Amaya Uzumaki POV
As soon as the sensor jounin announced the end of the match, I finally noticed the entire arena was in complete silence. Not even the sound of the wind existed in that moment. And everyone's stares were completely fixed on me and Shisui.
But the spectators' silence lasted exactly two seconds.
Then the crowd went wild. Countless voices flooded the surroundings. Applause, cheers, and celebrations came from all sides at that moment.
I moved the kunai in my hand away from my brother, storing it away while I dematerialized the chain that was restraining him, allowing him to move freely.
We were still a bit breathless from everything that had happened in the last few minutes. As soon as we faced each other, we extended our hands towards one another, forming the Seal of Reconciliation, finally ending our fight.
And in the same instant, we smiled. It wasn't a fight anymore, so the Ninja Code didn't apply to stop us from showing what we felt right then.
— You okay, nii-san? — I asked quietly.
— Aside from the exhaustion that'll probably make me sleep for the rest of the week, yeah — He gave a weak laugh — And you?
— Same situation — He laughed.
The people watching this final stage of the Exams were still fervently cheering as Shisui and I left the arena grounds.
As we climbed the stairs leading to the genin waiting area, we saw all the kids there with their eyes on us. The sound of their clapping was the first thing I could process.
Ichiro, Yuki, Seiji, Hiroshi, and Kakashi... They all had smiles on their faces. Akira's teammate, Yuki, looked surprised but still happy. The three Uchihas had minimal smiles, typical for them, but they were still sincere.
And Kakashi... Having known him for over a year, his expressions, even with the mask, were clear to me. He was truly smiling then, he was... Happy. I'd even risk saying proud.
I felt Shisui put his hand on my shoulder, making me look at him. Unlike his clansmen, my brother wasn't holding back his smile.
It all warmed my chest, it was such a good feeling, tender, and it gave me an inexplicable lightness. Because of that, I couldn't help but smile too.
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One of the jounin assisting with the Exams came to the arena's waiting area, telling us we were free to go and that any information regarding our promotion to chunin would be relayed if we were summoned to the Hokage's building during the week.
I left the waiting area accompanied by Kakashi and Shisui, with my brother asking me a thousand and one questions about the techniques I used at the end of our fight. Kakashi wasn't as intense as my brother, but I could tell he was curious too.
I didn't need to explain much about the Flying Thunder God Technique since it was well-known in the village thanks to Minato's use of it.
What I really had to explain were the Adamantine Sealing Chains. That was a technique used strictly by members of the Uzumaki clan, given the huge amount of chakra required and the precision needed to control it.
With it, the user's chakra is concentrated and shaped into chains, then materialized in the physical plane, using the user's own body as the point of origin. These chains could be used for various purposes, like direct combat, physical immobilization, or even sealing away a target's chakra.
The user of this technique can project up to five chains simultaneously, even raising barriers with them nothing and no one could leave or enter that barrier once the user erected it.
The expressions of surprise on Kakashi and Shisui's faces were priceless right then, and I couldn't help but be amused by it.
— I just take my eyes off you for a few weeks and you come back even stronger... — Hatake commented with a weak smile for me.
— Are you admitting Amaya's superiority? — Shisui asked in a teasing tone and the platinum blonde shrugged.
— As I recall, you're the one who lost to her, weasel-face — Kakashi reminded my brother calmly, but a teasing smile was subtle on his expression.
— You... — Before they could continue arguing, I quickly interrupted them.
— You've both gotten stronger too — I gave a weak smile — I was a bit worried about who I'd end up having to face after I beat Ichiro — I looked at them — Because I knew either of you would be a tough opponent.
That made the two boys smile. It was exactly what Shikaku always told us during training: I was the team's balancing point in any situation.
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We had barely left the arena when the people who had been watching the fights started praising us. Some greeted us, others talked about what surprised them most about the fights, among many other things.
It was strange, thinking back to just over a year ago when I first arrived in the village: people feared and rejected me. It's not like those people were completely gone, but a large majority now seemed more willing to get close.
And that made me happy.
But even so, I couldn't feel very comfortable surrounded by so many people with their attention focused on me. Kakashi and Shisui noticed it quickly and tried to move away with me from the crowd, but it wasn't helping much.
Since everyone was leaving the arena due to the Chunin Exams being over, we ended up being carried along with them and got separated. I tried to see where the two might be, but it was impossible in that sea of people.
It was during those seconds of looking around that I felt someone grab me by the waist and lift me off the ground. Before I could protest, I was lifted above the crowd leaving the arena, being placed on someone's shoulders.
When I looked down, the first thing I saw was spiky yellow hair. He lifted his head to look at me, letting me see his vivid blue eyes, along with the contagious smile on his face.
— Minato! — I said, surprised and also happy to see him back in the village — When did you get back?
