Crack... A sound like something shattering rang through the air.
Under the relentless pressure of the powerful sealing force, Choza's Super Multi-Size Technique finally began to give way, groaning beneath the strain. His enormous body rapidly shrank and collapsed like a punctured balloon, while the dense Chakra Cloak covering him shattered inch by inch, dissolving into specks of light.
By the time Choza returned to his original size, he was down on one knee, bracing both hands against the ground and panting heavily. His face was pale, and sweat had soaked his orange jacket. The burst of chakra from the specially made food pill had passed, and its side effects began to manifest. Intense weakness and the hollow feeling of chakra depletion swept through his entire body.
Across from him, Kushina released her Adamantine Sealing Chains at almost the same moment. The dazzling golden chains became a shower of golden motes that slowly faded into the air. She remained where she stood, swaying slightly and panting just as hard. Sweat plastered her red bangs against her skin, leaving her looking thoroughly disheveled.
Yet her back remained ramrod straight. That blazing red flame had weathered the storm, but it had never gone out.
"I... concede." Choza gave a wry smile and struggled to raise one hand, signaling that he could no longer fight. His voice was weary, with a hint of resignation. "I never thought... you still had such... a powerful trump card."
The teacher refereeing the match seemed to have only just recovered from the stunning scene. He stood dazed for a moment before finally announcing loudly, "The winner, Kushina Uzumaki!"
For an instant, silence fell over the sidelines, as though everyone was still trying to digest the unexpected result.
Then the crowd erupted, bursting into even louder, more animated discussion.
Every gaze focused on the red-haired girl in the arena. Whatever scorn or mockery those eyes might once have held had now mostly given way to shock, confusion, and a barely perceptible trace of awe. Those mysterious, powerful golden chains had burned themselves into everyone's memory.
Kushina paid no attention to the varied, complicated looks and discussions around her. She took several deep breaths, settling her churning blood and hurried breathing, then approached Choza, who was still kneeling on one knee. Her steps were unsteady but resolute as she held out her hand.
"You're strong." Her voice was a little hoarse from exhaustion, but her tone was utterly sincere, without a trace of a victor's arrogance in her green eyes. "If my Sealing Jutsu hadn't happened to... be particularly effective against your Multi-Size Technique, which relies on enormous amounts of chakra, I would have... definitely lost."
Choza looked up at her outstretched hand and the earnest expression on her face. He froze for a moment, then broke into his familiar, good-natured smile. Taking her hand, he struggled to his feet with her help.
"What exactly was that jutsu? I've never seen it in Konoha or even heard of it." Choza scratched his round head as he asked curiously. His voice was full of admiration, without the slightest resentment over his defeat.
"It's one of the Sealing Jutsu passed down through the Uzumaki Clan," Kushina explained softly. At the mention of her clan's secret technique, her eyes dimmed for a moment before brightening again. "It binds and absorbs chakra... so it happens to work well against the way the Akimichi Clan's Multi-Size Technique operates."
They exchanged a look and solemnly formed the Seal of Confrontation, as the rules required.
Choza moved his still somewhat weak and aching body, then said with an easy smile, "If we get another chance to spar, I'll definitely come up with a way to counter that move. The Akimichi Clan's jutsu aren't just about getting bigger."
"I won't stand still, either." That familiar, stubborn determination shone in Kushina's eyes again, like a flame that would never go out. "I'll get stronger."
When she turned to leave the arena, Minato Namikaze was already waiting at the edge, though she had no idea when he had arrived. With a gentle, approving smile, he offered her a clean towel.
"That was an excellent tactical choice." Minato's voice was clear and sincere. "The head-on clash of strength at the start wasn't just to test the limits of the Multi-Size Technique. You also wanted to show Choza and everyone watching that you had the strength to face him directly, laying the groundwork for the tactics that followed. Right?"
Kushina looked up at Minato in surprise, seemingly not expecting him to see through her plan so thoroughly.
She accepted the towel, gently wiped the sweat from her face and neck, and nodded. "Mm... only by making him, and everyone else, believe I was good at contests of strength and preferred them could I make my sudden change in fighting style and the Sealing Jutsu at the end more surprising and harder to deal with."
She paused, then added, "Besides, without experiencing it myself, I couldn't be sure how powerful the Multi-Size Technique was, or judge how much chakra I needed to put into the Adamantine Sealing Chains to make certain I could restrain him."
"And you deliberately held back a considerable portion of your strength and chakra early in the fight, creating the impression that you were powerful but might lack stamina. That lured Choza into using the more powerful, more demanding Super Multi-Size Technique to win quickly, drastically increasing the strain on his chakra and creating the perfect opportunity for your Sealing Jutsu to settle the match." Shikaku Nara had also wandered over at some point. With both hands in his pockets, he delivered his analysis lazily, though his eyes held admiration for the strategy. "A clever, bold tactical setup. Looks like there's more to you than brute strength."
As Kushina dried her wet red hair with the towel, her gaze involuntarily flicked toward a certain part of the stands. There, several older students who had once openly mocked her as "Tomato" were now looking away, afraid to meet her eyes, with sheepish expressions on their faces.
"I just... didn't want to lose," she said softly, as though stressing the point to herself. Her grip on the towel tightened without her realizing it.
What she kept hidden in her heart, unable to say aloud, was that this seemingly risky yet carefully interconnected strategy had taken shape over countless nights. Exhausted after training alone, she would unconsciously put herself in the shoes of a certain blond boy who always resolved crises with intelligence and composure, wondering, If it were him, how would he handle an opponent who relied on strength? Little by little, she had developed and refined the plan.
Minato watched her sweat-dampened profile. In the sunlight, her wet red hair still looked like a burning flame, radiating an indomitable vitality.
Suddenly, he understood with perfect clarity that this girl from the destroyed Land of Whirlpools held far more than vast chakra reserves and monstrous strength within her. She also possessed a heart as resilient as diamond, one she was rapidly honing. One day, she would make all of Konoha truly recognize her brilliance.
Another warm breeze swept across the training ground, stirring the scattered cherry blossom petals and the dust left by the match as it drifted gently over the arena.
A few pale pink petals spiraled down, settling silently on Kushina's shoulders, which still rose and fell slightly. She stopped drying herself and reached up to brush them away with a gentleness utterly unlike the ferocity she had shown in battle. Then she took a deep breath, straightened the back that seemed capable of bearing any burden, and fixed her burning gaze on the list of matchups for the coming round.
That fierce, brilliant crimson flame from Uzushio Village had begun her blazing journey upon Konoha's soil, and she could no longer be ignored.
Before you continue