Suigetsu was holding Kubikiribocho with one arm, he drank enough water to make his arm, which held the sword, completely buff, and he looked a little funny.
Karin, on the other hand, had a fighting stance with two kunai, one in each hand, and two chains fluttered calmly on her back.
-Begin.- Orochimaru finally spoke.
Suigetsu grinned excitedly, his sword covered in a thin layer of wind, making it extremely deadly.
Karin knew exactly how dangerous Suigetsu's sword was, but her chains were not weak.
She advanced, both chains defending against the sword while the kunai aimed directly at Suigetsu's chest.
Suigetsu clicked his tongue, his sword hadn't cut through the chains, though it had left deep gashes. He ignored Karin's kunai as he used his free hand to deliver a direct punch to her face.
Being stabbed by the kunai caused Suigetsu's chest to explode in water, but it didn't hurt him, instead, his punch was poised to strike, but he changed his mind at the last minute, jumping away.
Below him, a chain jumped from the ground, ready to bind him, but he dodged it before it could.
They knew each other very well, so the ensuing fight became a stalemate, with Karin trying everything to capture Suigetsu with her chains while Suigetsu maneuvered through them, attempting to cut her.
Realizing this was going nowhere, Suigetsu threw himself backward, dropping his sword in mid-air and quickly sealing it.
-Suiton, Suidanha! - A jet of compressed water was spat directly from Suigetsu's mouth, its waves rippling through the ground like a hot knife through butter.
Karin dropped the kunai and quickly made hand seals, slamming her hands on the ground. - Doton: Doryuuheki!
A massive stone wall rose up in front of Karin. Suigetsu's water rippled through the stone, but couldn't penetrate it. Suigetsu stopped, clicking his tongue, catching his sword in mid-air, and charging forward again.
Karin, standing behind the wall, assumed a punching stance and forcefully punched the wall.
The stone shattered directly and was sent flying towards Suigetsu with force, causing him to dodge to the left, but the next moment his eyes widened, a chain shot directly from the earth, advancing and binding him tightly.
Karin smiled, but her smile froze when 'Suigetsu' dissolved into water, it was a water clone.
//-//
(Jugo's POV)
Mei's eyes snapped open, this battle was far superior to the previous ones.
Even she, facing any of them, would have to take them very seriously, especially since Suigetsu didn't use that ability that made him look like a fish.
She frowned slightly, she thought she could tempt Suigetsu with the files on the Hozuki clan. There were many jutsus from when the clan still existed there, but seeing his strength, she was beginning to doubt whether she could attract this boy.
She looked at Jugo, who was focused on the field with interest, she stared at him for a moment, before shaking her head and sighing.
-Have you given up already?- Jugo asked with a slight smile, without turning his face to her.
Mei just huffed slightly, pressing her body closer to his, acting cute.
Jugo just chuckled lightly, Kin beside him mocked the busty woman, but said nothing, she too was impressed by the fight.
If she uses the curse mark, she could be considered a Jonin, even approaching the elite among the Jonin, but compared to those two, she is still far behind, she decided to train more when she returns.
Especially seeing Karin's progress, it was no secret that this little girl wanted a piece of Jugo.
She already had to share with Guren, and now with Mei, among the three, she was the weakest. If Karin joined, she would be the weakest of the four!
Jugo was unaware of Kin's thoughts, instead, he observed the accelerated battle between Suigetsu and Karin. They had grown considerably, but it was Sasuke who had grown the most. Even if the three of them, Karin, Suigetsu, and Ranmaru, joined forces against him, he would still win.
That was the power of the Sharingan, that was the power of Indra's reincarnation.
//-//
The fight continued, the two knew each other so well that they seemed to predict what the other would do. Even so, no one watching the fight got bored, that rapid exchange of movements was incredibly beautiful and dangerous.
One punch and the ground would open up, a cut and a fissure would form, no matter how hard they tried to hit each other, Suigetsu kept anticipating Karin's attacks, and Karin kept defending against Suigetsu's cuts.
Jutsu after jutsu turned the reformed arena into a crater, as if a war had taken place there.
Orochimaru was already licking his lips, curious about the pair, especially seeing all that power. He felt their bodies would be excellent vessels, it was a shame he couldn't touch them.
Instead, Orochimaru had been thinking about playing with insects for a while, and seeing Shino fight, he felt it wouldn't be a bad idea to complement his fighting style.
The microscopic insects in that body wouldn't accept other insects, but it could simply seal them within part of its body, making room for new types.
Insects are very adaptable, perhaps focusing on them for a while will open new doors.
Nobody knew that a "Zerg Queen Orochimaru" was slowly forming during this Chunin Exam.
Karin and Suigetsu were breathing heavily, they had fought at full throttle for dozens of minutes. They hadn't held back, not because there wasn't camaraderie between them, but precisely because of that, because they trusted that the other side could endure it.
While Ranmaru might call his three companions friends with a smile on his face, neither Karin, nor Suigetsu, and certainly not Sasuke, were the sentimental type.
They could joke around with you and act when needed, extremely reliable in protecting each other's backs, but that was it, they wouldn't look at each other shouting the power of friendship.
Suigetsu's smile had faded, he was too tired to play anymore. Karin wasn't much better, she had plenty of chakra, but using the chains was extremely draining. Without the curse mark, both were having difficulties.
Finally, Suigetsu was the first to tire, putting his sword aside, he said. -That's enough, we can't continue like this. If we keep going, one of us will probably get seriously injured. We don't have Ranmaru's regeneration.
Karin narrowed her eyes, but also stopped. If it were someone else, she might think it was a trap, but that guy Suigetsu was too proud for that.
-So? Are you going to give up?- Karin asked, annoyed.
-No way!- Suigetsu mocked her.
A vein throbbed on Karin's forehead, she wanted to continue the fight, raising her hands slightly, but Suigetsu noticed quickly and shouted. -Wait! I have an idea, let's flip a coin!
Karin stopped, almost falling, she looked at Suigetsu as if he were an idiot and shouted. - A coin? Are you a child?! What the hell are you talking about?!
-Sure, that way whoever loses can give up.- Suigetsu shrugged.
Karin opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, closed it again.
She wanted to say how ridiculous it was, but in the end, she just sighed.
-Okay, take the coin.- She agreed.
Suigetsu stopped, reached into his pockets, and said. -I don't have a coin.
Karin took a deep breath, her veins bulging again, and fiercely restrained herself from attacking Suigetsu again.
Suigetsu chuckled slightly, nervously, glancing at Orochimaru not far away. He swallowed hard and asked. -Do you have a coin?
Orochimaru:...