Matatabi's Claws

When the next pair of opponents appeared on the screen, they immediately drew quite a few people's attention.

"Next match: Yugito Nii of Kumogakure versus Shinrō of the Land of Crafts."

The Land of Crafts' first match had already left everyone present feeling that something was strange.

The appearance of another ninja from the Land of Crafts inevitably made everyone look forward to seeing what remarkable performance his weapon would deliver.

After stepping onto the stage, Shinrō smiled at Yugito Nii across from him and tightened a dial at his waist. Immediately, a suit of Lion-Headed Armor covered his body.

"What is that?"

The spectators whispered among themselves, watching Shinrō in the arena with intense curiosity.

"Begin!"

At the Kumogakure Jonin's command, Yugito Nii immediately threw a shuriken at Shinrō.

With a sharp clang, Shinrō took Yugito Nii's surprise attack directly on his chest armor, making no attempt to dodge.

When her first strike failed, Yugito Nii immediately leaped back several meters, her hands rapidly forming hand seals. Then...

"Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!"

A fierce mass of lightning flashed into existence, surging toward Shinrō like a ribbon and enveloping him.

"Bzzzt..."

Seeing Yugito Nii land her attack, the Kumogakure spectators all sneered.

Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder delivered an exceptionally powerful electric shock. With Yugito Nii's skill in particular, her Electromagnetic Murder was even more impressive.

"Is... is that all?"

Shinrō of the Land of Crafts looked at the lightning coursing over him and sneered. "If that's all you've got, I'm sorely disappointed."

As Shinrō finished speaking, a white orb suddenly lit up inside the lion's mouth on his chest. Like a whirlpool, it sucked the lightning off his body straight into the mouth.

"That armor can absorb ninjutsu too!"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and exclaimed sharply.

In the first match, the Land of Crafts' Twin Swords had absorbed the opponent's ninjutsu. Now the armor worn by this man named Shinrō actually had the same ability.

"Ninjutsu doesn't work on him!" Sitting on the ground with his hands behind his head, Liumu replied lazily, "Let's see whether that young lady from Kumogakure has realized it."

Liumu had no doubts about Yugito Nii's strength. If a ninja from the Land of Crafts could defeat the Jinchūriki of Matatabi, the Two-Tails, with nothing but a piece of equipment, that Jinchūriki... might as well let Madara absorb her.

She would be useless anyway.

Sure enough, just as Liumu had expected, Yugito Nii then suddenly manifested two cat claws made of blue flames, their sharp tips fully exposed.

With ninjutsu proving ineffective, Yugito Nii moved in close and began fighting Shinrō with taijutsu.

Shinrō's armor was made of metal. Though hard, it gave off a sickening scrape whenever it collided with Matatabi's Claws. But Yugito Nii's taijutsu was clearly far from weak, and she was exceptionally fast. With his own speed and the heavy armor weighing him down, Shinrō simply could not keep up with her.

"Those claws..."

Watching Yugito Nii in the arena, Yuhi Shinku muttered in puzzlement, "They seem a little like the Two-Tails'."

Yugito Nii had not undergone a Tailed Beast Transformation. Even though she was using Matatabi's abilities now, she was doing so with an ordinary human body, without producing any fluctuations of tailed beast chakra.

Hearing this, Liumu glanced at Yuhi Shinku beside him, then smiled faintly and turned his gaze back to the center of the arena.

Crack!

Just then, the sound of metal breaking suddenly rang out.

Hearing it, Yugito Nii moved even faster. As she continued slashing at Shinrō with both claws, cracks began appearing across his armor.

"Shinrō!"

At that moment, a ninja from the Land of Crafts suddenly called out to Shinrō from below the stage. Everyone looked toward the voice, only to see Shinrō immediately raise his hand in surrender at the center of the arena.

"They're probably afraid Yugito Nii will destroy that armor," Kakashi immediately guessed as he watched Shinrō walk off the stage.

By now, the third exam was already halfway over, and Liumu and Kakashi had each fought a match.

Only Suiguang grew more nervous the longer she waited. Finally, when she saw her name appear on the screen, she immediately looked toward her opponent for this match.

Suiguang of Konoha versus Aburame Kō of Konoha.

"An internal battle!" Liumu muttered.

"I'm done for!" Suiguang's face immediately fell when she saw her opponent.

"You haven't even fought yet. How are you done for?" Liumu encouraged her impatiently. "You're both Genin. Don't let the other person's clan scare you."

Suiguang frowned and explained, "It's not the clan that scares me. It's because... because I know Kō."

As it turned out, Aburame Kō had been a year ahead of Suiguang. Moreover, right after Kō graduated from the Ninja Academy, Danzo had recruited Kō into Root because of a talent far surpassing that of fellow clan members of the same age.

Back when Suiguang was still at the Ninja Academy, she had often heard her teachers mention Kō's name. She had never expected to face someone like that as an opponent now.

In the arena, Suiguang looked at Aburame Kō, whose entire face was concealed by black cloth, and felt deeply uneasy.

The Aburame Clan was one of Konoha's older clans. Its ninja fed insects with their own chakra, then allowed kikaichū to live inside their bodies as parasites. Most of their ninjutsu also involved insects.

As a sensory ninja, Suiguang was not good at actual combat at all. Against a prodigy like this, her chances of winning were truly low.

"Senior Kō, please teach me."

Suiguang bowed, and a faint glow immediately spread over her body. Then everyone saw what looked like a thin layer of light earthen armor grow over her, enveloping her completely.

At the sight, Aburame Kō thrust out both hands. Countless black flying insects immediately poured from Kō's sleeves and rushed straight toward Suiguang.

Suiguang knew that if they competed in ninjutsu, she would be no match for Kō. Her only chance of winning this battle lay in close combat.

So before the kikaichū could reach her, Suiguang immediately rushed up to Kō and attacked Kō's body repeatedly with her hardened fists.

With an explosive bang, Kō failed to dodge Suiguang's barrage of attacks and took a direct hit.

But after a sharp crack, Suiguang saw the Kō she had struck suddenly turn into a swarm of black insects that clung to her arm.

"Insect Clone!"

With no time to think, Suiguang turned and immediately tried to sense Kō's real body.

"Over there!"

Suiguang looked toward a corner of the arena and saw Kō appear among the flying insects released at the start.

"Hss..."

But just then, Suiguang's expression suddenly changed dramatically. Looking down at the arm sending waves of bone-deep pain through her, she finally discovered that it had already turned completely black.

"The insects are poisonous!"

Aburame Kō's kikaichū had not only destroyed the light armor on Suiguang's body, but had also injected poison into her.

As her vision grew increasingly blurred, everyone saw Suiguang suddenly shout, pull a kunai from the ninja tool pouch at her back, and plunge it forcefully into her left arm.

"Pfft..."

Blood sprayed, soaking her entire arm!