Kakashi stood up from the ground, shaking the mud off the tip of his blade.
Looking at Naraku, who was an even match for him, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Next time, don't use such half-baked Ninjutsu."
Naraku reluctantly drew his blade and said, "I don't have any new moves to use."
"You might not, but I still do."
Kakashi smirked triumphantly, forming hand signs and performing a Ninjutsu with his last bit of Chakra.
Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!
The ground trembled slightly, and numerous stone spears taller than a person suddenly erupted, spreading from Kakashi's feet all the way to Naraku's position.
Naraku had no choice but to leap backward, but the stone spears relentlessly pursued him, as if a python were slithering underground, forcing the earth spikes to emerge wherever it passed.
After retreating several times, Naraku landed and immediately noticed something amiss under his feet; a circle of iron chains suddenly sprang from the ground around where he landed, extending far to both sides and connecting to two massive stone spears that were still growing.
When did he bury these?!
He quickly tried to use the Body Flicker Technique, but the chains rapidly tightened, binding his upper body and arms.
Before him was the flash of Kakashi's blade, stabbing swiftly. Naraku knew that if he couldn't think of a solution and successfully break free within half a second, the battle would be over.
Fortunately, perhaps because the chains were buried in too much haste, the iron chains wrapped around Naraku only once, leaving some room to maneuver.
Naraku leaped with all his might, performing a side flip to narrowly dodge Kakashi's blade, and kicked him as a counterattack.
At the same time, he used his remaining Chakra to create lightning, which quickly flowed along the iron chains to the two massive stone spears on either side, dispelling the Earth Release.
Without the support of the spears, the chains instantly loosened. Naraku seized the opportunity and finally escaped his predicament.
"Surely there's nothing left now, right?"
Naraku gripped his blade with both hands, slightly crouching to gather strength.
"No, there isn't."
Kakashi adopted the starting stance for a swift blade draw.
The two charged forward simultaneously, colliding with their last reserves of strength, blade against blade, emitting a sharp, teeth-grinding sound.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang—
The two moved without stopping, chasing and dodging each other around the arena, clashing blades multiple times. Specks of orange sparks flew from each collision, arcing past them and quickly vanishing into the air.
The speed of the continuous actions dazzled the audience, their eyes fixed, afraid to miss any detail.
The two exchanged blows, attacking and defending.
A moment later, the high-intensity duel pushed both of their physical limits. Their movements and stances were already distorted; they were now relying solely on willpower to endure.
"Hmph... Hmph..."
Naraku's breathing was heavy. He moved his legs, which felt heavy as if filled with lead, took a deep breath, and used all his strength to raise his blade and slash at Kakashi's left shoulder, but the other party managed to block it in time.
After a few seconds of gritting their teeth and holding their ground, Naraku and Kakashi both collapsed, their legs giving out, lying on the ground, panting heavily.
Naraku was so exhausted his mind could barely function. His gaze unconsciously focused on a wisp of cloud drifting across the sky, finding the cloud round and soft, quite adorable.
Winning or losing, I really have no energy to think about such things...
The referee looked at the two contestants lying on the ground like corpses, scratching his head in distress.
What to do? They really seemed unable to fight anymore. They couldn't possibly add another round, could they?
He looked at the chief examiner, who gave a slightly helpless gesture, signaling him to announce the result as it was.
The Chunin Exams had been held for so many years, and such situations weren't unprecedented. They just had to follow the old plan.
"Match over! Draw! Both are winners!"
As the loud verdict echoed throughout the arena, the audience's voices began to buzz.
Some praised these two Genin for fighting well and properly, with unlimited potential for the future; others complained a bit, wishing to see them have another match to determine who was stronger or weaker; still others were dismissive of the result, thinking that the son and apprentice of the White Fang were nothing special, seemingly unremarkable, and that they had wasted so much time watching the match...
However, none of these voices reached Naraku and Kakashi's ears.
They were busy getting up from the ground, helping each other walk out of the arena, discussing tonight's dinner.
"No, I still haven't completely forgiven him!"
Kakashi clenched his fist, his eyes clouded with gloom. "To use such a despicable Ninjutsu on me, he must treat me to another grilled meat meal!"
"That's enough; I'm about to puke."
Although Naraku sympathized with Kakashi being subjected to Sakumo's One Thousand Years of Death, having grilled meat for dinner three nights in a row was truly sickening.
"How about we buy groceries ourselves and eat stew at home?"
"..."
"Sigh." Seeing Kakashi still a bit huffy, Naraku compromised, "Add another beef and potato stew, all on Master's tab."
"Alright."
Kakashi nodded.
Poor Sakumo, still in the audience, didn't know that his wallet would once again take a big hit tonight...
The next day, Kakashi's and Naraku's promotion documents came down.
Naraku looked at his name appearing after the title "Chunin" and felt a unique sense of accomplishment.
He had, in a way, accompanied Kakashi on a part of his life's journey.
As for the future... Naraku looked at the blade in his hand.
Hopefully, this move will work...
With the documents in hand, the promotion was set in stone. Naraku brought Kakashi and Might Duy, who also got promoted, and the three went to a sukiyaki restaurant to celebrate properly.
Might Duy had finally overcome his hardships; he had been a Genin for so many years, with a child in school, and relied solely on the meager rewards from low-level missions, making his finances quite tight.
Now that he was a Chunin, he could take on higher-level missions, earning significantly more than before, which immediately alleviated his financial pressure.
More importantly, this event strengthened his and his son Might Guy's belief in continuing their Taijutsu training, which was incomparable to any money.
"Next, I must train even harder and uphold my Ninja Way of youth and passion!"
"Go for it, Senior Duy! I believe you can do it!"
Naraku had faith in Might Duy.
Even if Uncle Duy couldn't be promoted to Jonin due to his low resistance to genjutsu, with his abilities, being a Special Jonin would still be more than enough.
"Hmm, Senior Duy will be fine."
Kakashi also agreed.
After this exam, he had truly witnessed the power of the Eight Inner Gates...