The third stage of the top-ten tournament followed a simple format: all first-place winners from each group would face opponents from the losers' bracket according to rank. The victors would advance.
Uchiha Kairen was placed in the tenth group — which meant his opponent was the tenth-ranked contestant from the losers' bracket. In other words, his victory was practically guaranteed. The Uchiha clan was quite fortunate this time — no internal clashes occurred among them.
As for that poor soul from the losers' bracket, he still couldn't win. He was completely worn out. Altogether, the others hadn't fought as many matches as he had alone. He'd used his trump cards several times already; by now, even the dullest opponent could predict his every move. He was frustrated at the loss, but truth be told — if he hadn't been first in the beginning, it only showed his strength wasn't enough.
Six Uchiha had advanced to the top ten. Among them, four hadn't even used their Sharingan — they'd won relying purely on kenjutsu. The Sharingan was a boon for training; as long as one practiced diligently, it produced results with half the effort.
Next came the part everyone was most excited for — the Konoha Judges' Exhibition Match. The participants would be chosen by lottery, drawn by the students themselves. Yes — from this moment on, they were officially "students." Only after a week would they become "contestants."
The students were ecstatic. After all, having these masters as their instructors for an entire week was an enormous benefit. Watching such elite shinobi battle was exhilarating in itself.
The duels were for internal viewing only — meaning only the twenty who had advanced to the third stage could watch. The clan heads served as referees, and the Hokage himself presided, delivering an important address.
As expected, White Fang won the title of "Strongest Judge." The rankings of the others were more or less the same as on the earlier posters — Uchiha Kaze placed second, losing to White Fang by a single move. Surprisingly, a genin named Kosuke defeated Shimura Katsuji, earning third place. The rest remained in roughly the same order.
Fourth: Shimura Katsuji
Fifth: Gekkō Shinji
Sixth: Uzuki Kouji
Seventh: Kazeyuki Ryouei
Eighth: Kamigami Sanju
Ninth: Oda Saiji
Tenth: Kishimoto Daito
Next came the teacher lottery — the prize being their student for the coming week. White Fang drew first — and got Uchiha Kaze. The man was so overjoyed he started shouting with excitement, earning laughter from the dignitaries on the stands. Still a child at heart, they thought, but to have White Fang as your instructor for a week… what incredible luck.
Uchiha Kaze's cousin, Uchiha Danten, was drawn by Uchiha Kaze's elder, Uchiha Gorou. Though they were from the same clan, being trained by one's own kin was still a privilege — after all, other families would never teach you their secret arts. But with one's own, nothing was held back. Gorou could even teach the finer use of the Sharingan and kenjutsu.
Then came Kosuke, the genin — he drew Uchiha Kairen. Kairen rushed over at once, flattering him shamelessly, clinging to him and calling, "Kosuke-sama!" over and over, grinning from ear to ear.
Others might not know, but Kairen certainly did — Kosuke possessed the Second Hokage's kenjutsu lineage, the Konoha-Style Willow, ranked among the top five kenjutsu techniques of the village. The only one he couldn't learn was Flying Thunder God Slash — but even so, this was the last of the top-five kenjutsu he could hope to study.
When the drawing ended, Kairen was relieved that none of the Uchihas had been paired with Shimura Katsuji. Had they been, they'd have preferred to stay home and train alone.
One unlucky soul was drawn by Katsuji. The other Uchihas quickly offered hollow congratulations, saying things like, "Ah, I wish I could trade places with you! To be guided by such a master — what fortune!"
Yeah right, the poor fellow thought bitterly, I'm not from another village! The Shimura clan is known for being rigid and sinister — and you're congratulating me?
Afterward, each teacher led their temporary pupil away to train.
"Not going home!" Uchiha Kaze shouted toward his house. "I'm camping at the Hatake place this week — don't wait up!"
Everyone laughed, watching him with envy. Lucky fool, they thought, what a jackpot he hit!
But that outburst reminded Kairen — he hurriedly asked his teacher where they'd be staying and whether he needed to prepare anything.
Kosuke chuckled. "No need for all that. We're heading into the Forest of Death — seven days of wilderness training."
