"Fourth Match: Uzumaki Kushina vs. Rindo."
The proctor glanced at the large display screen and called out the names of the two combatants.
"It's my turn! Time to put on a show." Brimming with confidence, Kushina leapt down from the stands and landed gracefully at the center of the arena.
Her opponent, Rindo, stepped forward as well—none other than the Sand shinobi who had previously clashed with her.
Back then, he and another teammate, Haruko, had tried to gang up on Kushina, only to be taken down by her alone. Now, facing her one-on-one, there was little chance he could win.
Yet Rindo didn't show any intention of backing down. On the contrary, he boldly provoked her. "This time, I won't lose to you again!"
Although he'd been defeated by her before, he had since gathered intel on Kushina. And in this era—where raw power hadn't yet upended all balance—intel played a crucial role in ninja combat.
Kushina, however, remained just as confident. "If I beat you once, I can beat you again!"
Confidence was good. But as soon as the examiner announced the start of the match, Kushina was caught off guard—Rindo had no intention of engaging in close combat.
He maintained distance and bombarded her with throwing tools and Wind Release techniques.
Lately, Kushina had been training under Uzumaki Mito, focusing primarily on sealing techniques. After all, she was expected to become the next Nine-Tails Jinchūriki at any time.
Aside from the basic ninjutsu she had learned at the academy, she didn't have much in the way of ranged attacks. The only one available to her—Adamantine Sealing Chains—she hadn't fully mastered yet.
And so, Kushina was temporarily at a disadvantage.
In the spectator stand, Mikoto couldn't help but voice her concern. "Is Kushina going to lose?"
Aoshi, however, remained calm. "She's not going to lose—it all depends on whether she can find a breakthrough."
"If she does, she can finish it quickly. If not, she'll just have to wait for her opponent's chakra to run out."
To be fair, Rindo's strategy wasn't bad. But unfortunately, he chose the wrong opponent.
As a member of the Uzumaki Clan, Kushina's greatest assets were her massive chakra reserves and tenacious vitality. Had he faced anyone else, his plan might've worked.
But Kushina didn't want to drag things out. Gritting her teeth, she unleashed the still-unrefined Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Two chakra chains burst from her back. She could technically summon more, but controlling more than two at once was beyond her current ability.
"What is that technique?" Rindo was visibly shaken—he'd never seen anything like it.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi looked surprised. He hadn't expected Kushina to already be capable of using the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Over on the Cloud side, Toroi couldn't hide the covetous gleam in his eyes.
Adamantine Sealing Chains… a sealing technique unique to the Uzumaki Clan. Strong enough to bind and seal even the Nine-Tails.
If the Hidden Cloud possessed this jutsu, there'd be no need to fear the rampages of the Eight-Tails. No matter what, this mission must succeed.
Such a sealing technique must belong to the Hidden Cloud!
Whoosh! The two chakra chains shot toward Rindo, who dodged with a body flicker.
This was exactly why Kushina rarely used this jutsu. If she could control more chains, she'd bind her opponent the moment she attacked—there would be no chance to escape.
She could even create a chakra barrier using the chains, sealing off her enemy's movement completely.
"You're not getting away!" With a fierce yell, Kushina guided her chains to chase Rindo down relentlessly.
To avoid being caught, he had no choice but to keep dodging. The momentum of the match began to shift.
"Is Rindo about to lose?" Haruko couldn't believe what she was seeing.
To avoid losing to Kushina again, they had spent the past few days analyzing her intel and crafting a strategy.
But they never expected she had been hiding such a powerful technique. She glanced at the silent Rasa beside her and could only pray that Rindo would somehow turn the tables.
Unfortunately, reality doesn't change just because you pray. Eventually, Rindō failed to dodge in time and was caught—chakra chains binding his ankles.
With that, the outcome was clear. Knowing he had no hope of a comeback, Rindō admitted defeat.
"Fourth Match Winner: Uzumaki Kushina!"
Watching Kushina claim victory, Aoshi quietly reflected. Right now, Kushina has massive chakra reserves but can't utilize them effectively in battle.
It reminded him of Naruto before he learned the Rasengan. Come to think of it, in the original story, Minato had developed the Rasengan based on the Tailed Beast Bomb—just so Kushina's chakra could be used to its full potential.
But now, with Aoshi's presence having shifted the timeline, there was a chance Minato wouldn't create the Rasengan at all.
Considering this, Aoshi made a decision: He would develop the Rasengan instead.
After all, a world without the Rasengan would just feel… incomplete. If others heard this idea, they'd be shocked—maybe even think Aoshi was delusional.
After all, learning an existing jutsu and developing one from scratch were two completely different things.
Even with Jiraiya's help, Minato had taken three years to invent the Rasengan. Meanwhile, Naruto learned it in under a month.
The contrast spoke volumes.
And to be precise, the Rasengan that Minato created was technically a half-finished product. It perfected shape transformation, but lacked nature transformation. It was only in Naruto's hands that the Rasengan truly reached its peak.
But since Aoshi had made this decision, he naturally had the confidence to see it through.
"Fifth Match: Hyuga Yuu vs. Misaki."
Hyuga Yuu was a branch family member of the Hyuga Clan. Though not seen in the original story, he ranked near the top in this Chunin Exam.
Misaki, on the other hand, was another one of Pakura's subordinates.
Seeing the two enter the arena, Aoshi had a strange look on his face. He couldn't help but feel like Pakura's squad was cursed with bad luck.
One faced Killer Bee, and now another was up against a Hyuga. If nothing unexpected happened, Misaki wouldn't be able to beat someone from the Hyuga Clan.
And as it turned out, Aoshi was right.
Though Misaki was strong, she couldn't hold up against the Hyuga—even if her opponent was from the branch family.
Once Hyuga Yuu sealed her chakra points with Gentle Fist, she could no longer defend herself, and a few swift strikes ended the match.
"Fifth Match Winner: Hyūga Yuu." The proctor quickly declared the result.
As before, Aoshi stepped in to bring Misaki back to the stands and heal her.
Earlier, Rindō had surrendered before sustaining any serious injuries, so Kushina hadn't harmed him. But now that Misaki was injured, Aoshi wasn't about to miss the chance to earn a reward.
[Treatment of Misaki is complete. Reward: 1 Blue Orb.]
[Congratulations! You've gained 80 Chakra Points.]