The roiling vortex of thunderclouds in the sky had finally finished gathering its power.
All Darui had to do was use what little chakra he had left to activate it, and lightning would immediately descend from the vortex, utterly wiping out the three members of Konoha's team!
But Darui was certain that if he made the slightest move, Kimimaro's bone sword would kill him first!
Mutual destruction—trading one life for three—sounded like a great deal.
But for Kumogakure, whose talented shinobi were already dwindling, such a choice would undoubtedly have been foolish for Darui.
So Darui very straightforwardly chose self-preservation.
"I surrender... According to the rules, once a contestant declares surrender, their opponents may not attack them again. Otherwise, they'll be disqualified from the exam."
That rule did indeed exist, and it was one Ōnoki had personally amended.
In past joint exams, the second stage had essentially been fought without regard for life or death, and participants had to sign a voluntary participation waiver beforehand. But this time, in order to demonstrate the benevolence of a major ninja village, Ōnoki had specifically created such a rule for the shinobi of smaller villages.
Unexpectedly, the first person to benefit from it was not a shinobi from a small village, but Darui, who came from a major one.
Through the specially made giant screen, the Kage and the leaders of the participating teams all witnessed the scene.
Though none of them said anything, the Fourth Raikage A's face had turned utterly livid.
Although he knew that Darui had made the right choice—Kumogakure truly could not afford to lose another genius like him—the feeling of humiliation still surged within him uncontrollably.
A shinobi of mighty Kumogakure had actually needed to preserve his life in such a way!
It was not only Darui who