Shikaku, head of the Nara clan, stepped forward.
"Arthur Bennett is under arrest, suspected of murdering my daughter," Inoichi responded in a flat, emotionless tone.
"And my son," Shikaku added.
Unease spread through the crowd like wildfire.
Murder? What could that mean? All eyes turned to the Hokage, who sat anxiously observing the scene despite the uproar brewing around him.
Sensing the shift in attention, Hiruzen rose to his feet. He looked directly at the clan heads and commanded, "Explain yourselves! What evidence do you have against one of our own during this event?"
Shikaku hesitated for a moment before finally admitting, "We have investigated a ninja who was involved during Orochimaru's time in the second round of the Exams…"
Disbelief filled the crowd. The clan heads were insinuating that Arthur was involved with Orochimaru and the killing of Ino and Shikamaru.
This was serious.
The Chūnin Exams finals were suddenly overshadowed by a potential scandal.
The consequences of Arthur's actions—he made a mistake somewhere. Yet despite being caught in the center of this storm, he remained calm and collected.
Shikaku continued, "There is a viable reason for this situation…"
Hiruzen nodded and said, "Speak your mind, Shikaku."
"During the Forest of Death stage of the Exams," Shikaku explained, "we read reports detailing a Sound ninja making contact with Orochimaru shortly before Sasuke received his curse mark."
Jasper squinted his eyes. It was clear the other players weren't aware of any other Sound ninja's involvement in the story.
"Following this communication," Shikaku continued, "Orochimaru's movements became erratic, deviating from his usual patterns. We were led to believe he would target Sasuke during the first day of the second Exam, but that did not occur."
It was the players who told the village that Orochimaru would attack on the first day.
Shikaku paused for a moment to let his words sink in.
"Unfortunately," he said, "our investigation took a tragic turn. We discovered the bodies of Ino Yamanaka and Shikamaru Nara… burnt beyond recognition."
Arthur furrowed his brow. This was the mistake he made: he relied on nature to dispose of the bodies when he should have done it himself!
Parents in the stadium clutched their children closer, tears welling up in their eyes. The others huddled together, their faces pale with fear, confusion, and doubt.
"Chōji Akimichi," Inoichi continued, acting as the next spokesman, "was found wandering the Forest of Death in a state of shock. He had no memory of the events that transpired, so the reports claimed."
Hiruzen's face hardened as he demanded, "What happened to Chōji?"
"The interrogation squad employed our mind-reading jutsu," Inoichi explained. "Through Chōji's memories, we discovered their team's scrolls were stolen by an unknown participant, one that wasn't registered for the Exams—the one who killed our children."
"Given Orochimaru's involvement," Shikaku said, "we were granted full jurisdiction to analyze the recovered scrolls from all registered participants that qualified for the preliminaries."
He gestured towards Inoichi, who held up a pouch containing several scrolls, including the ones belonging to Team 6, 7, 8, 9, and Team 10.
"During our analysis," Shikaku revealed, his gaze meeting Arthur's, "we discovered fingerprints that did not belong to the original owners on scrolls given to my son, Ino, and Chōji."
The spectators held their breath.
"There was only one other participant whose fingerprints were identified on these scrolls," Shikaku concluded.
"And that participant…" Inoichi added with a cold tone, "is Arthur Bennett's."
Arthur slowly closed his eyes. He knew a day like this would come—characters attempting to pin things against him again, despite the rules permitting killing.
"Hold on!" Jada screamed from the sideline. "Arthur's a promising Genin of the Leaf! What possible reason can you have to believe he's working with Orochimaru?!"
"Yeah!" William hollered from the stands. "There's no way he would do something like that!"
His words trailed off as Shikaku held up a hand, silencing the crowd.
"Unfortunately," he declared, "Chōji's memories revealed a grim picture." Shikaku pointed towards Arthur. "According to those memories, the attacker used the transformation jutsu. This explains the additional fingerprints!"
Transformation techniques, while not uncommon, were often associated with deception and treachery. The notion that Arthur had used one to attack his fellow Genin was plausible.
"And what about Arthur's teammates?!" Alex boomed from the side.
"That's the most troubling aspect of this situation," Shikaku answered. "According to official reports, Arthur's teammates vanished sometime during the Forest of Death stage. Their whereabouts remain unknown."
Inoichi added, "However, based on the evidence gathered, including the presence of Arthur's fingerprints on the stolen scroll and the lack of any other attacker in Chōji's memories, a logical conclusion can be drawn."
Shikaku's eyes narrowed as he focused on Arthur to say, "He abandoned his teammates to warn Orochimaru the moment things started, only to come back to his teammates and discover their scroll was taken by my son. So what does he do? He kills his teammates and hunts down my son's team in cold blood!"
The accusation left a dark stain on Arthur's reputation.
The clan heads were right: he had done all those things. But to think they could link it all back to him.
It would have been impossible on earth, yet easy for highly skilled ninjas who could read thoughts and make thorough analyses. Worst of all was how they linked two unknown participants to be one in the same person.
He had left too much evidence behind, believing that slaying a couple characters wouldn't trace back to him.
Arthur had lost.
Asuma, with a face full of confusion, looked down at Arthur. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen was carrying the weight of the situation, each word pressing down on him. He knew Arthur was a capable ninja, someone who could help fuel the "Will of Fire," but the accusations were too insane to seem far-fetched.
That is, until he remembered the Anbu who followed Arthur and never returned!
Everyone looked at one another, searching for some sign, some explanation from Arthur to deny these bold claims.
Even Kakashi's eyes were full of uncertainty. Did he doubt Arthur as well?
"Arthur!" Margaret cried. "Tell them it's all a lie!"
Arthur, trapped in a web of suspicion and deceit, slowly opened his eyes.
"Survival... That's all that matters here. You build these elaborate games, these tests, but do you ever stop to consider the cost? Lives lost, dreams shattered—all part of your twisted entertainment for the purpose of science... You paint yourselves as noble protectors, but I see you for what you are—devils manipulating others for your own greedy amusement."
His voice drew everyone's attention.
"I came here with a purpose, of which you have no understanding as to what forces I'm running with. Continue to live in this made-up fantasy and be consumed if you don't repent of your sins."
He locked eyes with the only people who understood his message, knowing they had received it.
"You pride yourselves on the notion that this is real. But let me tell you that Christ is the only way—the reason why I have come this far. Go against me, and you'll experience something far more terrifying than you can imagine!"
His gaze swept over them, landing on Jada, whose tear-filled eyes reflected the shock of his authority. He also saw the dawning awareness in both Jasper's and Alex's eyes.
In that moment, all their perception of him had shifted. They no longer saw a fellow player—a potential rival. All they saw was a guilty man.
But their false judgments meant little compared to the unseen threat that loomed large.
Head slowly tilting toward Hiruzen, he declared, "I'm much more than the villain you think I'll become."
At those words, a thunderous roar erupted from the opposite end of the village!
The ground shuddered violently, sending tremors through the stadium stands. Dust billowed into the air, momentarily obscuring where the Hokage was. A plume of black smoke rose from the heart of the village, the unmistakable signature of a large-scale technique.
Orochimaru had finally made his move.
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
AkitoTakahashi
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