He really is a genius, Uchiha Sora thought. His chakra was far greater than Itachi's. Matching Great Fireballs with him would only waste chakra, so the moment Itachi realized that, he canceled his fireball and dodged instead. That was a genius's quick thinking.
After evading the attack, Itachi immediately raised his hand and launched several kunai at Uchiha Sora.
The kunai came at tricky angles, cutting off every route Sora could take forward.
Uchiha Sora had no choice but to dodge, yet just as he prepared to move, more kunai suddenly flew at him from behind!
These kunai had taken their attack paths through repeated midair collisions with the hidden weapons Itachi had thrown afterward.
This was Itachi's Hidden Weapon Throwing Technique!
Sora had long since learned this technique through the system's automatic training, so he was no stranger to it.
Faced with this attack, he chose not to keep dodging. Instead, he gripped his short sword with both hands and gathered wind-nature chakra along its blade.
Over the years, special metal had been added to this short sword, allowing it to channel chakra natures.
A whirlwind formed around the blade. Then Uchiha Sora spun, sweeping his short sword in a circle around himself. Wind-nature chakra erupted, and a swirling tornado surged skyward.
"Swordsmanship: Whirlwind Slash!"
This was a sword technique Uchiha Sora had developed himself, specifically to counter hidden weapon attacks that surrounded him.
Clink, clank...
Itachi's hidden weapons were instantly scattered by the gale and fell to the ground.
In the stands, Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga Clan, activated his Byakugan and quietly observed the scene. He could not help remarking, "Combining wind-nature chakra with swordsmanship to achieve an effect similar to Rotation. A very clever idea! And this boy's chakra actually feels familiar..."
Suddenly, he remembered the night his daughter Hinata had been abducted by someone from Kumogakure. Someone seemed to have stopped the kidnapper.
At the time, he had activated his Byakugan and seen that the person was only a Shadow Clone, which had struck him as odd. Because of that, he had never forgotten how that chakra had felt through his Byakugan.
Uchiha Sora's chakra feels exactly like that Shadow Clone's! Could he have been the one who intervened? Hyuga Hiashi wondered.
In the arena, Uchiha Sora immediately began forming hand seals after scattering Itachi's hidden weapons.
Itachi's expression tightened as his Sharingan caught the seals Sora was forming.
After his repeated attacks had all failed, Itachi knew he had lost every advantage. Now it was Sora's turn to attack!
Uchiha Sora formed hand seals so quickly that his hands became a dizzying blur.
He completed the ninjutsu in an instant.
It was Fire Release again. Three fire dragons burst from his mouth and danced through the air, splitting off in three directions as they raced toward Itachi.
It was the B-rank Fire Release technique, Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!
"A B-rank Fire Release technique! His Fire Release is incredible!" The ordinary spectators in the stands watched in dazzled amazement.
The jonin were also privately astonished by Sora's ninjutsu abilities.
Facing three raging fire dragons, Uchiha Itachi had no choice but to counter with ninjutsu.
His hand seals were fast as well. Already prepared, he immediately unleashed a Water Release technique.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A massive torrent surged from Itachi's mouth, transforming into a huge water dragon that spiraled upward and crashed head-on into the three fire dragons.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The water dragon and fire dragons collided violently, filling the arena with steam.
The head examiner standing nearby hurried out of the way, not daring to remain in the arena.
Fire dragons and a water dragon-both were B-rank ninjutsu!
A clash of ninjutsu like this was far beyond the level of genin. Even ninjutsu exchanges between chunin were rarely this fierce.
The mist obscured the spectators' view, but within it, Uchiha Sora and Uchiha Itachi continued to clash.
Using the mist as cover, the two repeatedly exchanged taijutsu blows.
Gradually, the mist dispersed.
Thud!
A figure was sent flying and hit the ground.
It was Uchiha Itachi!
Uchiha Sora appeared close behind, attacking Itachi as he lay on the ground.
Itachi hurriedly rolled to his feet and defended against Sora's assault.
Sweat kept trickling down his face from his forehead.
The tremendous force transmitted through his hands made his movements increasingly sluggish.
Only now did Itachi truly understand the gap between himself and Uchiha Sora.
He could gain no advantage with ninjutsu, was completely outmatched in taijutsu, and had failed to make even one of his battle plans work.
And genjutsu? Itachi had never even considered competing with Uchiha Sora in genjutsu!
In contrast to Itachi's struggle, Uchiha Sora had remained utterly at ease from the very beginning.
His Three-Tomoe Sharingan could clearly read Itachi's ninjutsu and taijutsu moves.
With the enhancement from his Sage Body and years of automatic training, his chakra reserves had long since far surpassed those of ordinary jonin.
His taijutsu and swordsmanship had also reached a professional standard, fully matching those of ninja who specialized in those disciplines.
Uchiha Itachi was only ten years old. At most, his chakra reserves were comparable to those of an average chunin.
