The third day of the Land of Fire Youth Ninja Competition dawned with a sky streaked in gold and lavender. A cool breeze carried the murmur of countless voices as the clans gathered once more. By now, the crowd had grown to fever pitch—after two days of eliminations, tensions were higher than ever. Each match meant one clan's heir would rise, and another would fall.
Keiji Uchiha sat in the stands among his kin, his Shiny Gengar floating just above his shoulder, casting long shadows that drew nervous glances from nearby spectators. The ghost's grin was wide as ever, but Keiji's own expression was still. His eyes swept across the arena, sharp and calculating.
The proctor stepped forward, his voice carrying over the noise.
"Day Three, First Match of the Preliminaries! Kaya Kaguya versus Dōtō Akimichi!"
The names themselves drew a surge of murmurs. The Kaguya clan—whispered as bloodthirsty warriors with cursed bones. The Akimichi clan—pillars of strength, their massive physiques hiding surprising agility. The clash promised spectacle.
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The Fighters Appear
From the northern gate, Kaya Kaguya emerged.
Her silver hair gleamed like moonlight, cascading down her back, and her robes swayed with her graceful steps. Her silver eyes were calm, detached, and unflinching as they scanned the arena. She did not wave to the crowd nor acknowledge their whispers; she simply walked, poised, as if she had stepped from a dream into a battlefield.
From the southern gate, Dōtō Akimichi entered.
Large and round but muscular, his presence filled the space with warmth and energy. His brown hair was tied back messily, his cheeks full, and his grin wide. He thumped his heavy gauntlets together with a booming clang that sent a ripple through the air. "Finally! A real fight!"
The contrast was almost poetic: predator and prey—or perhaps two forces of nature destined to collide.
The proctor raised his hand.
"Begin!"
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Opening Clash
Dōtō wasted no time. "Partial Expansion Jutsu!"
His arms swelled grotesquely, muscles bulging until his fists were the size of boulders. He charged, each step shaking the arena. Dust sprayed from beneath his sandals as his fists crashed down like falling trees.
Kaya tilted her head, eyes narrowing.
"Dance of the Camellia."
From her hand sprouted a sharpened bone blade, white and gleaming. With elegant precision, she slid aside, her robes whispering across the ground. As his fist crashed past her, she slashed, carving a shallow line across his expanded arm.
Dōtō roared with laughter, not pain. "That tickled!" He swung again, fists like hammer blows.
But Kaya moved like flowing water, her strikes subtle and deliberate. Each pass of her bone blade cut a little deeper, her expression unchanging.
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Strength vs. Precision
Dōtō pivoted on his heel, chakra surging. "Expansion Jutsu: Human Boulder!"
His entire frame inflated, limbs retracting into his bulk. In moments, he became a massive rolling sphere of flesh and armor, tearing across the arena at terrifying speed.
The crowd erupted—shouts of awe and panic mingled as his enormous form crushed stone tiles in his wake.
But Kaya did not flinch.
"Dance of the Willow."
From her arms, multiple bone blades sprouted in arcs, extending like the branches of a tree. She spun gracefully, planting some into the ground for leverage, and vaulted over the rolling Akimichi. Sparks flew as bone scraped against reinforced armor, leaving deep gouges.
She landed softly behind him, bones retracting seamlessly back into her body. Her robes barely stirred.
Dōtō skidded to a halt, sweat glistening on his brow. His grin faltered.
"You're… annoying."
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The Turning Point
With a growl, Dōtō slammed his hands together. Chakra flared around him in waves.
"Multi-Size Expansion Jutsu!"
His body ballooned further, towering over Kaya. His fists became mountains of flesh, his body shadowing half the arena. He raised one enormous hand and brought it crashing down.
The ground split open, dust exploding into a choking cloud. Gasps erupted from the crowd—surely, she'd been crushed.
When the dust cleared, Kaya stood untouched. She was behind him, her silver eyes gleaming with cold detachment.
From her shoulder sprouted a long spear-like bone.
"Dance of the Larch."
She thrust it forward with elegance. The bone spear pierced through the air, striking just beneath Dōtō's ribs. Not deep enough to kill—but precise enough to stab into his chakra pathway.
Dōtō's expansion faltered. His size shrank uncontrollably, his balance failing. He stumbled backward, the shock evident on his face.
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The Finishing Move
Kaya stepped forward, her robes flowing like water. Her voice was calm, almost serene.
"Dance of the Clematis: Vine."
From her arm sprouted a whip-like bone, wrapping tightly around Dōtō's torso. He roared, straining with all his bulk to break free, muscles bulging. But her chakra control locked the bone's grip immovably.
"Clematis: Flower."
From the whip, a secondary bone spear erupted, slamming into the stone beside his head with a resounding crack. Dust and shards flew.
Dōtō froze, his wide eyes staring at the bone's tip, mere inches from piercing his skull. His strength faltered. His enormous body sagged, shrinking back to its natural size. He collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath, chakra drained by overexpansion.
The proctor raised his hand.
"Winner: Kaya Kaguya!"
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Aftermath
The arena filled with a cacophony of cheers, gasps, and horrified whispers. Some praised the Akimichi's bravery, others marveled—or recoiled—at the elegance and menace of the Kaguya's bone techniques.
Dōtō was hauled up by Akimichi clan medics, still managing a weak grin despite his exhaustion. "Heh… guess I bit off more than I could chew."
Kaya retracted her bones, her body returning to seamless elegance. Her silver eyes swept the crowd, calm and detached, as if she hadn't just disassembled a giant of a boy with frightening precision.
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Uchiha Stand – Keiji's Reaction
Keiji leaned forward in silence, watching Kaya's every move. Shiny Gengar hovered beside him, its grin somehow sharper than usual, as if savoring the spectacle.
"That," Keiji muttered, "wasn't a fight. It was a demonstration."
Gengar's laugh echoed softly, like the rattle of bones in a grave. "Gengengarrr… the girl dances with death. Elegant. Efficient. The Akimichi boy? Too loud, too slow. She cut his soul before her blade touched."
Madara's voice rumbled from nearby, calm but hard. "The Kaguya. Their art is killing, nothing more. Even restrained, their dances are designed for war, not tournaments."
An elder stroked his beard, his expression unreadable. "Perhaps. But elegance aside, it is control that makes her dangerous. No wasted movement. No wasted strike."
Keiji's thoughts churned. Kaya's poise unsettled him. Unlike Sayaka's fiery recklessness or Hinuru's stoic precision, Kaya radiated something else entirely—cold inevitability.
He found himself wondering: If she can turn combat into art, then what do I make of my own?
Gengar nudged his shoulder playfully, whispering in his mind, Maybe,Keiji, you'll dance too someday… in blood or in shadows.
Keiji shivered but didn't answer.
The proctor's voice cut through the air:
"The first match of the third day is decided!
The next contenders—prepare yourselves!"
The crowd roared, banners swaying, excitement surging again.
Keiji's gaze lingered on Kaya Kaguya as she left the arena, robes flowing, silver eyes unblinking. She had won without hesitation. Without mercy.
The thought gnawed at him: Tomorrow or the next, paths like hers and mine will cross.
And when they did, whose dance would end in silence?
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End of the Chapter
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