I stood by Hiruzen's side, overlooking the arena below us. We were seated in the special spectator box atop the arena's stands, which provided us with an excellent view.
As I looked around, everything was as expected. Ohnoki had both Han and Kitsutchi, his own son, as his bodyguards standing next to his chair, just like Kakashi and I did by Hiruzen's side. There was also another man, the leader of Takigakure, accompanied by his son, Shibuki, who was present as his successor.
All nine finalists stood in the arena below, waiting for the matches to be decided. I observed the draw and noted that both Hana and Izumi would be fighting a Taki ninja as their first opponent. Deidara drew the first fight of round one and would also face another Taki ninja. One Taki genin would fight the winner of the first match due to the odd number of participants.
It appeared that Izumi and Hana would meet in the semi-finals, provided they both advanced that far, but in my opinion, there was no way they wouldn't.
Deidara would have to battle through two Taki ninjas to reach the finals, and I was confident he would succeed. Ohnoki looked rather smug about the draw, believing his ninja had already impressed everyone.
As I quietly watched the first matches unfold, I took note of anything interesting about the participants. However, no outstanding feats were demonstrated, it was all within expectation from competitors at the level of solid chunin.
Both Hana and Izumi won their matches convincingly, with Izumi appearing as though she wasn't even trying. Deidara simply created a large explosion, knocking his opponent out with the shockwave in one swift move.
"Well, he's not wasting energy..." I remarked on his quick victory, receiving a small nod from Hiruzen. However, winning so fast wouldn't show enough of his skillset to determine if he deserved to become a chunin.
The second round began after a short break, starting with Deidara's second match. This time, he took things slow, showing off a bit. He pulled a small clay figurine from his pocket and casually lobbed it at his opponent while launching into a small rant about art.
Truly, some things never change.
To his opponent's credit, he fought back and attempted to engage Deidara in taijutsu, but the fight did not go well for him. Deidara was clearly faster, dodging effortlessly and lobbing another clay construct.
I could already tell what was coming by the glint in Deidara's eyes.
"Art... is an explosion!" he shouted loud enough for the entire arena to hear as the small clay construct detonated next to his opponent, who barely had time to create a water wall to lessen the impact.
At that point, the fight was virtually over, with Deidara claiming another victory shortly after.
Onoki seemed quite pleased with the match, though he sighed heavily when he heard Deidara talk about his "art."
"That brat... always talking about explosions..." he grumbled under his breath, and I could only sympathize. Having someone like Deidara nearby would certainly become exhausting quite fast.
The next match was Hana against the last Taki ninja, while Izumi would receive a free pass this round, waiting to fight the winner of this match.
Hana and her dogs took their stance and quickly closed the gap, a smart move. Her opponent was clearly a ninjutsu specialist with less experience in taijutsu, especially against multiple opponents.
Hana's dogs transformed into clones of her, charging together to make it difficult to pinpoint the real Hana.
A surprisingly large surge of water erupted from the Taki genin's mouth, delaying two of Hana's clones. However, this was not enough to stop Hana from executing a combination attack, the same one she often did.
She spun violently and rushed toward her target, a Gatsuga formed quickly with her and her companions, threatening to tear apart her opponent.
Although the Taki ninja dodged quite well, she eventually slipped up and was unable to defend herself against Hana's overwhelming assault. The defensive water walls could only do so much against four attacking opponents.
If it were up to me, this girl from Taki would merit promotion based solely on the fact that she easily defeated her first opponent and was able to delay a clearly superior foe in her second match.
I wondered for a moment how the fight between my teammates would play out, but I quickly realized that Hana wouldn't even try to fight, at least not here, where making a good decision could lead to a potential promotion.
Just as the next match was announced, Hana surrendered, knowing she couldn't win against Izumi.
"Good call," I commented, keeping details to myself.
"Is that so? Does Konoha promote cowardice now?" Ohnoki asked pointedly, clearly trying to provoke us.
I looked at Hiruzen, who nodded, giving me permission to speak directly.
"We promote tactical sensibility, Tsuchikage-sama. Hana knows that fighting Izumi would be pointless," I explained, subtly taking a jab at Iwa and their tendency to start fights they usually lose.
It even earned a snort from Han, but Ohnoki narrowed his eyes, as if warning me to keep my jokes to myself.
I shrugged, not wanting to anger him, but if he started throwing jabs around, he should be ready to receive one in return. I would rather focus on the final match and provide commentary on Izumi's tactics if necessary.
The match began predictably, with both opponents taking potshots at each other with weapons to gauge the other's power and skill. Izumi was clearly better at this, prompting Deidara to release a few of his clay figurines to occupy her.
The small clay constructs chased after her as she tried to dodge the exploding dolls. But then he made one decisive mistake: he looked into her eyes.
"You won't escape my art, hm!" he taunted Izumi, his eyes locked onto hers. I felt Izumi's genjutsu take hold, slipping past Deidara's notice with ease. His senses were now confounded, and the longer the battle dragged on, the worse it would become for him, just like I had taught her.
