Next Day – Training Round Number 1
All the remaining participants of the Chunin Exam gathered on the training grounds for Round 2.
Everyone was buzzing with excitement, whispering to each other, trying to guess what the second test would be.
As they waited, Akira Uchiha appeared once again—
walking calmly onto the ground with Yatagarasu perched on his shoulder.
The moment Akira stepped forward, everyone naturally quieted, but he still clapped his hands twice.
The crisp sound cut through the murmurs, and instantly the entire field went silent.
Akira spoke clearly:
"Congratulations to everyone who has reached Round 2."
He paused slightly, letting the moment settle.
"The test for Round 2 is very simple:
You just have to defeat any summoning or summon beast."
Right after he said this, dozens of Konoha shinobi appeared around the field.
One by one, they performed summoning seals.
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of summons appeared—
ninja dogs, ninja cats, eagles, hawks, giant frogs, elephants, wolves, serpents, and many more.
They covered the training ground like a living forest of creatures.
Akira continued:
"If you can defeat any one of them, you pass this round.
But remember—this exam is not like yesterday's illusion test.
Akira continued:
"From today onwards, in all the next rounds, you will receive points for each stage.
There are different points for defeating different summoning beasts.
The strength of the summons ranges from normal Genin-level all the way up to Elite-Jōnin-level.
So choose wisely which summon you challenge—its strength and the time you take to defeat it."
He looked around the field, letting the pressure settle.
"For example, if you take one minute to defeat a Genin-level beast,
and someone else takes one hour to defeat a Jōnin-level beast,
your points might end up being the same.
So this exam tests not only your combat ability,
but also your knowledge and judgment."
Akira raised a finger.
"Some of you may rely on your instincts to choose or the knowledge you learnt in the ninja school.
But you must consider your own strength,
the strength of the summoning beast,
and the estimated time you will need."
A subtle smile formed on his lips.
"Also, every notable performance in this round
will be broadcast live across all of Konoha.
So remember—you carry your village's reputation on your shoulders."
The moment he said this, the faces of nearly every participant turned tense.
They were all stuck in a dilemma.
If they chose a weak summoning beast, defeated it quickly,
their village might consider them an embarrassment.
But if they became overconfident and chose a stronger beast,
and then lost—or took too long—they would still be mocked as fools.
They had to strike a perfect balance:
a summon strong enough to show their worth,
but not so strong that it risked failure or wasted time.
It was indeed an excellent test.
Those who understood summoning theory could analyze weaknesses,
and even defeat beasts stronger than themselves.
But those who relied only on raw strength,
with no knowledge of summoning creatures…
would either score very low or fail entirely.
---
After hearing the content of the test, all the Jonin teachers from other villages—and even the ninjas of Konoha—were surprised and impressed.
This test was completely different from the old theoretical exams of past Chunin Tests, where most questions felt pointless, like:
"If you throw a kunai at a 39-degree angle at 16 meters per second toward a tree, where will it fall?"
This time, the question truly helped them in real combat.
Everyone felt anticipation rising.
They couldn't wait to see what the candidates from their own villages would choose—
which summon they would challenge,
how strong it would be,
and how long they would take to defeat it.
---
Gaara listened to the explanation of the test, and for the first time in this entire joint Chūnin Exam meeting, something flickered in his eyes—interest.
A test based on real combat decisions… not pointless mathematics disguised as kunai physics.
Yes. This was worth his time.
Gaara slowly turned his gaze toward Akira.
"Which is the strongest summoning-beast in this group?"
The room quieted. A few people blinked, surprised by his blunt question. Akira met his stare calmly and then smiled.
"Well… that would be my partner. Yatagarasu."
Gaara followed Akira's gaze—and saw a small raven perched on his shoulder, feathers glossy, eyes like tiny pieces of night.
Gaara blinked once.
This… is the strongest?
He had expected a massive creature, a hulking summon, not… a bird.
But Gaara wasn't one to care about appearances. Strength was strength.
"I will fight it," he said simply.
A ripple of anticipation spread through the watching crowd. Even the Konoha genin leaned forward a little.
Akira nodded, pleased.
He turned toward the examiners and the surrounding jōnin.
"Well then, this will be the first test. And our first candidate is the Rank 1 of the previous round."
His smile widened. "Let's begin with this fight. Afterwards, the others may choose their options."
He clapped his hands lightly.
"Could you all open up the ground?"
Everyone immediately moved, forming a massive circular space. The center was cleared—almost like an arena—and the atmosphere thickened with expectation.
This is really happening…
Whispers spread.
Gaara versus Akira's strongest beast…?
Can that tiny raven really—?
Akira didn't wait for the murmurs to settle.
He looked at the raven.
"Yatagarasu. Go. Defeat him quickly."
"KRAA."
The raven lifted off his shoulder, its wings slicing the air with a strange, quiet sharpness. It shot toward Gaara—fast, too fast for something that size.
Gaara's expression didn't change.
But he raised his hand slightly, sand shifting at his feet in a low hum.
Interesting, Gaara thought.
---
For a moment, Akira genuinely felt like he had stepped into the Pokémon world.
Yatagarasu… use—
He shook his head sharply.
No distractions. Not now.
Akira pointed forward.
"Yatagarasu—use Sage Chakra."
"KRAA."
The raven's cry echoed like a metallic bell.
And then—its body began to expand.
A small bird… no more.
In seconds, Yatagarasu grew massive, a black metallic titan as large as a house.
Feathers hardened into armor-like plates.
The edges of its wings glinted like forged blades.
