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Chapter 39: The Bald Truth
Haku—Han—stood amidst the settling dust and vapor, her previously pristine white skirt now smudged and dirtied. However, the countless glittering shards of shattered ice scattered at her feet were a testament to her defense; Yugito's ferocious, encircling assault had been successfully, if narrowly, repelled.
"They're both incredible," Kakashi murmured, genuine awe in his voice. "If I had to fight either one, I wouldn't be confident of winning at all."
Haku's abilities spoke for themselves: seal-less ninjutsu casting and an absolute defense built upon a rare Kekkei Genkai. Even against such an unpredictable, multi-angled attack, she remained unscathed.
And Yugito's display of precision chakra control to guide her fireballs was something Kakashi had never seen before. He knew, however, that her true threat lay elsewhere. Her close-quarters combat prowess, hinted at with those flaming claws, was likely her most fearsome aspect.
"Ice Release: Thousand Flying Snow!"
Haku acted. The air in the arena grew sharply colder. Snowflakes, sharp and crystalline, began to materialize and swirl in the air.
"Ice Release: Grass Dance Art!"
A second technique layered atop the first. The swirling snowflakes accelerated violently, transforming into a spiraling storm of razor-edged shards that howled toward Yugito.
Across the ring, Yugito's eyes narrowed. The blue chakra flames wreathing her claws flared brightly, expanding to envelop her entire body in a protective, fiery aura. With the grace of a feline, she pushed off her toes, twisting elegantly in mid-air.
"A cat has nine lives. A little snow like this won't—"
Her boast was cut short. Glancing down, she saw the entire floor of the arena below her had sprouted a dense, vicious forest of ice spikes, each tip gleaming lethally. There was no safe place to land.
"Fire Release: Fire Rat Jade!"
Trapped between the aerial blizzard and the ground of spears, Yugito had no choice. She spat out another volley of blue fireballs, aiming them downward. They exploded against the ice spikes, shattering a small patch and creating a momentary, smoking crater for her to land in.
"Huff…"
"Hm?" Liumu, engrossed in the duel, suddenly sensed a familiar, surging chakra signature—the same monstrous, bestial pressure he'd felt from Killer B. His gaze snapped to Yugito, who was now crouched in the crater, visibly struggling.
So, she's finally pushed to that point?
"HALT!"
The Kumo jonin proctor, who had been observing with intense focus, suddenly flashed onto the arena in a burst of Lightning Release speed. His hands clamped down firmly on Yugito's shoulders.
"You lose," he stated, his voice low but carrying across the suddenly quiet arena.
"What? I—!" Yugito's head jerked up, frustration and anger flashing in her eyes.
The jonin's voice dropped to a near-whisper, meant only for her. "Have you forgotten the agreement?"
"I…" Yugito's protest died in her throat. She closed her eyes, took a deep, shuddering breath, and let her tension drain away. When she opened her eyes again, they were resigned. "I understand."
Under the confused and watchful eyes of the entire arena, Yugito Nii raised her right hand. "This match…" she announced, her voice clear and firm, "I concede."
The existence of the Two-Tails was known throughout the shinobi world, but the identity of its Jinchūriki was a closely guarded secret of Kumogakure. Yugito's participation in these exams had come with a strict, private condition from the Kumo elders: under no circumstances was she to tap into the tailed beast's power. The fleeting but unmistakable surge of that chakra had forced the proctor to intervene immediately.
"So it's her," the yellow-eyed shinobi in the shadows hissed, a snake-like smile stretching his features.
"The next match: Konohagakure's Kui, versus Konohagakure's Liumu!"
"Me again?" Liumu sighed at the announcement, getting to his feet and dusting off his pants.
Kakashi moved to offer advice. "Kui is skilled in—"
"No need." Liumu walked past him, giving his shoulder a light, confident pat. "Half a minute. I'll be back down in half a minute."
