The sudden ambush sent a flicker of panic across the faces of Itō Uto and Yuki Minazuki, but they quickly composed themselves and dodged instinctively.
Both moved with sharp precision, hands rapidly forming hand seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Secret Art: Ice Formation Wall!"
A powerful gust erupted from Itō Uto's mouth, dispersing the shadowy mass lunging at him. At the same time, Yuki Minazuki exhaled a torrent of chakra that solidified into an icy wall, bracing against the twin tornado-like assaults spinning toward him.
"Secret Art: Bug Sphere!"
"Fang Over Fang!"
A pair of voices suddenly rang out—Itō and Yuki couldn't help but shift their attention toward the source.
But that fleeting lapse of focus was all it took for disaster to strike.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
Another voice shouted from behind them. A young boy with veins bulging at his temples and pure white eyes surged forward, striking a stance unique to the Hyuga clan before dashing at Itō Uto.
The ambushers were none other than Nanaki Hyuga, Shikatsu Aburame, and Jun Inuzuka—a Genin squad from Konoha, taking part in the second stage of the Chūnin Exams.
Just moments earlier, Nanaki had used his Byakugan to assess the battlefield around Veigar Koshima. Upon witnessing Veigar effortlessly eliminate Kozuka Tachibana from Amegakure, Nanaki made a quick decision: to intervene.
While partially motivated by the desire to aid a fellow villager, their true aim was the scrolls.
Takigakure's team was already eliminated, and Amegakure's team was being overwhelmed by Veigar and a trio from Kirigakure. In Nanaki's eyes, their defeat was inevitable.
Moreover, he'd been harboring suspicions about Veigar's identity. For someone to enter the Chūnin Exams solo with the village elders' approval, they had to be incredibly powerful.
Considering Veigar's age and comparing him to the legendary prodigy Kakashi Hatake, Nanaki could think of only one other who matched such genius. The name was practically on the tip of his tongue.
After all, when Veigar applied for early graduation, it caused quite a stir before being quietly buried and forgotten.
Now, with the Takigakure team gone and Amegakure's team on the verge of collapse, two scrolls were effectively unclaimed.
Rather than chase down another squad, Nanaki and his team opted for the smarter move—take what was already within reach.
While Veigar's two shadow clones were holding off Itō and Yuki, Nanaki, Shikatsu, and Jun had slipped in undetected, lying in wait for the perfect moment to strike.
"One strike, two strikes… sixty-four strikes!"
The instant they heard Nanaki Hyuga's voice, Itō and Yuki froze in terror.
Their focus had just been diverted moments ago—they had neither time to defend nor dodge. All they could do was brace for the inevitable impact.
"Ahhh—!"
Under Nanaki's relentless assault, Itō let out a pained scream as chakra points across his body were struck and sealed one by one.
But that wasn't the end.
As Itō reeled from the final blow and hovered helplessly mid-air, Shikatsu Aburame's insects swarmed in.
"Secret Art: Insect Devour!"
Across the field, Yuki Minazuki, relieved she hadn't been targeted, didn't have long to breathe. Her Ice Formation Wall, freshly conjured, cracked and splintered as Jun Inuzuka slammed into it with his Fang Over Fang technique, the impact sending sharp echoes through the clearing.
Itō, now fully engulfed by the insects, fell silent and lifeless, collapsing to the forest floor.
Reacting swiftly, Yuki leapt back, retreating from her position.
As the insect swarm dispersed, it was clear—Itō's chakra had been entirely consumed. Not a trace of life remained.
To Yuki Minazuki, so long as it wasn't her who died, everything else was secondary. Though this was a Chūnin Exam, and Itō's death spelled their elimination, did it truly matter?
No. It didn't.
From a short distance away, Veigar Koshima glanced over his shoulder. The moment he saw Itō fall, he gave a calm, satisfied smile to Kisame Hoshigaki and said:
"Your exam is over."
"Still want to keep going?"
When Veigar had first been trapped inside Kisame's Hidden Mist Technique, he'd already detected the stealthy approach of Nanaki, Shikatsu, and Jun using chakra sensory skills. He seized the opportunity, dissolving his shadow clones at the perfect moment to interrupt the engagement—creating just enough of a gap for the ambushers to strike.
It was a calculated sacrifice. And the gamble paid off.
The trio had done exactly what Veigar intended—removing Itō Uto and sealing Kisame and Yuki's fate.
Kisame licked the blood trickling down his cheek and sheathed his ninjatō, watching as Veigar's wounds began to regenerate with unnatural speed.
"Veigar-san," he said with a wry grin, "looks like I lost this one."
"But next time we meet, don't expect it to be so easy."
With Itō's death, Kisame knew the fight had lost its purpose. Their elimination was inevitable.
What truly humbled Kisame was Veigar's monstrous regenerative ability. Had Veigar chosen to go all in earlier, both of them would've been mortally wounded—but Veigar likely would've survived.
Kisame couldn't say the same for himself.
The death of Itō Uto and Kisame's forfeit brought Veigar's first combat encounter in the second phase of the exams to a decisive end.
Ever the pragmatic warrior, Kisame tossed the scroll he had just obtained from Orochimaru toward Veigar.
With a flick of his blade, Veigar caught the airborne scroll on the tip of his ninjatō. As he glanced at the cover and saw it was The Earth Scroll, a faint smile curved his lips.
"Kisame, I'll be looking forward to our next encounter."
Hearing Veigar's words and sensing the cautious, calculating nature behind them, Kisame grinned one last time—a feral, bloodthirsty smile—before vanishing into the mist.
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