Its talons—long, obsidian, spear-sharp—dug into the earth with a resonant thud.
Mouths dropped open.
Now, everyone could believe Akira's claim that this was the strongest summoning-beast.
Even the jōnin nodded silently, impressed.
But Akira paid their reactions no mind.
His eyes stayed locked on Gaara.
"Yatagarasu—Tackle!"
"KRAAA!"
The giant raven kicked off the ground so fast the air cracked.
To the onlookers, it vanished.
Gaara barely raised his hand before—
SHNK
The beast's talon was already at his neck.
Armour of sand.
Gaara blocked with his forearm, sand cushioning the blow, but the sheer force sent him sliding several meters backward, tracks carving through the earth.
Sand shuriken
"Yatagarasu dodge and use Steel wings."
Yatagarasu didn't pause.
He shot upward like a black comet, dodging Gaara's erupting sand shuriken with impossible sharp movements.
Then—
Wind chakra spiraled around his wings, forming cutting crescents.
"KRAAA!"
The wings slammed down like twin executioner blades.
Gaara countered with a towering column of sand—
Sand Waterfall funeral
But Yatagarasu's chakra-coated wings carved through it like hot steel slicing butter.
Gaara's eyes hardened.
His sand wrapped around him, forming his strongest defense—the absolute shield.
The impact detonated the ground.
Gaara survived… but not unscathed.
He was hurled back, tumbling through the dirt with cuts lining his arms.
Akira didn't hesitate.
"Yatagarasu—Feather Rain!"
The massive raven soared upward again, wings spreading wide.
Then—
FWIP-FWIP-FWIP-FWIP
A storm of razor-sharp black feathers, harder than steel, tore down like a deadly monsoon.
Aky sand protective wall
Gaara retaliated instantly, launching defensive sand wall upward.
But the feathers ripped through them, the sand wall shredded midair.
Gaara clicked his tongue and formed a pyramid of sand around himself.
Giant layered Sand burial
The feathers pierced through that as well.
This is troublesome, Gaara thought, irritation flaring for the first time.
He wanted to say something—but held it in, focusing everything on defense.
---
Gaara dodged the storm of razor-sharp black feathers, but several had already sliced through his sand armor, drawing thin trails of blood across his arms.
His breathing was uneven. His eyes narrowed.
He was enraged.
Gaara slammed both hands onto the ground.
"Wind Release: Infinite Sand Cloud — Great Breakthrough!"
From the spot where he stood, an ocean of sand erupted outward like a tidal wave.
A massive sand-tsunami roared toward Yatagarasu, swelling higher and higher until it looked ready to swallow the sky.
For the first time, even the spectators shivered.
This was Gaara's strongest attack—
the strongest he could use without calling on Shukaku.
---
Akira immediately grew serious.
He raised his hand sharply.
"Yatagarasu—Overdrive: Infernal Nova Spiral!"
Yatagarasu froze mid-air.
"Kraa?"
The raven tilted its tiny head.
That… was a very long name.
And Yatagarasu had at least thirty different attacks with long names now because Akira kept inventing them on the spot.
For two seconds, the divine raven looked genuinely confused.
Which attack was that again?
Then Yatagarasu decided:
Probably the strongest one.
Its eyes burned.
In the next instant—
WHOOM!
Black flames exploded out of Yatagarasu's body.
Its form stretched upward, expanding into a monstrous raven of two-stories tall, its core body small and real, but wrapped in a colossal aviary titan made entirely of divine black fire.
A giant of flames.
A sun-eater.
A burning god descending.
Yatagarasu screeched:
"KRAAAAAAAAAA!"
And plunged downward.
---
The tsunami of sand met him head-on.
And vanished.
Every grain that touched the black flames burned instantly to white ash.
The molten remains dripped and evaporated long before they could cling.
Gaara's strongest attack—the one that could bury entire platoons—
was being melted by a flaming raven simply charging forward.
Gasps echoed through the crowd.
Even the jōnin watching felt their scalps tighten.
---
Gaara realized he had no time.
Yatagarasu reached him.
The giant raven slashed with claws that glowed like superheated spears.
Gaara tried forming a sand shield—
But the impact struck like a meteor.
BOOM!
Gaara was lifted off the ground and carried high into the air, pinned under Yatagarasu's blazing grip.
Then—
THROW!
Yatagarasu hurled Gaara downward.
The boy slammed into the sand tsunami he had created.
Before he could recover, Yatagarasu descended again, wings blazing with cutting fire, preparing a finishing strike straight toward Gaara—
Akira's voice echoed:
"STOP!
It's over!"
Yatagarasu instantly tried to brake—
But a flaming house-sized raven cannot suddenly stop.
It swerved awkwardly and missed Gaara, slamming into the ground behind him.
KABOOOOOM!!
A towering explosion of black fire erupted.
Smoke rolled across the entire arena.
For a moment, no one saw anything.
---
When the dust finally cleared…
A small, clueless little raven fluttered upward from the crater, now back to its original size, blinking in confusion as if wondering:
Why am I tiny again? What happened?
The crowd was dead silent.
A moment later—
THUD.
Gaara fell from mid-air, landing on the sand he himself had summoned earlier.
He was alive, conscious, but very clearly defeated.
Yatagarasu chirped softly, flew over, and perched neatly on Akira's shoulder, puffing its chest with pride as if saying:
Kraa! I did good, right?
Akira gently scratched its head.
"You did well."
Everyone around them swallowed hard.
This was just… Round 2.
And Akira's summoned beast had already shown the strength of a monster.
---