Samehada sliced through the air like a spear. The living sword traveled more than ten meters in the blink of an eye, closing the distance with Gen in an instant.
!
The spectators barely had time to process the speed of the attack.
But just as the ferocious sword was about to reach him, Gen disappeared.
In his place, a lotus flower of fire flickered for an instant before vanishing, leaving behind a faint, dancing glow.
Kisame's attack completely missed, and Samehada continued its trajectory with violent momentum, crashing against the other side of the arena.
From his position, Kisame, still holding onto Samehada's hilt, could clearly see Gen's disappearance, and his pupils contracted.
"What…?"
His instincts warned him too late.
In a sudden flash, a silhouette appeared beside him, moving at lightning speed, and before he could react, he felt a hand close around his neck.
Boom
He was slammed into the ground.
Gen lifted him as if he weighed nothing and smashed him into the earth with monstrous force. The impact instantly cracked the ground, forming a pattern of fissures.
Pain struck Kisame violently, but this was only the beginning.
Before he could catch his breath, Gen gave him no respite. With an icy gaze and an unyielding grip, he held him tightly and brutally dragged him across the ground, propelling him forward at ruthless speed.
Kisame's body crashed uncontrollably against the terrain, carving a fresh trench into the stone and earth with each passing meter. Thick clouds of dust rose, while fragments of rock flew in all directions.
The friction was relentless. His clothes tore, leaving his pale blue skin exposed to the abrasive ground. Flesh split open in multiple places, and blood began to stain the path he left behind.
Kisame tried to resist.
His muscles tensed desperately, but Gen's speed was simply overwhelming. Worst of all: the hand around his neck was like an unmovable shackle, preventing any kind of maneuver. With each passing second, the air in his lungs grew scarcer.
When the imposing coliseum wall loomed before them, the audience held their breath. It seemed Gen was going to slam him directly into the structure, finishing him off once and for all.
But at the last moment, he twisted his waist in a fierce turn.
Using the momentum of the dash, he spun his body and hurled Kisame into the air.
And he flew.
But even in midair, he clung fiercely to Samehada, refusing to let go. With his iron will, he would neither scream nor surrender.
Even so, Gen gave him no respite.
The moment he let go, his body vanished in an explosion of fire.
'Fire Lotus Step'
When he reappeared, he was already above Kisame, overtaking him in the air.
Boom
With a blaze of murderous intent in his eyes, he struck brutally, sending Kisame hurtling straight toward the ground.
The arena floor trembled.
The impact unleashed a deafening roar. Fragments of rock shot in all directions as a shockwave thundered.
A crater over twenty meters in diameter formed instantly.
There was no doubt about the destructive power of Gen's Strength Jutsu.
The center of the arena had been completely devastated, and at its core lay Kisame, covered in blood and surrounded by sand.
But Gen was not finished.
Bang
Before the dust could settle, he fell from the sky like a deity, landing directly on Kisame's body with a devastating stomp.
!
The earth, unable to withstand the force, collapsed even further, reaching more than ten meters in depth and over forty meters in diameter.
There were no intact remains within the crater. Only scattered fragments of flesh and blood.
For the first time, Kisame was completely stunned.
This… was not what he expected.
Puff
A few meters away, Samehada vanished in a cloud of white smoke.
Gen narrowed his eyes and looked in that direction. But he paid it no mind.
Without any expression, he jumped out of the enormous crater and landed at the edge of the field.
From the beginning of the battle until this moment, the audience had been in silence, as if someone had pressed a mute button over the stadium.
Everyone held their breath, eyes wide open, staring at the massive crater that now dominated the field. The destruction was such that it looked as if a meteorite had crashed directly into the arena.
For several seconds, no one dared to make a single sound.
And then, all at once, the silence shattered into a thousand pieces.
"B-By all the ninjas! Isn't this a Chūnin Exam? How the hell can a Genin be this strong?"
"Ha, ha! We won! I knew I wasn't wrong! The giants of Konoha are absolute monsters."
"Tell me this is a freaking joke… A Genin with this level of destructive power? Not even most Jōnin could do something like this!"
"So this is the result…"
The stadium erupted.
Not far away, in one of the observation areas, an excited voice broke through with sobs.
"Kuu, did you see that?!" Reiko exclaimed, "The captain has avenged your defeat!"
Although she had been eliminated in the second stage of the exam, she had obtained a pass to watch the final phase live.
And now, watching Gen crush his opponent with the slightest effort, she felt an explosive mix of adrenaline and relief.
"So that's Konoha's Strength Jutsu…?"
In the main stands, the Third Raikage watched the arena with a stern expression. His arms were crossed over his chest, and although his posture seemed relaxed, his gaze was completely fixed on Gen.
"I didn't expect to see this. Until now, only Tsunade of the Senju Clan had mastered this Jutsu… Since when has an Uchiha learned to use it?" he muttered in a grave voice.
His eyes narrowed slightly, a murderous gleam flashing through his gaze for an instant.
There was no doubt about it.
Despite how short the fight had been, the strength Gen had displayed was alarming.
His speed with the Fire Lotus Step and the destructive power of his Strength Jutsu were not things a mere Genin should be able to use with such mastery. Even an elite Jōnin would have struggled to withstand such an onslaught.
But what truly set off alarms in the Raikage's mind was Gen's age.
A monster like this… If he were allowed to continue growing, Konoha would have another dangerous ninja in its ranks… I don't want another White Fang of Konoha.
He was a total threat.
Something that needed to be eradicated before it became an uncontrollable problem.
As the Raikage pondered this, elsewhere in the stands, a cloaked figure observed the scene with an intrigued smile.
"Heh... I see."
Orochimaru hissed in a whisper. His golden eyes gleamed with curiosity as he watched every movement Gen made in the arena.
"So this is your method of getting rid of the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki…?"
A quiet chuckle escaped his lips.
But despite how impressive Gen's performance had been, it wasn't the Strength Jutsu that caught his attention the most.
No... What truly piqued his interest was that mysterious Fire Lotus Step.
It was something that appeared in no records, no scrolls, no known technique within the Uchiha clan. And yet, there it was.
"Interesting… Is this a hidden treasure of the Uchiha, or did you develop it on your own?"
For Orochimaru, who had inherited profound knowledge of the Shunshin no Jutsu during his time in Konoha, this new technique was a fascinating enigma.
Something entirely new. Something worthy of study.
If Gen had been capable of creating or perfecting a technique of this caliber at his age…
"Fufufu... This just keeps getting better."
Orochimaru licked his lips slightly, savoring the scene.
He wasn't surprised by Gen's strength. He had already anticipated that this boy was special.
But now, his interest was fully secured.
There was no doubt…
Gen Uchiha was a true monster in the making.
________
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