Moreover, the B-rank Water Release technique he had just used had already consumed a considerable amount of his chakra.
In ninjutsu, taijutsu, and even the Sharingan, Itachi was no match for Sora, let alone in genjutsu.
If Uchiha Sora used genjutsu, Itachi would probably lose even faster!
Through the system's automatic training, every one of Uchiha Sora's fundamental abilities had advanced far beyond Itachi's!
"I surrender!" Finally, after Uchiha Sora sent him flying with a kick, Uchiha Itachi struggled to his feet and raised his hand toward the examiner.
He was no fool. This was only the chunin ninja exams. Now that he understood the enormous gap between them, fighting to the bitter end would not change the outcome.
Rather than do that, it was better to surrender outright.
After all, he and Sora were friends.
"Uchiha Sora wins!" The moment Itachi surrendered, the head examiner stepped forward and announced the result.
The last match of the finals had come to an end.
Wave after wave of cheers erupted from the stands.
Although the match had ended quickly, everyone had felt its danger, especially when those two powerful B-rank ninjutsu collided. It had given them an exceptionally clear glimpse of an Uchiha genius's strength.
"Sora! You won!" Listening to the cheers around her, Uchiha Izumi gazed at Sora, her eyes shimmering with tears of excitement that blurred her vision.
"Izumi, keep trying. Sora is a boy worth pursuing," her mother, Uchiha Hazuki, encouraged gently beside her, stroking her head.
"Yes!" Uchiha Izumi nodded firmly.
The finals drew to a close.
The final list of those promoted to chunin would be announced within the next few days.
The spectators gradually dispersed.
Uchiha Sora took Uchiha Izumi and her mother along, invited Hirai Mitsuteru as well, and went to a barbecue restaurant to celebrate.
At the restaurant, Hirai Mitsuteru laughed heartily. "Sora, I knew you were amazing! Whenever we went on missions, I never once saw you get hurt. I already suspected there was more to you than met the eye! Looks like I really do have a good eye for people!"
"And during the chunin ninja exams two years ago, I could already tell you were hiding your strength and letting yourself get eliminated!"
"Too bad Yugao isn't in the village. She'd definitely be happy for you too!"
Watching Hirai Mitsuteru chatter on, Uchiha Sora felt a faint warmth rise in his heart.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Fugaku returned home.
Itachi sat before his father with his head bowed, while Uchiha Mikoto watched from the side, a trace of worry in her eyes.
"Fugaku, you can't blame Itachi for losing this time. He's already more than good enough," Mikoto said, sensing the heavy atmosphere at home.
Uchiha Fugaku shook his head and told Itachi, "Itachi, I don't blame you for losing."
Uchiha Itachi looked up in surprise at his father, who had always demanded so much of him.
Fugaku explained, "I originally hoped you could join the ANBU and secure advantages for our Uchiha Clan. But after this defeat, the Konoha High Command will probably have a better candidate."
"Father, do you mean Sora? Does he want to join the ANBU too?" Itachi asked in surprise.
Fugaku nodded. "Uchiha Sora is strong-willed and has ideas of his own. Once he joins the ANBU, he certainly won't take orders from me as clan head."
"So, Itachi, I've found another path for you!"
"Join Root and become Danzo's subordinate. You can still secure benefits for our Uchiha Clan that way."
"However, Danzo is ambitious and ruthless. Your current strength isn't enough to protect yourself if you join Root. Hone your skills for at least another two years before taking up a post there!"
Uchiha Fugaku laid it all out.
Beside him, Mikoto looked even more worried. "Fugaku, wouldn't that be too dangerous? Danzo is difficult to deal with, after all, and he's always been deeply hostile toward our Uchiha Clan. Even if Itachi wants to join Root, surely it would be difficult to get his approval?"
Fugaku shook his head. "No. If Uchiha Sora can join the ANBU, then he'll definitely agree to let Itachi join Root!"
While Uchiha Fugaku was planning Itachi's entry into Root, elsewhere...
Danzo had already made his move.
Just after the Third Hokage returned to the Hokage Building, Danzo came to visit Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Danzo, the leaders and daimyo of the various countries are preparing to leave. As Root's leader, shouldn't you be making proper escort arrangements? What are you doing here?" Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with a frown.
"Hiruzen, naturally, I'm here because of Uchiha Sora!" Danzo went straight to the point. "I'm sure you saw today's fifth finals match clearly, didn't you? Uchiha Sora's power is already considerable, yet we still haven't approached him. I believe that's a failure of your duty as Naruto!"
"Heh, I'm well aware of that, so there's no need for you to concern yourself. Once I've finished wrapping up the chunin ninja exams, I'll speak with him personally," the Third Hokage said with a faint smile.
"Forget it. Since you're so busy, let me handle this!" Danzo said, revealing his intentions.
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