Akihara Kagura: I Have Always Been Abandoned

Little Sasuke's noisy voice was very loud.

Having been raised and taught to train by his brother since childhood, even after witnessing the terror of Wood Style, Little Sasuke refused to believe that his brother would lose.

The people in the stands all turned to look at the noisy little brat. Fugaku Uchiha glared at his younger son, and Little Sasuke quickly quieted down.

Before the third round officially began.

Akihara Kagura stood on the stage and swept his gaze over the somewhat lively stands before looking at Uchiha Itachi standing opposite him. "Your younger brother seems to have a lot of faith in you."

"That is why I cannot lose."

Uchiha Itachi looked at Akihara Kagura, his expression extremely serious.

If there was anyone in this world who could make Uchiha Itachi give up everything, it would undoubtedly be his younger brother, Second Pillar. He did not want to disappoint his brother.

Although he knew very little about Wood Style, especially after personally witnessing Akihara Kagura's Wood Dragon Technique wreak havoc in the Forest of Death, Uchiha Itachi knew very well that this battle was destined to be difficult. Even so, he had to give it his all!

Because...

His younger brother was watching everything from the stands!

"Is that so?"

"What a coincidence."

"I also have a reason I cannot lose."

Akihara Kagura looked at Uchiha Itachi, the smile on his face growing broader. "If I lose to you, Lord Danzō will definitely abandon me completely."

"What do you mean?"

Uchiha Itachi frowned.

"You would not understand."

"You are adored beneath the sunlight."

"While I have always been abandoned in the darkness..."

"Once, an orphanage took me in. I thought I had found a home, only to be dragged into a dark laboratory. Even the director completely forgot about me."

"Later, Lord Danzō took me in. To remain at his side, I had to do every task he assigned perfectly, yet he still chose to abandon me..."

Akihara Kagura's smile gradually became bleak, making it difficult for anyone to bear listening to him. "I was clearly good enough. I clearly had not done anything wrong..."

"This..."

Uchiha Itachi did not quite understand.

"Because of you..."

Akihara Kagura spread his hands, a trace of cruelty gradually appearing in his eyes. "Only now have I understood something. Lord Danzō had always wanted me to defeat you..."

"Back in the Forest of Death, I defeated everyone. Only you escaped my hunt, so he sent me to the Anbu..."

"...Sorry."

Uchiha Itachi could not help frowning, but he still spoke. "I did not know. Even if I had known, I still would have had to give everything I had to pass that exam."

"It does not matter..."

Akihara Kagura slowly shook his head, as though he did not care about the past at all. His smile only became increasingly unpleasant. "Anyway... now I can correct the mistakes of the past."

"As long as I can correct my own mistake, as long as I can crush everything you have in this exam, Lord Danzō will definitely take me back!"

"..."

Uchiha Itachi fell silent, unsure how to respond.

Was he supposed to tell the truth—that someone like Shimura Danzō was not worth following? That would probably only make the opponent before him even more furious!

"Hey!"

Genma Shiranui's expression darkened. Biting down on his senbon, he continued, "You two brats, pay attention to the rules. If you kill your opponent, you will not be judged to have passed this exam either..."

"I do not care."

Akihara Kagura shook his head and continued indifferently, "This Chunin Ninja Exam has already become meaningless to me. If Uchiha Itachi dies here, it will only prove that his life was too short. Perhaps his death will let the lives of others go further?"

"..."

Genma Shiranui's forehead began to ache.

The brat had been perfectly fine during the first two rounds. Why was he suddenly trying to cause trouble now, wearing such an obvious expression that he wanted to kill someone?

In the stands.

Many of the ninja could read lips.

Many people present clearly understood that the final match might become a fight to the death, and some could not help feeling worried.

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was undoubtedly among them.

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood Akihara Kagura's lip movements and secretly cursed Shimura Danzō for being too despicable. Even after handing the child over to the Anbu, he still had to create trouble...

Akihara Kagura had already been an emotionally extreme child. Being abandoned had only made him darker, making it even harder to correct his mindset.

"Shisui..."

Ten-year-old Izumi Uchiha sat beside Uchiha Shisui and spoke with a worried face. "Itachi-kun will definitely win, right?"

"Itachi is the most outstanding."

Uchiha Shisui slowly nodded.

That was merely something Uchiha Shisui said to comfort Izumi Uchiha.

As an outstanding ninja, Uchiha Shisui could see the gap between Akihara Kagura and Uchiha Itachi. The current Uchiha Itachi would find it difficult to defeat his opponent...

Uchiha Shisui knew more than Izumi Uchiha. From Uchiha Itachi, he knew that his opponent had an even more terrifying Wood Dragon Technique...

If Akihara Kagura truly intended to kill Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Itachi's life could very well be in danger.

"The match begins!"

Genma Shiranui's voice rang throughout the arena.

The moment the signal to begin sounded, the two brats in the arena moved almost simultaneously. Uchiha Itachi flicked out four shuriken and instantly vanished from where he stood!

Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!

Akihara Kagura instantly formed a hand sign!

A tree root shot up swiftly, blocking Akihara Kagura's front and deflecting Uchiha Itachi's shuriken!

Roots burst out of the ground one after another!

Massive trees grew throughout the arena as their roots spread. In the blink of an eye, they covered the entire field, transforming the examination stage into an ancient forest!

Uchiha Itachi had once seen Akihara Kagura control giant trees to attack enemies. He knew full well that every one of these trees was under Akihara Kagura's chakra control. He did not dare remain anywhere for even a moment and could only dodge the surprise attacks of roots and vines throughout the forest!

"There is no favorable terrain at all..."

Uchiha Itachi leaped through the forest, his eyes instantly turning scarlet. Using the Sharingan, he observed the attack paths of every root and vine within his field of vision, searching for footholds where he could briefly land!

The next moment...

Uchiha Itachi's expression suddenly changed.

Because all the branches and vines of the giant trees in the forest were gathering upward.

The enormous chakra presence was almost suffocating. Everyone in the examination arena knew that a dangerous technique was about to appear!

"Although a single Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence would be enough to defeat you, it might be a little troublesome..."

Akihara Kagura's voice seemed leisurely as he continued slowly, "Since this is a battle between Wood Style and the Sharingan, it seems we should do it in a more spectacular way..."

Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique!

The trunks of the giant trees continuously extended into the sky, becoming enormous vines that twisted together and transformed into a colossal wooden dragon rising proudly upward!

The wooden dragon was more than a hundred meters long. Its immense body alone seemed capable of destroying the entire arena at any moment, making everyone's hearts tremble!

An enormous vine stretched toward the wooden dragon.

Akihara Kagura stepped onto the vine, his gaze fixed ahead as he slowly and resolutely climbed onto the wooden dragon's head, one step at a time.

Second update!