"Deidara's in trouble... Izumi's got him in a subtle genjutsu," I announced to the viewing booth, earning a surprised look from Ohnoki.
"You sure, brat? I can't sense any disturbance in Deidara's chakra," he questioned me, a small hint of grudging respect in his tone.
"Yes, it's very subtle now, but it will become noticeable soon. I'd recognize my creation anywhere," I confirmed, earning a chuckle from Hiruzen.
"Ah, so you taught her that one. I was wondering if you perhaps learned more..." He trailed off, not really looking for an answer.
I turned my attention back to the arena, where Izumi decided to incinerate the clay dolls with a powerful fire attack, to which, Ohnoki couldn't help but comment.
"Fire is, unfortunately for her, quite useless against these clay constructs," a small smile appearing on his face as if he were finally able to unwind and enjoy the match a little.
"True... given the chakra in them, lightning would be a good response. It's a shame she only knows Fire Style." My remark made Ohnoki look at me appraisingly again.
"Indeed, you must be quite the sensor to notice…" He quieted down, expecting me to elaborate, so I decided to oblige.
"The dolls seem to use a mix of lightning and fire chakra to explode, with the lightning chakra acting as a switch of sorts, the trigger for the explosion," I explained, focusing on sensing the dolls as best as I could, my outsider knowledge not able to fill in the details.
"If you were to apply the correct amount of lightning chakra, the explosive would diffuse. And if you overload it with lightning chakra... it would likely explode prematurely." I finished my analysis just as Izumi quickly jumped back and impaled one of the dolls with a small needle created by her Mangekyō ability, effectively stopping its approach.
Ohnoki's eyes left the battle as I concluded, looking directly at me.
"I see why that Raikage brat would put a bounty on you... if only for the sensory ability," he said quietly before turning to Hiruzen. "Are you trying to make another Yellow Flash, old monkey?" he questioned sharply.
Again, the comparison to Minato was made, but from Ohnoki's perspective, it made a bit more sense than from Jiraiya's.
Hiruzen merely shrugged, already aware that I was quite different from his deceased successor.
"No, of course not. I'm letting him become something new," Hiruzen retorted sharply.
However, I still didn't like the direction of their conversation. The less I thought about Hiruzen's plans for me, the better my mental health became, so I decided to change the topic.
"It also seems Deidara can't create his clay constructs on the fly, and his supply is running low," I said, still watching the match and hoping to steer the conversation back to the fight.
It seemed to work as both Hiruzen and Ohnoki turned their attention back to the arena.
"I told him to stop throwing them around so much…" Han said quietly, sounding defeated. It appeared that Deidara was just as headstrong about his art as he had been in the original timeline.
Izumi seemed to have figured out that her chakra rods disrupted the dolls and started hurling the ones she already had at every clay doll Deidara threw at her, a victorious smirk appearing on her face.
To his credit, Deidara realized the same thing and held off on launching more; instead, he rushed through hand seals and unleashed a thin beam of fire toward Izumi, who dodged slightly to the side, but that turned out to be a mistake. The beam exploded violently with a small electric discharge, causing a fiery blast.
Fortunately for her, Deidara's skewed perception caused by the genjutsu prevented a more direct hit; otherwise, she could have been seriously injured or even knocked out.
While she did sustain burns from the explosion and her vest was scorched badly, she managed to survive. To avoid further injury, she had to discard the vest before it burned through her shirt and fused with her skin.
She didn't seem pleased about being burned again and decided to advance and engage Deidara up close, hoping to leverage her advantage in close quarters due to her Sharingan.
Deidara, realizing the danger, wisely decided to retreat as far away from her as possible, but she was faster and quickly caught up, expertly dodging the explosions he hurled her way.
"Looks like the girl is angry... You better hope she doesn't make an even worse mistake," Ohnoki said, his eyes fixed on the match.
"Mildly annoyed at worst, Tsuchikage-sama. If she really were angry, she would have killed him already," I corrected him, knowing that Izumi could easily impale him with endless microscopic chakra rods and then expand them.
However, I had to agree with him. If Deidara had something prepared, she could be lured into a trap.
Ohnoki grumbled something about disrespect under his breath but continued to focus on the match.
My hunch seemed to be correct; due to the genjutsu, Izumi caught up to Deidara faster than he expected, forcing him to trigger his trap prematurely.
Another explosion shook the arena, but this time, Izumi managed to jump away in time, sending a fireball after Deidara before returning to chase him.
Deidara couldn't run much further, so he attempted to defend himself with taijutsu. "Tried" being the keyword, as Izumi clearly had the upper hand, with the genjutsu ensuring that Deidara struggled to defend himself.
"I see the genjutsu working now… Quite interesting, if I say so myself," Han commented, his eyes fixed on the one-sided taijutsu battle.
I nodded, watching as Deidara was turned into an improvised punching bag. He seemed to realize the issue with his vision and created some distance, flaring his chakra to purge the genjutsu.