For the first three days, Kosuke simply sparred with him, observing his foundation. On the fourth day, he took out a scroll. Kairen thought it might be the legendary Konoha-Style Willow jutsu and opened it eagerly — only to find that it contained tactical insights and battle notes instead. But then again, it made sense. It'd be too generous to hand over his ultimate technique after only a week of apprenticeship.
Kairen read the scroll while continuing to spar daily. Unknowingly, the seventh day arrived. Tomorrow, he would return for the tournament. He had completely digested all the content of the scroll.
The scroll contained summaries of each of the first three days' matches, recording Kairen's weaknesses and Kosuke's advice, along with detailed notes on technique variations. Line by line, the man had written it all himself — he had truly poured his heart into the training.
Kairen was deeply moved. On the final day, the two didn't even train. They bathed in the river, scrubbed each other's backs, roasted game, sang songs — spending their last day as master and disciple in leisure and laughter.
When Kairen returned to the arena, his body and spirit were in perfect condition.
The tournament resumed. His opponent was the first-place winner from the ninth group — Gekkō Hyakushou.
As soon as the match began, Hyakushou used the Transparency Jutsu, slipping around Kairen's surroundings unseen. Anyone else might have panicked — fighting an invisible enemy, unable to react until struck.
But Kairen was different. He didn't rely on sight to sense his opponent — he relied on perception.
Perfect counter. Sorry, little brother, Kairen thought, murmuring an apology in his heart.
"One Sword Style: Sky-Cutting Slash!" He swung once toward the empty air, then closed the distance with lightning speed.
"One Sword Style: Swallow Reversal!"
The fight ended instantly. Gekkō Hyakushou's sword flew from his grasp.
The battle ended so quickly that the audience barely understood what had happened. To the average spectator, it looked as if one person turned invisible — and then the other swung a few times at empty air — and suddenly, the match was over.
Was that… a fake fight?
But the discerning could tell — Uchiha Kairen's strikes were razor-sharp, the movements of a seasoned swordsman with years of combat behind him. Clearly, Kosuke had trained him well.
The subsequent matches included another Uchiha vs. Uchiha duel. Finally, the top five were decided — four from the Uchiha clan and one from the Shimura clan: Shimura Tokuho.
In the 6–10 bracket, the Uchiha took sixth and eighth. Uchiha Kaze, who ranked sixth, confidently challenged Tokuho for fifth — but was defeated by Tokuho's ruthless, wound-for-wound fighting style.
Kaze still lacked real combat experience. If someone with more battlefield sense had his level of skill, Tokuho would've been crippled.
But such a reckless fighting style couldn't last long in real war. No one survives many battles like that. Clearly, Tokuho's tactic was deliberate — Kairen analyzed this and warned the other three Uchihas to be cautious.
It was time, he said, for the Shimura clan to taste what it meant to be surrounded and overwhelmed.
But before they could act, Tokuho raised his hand. "I'm injured and can't continue," he declared, contentedly taking his seat in fifth place.
Shameless, the Uchihas thought. Typical Shimura. His strength had been an act — he'd merely used bluster to intimidate Uchiha Kaze. A clever tactic indeed.
The four Uchihas, all familiar with one another, soon filled the third and fourth seats, awaiting the final showdown — Uchiha Kairen vs. Uchiha Danten.
As the two stepped onto the field, every Uchiha in the stands rose to their feet. This was their clan's pride — the top four of Konoha's first Kenjutsu Tournament were all Uchihas, and now, the strongest would be decided between two of their own.
Behold, they thought, this is the strength of the greatest clan.
Those who relied on underhanded tricks could only shine for a moment — look at the Shimura, who couldn't even fight another round.
Kairen and Danten clasped their hands in the seal of confrontation. Both immediately activated their Sharingan — Danten's had even evolved to three tomoe. They were evenly matched, every clash a spark of steel and chakra.
"Uchiha Style Kenjutsu: Combination Technique — Blazing Tempest Slash!"
Danten was the first to change tactics, unleashing a familiar combination sword technique — only now, its power was far greater.
"One Sword Iaijutsu — Lion's Song!"
Kairen's strike, using the back of his sword, split apart Danten's jutsu and sent him flying. Even so, the strike left a deep wound on Danten's body.
There was no need to announce the result.
Uchiha Kairen had won — the champion of First Konoha Shinobi Sword Tournament.