This match meant Kakashi received a bye for this round. With only a couple of rounds likely remaining, the finals were nearing their end. Realistically, any genin who had made it into the final matches was already being evaluated for promotion. The title of Chunin was virtually assured for both Liumu and Kakashi; the rest was just procedure.
Kui was an ANBU operative, directly answerable to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. He specialized in Lightning Release and often served on sealing squads during missions. Kakashi had wanted to warn Liumu about the man's tactical approach, but…
"BEGIN!"
"Lightning Release: Thunder Pillar!"
Kui struck first, his hands a blur of seals. Three thick stone walls erupted from the arena floor, forming a triangular prison around Liumu.
"Huh?"
Before Liumu could decide how to react, arcs of brilliant blue-white lightning crackled to life across the inner surfaces of the stone walls.
ZZZ-ZZ-ZAP!
A network of sizzling electricity filled the enclosed space, buzzing with lethal energy.
"Liumu!" Kakashi shouted from the stands, a spike of genuine concern in his voice.
Then…
CRUNCH-BOOM!
The three stone walls didn't just break; they exploded outward into gravel. Liumu strode out of the dissipating cloud of dust and pebbles, angrily brushing debris from his shoulders. He fixed Kui with a glare of profound annoyance.
"Look what you've done!" he snapped.
Kui: "…?"
Kakashi: "…?"
The Crowd: "…?"
Then they saw it. The violent electrical discharge hadn't harmed Liumu in the slightest. But it had ignited the wig he was wearing. The synthetic hair was now a melted, smoldering ruin atop his head, revealing the perfectly smooth, famously reflective dome beneath.
"Pffft—"
"Who was that?!" Liumu whirled around, his bald head gleaming under the arena lights as he scanned the audience. His furious gaze landed on Haku, who had one hand politely covering her mouth, her shoulders shaking slightly. "Oh… it's you. Fine, if it's you, I'll let it slide."
"Pfft… Bahahaha!"
This time, it was Kui who finally lost his composure. Seeing Liumu's furious, hopping indignity and that unmistakable, shiny head, he couldn't hold back a loud, guffawing laugh.
Liumu: !!!
As the saying goes: the head may be broken, blood may flow, but the hairstyle must never be ruined! It was one thing for the system's Saitama template to leave him permanently bald. It was another thing entirely to have his attempt at a disguise so publicly and literally go up in smoke because of this guy.
This… matter…
Could! Not! Be! Forgiven!
"Kui, was it?" Liumu's voice dropped, low and dangerous. His eyes seemed to blaze with an inner fire. "I won't say I'm bullying you. I'll give you one chance. One chance to defend yourself."
As he spoke, he slowly clenched his fists. The sound of his knuckles popping echoed with unsettling clarity in the now-silent arena.
"Lightning Release: Six Lightning Pillar Prison!"
Kui, recognizing Liumu as Jiraiya's disciple and having seen his casual physical power, knew better than to hold back. Underestimating an opponent was a fatal flaw. His second move was his strongest offensive-area denial technique.
Six thicker, taller earth walls erupted, forming a complex, hexagonal prison around Liumu. Before the inevitable lightning could even begin to crackle within…
Liumu took one light, casual step forward.
He simply walked through the forming stone wall as if it were made of paper, leaving a neat, person-shaped hole in its wake.
And then…
"Serious…"
His right fist, pulled back to his waist, began its release.
"SERIES!"
It wasn't a punch meant to kill, but the air itself seemed to rupture as his fist shot forward in a straight, unavoidable line aimed directly at Kui's face.
I'm dead, was Kui's only, fleeting thought.
"Minato!"
A flash of yellow light—faster than sight—blinked into existence in the corner of the stone chamber. In the split-second before impact, the yellow streak intercepted Kui mid-air. With a shunshin too fast to follow, both figures vanished, leaving behind only the afterimage of the Hokage's student and the thunderclap of Liumu's aborted punch displacing the air where Kui had stood.
(End of Chapter)
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