Seeing him stumble slightly as his vision returned to normal confirmed his success.
However, Izumi was on top of him again, not allowing him to escape the taijutsu match. She was still winning, but it was clear he was holding his own much better than before.
This drove Deidara into a corner, and he created a powerful explosion aimed at Izumi point-blank. The loud boom made many civilians cover their ears as the dust kicked up by the explosion rose into the air, obscuring the view of the arena.
Deidara was flung out from it soon after, stopping only after his body had dug a sizable trench in the ground, his eyes wide.
I sensed what had happened. For once, Izumi's use of Susanoo was effective. She used it to defend herself from the explosion and sent Deidara flying away, then immediately dispelled it to preserve her eyesight.
"What the fuck was that, hm?" he yelled in Izumi's general direction, but the only answer he received was more chakra rods launched his way.
He dodged to the side just in time to barely avoid them, but the rods then changed direction, catching him off-guard and impaling his arms and legs, effectively immobilizing him.
Izumi was soon proclaimed the winner to thunderous applause from the stands.
Ohnoki looked like he had just sucked on a lemon; his confidence in Deidara's effortless victory was shattered.
I couldn't help but smile. Even though I couldn't take most of the credit, I had indeed helped Izumi reach this level. I felt a sense of pride, for myself and for her as well.
"It was a great match. Dare I say they both deserve to be promoted," I said, receiving a small nod from Han and even Kakashi. Kitsuchi remained silent but smiled slightly, perhaps agreeing with me.
Hiruzen didn't react; instead, he looked at Izumi with interest. He probably figured out what had happened inside that smoke cloud. An Uchiha with Mangekyō, even as a novice user, was a significant boost to the village's arsenal.
I knew he would have Izumi train for a while before subjecting her to a series of tests, just as he was constantly testing me.
I shook my head, forcing myself to move past that train of thought.
I still hadn't forgiven Hiruzen for coming up with the ridiculous plan to have Itachi take the blame for Danzo's fuckups. I might forgive him in time, but I would never forget. No matter how much he acted like a nice grandpa.
The arena erupted with cheers as a farewell party for the foreign participants began. The previous tensions had vanished, replaced by a desire to celebrate… for most people, at least.
Ohnoki wanted to leave as soon as possible, and Han was likely in the same boat. As for Kitsuchi, I had no idea what he was thinking. Kakashi didn't seem too keen on partying either, but Hiruzen was certainly a little enthusiastic about it.
At that moment, the leader of Taki spoke up for the first time, formally inviting us all to celebrate the end of the exam. However, Onoki refused and instead went to collect Deidara from the medics before hurrying off.
Kakashi somehow vanished before Hiruzen could order him to stay and have fun, he probably sprinted off to read Jiraiya's smut book.
I decided to fetch the girls to join the festivities, already resigned to my fate of not training that evening.
I created a shadow clone and sent it to the village to pick up some supplies. I hadn't forgotten about Fu and her future pranking potential, so the clone would deliver her what she needed to get started.
With me visibly present at the party, no one would connect me to any mild tomfoolery; I had to maintain my serious, broody, tough-guy facade, after all.
Speaking of tomfoolery, someone thought it would be funny to give Hana several bottles of alcohol. And guess who ended up with the responsibility of keeping her in check? That's right… an equally eager-to-get-drunk Izumi.
Let's just say I'm never carrying them home again, not until I'm old enough to handle a drink myself. Because, honestly, right now, I could really use one.
Tomorrow morning should be quite the experience for them. The first hangover is always the worst, unless, of course, you decide to outdo it the next time.
The next morning, I was ready for the fun to start.
I stood at the door to the girls' room with a frying pan and a ladle in my hands. I kicked the door in, making as much noise as possible, before banging the ladle against the pan to create an unholy racket to wake them up.
Hiruzen found my antics amusing and joined in, speaking just loudly enough to ensure their headaches became even more unbearable, a stellar performance by the old man, if I may say so. Clearly, just like me, he has done this multiple times.
Overall, the trip wasn't as bad as I had anticipated, but I was finally ready to return home.
Just seconds before we were set to leave, Kakashi mysteriously reappeared, making me freeze for a moment.
Wasn't he supposed to be late for everything? Was this a change, or was that aspect of his personality greatly exaggerated by the fandom? Another piece of information to store for later investigation.
The trip back was quiet, mainly because Hana and Izumi were giving us the silent treatment for bullying them during their hangover.
My reaction? Don't drink more than you can handle. If you overdo it, that's on you, so no bitching about it the next day. Quite simple, really.
As we finally reached the village gates, they seemed to gleam brightly.
At long last, I could resume my training as planned. There was so much to do and so little time.
As soon as I arrived at the training ground, I spotted Hinata already there, once again pushing herself too hard.
I sighed; I had simply traded the hard-headed Izumi for an equally stubborn Hinata. My only saving grace was that unlike Izumi, Hinata wasn't drinking.