— Not long ago — The blonde commented — But I got to watch your last fight — He smiled even more cheerfully — You were incredible, Amaya! — And this time, I was the one who smiled.
Namikaze carried me on his shoulders through the crowd. A bit further from all the commotion, I soon saw Kushina, as well as a tall man beside her.
He had spiky white hair tied in a low ponytail, and red lines under his eyes. He wore gray clothes with a metal armor over them. He had a serious posture and expression, standing with his arms crossed.
As we approached, Kushina and the man with her looked at us. The redhead instantly smiled animatedly and started moving her hands as she gestured, while the man beside her looked me over carefully, from top to bottom.
— What was that fight, dattebane?! — The redhead asked rapidly, gesturing with her hands — How long have you mastered the Adamantine Sealing Chains? How did you think of doing that to win the fight, 'tebane? Why...! — The white-haired man laughed, making the Uzumaki stop her questions.
— You haven't changed a bit, Kushina! — He commented casually — Let the girl breathe first — The redhead stared at him with narrowed eyes and her cheeks slightly puffed, making us laugh.
Seems he's not as serious as he looks..., I pondered in my personal assessment of him.
— Amaya, this is my sensei, Jiraiya — Minato introduced us next and I looked at the man — Sensei, this is Amaya.
— It's a pleasure to meet you, Jiraiya-san — I said calmly and lowered my head a little, since I was still on Minato's shoulders.
— Likewise — Jiraiya returned the greeting, still smiling — I've heard a lot about you, Amaya-chan, and I got to see today. My congratulations on your great victory — I felt my cheeks heat up and gave a weak smile.
— Th-Thank you — I thanked him more quietly.
Being openly praised by Minato, Kushina, Kakashi, or even Shisui always made me embarrassed, but when it was someone I wasn't close to yet, my shyness went through the roof.
Jiraiya looked at me for a moment before laughing again. He turned his gaze to Kushina beside him.
— She's almost a copy of you when you were younger — The man commented — But only physically, because in behavior she's completely my pupil! — He brought his gaze to the blonde and me next.
I looked at him without understanding for a moment, until I looked down and saw Minato slightly blushing, just like I was a few moments ago. This time, I couldn't help but laugh at Jiraiya's observation.
— Well, let's head home, you all need a bath and some good rest — Kushina declared, and we looked at each other laughing, agreeing immediately.
As we followed the others to leave the area around the arena, I told Minato and Kushina about my progress with the techniques they had taught me and about the surprise it was for them to see them used in the Exams.
I was far from mastering the Hiraishin and the Adamantine Sealing Chains, I was fully aware of that, but having managed to use even the basics of them made the two proud, and me happy.
Jiraiya also asked me a few questions. Apparently, he already knew about me, even about my past in the lab, but he didn't seem bothered by it, which was a relief.
As we talked and finally moved away from the entire crowd leaving the arena, I noticed two people heading in the opposite direction from everyone else and an involuntary chill ran down my spine from top to bottom.
When I tried to get a better look at those people, they were already out of sight. Why did I feel that...?, I wondered, but quickly brushed it off due to another of Jiraiya's comments, teasing Minato about the blonde's shyness.
Third Person POV
While Amaya headed home with her family and Jiraiya, another of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, and the Hokage's Advisor, Danzo, passed near the four, just to get a better look at the little Uzumaki, even if only for a moment.
It was the exact second they laid eyes on her that the girl felt her body shiver – the redhead had been under the gaze of two predators, her creators, tormentors, and executioners... Once again, so close to her that her body, unconsciously of their real identities, trembled.
— There's no doubt, it's her — Orochimaru announced when they had gained some distance.
— To think one of the experiments survived... — Danzo said with a certain disdain in his voice — Of all people, her, the most problematic one.
— And also the most promising — The Sannin reminded him — Although she was problematic, she was our... — He stopped his own speech when a villager passed by them and quickly resumed, changing the subject due to their limited time — And as we saw, she's evolving more and more.
— She even awakened the doujutsu — The advisor recalled the color of her eyes during the final match — If we had kept her with us... — The other interrupted him.
— There's no use in regretting it now — Orochimaru said — We need to think about how to retrieve her.
— It won't be easy at all — Danzo reminded him calmly — The fact that she's under the custody of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki is a major obstacle in itself. Now we also have her teammate, Jiraiya, around for the time you remain in the village — The Advisor looked briefly around — If we do something, it will need to be when she's away from them.
— No — The Sannin refused and Danzo turned his attention to him — With her performance in the Exams, people are curious about her — Orochimaru looked at him out of the corner of his eye — She's the center of attention now.
— We'll have to wait, then?
— It's the safest choice, for now — The Sannin smiled wickedly — Until we can reclaim experiment 122.