The battle raged on.
Shamon's expression grew increasingly grim. It was only the first round, yet Sunagakure had already lost one ninja and another had suffered a serious injury.
If the second round continued like this, Sunagakure's genin might face total annihilation.
As for Magnet Release—
True enough, Magnet Release was indeed powerful and could counter Sakumo Hatake's swordsmanship. But what about Lightning Release?
Not to mention Akaba's genjutsu.
Unlike ordinary illusions, the Sakuma clan's techniques were deadly.
Besides, even if they won one match, so what?
Apart from Sankai, there were still three other victories, but how could they possibly stand against Orochimaru and others in the second round?
Rather than risk everything in the next round, better to lose some face.
The Land of Wind was poor, and every ninja was hard-earned. Therefore, every Kazekage valued practicality—compared to their lives, reputation meant nothing.
After much thought, Shamon reached his conclusion. Throughout it all, Kakashi Windseer remained calm, showing no sign of panic.
"I give up."
With Shinnosuke surrendering, this fight came to an end.
Forcing a smile, Shamon said, "Windseer Jonin, the purpose of the Chunin Exams is to assess the abilities of ninjas, not to truly compete. Now that everyone's capabilities have been demonstrated, there's no need to continue the rest of the matches."
The old geezer couldn't keep sitting still any longer.
Kakashi Windseer took satisfaction in this result—Sunagakure had backed down voluntarily. He glanced briefly at the nine below, then nodded, saying, "Of course. Since this event is hosted by Sunagakure Village, the process naturally falls under your decision."
"Good then. Let's conclude these Chunin Exams here."
Shamon stood up and made a gesture.
Everyone stopped and looked upward.
Maintaining a composed demeanor, Shamon took a deep breath. His voice, amplified by chakra, echoed across the valley: "After three rounds of evaluation, everyone's abilities have been fully demonstrated. Therefore, I declare that this Chunin Exam ends here."
"What?"
Sankai wore a shocked expression, scarcely believing as he turned to look at his teacher.
"The list of promoted chunin will be decided after discussion and announced to the jonin of each village. Please wait patiently."
Shamon said calmly.
After speaking, he turned around and walked away.
"Let's go."
Chiyo sighed softly, understanding Shamon's decision.
"Our village is just too weak."
Ebizō exhaled helplessly.
The Kazekage's decision represented the entire Sunagakure.
Although the procedure hadn't been clearly announced initially, such a result revealed Sunagakure's vulnerability in the eyes of Konoha.
Kakashi Windseer was quite pleased.
Sunagakure had backed down voluntarily. At minimum, Konoha would gain at least one additional chunin spot.
Akaba cast a glance at Sankai.
He hadn't expected the Kazekage of Sunagakure to decide against proceeding with Round Two. That meant he wouldn't get to fight now. Although even if Round Two happened, he might not necessarily face Sankai.
At that moment, Sankai didn't care about Konoha's side and hurriedly left, seemingly rushing to find the Kazekage.
Orochimaru stayed silent for a moment before turning and leaving.
"It seems like I can't help you take revenge today."
Akaba extended his hand so Tsunade could use it to push herself up.
"Thank you."
Tsunade grabbed his hand with effort and stood up slowly.
Her body healed fast, but given how severe her injuries were, she still needed plenty of time to fully recover.
As they left, they followed the Sunagakure ninja through a secure passage that led directly to the main road outside.
"We passed the exam today, so we should probably be heading back tomorrow, right?"
Jiraiya said excitedly. "I can't wait to go back and show Teacher how much I've grown!"
"You idiot," Tsunade snapped in anger. "You only beat some weakling from Sunagakure. What's there to be proud about?"
"You wouldn't understand," Jiraiya scoffed at her.
If his manga could earn The Third's approval, he'd finally get to publish it!
But wisely, he chose not to explain because someone as shallow as Tsunade would never grasp such artistic concepts.
Tsunade trembled with rage.
Back in the day, she would've punched him already. But out of all nine of them, she was one of just two who'd failed—including Shinku Yuhi. It was beyond embarrassing.
Thinking further, she couldn't help but feel disheartened and lowered her head.
Sunagakure had underestimated Jiraiya too much, considering him practically useless, which is why they sent an inferior opponent. Even when matched against another low-tier challenger, Jiraiya still pulled off a win.
"Don't worry about it; victory or defeat is just the result. Promotion will depend on how you improved," Shishio comforted gently.
"I just feel like it might take forever before I can settle this score," she muttered.
"If you want to break through his shell, you'll need more training after we return," Akaba offered no comfort, bluntly pouring cold water instead.
Because he knew perfectly well—Tsunade wasn't the kind of woman who needed sympathy.
"Of course!" Tsunade clenched her fist, secretly plotting what training methods she'd use when she returned.
And seeing Akaba standing there, inspiration struck, instantly lifting her mood.
Back at their lodging, Akaba immediately created a Shadow Clone.
With their departure approaching, he still needed to finish up the final touches for the latest Fire Shadow manga chapter today.
Still, his real body couldn't afford to sit idle either.
Besides updating the Fire Shadow manga, he also had to visit the caravan team.
Unlike the ninjas, part of the caravan members were regular civilians, and since they hadn't completed the manga donation project yet, they might have to extend their stay here by another day or two.
After wrapping things up, Akaba returned from outside.
Just as he sat down, Shinku Yuhi peeked around cautiously, and upon spotting Akaba's return, quickly came downstairs.
"Akaba, got something I wanna discuss with you," Yuhi Shinku hesitated slightly, looking rather embarrassed.
Sipping some water calmly, Akaba motioned for him to continue.
Taking a deep breath, Shinku Yuhi finally spoke: "Akaba… I want to draw manga."
"Pfft—"
The water in Akaba's mouth shot out instantly. Fortunately, he turned his head quickly, so it only splattered onto the floor.
Coughing violently for a moment, he apologized awkwardly before asking, "What do you mean, suddenly wanting to draw manga?"
"Nothing really—I just suddenly felt like doing it," Yuhi Shinku replied.
"Don't tell me you've lost your confidence as a ninja over just one loss. A temporary victory or defeat means little in the long run. After all, ninjas specializing in genjutsu simply aren't suited for direct duels."
Akaba explained.
Illusions do have their strengths, though they come with limitations too.
In some ways, they're incredibly powerful—but once opponents figure out how to counter them, illusions naturally become far less threatening.
Sakuma's illusion techniques were no exception to this rule.
"I know, but drawing manga isn't about escaping—it's because I genuinely enjoy it."
"If that's the case, what kind of story do you want to draw?" Akaba asked.
"That's exactly why I'm asking you to guide me—I don't know what to draw."
"Oh, I see," Akaba fell into thought. So she wanted him to come up with an outline and then have Shinku draw it for her?
The problem was, a lot of stories from his past life just wouldn't work here. Even basic titles like colonel or general needed explanation—many stories from his previous life couldn't be adapted at all. After thinking for a while, he suddenly recalled an old manga titled "Ikkyū-san—the story of a clever little monk."
It had minimal setup and a very straightforward background.
Without hesitation, he explained the plot and setting of this idea to Shinku Yuhi.
"Hey, this actually sounds kinda cool! I'll head home now and start working on it!"
Shinku Yuhi's eyes lit up.
Of course, she wasn't planning to take the idea for free—she intended to draw it herself and hand over all the profits to Akaba as gratitude for his mentorship.
Sure thing, go for it!
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>