After fifteen days of confrontation and adjustment, the joint Sunagakure–Iwagakure Chūnin Exams finally came to an end.
In the semifinals, Hoshino Mai faced the formidable Explosion Release user, Gari.
To everyone's shock, she erupted with terrifying momentum.
Her ox-head crescent halberd moved like a raging storm, leaving Gari no room to breathe. By combining Wind Release, her overwhelming physical strength, and the Electro-Light Talisman embedded into her weapon, she forced Gari into an extremely narrow combat space.
As the halberd transformed—first into a long spear, then into dual blades—Mai lunged forward viciously, blades flashing.
Despite her young age, her movements were feral, like a wild beast.
At the final moment, facing her merciless killing intent, Gari conceded and withdrew from the match.
…He surrendered?
Where was his backbone?
Mai's murderous aura came from rage—many of her companions had died at the hands of Explosion Release, their deaths brutal and unforgettable. She had fought with the clear intent to kill.
Unfortunately, Gari reacted quickly. His surrender robbed her of that chance.
Surrounded by Iwagakure jōnin, any further movement on her part would have resulted in immediate execution.
In the final match, Hoshino Mai defeated Morimoto Ryōji, claiming first place in the joint Chūnin Exams.
Nagase Bizen and Gari tied for third.
All four were promoted directly to Chūnin.
On the grandstand, seated beside Rasa, the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki wore an ugly expression. Aside from Gari, nearly all of Iwagakure's promising genin had been eliminated.
Sunagakure, meanwhile, had sent ninety genin.
Fifteen died.
Eleven were promoted.
The numbers were not large—but compared to Iwagakure's heavy losses, Sunagakure had achieved a decisive victory.
And this had been accomplished without proper medical support.
It was an honor bought with blood—earned by Mai and her companions fighting on the brink of death.
Once, Sunagakure had been the second most powerful village after Konoha.
In recent years, that glory had faded.
But today, that former strength finally resurfaced.
On the arena stage, Mai and her teammates no longer looked like freshly graduated students. They had been tempered by blood and battle.
Rasa's mood, however, quickly soured.
The fruits of this victory did not belong to the Kazekage.
His earlier decision to pull the medical corps had driven a wedge between him and these genin.
"Your village's public academy is truly impressive," Ōnoki said coolly.
"Perhaps Iwagakure should consider adopting educational policies similar to yours… and Konoha's."
The words were thinly veiled mockery.
Rasa's face darkened.
"Kazekage-sama! Iwagakure is acting abnormally—we must leave immediately!"
Before the second night's celebration could begin, Sunagakure detected suspicious movement.
Under Baki's arrangements, Rasa withdrew quietly from the Enlightenment Mountain Range.
The retreat was hurried—and undignified.
Staying for the celebration would have meant walking into an ambush.
The defensive line in the Enlightenment Mountains was thin, and during the exams, Iwagakure had massively reinforced its deployment. Sunagakure's control over the region had weakened drastically.
As Rasa retreated, his expression remained grim.
ANBU thoroughly documented the Sand Festival incident. He cursed the Yamaji clan for stirring chaos—and felt deep anger toward Shiraishi's unchecked brutality.
How dare he kill so openly?
Worse still was the Green Oasis expansion project.
The Elders had promised enormous benefits to the noble clans, while the bill landed squarely on the Kazekage.
Loans from the Kitajima family and the Daimyō's treasury had already been arranged.
But the long-term repayment nearly made Rasa want to vomit blood.
And that wasn't all.
Because of the public academy's outstanding performance, the Elders once again pressured him over genin graduation quotas.
As Kazekage, his room to maneuver was shrinking by the day.
The Elder Council was a threat that could not be ignored—but before dealing with them, Iwagakure had to be handled first.
Internal strife. External enemies.
Rasa's head throbbed.
"Ambush!"
Kunai rained down from all directions, targeting Rasa's position.
Explosive tags detonated in rapid succession, their shockwaves tearing through the mountain pass.
"Iwagakure!"
Rasa's face turned livid.
At a narrow outer exit of the Enlightenment Mountains, Iwagakure's ambush force revealed itself.
Judging by the volume of thrown weapons alone, there were at least a thousand enemy ninja.
And they were elite.
Golden sand surged outward in all directions.
As a kage-level shinobi fighting in desert terrain, Rasa's strength was terrifying. A single massive Sand Release wall shielded all the genin and escorts.
Only then did regret strike him.
He should never have withdrawn from the medical corps.
Now the imbalance in combat power was painfully obvious.
"Form defensive arrays!"
These genin had survived the Chūnin Exams through blood and fire. They reacted instantly, gripping their weapons as Baki and the other jōnin engaged the enemy's elites.
"Earth Release · Added-Weight-Rock Technique
Ōnoki's commanding voice rang out.
The golden sand suddenly became crushingly heavy.
Rasa's expression changed.
His control faltered—and Ōnoki charged forward with a devastating punch.
Unlike the frail old man who would later suffer back pain at every turn, this Ōnoki—like Hiruzen Sarutobi was past his absolute peak but still at the height of his overall combat power.
Rasa was completely suppressed.
Despite environmental advantage, a single Weighted Boulder Technique left him gasping.
The Kazekage's combat repertoire was simply too shallow.
Elsewhere, Baki's battle with Kitsuchi was equally brutal.
Newly promoted to jōnin, Baki was no match for the Tsuchikage's son. Kitsuchi's overwhelming chakra output battered him mercilessly.
"Tsukikage—you are openly declaring war on Sunagakure."
Ōnoki sneered.
"At this point, Kazekage-sama… you're joking."
The performance of Sunagakure's genin during the exams had sealed his decision.
Here—now—was the moment.
Ōnoki intended to kill the Kazekage and annihilate this force in the Enlightenment Mountains.
Over a thousand Iwagakure ninja lay in ambush.
Another thousand followed Ōnoki directly.
Sunagakure had fewer than two hundred.
A ten-to-one disparity.
If Rasa died here, Sunagakure would collapse into internal conflict between the Elders and the noble clans.
And Ōnoki didn't care how violently they retaliated afterward.
At the same time, outside Sunagakure—
Shiraishi, silver blade in hand, rushed toward the village's assembly point at top speed.
Under Elder Council orders, multiple elite squads were mobilizing.
This time, Shiraishi was once again teamed with Shikasa and Maki.
Before leaving the Enlightenment Mountains, Rasa had issued a mobilization order. When contact was later lost, Sunagakure realized something had gone terribly wrong.
Relief forces are prepared to deploy.
But at the gathering point, Arakawa Maru approached Shiraishi hesitantly.
"This rescue mission…" he said slowly,
"…you're not suited to participate."
The air instantly grew tense.
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