2023/12/24
UPDATE NOTE: This isn't a new chapter. I've been doing a major editing these past two months to help smooth over some scenes, expand some scenes that were referenced or summarized (you don't need to read it. The main points are still all the same), but I also came across a conundrum. Apparently I never posted chapter 43: Achievements on FFN so all the chapters were one off (hence this will show as a new chapter). Anyway, I'm all caught up on editing so expect the real next chapter soon! Thanks for the wait
Chunin Exam Arc: Yuina vs. Enki
It was an impressive display of power. Yuina used chakra to keep her feet tightly gripped to the ground. She leaned her body forward to fight against the blast of wind that attempted to send her flying back. Even then, there were some deviant blasts that finely cut into her skin at her resistance. The cuts felt like papercuts if instead of paper it was thin headed sheets of metal.
Yuina had been expecting a wind jutsu after she witnessed the Suna-nin Enki use it to fight in the last round. To soften the roughness of the gale, she recycled some of the chakra from the blast and altered the components for her own use. Her chakra pathways felt like tearing muscles as she was unused to attempting such an action with such large amounts of energy.
With proper set-up it could become electricity, but in this case the ionization trail in the air was enough for lightning – a more natural alignment with Yuina's chakra affinity, which made her more certain it would work.
The electrically charged particles crackled forward across the still decimated field. Yuina made three hand seals and lightning zapped across the electrical crackles, stunned Enki and immobilized her. It would only last a few seconds, but that gave Yuina enough time to close the distance between them.
Her finger slipped in the loop of her kunai, which spun around her finger until it was at an angle that offered a better grip in her palm.
Yuina recognized her mistake. She should have thrown it.
Her Stun Jutsu didn't have long-lasting effects. The effects were similar to a stun gun, but spiraling chakra within the body could help cancel its effects early, and the body's endurance was somewhat sturdier in the Elemental Nations.
Enki struggled against the electrical current that shot through her body enough to form two hand seals. She refused to go down.
Yuina's vision blurred immediately as she felt the world tilt from the vertigo. It was like she was thrown into a desert. It was either that or the cool mountain tops of Iwa in the middle of winter suddenly turned into an especially scortching day which she wouldn't believe. It was a similar effect to the image distortion heat waves cause. Genjutsu. Apparently, Yuusei wasn't the only one who could use that jutsu.
Yuina felt prickles up her spine. She jumped to her left as a blur approached forward to her right.
How dangerous. The illusion didn't trick her out of reality. Not in the way she thought about genjutsu. It was like someone put a filter over her eyes. Worst part was it actually was enough to put her off kilter.
Kai.
It didn't do anything.
Her jaw stiffened.
Yuina moved, feeling vulnerable when still without having full vision of what was happening.
The genjutsu was messing with her senses. Which meant her next course of action should be to override it.
Override it by disassociating.
She thought she was done using it now that they weren't in a mountain. It's what she imagined being a ghost would be like. She was taught it so that she could never be trapped in a location, but there were plenty of other applications too.
Yuina was instantly happy with her choice after making the seals for Orochimaru's Hiding in the Surface Technique as her nausea settled down, her vision returned to normal, and a few shuriken phased through her.
It was enough to throw Enki off guard and gave Yuina an opportunity to strike.
"Match over!"
Yuina finished turning her head to her left to see the presumably upper ranking Iwa-nin holding her armed hand's wrist.
"Hatake wins."
She continued to stare frustrated. At the last second, she could sense the incoming shinobi, but she wasn't fast enough. It was annoying enough with Orochimaru, but with a stranger there was a strike of panic – a loss of control. She felt the air leave her lungs, and her killing intent spiked involuntarily. It wasn't until she reined it in that the man released her.
Yuina took another glance at Enki. She wondered whether there was a reason Iwa chose to spare her, or whether there were some unknown measures in place in order to ensure not too many people died to not piss anyone off.
Yuina walked back up the stairs but repeatedly looked back down to where she was touched. She shivered coldly as if someone dumped a bucket of ice on her as the phantom sensation on her wrist continued.
"Gee, you're being ruthless today." Mushiro may have lost against Noriaki, but he was still hanging around watching the other matches.
His voice snaps her back to attention. A little more doubt crept in and caressed her mind as she once more considered what her role was. Her role of her own design.
Yuina had felt prepared against most of the participants, but this was still a small pond. Her wrist tingled. She needed to do better. She needed more power.
Kousei wasn't happy with the results. Enki defeated him so he didn't like her, but since he lost to her in the first round, she should have made it further in the tournament as proof he wasn't weak. He then recalled Ishii's body. Kousei didn't know him personally, but seeing a fellow Iwa-nin be put in that state before witnessing his demise by a Konoha-nin left him feeling troubled. "You're really going for the kill, aren't you?" He knew killing was an option, but he's only ever killed two people. One on a mission and the other by accident during the second part of the exam. He wasn't a bloodthirsty person, but he didn't shy away from blood. However, the precision and detachment shown was unsettling.
Yuusei left to check on Enki before Yuina made it back up.
Kisame raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "That performance was the opposite of ruthless."
Yuina was still stuck on the word ruthless. Enki was about to hit her heart and lungs with those shuriken and yet she didn't get the same commentary. Yuina didn't blame her. It was efficient, and they were showing their skills. Aiming for a knee would be stupid. They all knew the potential consequences when they entered. It might just be smack talk since she was a Konoha-nin.
Zabuza nodded along agreeing with Kisame. The round was tame, but he did have an interest in the jutsu Yuina used. It was the same technique he witnessed her used in the mountain. He imagined what things would be like if he could do that. He had heard of a technique that allowed one to hide in the water – he wanted to learn it if he could ever find someone to teach him – but her version seemed more adaptable. He wondered what the difference was.
Yuina looked at Mushiro. It didn't matter what the others thought, though she was unsettled that once again she was agreeing with the ninja from Kirigakure. "Did you lose your brain cells when Noriaki beat you?" Yuina said with a tight smile.
"That's low even for you."
"Hardly. It's merely a fact." Yuina's smile widened, not unlike the one Orochimaru would give her when messing with her.
Before, she would have remained a quiet distance from people, but even if she spoke, it didn't mean they were close or bonding. There were still many people she needed to be wary of, but Mushiro wasn't one of them. Even with making it to the tournament round, nothing about him made her stand on alert. Also, maybe Orochimaru was onto something. It was kind of nice to mess with someone. It helped her regain her sense of control.
It was certainly better than having her full attention on the matches.
Tazuka defeated Asa, then Zabuza defeated Yuusei meaning that Yuina's next opponent was Zabuza. It worked in her favour to fight someone with a known alias, and she knew from her intel that she should be able to beat him in a straight fight. It was still a pity. Even if it was just to gather information, that evening spent with him was one of the more enjoyable aspects of the trip.
Otona was appalled that the two 'shorties' made it into the semi-finals.
Noriaki and Kisame were called to the arena to begin their match.
