Akio now stood only 152 centimeters (5 feet) tall.
Of the six young shinobi surrounding him, Toneri was the tallest, standing several inches above him. The others weren't much shorter.
Yet despite the height difference, Akio simply stood there with his hands behind his back.
The quiet pressure radiating from him made the six children feel as though they were facing a towering giant.
None of them dared make the first move.
He watched the other eight shinobi disappear in pursuit of the Sound Four before finally turning his attention back to the group before him.
"Hm?"
"Eight plus six is... fourteen?"
He frowned.
"Shouldn't there be fifteen of you?"
After a moment he coughed.
"Konoha only sent fourteen kids after us?"
The six exchanged glances.
Then they visibly relaxed.
He can't even count.
Maybe he isn't that impressive after all.
Akio frowned.
Wait... did I miscount?
Wasn't someone missing...?
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Seeing him distracted, the six launched their coordinated assault.
Sasuke attacked first with a massive stream of dragon-shaped flames while the other five closed in from multiple angles.
"Oh, right!"
Akio snapped his fingers.
"Shino isn't here!"
He casually waved a hand.
The blazing dragon instantly dispersed as though someone had blown out a candle.
The five close-range fighters immediately retreated.
Silence filled the battlefield.
After a long pause...
"Fat Cat!"
Tenten finally broke the silence.
"Wake up!"
"We need help!"
"Meow..."
"Don't interrupt my nap."
Tenten pouted and gently set the enormous white cat on the ground.
The lazy creature had become hopeless.
Taking a deep breath, crimson chakra surged around her body, even stronger than it had been during the Chunin Exams.
Her fingernails lengthened into razor-sharp claws.
Ever since she'd been attacked, Fat Cat had been feeding her plenty of its mysterious "nutritional supplements."
"Lee!"
"Right!"
"Fifth Gate... Gate of Limit!"
One glowing red.
One glowing green.
The two burst forward simultaneously.
Tenten became a crimson blur while Lee shattered the earth beneath his feet.
They attacked from opposite directions.
Akio simply raised one hand and one foot.
He caught Tenten's wrist.
Then kicked Lee away in one effortless motion.
"These little cat claws..."
He chuckled.
"Interesting."
"Gentle Fist!"
"Eight Trigrams—One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!"
"Oh?"
Akio smiled.
"You've mastered all one hundred twenty-eight strikes now?"
Using the edge of his hand like a pair of scissors, he neatly clipped Tenten's sharpened nails before flicking her backward.
Then he calmly met every one of Neji's palm strikes.
Palm against palm.
Not a single hit landed.
The sharp chirping of Chidori echoed across the battlefield.
Hoshino charged in from the flank.
"Neji!"
"Move!"
Sasuke rapidly completed another set of seals.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique!"
Four enormous dragons of flame erupted simultaneously.
Above.
Below.
Left.
Right.
Every escape route vanished beneath roaring fire.
Akio nodded approvingly.
"You've even mastered one of the most difficult A-rank Fire Release techniques."
"Well done."
He casually raised a hand.
Ten Minutes Later
The six shinobi still surrounded Akio.
But now every one of them was breathing heavily.
Lee suffered the most.
The strain from opening the Fifth Gate had left him barely able to stand.
Meanwhile...
Akio had received every attack with nothing but his hands.
He hadn't moved a single step.
An overwhelming sense of helplessness settled over the group.
"This isn't possible..."
Sasuke muttered.
"Even my brother..."
Tenten's Two-Tails chakra cloak was beginning to fade.
She looked toward Fat Cat, who remained sound asleep.
"Fat Cat!"
"Wake up!"
"Someone's actually going to die!"
"Purr..."
Tenten stared.
"…Hopeless."
Toneri gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
His blue eyes became noticeably deeper.
A cloak of emerald chakra slowly enveloped his body.
Sasuke blinked.
"Toneri has another power?"
"Green chakra..."
"What is that?"
Akio frowned.
Tenseigan Chakra Mode...
And he's using it before fully awakening the Tenseigan...
"Nope!"
"We're done!"
Akio suddenly pulled off his mask.
"Otsutsuki Toneri."
"Tenten."
"Rock Lee."
"You've all passed."
"You're officially chunin."
The six stared blankly.
Toneri slowly let the green chakra fade.
"You..."
"You're the examiner?"
Akio laughed and released the Transformation Technique covering his hair.
Bright red hair instantly returned.
"It's me, Toneri."
Toneri blinked.
"Who?"
Akio:
"…."
"Great-Grandpa?!"
Sasuke looked completely stunned.
"Naruto knew the whole time, didn't he?"
Akio raised an eyebrow.
"You got played."
Sasuke:
"…."
The others gradually pieced everything together.
The moment Lee realized he'd become a chunin, he leaped into the air with excitement.
When he landed...
He didn't get back up.
"Lee!"
Tenten and Neji hurried over.
Hoshino simply smiled, rose onto her toes, and mentally drifted somewhere far away, blissfully unconcerned with the world around her.
Akio sighed.
He walked over and sat atop Fat Cat like it was a cushion.
"Meow?"
While treating the torn muscles in Lee's legs, he explained the purpose behind the entire examination.
Five minutes later...
Akio pointed into empty space.
A humanoid-shaped portal opened before them.
"Come on."
"Let's see how the other eight are doing."
"Sasuke."
"I'll even let you personally evaluate Naruto afterward."
Sasuke's lips slowly curled into a rather intimidating grin.
"Thank you... Great-Grandpa."
Akio stepped into the portal.
"Oh."
"By the way..."
"Where did Shino go?"
The six exchanged awkward looks.
Akio sighed.
"…Never mind."
Valley of the End
Following their mysterious rescuer's instructions, the Sound Four arrived at the Valley of the End.
However...
They ignored the suggestion about hiding beneath the lake.
After all, the pursuing team didn't have Fat Cat with them.
They decided it was time to teach Konoha's overconfident youngsters a lesson.
Unfortunately for them...
Their opponents were being led by Shikamaru.
Under his careful tactical command, the battle became hopelessly one-sided.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio immediately lured the simple-minded Jirobo away, preventing the Sound Four from coordinating their combination techniques.
From there, everything unraveled.
Naruto took on Sakon and Ukon by himself.
The twin brothers barely managed to hold him back.
Sakura supported Hinata and Kiba against Tayuya and her genjutsu.
Sai kept Kidomaru occupied.
Thanks to Shikamaru's strategy, the Sound Four were quickly defeated one after another.
Konoha claimed a decisive victory.
"Ah!"
Sakura suddenly cried out.
"What's that?"
Everyone looked up.
Six tiny black portals had appeared overhead.
Inside each one...
An eye silently stared down at them.
The sight was deeply unsettling.
"Brother Neji's eyes..."
"And Toneri's..."
Hinata immediately tensed.
The portals expanded.
Akio stepped through wearing a broad smile.
Defeating the Sound Four had just earned him another 120 Witness Points.
"Congratulations."
"All of you have passed."
"You're now officially chunin!"
"Oh!"
"Great-Grandpa!"
Naruto cheered.
Then he noticed Sasuke's murderous glare.
Feeling just a little guilty...
He stuck out his tongue.
Sasuke's forehead twitched.
Akio chuckled.
He was just about to explain everything
When his expression suddenly changed.
He turned south.
A loud buzzing filled the air.
Moments later, Shino came sprinting into the valley.
"…Is it over?"
Naruto blinked.
"Huh?"
"Shino?"
"Why are you coming from that direction?"
Shino stood frozen.
"…."
I want to complain.
I might even cry.
---
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