Chapter 121: Battle
Two full months had passed since the written exam. In the Konoha Stadium, Masahiko floated high in the sky, looking down at Tsunade facing off against the "Inspirational Old Grandpa" from Kusagakure. This was the final match of the first round.
Konoha's original plan was to hold the combat assessment immediately after the written exam, but Tobirama received a message from the Daimyo stating that he wanted to personally witness the Jonin exams. Out of necessity, the matches were postponed for two months.
Of course, the current Daimyo was no longer Tsunade's "Grandpa." He had been replaced by her uncle; the previous Daimyo, who used to call Masahiko one of the "108 Outlaws," had passed away years ago.
The Daimyo's active participation in the Jonin exams this time was also an attempt to bridge the relationship with Konoha. After the First Great Ninja War, Konoha had gained significant spoils and resources, becoming largely self-sufficient. Since they no longer relied on the Daimyo's funding, the Daimyo felt a bit anxious and took the initiative to watch the joint exams.
Although Konoha had essentially broken free from the Daimyo's administrative control, they still had to show respect on the surface. In the spectator seats, the Daimyo sat in the center, with Tobirama and Chiyo sitting to his left and right.
Masahiko was also a judge, but he wasn't particularly fond of the Daimyo's family, so he chose to float high in the sky for a clearer view.
After a short while, the match below concluded. To no one's surprise, Tsunade emerged victorious. At this point, all seven ninjas from the smaller villages had been eliminated. Of the other four eliminated, two were from the Uzunin Village.
"Sigh, these kids' strength is still lacking..." Masahiko sighed, unable to help the situation.
He had tried to look out for them during the lottery pairings. The opponents for those two were Sasori's mother and a civilian Chunin from Konoha. Aside from the seven small-village ninjas, these two opponents should have been the weakest. Yet, they both lost.
"Uzunin Village still lacks geniuses..." Aside from the preoccupied Yuna, no promising ninjas had been discovered in the younger generation.
As for the remaining Uzunin Village ninja, he gave Masahiko a small surprise. Within two months, he had successfully mastered the basic sealing technique Masahiko taught—a Chakra Disorder Seal. Using a surprise attack, he successfully defeated a youth from a branch family of the Hyuga. The Hyuga, who were accustomed to sealing others with Gentle Fist, finally felt what it was like to have their own chakra sealed.
While Masahiko was distracted, bursts of chakra fluctuations erupted below. Several Jonin specializing in Earth Release were repairing the field. After Tsunade's battle, the ground was full of craters and holes.
Masahiko floated down and approached Tobirama. Beside him, the Daimyo was excitedly chattering to Tobirama. Tsunade's decisive victory had filled him with pride.
Seeing Masahiko, the Daimyo was much more polite than his father: "Masahiko Elder, who is Tsunade-kun's next opponent?"
Masahiko nodded slightly. "Tsunade has a bye for the next round because there are eleven ninjas left. She advances directly to the final six."
The Daimyo was even happier. "Can Tsunade-kun win first place?"
Masahiko smiled. "This time we will only determine the top three. The last three will be ranked equally."
Chiyo spoke up, "Why not determine a first place, Masahiko-sama?" She clearly felt that Rasa had a high chance of winning.
"It doesn't matter, Chiyo Elder. Regardless, the final three ninjas will all be from Konoha," Tobirama spoke sternly, causing Chiyo's expression to stiffen.
The field was quickly cleared. Aside from Tsunade, the remaining ten participants were paired up. Masahiko checked the brackets and almost laughed out loud. "I didn't expect Jiraiya and Dan Kato to be paired together. I didn't do it on purpose... Is this a battle between love rivals?"
The remaining Uzumaki clansman was up against Hangetsu Hozuki, a match he was unlikely to win. The other three matches were Duy vs Kei (Sasori's father), the civilian ninja from Konoha vs the future Fourth Kazekage Rasa, and finally Sasori's mother vs a Chunin from the Aburame clan. The outcomes were hard to predict.
The five matches lasted an entire afternoon. Two were decided quickly: Rasa and Hangetsu Hozuki won. The other three were deadlocked for a long time.
Particularly the match between Jiraiya and Dan Kato. Dan's Spirit Transformation Jutsu was meant for quick finishes, but he ran into a stubborn mule like Jiraiya, who gritted his teeth and endured the pain of spiritual imprisonment. Since Dan's technique wasn't fully matured yet, the scene turned into the two of them staring at each other. After nearly half an hour, it ended with Dan Kato exhausting his chakra.
"That blockhead. If he just activated Sage Mode, wouldn't he have broken free instantly?" Masahiko sighed helplessly. "Is he really saving it as a trump card?"
The other two matches ended with the defeat of Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law. Because opening the Eight Gates has side effects and he feared it would affect the next fight, Duy only opened three gates to face Sasori's father, ultimately winning a hard-fought victory. As for the Aburame ninja, his insects were effective at countering puppets, and he successfully destroyed all of his opponent's puppets.
On the spectator stand, Masahiko smiled with satisfaction. Of the remaining six participants, four were from Konoha, one from Sunagakure, and one from Kirigakure.
In the final battles tomorrow, if everything went smoothly, the remaining two outsiders would be eliminated. This way, the last three would be Konoha ninjas, exactly as Masahiko and Tobirama had planned.
"However, tomorrow..." Masahiko frowned. "Jiraiya and Tsunade will likely find themselves in a tough fight."
Jiraiya's opponent was the strongest, Rasa. Masahiko felt that his five minutes of Sage Mode were the only hope of defeating him. Tsunade was facing the Aburame ninja, which was a bit of a counter to her. As for Might Duy, facing Hangetsu Hozuki should be fine. Masahiko had asked Kento; Might Duy could already open the Sixth Gate and use Morning Peacock, so the influence of Hydrification wouldn't be as significant.
On the other side, Jiraiya actually put his arm around Tsunade, boastfully describing how "heroically" he had defeated his opponent. However, seeing Tsunade's twitching brow, Masahiko chuckled. Sure enough, after a loud bang, a human-shaped hole appeared in the side of the field.
"They really have a great relationship..." Masahiko walked over with a smile.
Tsunade glared, but seeing it was Masahiko, she slowly relaxed her fist.
"I'm not Jiraiya; these old bones can't take one of your punches. Tomorrow your opponent is the Aburame ninja. He counters your Taijutsu quite a bit. Have you thought about how to deal with him?"
Tsunade looked puzzled. "He uses bugs, so can't I just use Fire Release?"
Masahiko paused. "You have a Fire affinity?" Tsunade always solved problems with her fists, so Masahiko had forgotten that she wasn't like Duy and could actually use ninjutsu.
Tsunade gave a proud smile. "Masahiko-grandpa, except for Wind, I have all four other elemental affinities."
"So that's how it is..." Masahiko muttered. He really was learning something new.
"Do you need me to teach you two Fire Release jutsus?"
Tsunade shook her head. "Kagami-kun has already made most of the Uchiha's Fire Release public. I've learned a few."
Masahiko was stunned, then nodded.
"Kagami-kun, huh..."
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