บท 59: 59. Newbies

(Guys, Ninth Position is not that far away! Give me your Powerstones)

"Ingenious," Kakashi murmured, his Sharingan eye uncovered to better analyze the techniques on display. "He's using the exploding clones to force her to maintain the rotation, draining her chakra, if it was normal Explosive tags, she could have just continuously released Chakra instead"

Hiashi Hyuga nodded in agreement, a mix of pride and concern etched on his normally stoic face. "Hanabi's rotation is impressive, but she can't keep it up indefinitely. This could be the deciding moment of the match."

Down in the arena, Yumi gritted her teeth as she maintained her rotation. The continuous explosions from Akira's clones were taking their toll, each blast chipping away at her chakra reserves. She knew she couldn't keep this up much longer, but dropping the rotation would leave her vulnerable to the full force of the explosions.

Akira, sensing victory was within his grasp, pressed his advantage. He continued to create and send forth exploding clones, each one detonating against Yumi's rotating chakra barrier.

The audience watched in awe as the arena was filled with a constant barrage of explosions, dust, and swirling chakra. It was a testament to both combatants' skill and determination that the match had reached such an intense climax.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was in reality only a few minutes, Yumi's rotation began to slow. Her chakra reserves, impressive as they were for her age, had finally reached their limit.

As her protective dome flickered and faded, Yumi stumbled, her legs shaking with exhaustion. She raised her head, defiance still burning in her eyes, to see Akira standing before her, kunai in hand.

For a moment, they stood frozen, eyes locked in a silent battle of wills. Then, with a small smile, Yumi raised her hand.

"I... I yield," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

The proctor, who had been watching the match with bated breath along with everyone else, quickly stepped forward. "Winner: Akira!"

The crowd erupted into thunderous applause, many rising to their feet to give a standing ovation. It had been, without a doubt, one of the most impressive displays of skill they had ever seen from Genin.

In the competitors' box, Naruto bounced on his feet, eyes wide with excitement. "That was amazing!" he exclaimed, turning to Shikamaru. "I can't wait for my match with Neji now!"

Shikamaru, in typical fashion, merely yawned. "Troublesome. They set the bar pretty high, didn't they?"

Back in the arena, Akira offered a hand to Yumi, helping her to her feet. As they made their way back to the competitors' area, the crowd continued to cheer, their excitement palpable.

"Well," Yumi said, a wry smile on her face, "I guess your silent act isn't just for show. You really are full of surprises."

Akira, still maintaining his persona, simply nodded. But there was a glimmer of respect in his eyes that hadn't been there before.

As they reached the stairs leading up to the competitors' box, they were met by the proctor. "Excellent match, both of you," he said, genuine admiration in his voice. "Take some time to rest and recover. The next match will begin shortly."

With that, Akira and Yumi parted ways, each heading to their respective areas to prepare for the rest of the exams. As they walked, both couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. They had given it their all, showcasing skills far beyond their years, and had earned the respect of everyone watching.

Meanwhile, in the Kage box, the Third Hokage chuckled softly to himself. "Those two never cease to amaze me," he mused, puffing on his pipe. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing great things from them in the future."

The Kazekage, seated beside him, nodded in agreement. "Indeed. It seems Konoha's younger generation is full of promise."

If anyone had been paying close attention, they might have noticed a strange glint in the Kazekage's eyes as he spoke. But all eyes were still on the arena, eagerly anticipating the next match.

As the crowd's excitement began to settle, the proctor's voice rang out once more. "The next match will be Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyuga Neji. Competitors, please make your way to the arena!"

A buzz of anticipation swept through the crowd. After the spectacular display they had just witnessed, everyone was eager to see what other surprises the Chunin Exams had in store.

Naruto, grinning from ear to ear, bounded down the stairs two at a time. His enthusiasm was infectious, and even the normally stoic Neji couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement as they made their way to the centre of the arena.

As they faced each other, waiting for the proctor to begin the match, Naruto's grin turned into a determined smirk. "Hope you're ready, Neji," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Because I've got a few tricks up my sleeve that might just surprise you!"

Neji, his Byakugan already activated, settled into his Gentle Fist stance. "We shall see, Uzumaki. Fate has already determined the outcome of this match."

The proctor looked between the two, sensing the tension in the air. With a nod, he raised his hand. "Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyuga Neji. Begin!"

The crowd leaned forward in anticipation as the two genin faced off, ready for another explosive match. Little did they know, the real fireworks were yet to come, both in and out of the arena...

Naruto's and Neji's Match was quite different from the cannon, Naruto this time knowing Exploding Clone Jutsu and some other jutsus like Body Flicker made this battle quite One-sided, In fact, it was a beatdown, Soon, Naruto won this battle.

The placement of the battles was different than the cannon, but the battles went in a similar fashion.

As Sasuke and Gaara's match reached its climax, an eerie silence fell over the arena. The tension in the air was palpable as if nature itself was holding its breath in anticipation of what was to come. Suddenly, white feathers began to drift down from the sky, their gentle descent belying the chaos that was about to unfold.

"Genjutsu!" Kakashi's sharp voice cut through the silence, his hand already forming the release sign.

But for many in the audience, the warning came too late. Civilians and less experienced shinobi began to slump in their seats, falling victim to the powerful sleep-inducing illusion.

In the competitors' box, Sora's eyes widened in realization. "Something is wrong!" he muttered, quickly dispelling the genjutsu around himself and those nearby.

Chaos erupted in an instant. Explosions rocked the village, smoke billowing up from various points throughout Konoha. In the Kage box, the Kazekage's true identity was revealed as he grabbed the Third Hokage, leaping to the roof of the arena with his hostage in tow.

"Lord Third!" several ANBU cried out, moving to intercept, but they were too late.

A shimmering purple barrier sprang into existence around the roof, trapping the Hokage and his captor inside. The four Sound ninja responsible for the barrier smirked at the ANBU's futile attempts to breach their defence.

Down in the arena, pandemonium reigned. Sand and Sound ninja emerged from their disguises, engaging the Konoha shinobi in fierce combat. Civilians screamed in terror, trying to flee the suddenly war-torn stadium.

Sora, now back in his original form, found himself beside Kakashi and Guy as they were facing a group of enemy nin.

They were looking at where the barrier was formed and one anbu running in the barrier and getting burned and possibly dying.

Guy suddenly says "To think they would outwit the Anbu!"

Sora then suddenly counters "Nah, that guy was just dumb, How could he run straight in that barrier? Was he a newbie or something"

Kakashi could feel second-hand embarrassment for that anbu "He... probably was a newbie" Soon Kakashi and Guy engaged in a battle with the enemy nins, and Sora and Sakura were on standby.