The big day of the tournament finals were there, as people were moving to the arena. It was a lovely morning as people moved into the arena as they found their seats. The place filled up rather quickly as everyone who was showing up was excited to see the fight between the most talented young people of Konohagakure and Sunagakure. There was an anticipation of what they would see and what talents would be on display before them.
The first match of the day was about to begin, featuring Kaza, the son of a well-known jounin, Ryota, against an unknown ninja from Sunagakure. The mystery surrounding Kaza's opponent only added to the intrigue of the match.
"So, what have you heard about this Sunagakure ninja?" Ino asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and a hint of concern as she looked over at Sakura and Ace.
Sakura shook her head. "Not much. He's been keeping to himself and working away from the village. But don't worry about it, Ino. We both know Kaza is tough and won't go down easily. Have some faith in him," she said with a reassuring smile, placing a comforting hand on Ino's shoulder.
Ace nodded in agreement, his smile filled with pride. "Yeah, Kaza has been training really hard with Dad this past month. I'm sure he's got some new tricks up his sleeve. My brother is tough and smart; he's not someone I'd want to fight directly."
"I know I believe in him, I just am worried, I don't want him to lose his confidence from a bad loss, or get hurt." Ino said as he thought, "I will believe in him though."
"Welcome to the Chunin Exam, we are proud to present to you the man great fights between the future of the great village of Konoha and Suna. These young warriors have been preparing greatly to fight each other and put on a great show for all of you to see," The announcer called out as it grabbed everyone in the stands.
There was a hushed quiet over the stands as they waited for the announcement and the entrance of the first fighters of the tournament.
"Please welcome our first fighters of the day: Kaza from Konohagakure and Miraju from Sunagakure!" the announcer's voice echoed through the stadium.
Kaza stepped into the arena with an air of quiet confidence. His new attire—a tailored light version of the clan robes, highlighted with teal and purple trim—complimented his freshly toned physique and short haircut. The emblem of the rose on his back was a symbol of his heritage and pride. His headband was tied around the sheath of a katana on his right side, a new addition to his arsenal that had only been introduced in the weeks leading up to the finals.
Miraju, his opponent, entered the arena with a contrasting look. His messy brown hair and dark tan skin gave him a rugged appearance, and his dark brown eyes surveyed the crowd with a calm, collected demeanor. Clad in basic Sunagakure garb—sand brown shirt and dark brown pants—he exuded an understated confidence. As he took his position opposite Kaza, he acknowledged someone in the crowd who had been observing him closely since he advanced in the exams.
The two competitors faced each other, their gazes locked in mutual understanding of the impending battle. Miraju spoke first, his tone calm and almost clinical. "So, you are the one who defeated Aosuke. That was an impressive fight, but I think I've figured you out. This will be as far as you go, Kaza Togusa. I've prepared for a month just for you and how you fight. Take that as my respect, but you don't have a chance to win. I counter your ranged abilities too well."
Kaza smiled, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Oh, it's good to know that I'm going to lose already," he said, looking at the ground briefly before meeting Miraju's gaze again. "But I think I'll see what I can do. You never know when someone might have a surprise up their sleeve or an ability that's unaccounted for. Plus, where would the fun be in assuming that I'm going to lose?"
Miraju nodded, unsheathing his bronze saber. "Yeah, I guess so. Let's see if you have any surprises up your sleeve. Come."
Kaza's hands moved quickly, forming hand seals. "Fireball Jutsu!" he called out, launching a fireball directly at Miraju, followed by another from a different angle.
Miraju smirked, slicing through the fireballs with his saber and absorbing the fire chakra before redirecting it back at Kaza. Kaza nimbly dodged the counterattack. "See? Your ranged abilities don't do anything against me."
"Yeah, I think I see that," Kaza replied, pulling out his katana. The blade glowed with light energy as he held it ready. "But I'm not going to need to focus on ranged combat to fight you. You're going to see something new."
In the stands, Shikamaru leaned forward, puzzled. "When did Kaza get a katana? And when did he have time to practice with it?"
Ace, equally intrigued, shrugged. "No clue. I'll have to ask him later. This must have something to do with his training with Dad. I really want to see what happens now, and if he can pull this off."
Kaza smiled as he looked at Miraju. "Now, you're good, and that ability is impressive, but I am not done here," Kaza said, attacking quickly and bursting forward to clash his sword against Miraju's. Kaza infused his blade with a bit of lightning chakra, but Miraju countered and absorbed the chakra directly into his own blade. The abilities of Miraju's sword were wild.
Kaza moved swiftly, demonstrating impressive natural swordsmanship that pressed Miraju hard. However, Miraju was no weakling. The two moved quickly, their footwork precise as they looked for openings, exchanging slashes and thrusts. They parried or dodged each other's attacks, neither finding an opening. The lightning from both blades created a static field around them as they fought.
Kaza found the first opening and kicked Miraju hard in the side, sending him flying into a tree. But the tough warrior of the sand got up with a smirk on his lips.
