Tsk. You just buried the explosive tag, didn't you?
Shō, hidden beneath the ground, felt the distant tremors. Though he couldn't see what was happening above, he could make a reasonable guess.
Kakashi didn't answer. As the swarm of insects began to slow, he lunged sideways toward Kazuhiko, tanto in hand.
For a brief moment, the parasitic insects, now seemingly out of control, appeared sluggish. Rather than intercepting Kakashi, they continued their descent toward Shō, whose head was the only part still exposed above ground.
"OH MY GOD—Kakashi! Let me out first!!!"
Shō's panic spiked as a wave of insects crawled across his cheeks—some even forced their way into his mouth mid-sentence.
A chilling dread rose up his spine. He thrashed his head wildly, trying to shake off the creeping swarm that made his skin crawl.
Still, more insects burrowed through the gaps in his defenses. The unsettling sensation crawling over every inch of his body promised to leave lasting trauma.
"Urgh...!"
Hearing the muffled scream, Kakashi turned his head—and saw only a parasite-formed head staring back at him. A shiver crept up his own spine. After a moment of hesitation, he looked away.
Nope. Not my problem.
He decided it was better not to intervene and continued charging toward Kazuhiko. The mission came first.
As the smoke from the earlier explosion cleared, Kazuhiko's figure emerged, his black flak jacket torn and tattered. For the first time, his hidden face was revealed.
A handsome but bloodied countenance came into view—blood flowed from his forehead, trickled past the cracks in his sunglasses, and down to his chin before dripping to the rubble below.
Only a handful of parasitic insects remained near him, barely keeping him upright. He knelt on shattered stone, coughing violently.
"I got careless twice in a row... I'm still not ready," he muttered, closing his right eye—the one hidden behind his glasses. A few of his insects crawled along his face, licking the blood left behind.
"But I've still got something up my sleeve."
As Kakashi approached rapidly, Kazuhiko wiped the blood from his mouth with his thumb. He began forming hand seals, but each movement only worsened his injuries. The scent of iron grew thicker with every twitch.
Bang!
Kazuhiko slammed his palm to the ground. Black ink-like markings spread outward, forming a seal array—three intersecting lines ran through a dark circle, from which six radial lines extended like a spider's web.
At its center, white mist began to gather, and a small, palm-sized chakra-sealed gourd emerged.
Swish!
Sensing the shift, Kakashi hurled a kunai to intercept the technique. But Kazuhiko reacted swiftly, using the gourd to deflect it.
The kunai knocked off the gourd's cap, releasing a thick puff of purplish-black smoke that quickly coiled outward like a living mist.
"What is that...?"
Kakashi froze as instinct screamed at him. This wasn't something he could approach carelessly.
"It's fine if you know," Kazuhiko said, excitement coloring his voice. "This is my latest creation—a prototype venom strain. I didn't bring it to the exam earlier because it's still unstable."
This new swarm was different. Though Kazuhiko had previously relied on the standard Aburame kikaichū, these insects were visibly mutated—tinged with violet hues, smaller, and more erratic in their movements.
He had poured months of effort into combining multiple venomous species with chakra-consuming bugs. His goal was clear: to create a parasite that not only devoured chakra but inflicted lasting damage through poison.
But the price was steep. These insects had short life spans and unstable temperaments. Without precise control, they could turn on their host.
Kakashi analyzed the scene quickly. He couldn't risk close combat, and his remaining chakra wouldn't sustain a high-level jutsu. He was stuck on the defensive, dodging the venomous cloud while trying to conserve energy.
Still, his brain raced. He wouldn't give up so easily.
---
"Kakashi is probably going to take second," Ibiki muttered from the observation deck. "It's just a matter of how long he can hold out."
"Yeah," Asuma replied, chewing on a bamboo stick he'd borrowed from Genma—he always felt awkward without a cigarette. "If he were at full strength, those bugs wouldn't be a problem."
"Alright, place your bets!" Genma said cheerfully, pulling out a small notepad. "Loser pays for dinner."
"Kazuhiko's got this."
"Kazuhiko."
"Kazuhiko for sure."
Most observers didn't believe Kakashi stood a chance in his current state.
"I choose Kakashi," Rin said suddenly, her voice firm.
"What?" Genma blinked.
"It has to be Kakashi!" Obito chimed in with a grin. "You've gotta believe in your teammates."
"I think Kakashi takes second," Yuyan added thoughtfully. "But Kazuhiko's probably third..." She winked at Yue mid-sentence, clearly hinting at something.
"I say Bai Ye comes in first," Yue said with surprising confidence, naming a Genin who'd been missing from the match for quite a while.
"…Bai Ye?" Genma looked up blankly. "He was eliminated hours ago. No one even went to rescue him."
"I still choose Bai Ye," Guy said with a thumbs-up. "As an older brother, I can't not support him."
"You people are insane," Xuanjian muttered as he jotted down the choices. The meal's losers were already clear in his mind.
---
"Yuyan," Yue whispered when no one was paying attention. "Has Bai Ye recovered?"
Her expression lit with excitement.
Yuyan leaned over and whispered, "He could move long before your cousin went down. He was hiding underground, digging by hand."
She stifled a laugh as she recalled the sight—Bai Ye, dirt-smeared, using nothing but his bare hands to tunnel forward. He didn't know any Earth Release techniques.
Now, he had finally reached the spot directly beneath Kazuhiko. Just a little more digging upward, and they'd strike.
Bai Ye was waiting patiently below, biding his time—for Kazuhiko to wear himself out fighting Kakashi.
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