The moment of the final match had finally arrived.
The setting sun slowly sank behind the enormous mountains surrounding Sunagakure, dyeing most of the sky a deep, burning orange-red.
The afterglow gilded the vast circular arena and stretched the shadows of the two figures inside.
The stands roared with voices, the sound nearly shattering the scorching air that had baked all day.
Anticipation, speculation, and shouts of encouragement blended into a sea of clamor.
Two figures stood facing each other in silence.
Surprisingly, the ninja serving as referee for the final had not appeared in the arena right away, unlike the previous referees.
"I watched your earlier match..." Karura spoke first. Her voice was gentle, and her gaze rested on Shinichi with a complicated emotion that bordered on apology. "Your match with your teammate... It was truly astonishing. The way you both burned with everything you had for the sake of your convictions was admirable."
She didn't look like a ninja about to fight an opponent to the death. She seemed more like a gentle, composed older sister from next door.
"You must have used up a lot of energy in your previous match, right? A fight like this might not be fair."
"But..." She lowered her eyes slightly. "I have a reason I must win. I'm sorry."
Her words were sincere, revealing the conflict in her heart. For her village, and for the Kazekage's orders, she had to win.
"You're too kind, senior." Shinichi shook his head slightly, his expression calm and focused. "Once we're here, we're opponents. Please don't hold back on my account. I hope you'll... give it your all."
"Let's put the conversation on hold for now."
At that moment, a cool, crisp woman's voice rang out in the arena without warning, interrupting the unusual atmosphere between them.
The instant the voice sounded, a tall figure appeared between the two like a phantom.
She was a young kunoichi from Sunagakure, tall and well-proportioned, with skin unusually fair for someone from the desert. Her black hair was neatly tied up, save for two striking orange-yellow locks at the front that added a touch of brightness and wildness to her cool demeanor.
Her appearance was startlingly abrupt. Apart from a handful of exceptionally perceptive or sharp-eyed spectators in the stands, almost no one had seen how she entered the arena. It was as if she had been standing there all along. Her unnaturally swift movement instantly quieted some of the chatter inside and outside the arena.
Pakura?
Shinichi's gaze sharpened, surprise stirring in his heart.
The newcomer's appearance matched what he knew, but he hadn't seen how she had entered the arena at all. His vision had barely caught a vague afterimage, almost blending into the air—so fast that it went beyond the bounds of an ordinary Body Flicker Technique.
Could this world's Pakura have mastered Swift Release in addition to Scorch Release?
A thought flashed through his mind.
"So fast!"
Jiraiya was one of the few in the stands who had seen the fleeting path she took. Instinctively, he compared her with his own beloved student, Minato Namikaze, who was also renowned for his Body Flicker Technique and speed.
"Lord Kazekage," the Third Hokage said with a chuckle, taking a puff of his pipe as he looked at the tall figure with orange and black hair in the arena. "This must be the genius ninja who has made a name for herself in your village in recent years—the Scorch Release user, Pakura? Seeing her in person, she certainly lives up to her reputation. Her speed alone is truly astonishing."
The Third Kazekage's expression remained calm, but the slight upward curl of his lips betrayed a hint of pride. "You flatter her, Lord Hokage. Pakura does have some talent in speed and ninjutsu, but she still has a lot of training ahead of her."
In the arena, Pakura seemed not to hear the conversation in the stands.
She swept her calm gaze over Shinichi and Karura, showing no unnecessary emotion. As if carrying out an ordinary assignment, she announced in a clear, businesslike voice:
"I am the referee for this final, Pakura."
"The final match—begins now!"
As soon as Pakura's cool voice fell, Shinichi's figure blurred. With a long sword in hand, he became a black streak that tore through the air, launching a direct and ferocious Iaido Rush straight at Karura.
Though Karura disliked fighting, her reactions were no slower. Her strength was undeniable.
She didn't even form hand seals. With a slight movement of her slender fingers, the grains of sand scattered across the arena responded at once, gathering into dozens of sharp-edged sand shuriken. With a shrill whistle, they formed a precise net that covered the first stretch of Shinichi's path!
Shinichi didn't slow his charge, but his body made an almost unbelievable series of minute shifts and turns as he advanced, like a fish weaving among dense reefs. Most of the sand shuriken skimmed past his clothes by the narrowest of margins.
The few he couldn't avoid were knocked aside with precision by his sword. Steel clashed against sand, scattering clouds of yellow dust.
As they dodged and advanced, the distance between them narrowed once more!
What speed! What agility!
I can't let my guard down!
Karura's gaze sharpened. She gently swept her hand toward Shinichi.
More sand surged up from the ground like soldiers answering their king's command. In the blink of an eye, it formed a giant sand hand large enough to cover half the arena. Its fingers spread wide, blocking the light as it came down on Shinichi with crushing force!
Shadow engulfed him, and the pressure of the wind made it hard to breathe.
Shinichi's gaze was as sharp as a blade. Chakra erupted beneath his feet, pushing his speed even higher, beyond its previous limit!
But he didn't retreat. Instead, he charged forward at an even greater speed, cutting diagonally ahead at a more treacherous angle!
At almost the very last instant, just as the sand hand's fingers snapped shut with a heavy thud, he darted through a gap between them so narrow it seemed not to exist!
At the same time, even as he moved at high speed, his hands completed a set of hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A colossal fireball, far larger than usual, burst from his mouth like a small sun falling from the sky. Its terrifying heat warped the air as it cut through the dust and slammed straight toward Karura, who stood in place as though she had no time to dodge!
Yet Karura's expression remained calm. Or rather, she had no need to dodge.
When the blazing fireball came within about three meters of her, sand rose rapidly from the ground as if it were alive and could sense its surroundings.
Boom!
A sand wall that looked thin but was remarkably sturdy shot up from the ground, like a huge ancient shield, and stood firm in front of the fireball.
The fireball crashed into the center of the sand wall, bursting into a rain of flames and black smoke. It scorched the wall's surface black and made a dreadful sizzling sound, but ultimately failed to break through.
The shield stood firm. Behind it, the heat hadn't even stirred the hem of Karura's clothes.
Their first exchange was over in the blink of an eye, too fast for many spectators to even react.
Karura swept her hand again, and another wave of sand rose from the side like a yellow waterfall, sweeping toward Shinichi, who had just landed, with enough force to bury everything in its path.
Shinichi took a deep breath. Relying on his extraordinary speed and precise control over his body, he darted and weaved through the gaps in the waves of sand and the relentless attacks of sand spikes and spears. Like a determined petrel threading its way through a storm, he narrowly avoided being surrounded again and again, stubbornly closing the final distance between them, step by step.
The next several exchanges became almost a repeated, intensified version of the same pattern:
Shinichi repeatedly broke through gaps in the sea of sand, closing the distance to its limit before unleashing fierce sword strikes, explosive taijutsu charges, or ninjutsu blasts from tricky angles.
Karura, meanwhile, remained firmly in the center, controlling the endless sea of sand with her thoughts. At every crucial moment, a sand shield appeared in precisely the right place, with precisely the right shape and thickness.
It blocked, absorbed, and neutralized every one of Shinichi's attacks—whether they came from the blade of his sword and his fists and feet, or from chakra-fueled flames.
Offense and defense, all handled with effortless composure.
The flowing sand seemed an extension of her will, forming an apparently flawless domain.
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