"My turn," Miraju called out, pointing his index finger at Kaza. "Lightning release: lightning chain homing shot," he said, firing a dozen small concentrated balls of lightning at Kaza.
Kaza was forced back, dodging the attack, but finding that dodging wasn't enough. He moved to avoid all the balls hitting him at the same time, timing his moves perfectly. He smirked and then disappeared as the attacks collided where he had been, using his light release. However, as soon as he reappeared, he was hit by an arrow of lightning in his right shoulder from Miraju, who had figured out the timing of his light release from the battle against Aosuke.
"I told you, Togusa, there was no way you were going to win. Might as well give up now and get that shoulder treated," Miraju called out as Kaza couldn't feel his right arm. "Your sword arm, right? Can't use it, can't fight me evenly, and it's pointless for you to continue."
Outside the ring, Ace looked worried. He had not expected this skill from the sand ninja and was concerned for his brother. Nearby, Ino was livid, worried that her gut feeling about this fight was coming true. She took a deep breath and reached out to Kaza mentally. 'Kaza, you can do this. Focus, and remember everything. But mostly, know that I believe in you. You got this, I know you're holding something back, aren't you?' she told him mentally.
'Of course, Ino. Just watch, this is going to be amazing,' Kaza replied mentally, smiling as he looked forward in the arena.
Kaza smiled as he switched his sword to his left hand. "Well, Miraju, I don't give up. It isn't in my nature. Even if I lose, I won't give up until the end."
He took a stance and prepared for the next combination. "You won't hit me again, and I can endure," he added, narrowing his eyes. "Light illusion."
Miraju sneered. "Then catch this. Try that illusion stuff. The homing attack will lock onto the real one, making it pointless. You are so stupidly stubborn." He raised his hands. "Lightning release: grand homing bullet barrage!" He fired a massive amount of lightning bullets into the air, which then flew down toward Kaza.
Kaza remained perfectly still, sensing the attack coming. At the last moment, he moved quickly, disappearing just like before. The bullets hit the ground, creating a cloud of dust.
"Same evasion? How stupid of you. Now lose, the other shoulder, idiot!" Miraju called out, annoyed by Kaza's stubbornness. He fired another lightning arrow at where he saw Kaza smirking, but it flew through the illusion and into the wall behind him. Miraju looked around in shock, turning and firing again, only to hit another illusion. He fired a third shot, hitting yet another illusion.
Miraju looked around, unable to locate Kaza. He then looked upward and blinked as he saw Kaza flying at him quickly, having used his light release with a bit of fire release to jet into the sky.
Ryota smirked, recognizing his son's strategy. Kaza had sent out illusions and used his light speed release with fire release to get above Miraju. He then paused as he realized that attacking from there was unlikely but then he figured out what his son had done. He grinned proudly thinking about how skilled his son was. He really was a lot like him when he was that age.
"You can't dodge, lightning bullet barrage!" Miraju fired the bullets again, but as the dust cleared from the first attack, he saw Kaza appear from the dust, his useful hand forming a seal. It would seem that Kaza had only dodged the first attack and then used all of the illusions at the same time, with his own light speed release.
"Fire release: dynamite explosion jutsu," Kaza called out, firing off a super condensed fireball.
"A ranged attack? How silly of you," Miraju said, preparing to cut the slow-moving attack in half to absorb its power and throw it back.
Kaza smiled and snapped his fingers, causing the attack to explode prematurely. Miraju's sword cut into the explosion, but the force threw him back. Kaza followed up quickly, driving an elbow into Miraju's stomach hard enough to make his eyes widen in pain. Miraju felt his ribs break and knew he couldn't get up.
"I give up, I lose," Miraju said, racked with pain from the final attack, his arms lightly burned. Kaza raised his hand in the air.
"Winner of the round: Kaza Togusa!" was announced as the crowd cheered the intense fight between the two fighters.
Kaza worked his way to the locker room, gritting his teeth against the pain in his shoulder. He needed basic treatment to close the wound and hopefully keep his arm functional for the next battle. His determination to not give up was evident in his eyes.
In the stands, Ino watched Kaza with a mixture of worry and admiration. That was a hell of a fight. She knew he was tough and relentless, traits she deeply admired. Taking a deep breath, she cleared her mind, reassuring herself that he would be okay. She had to focus on her own upcoming fight.
"Ino, you okay? You mentally ready for our fight?" Sakura asked softly, putting a hand on Ino's shoulder.
"Of course, Sakura. I can't not do my best after seeing Kaza do so amazing. I want to fight you, have a fun fight, and show you, him, and my teammates what I've learned," Ino said, glancing over at Shikamaru. "Speaking of which, I believe you get to fight Kaza in the next round, Shikamaru. Good luck."
Shikamaru sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Troublesome, but it should be a good fight." He gave a small, confident smirk. "I'll do my best."
"I think we know what the next match will be Ino," Shikamaru said as he looked over at his teammates, "rivals going at it should be rather fun to watch, see who has grown more you or Sakura."