The roar of the crowd shook the entire arena. Dust still hung in the air from the clash that had just ended, a battle many were already calling legendary.
Uchiha Shigure stood tall in the center of the stage, his chest heaving as the residual glow of Sage Mode faded from his body. Across from him lay his defeated opponent, the ever-passionate Might Guy—collapsed, muscle fibers torn apart by the price of opening the Eight Inner Gates.
"As expected of Might Guy," Shigure said, turning his back with quiet respect. "Even at just the third gate, your power was overwhelming. If the chance comes, I'd like to learn that technique too. Do you think… it'd be possible?"
"Haha!" Guy raised a trembling arm and shot him a thumbs-up, his white teeth flashing even in exhaustion. "That's the spirit of youth! Burn bright, without regrets! You win this time… Shigure… you're… really… strong…"
His words faded as his body finally gave in, crashing to the ground unconscious.
"The Eight Gates demand a steep price," Shigure muttered, glancing down. "Power always comes with sacrifice."
He strode toward the tunnel, leaving Guy to be carried off by medical-nin. As the announcer declared his victory—"Winner: Uchiha Shigure!"—the arena erupted, cheers swelling to a fever pitch.
For many spectators, the abilities these two had revealed were beyond anything they imagined genin could wield. To them, this wasn't just a match. It was the birth of legends.
In another corner of the village, Kusuo Hatake sat cross-legged in front of a television, his silver-gray eyes fixed on the screen. He gave a short nod.
"Finally. One of us made it to the finals. Well done, Shigure."
Elsewhere, his teammates and friends, Hyūga Akane and young Hoshiko, watched anxiously, their emotions mirroring the tension in the arena. Every corner of Konoha seemed to be following the spectacle.
With a short break concluded, the examiner returned to the stage, his voice booming with fresh announcements.
"Attention! The remaining four contestants will now proceed with the semifinals! The matches have already been arranged. First: Nara Kazu versus… Yoshida Kappei! The second match will be: Uchiha Shigure against—Monkey Jump!"
The crowd buzzed at once, murmurs of confusion spreading. A masked, unknown figure in nondescript attire stepped forward at the mention of "Monkey Jump," evoking questions and suspicion.
But first came the opening clash.
"Begin!" the examiner commanded.
Nara Kazu wasted no time, his fingers dancing into his clan's secret hand signs. Across from him, "Yoshida Kappei" drew a kodachi and charged with an aggressiveness unfamiliar to those who thought they knew him.
Shigure frowned as he watched from the waiting room. His instincts screamed that something was off.
"Kappei? No… that's not him. The movement, the temperament, even the aura… different. And since when did he abandon ninjutsu for taijutsu?"
The uneasy realization firmed in his thoughts. He's an imposter. If Shigure could see it, surely others had as well. Was the Hokage allowing this on purpose?
The battle itself turned grim. Though Kazu's tactical skill bought him momentum, entrapping his opponent with precise shadow-bind techniques, something changed at the last moment. A flicker of scarlet glimmered in "Kappei's" eyes—Sharingan.
Kazu gasped, his movements faltering as the illusion snapped over him. His body stiffened just long enough for the disguised shinobi to break free and strike back with ruthless efficiency. With a flash of steel, Nara Kazu collapsed, the match concluded.
Victory: "Yoshida Kappei."
But Shigure narrowed his eyes. So that's who you are…
Now his turn had come.
The silence before the next announcement was suffocating.
"Second semifinal!" the examiner called with authority. "Contestant Monkey Jump versus Contestant Uchiha Shigure!"
The mysterious challenger strode forward, his Anbu-style mask concealing every trace of identity. His presence was heavy, calculated—utterly unlike a genin. Whispers filled the stands. No one knew what to expect.
Shigure stepped forward calmly, his scarlet Sharingan tomoe spinning, dissecting everything about the masked shinobi in front of him.
"Begin!"
The battle was instant chaos.
Hand seals blurred faster than many spectators could follow.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!" Shigure's voice rang out.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!" The masked opponent's defense materialized in an unbroken sheet, steam hissing as fire and water collided. The clash boiled the air into foggy mist but neither overwhelmed the other.
"Sharp—he read my seals instantly," Shigure thought, narrowing his gaze.
From the stands, Hyūga Hizashi leaned forward. "Remarkable. He answered perfectly under pressure. That kind of reflex… not something most can manage."
The exchange ignited the crowd's excitement again. Here they were, watching techniques on the level of elite chūnin or jonin unleashed by candidates still meant to be genin.
The masked shinobi shifted seamlessly into another assault.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Shigure countered in rhythm, his voice a whipcrack: "Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire!"
The massive fire dragon tore forward, swallowing the wind within its flames. But the stranger's agility was startling—sliding back, signs flashing again.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
Stone surged upward, shielding him. A follow-up rumble made the ground beneath Shigure soften—the Earth Flowing River Technique, pulling him dangerously off balance.
With a flicker, Shigure's body blurred. "Body Flicker!" He reappeared directly above his target, kunai flashing down.
The blade skewered the man's torso—only for the body to collapse into sludge.
"Earth Clone!" Shigure hissed, twisting in midair. But his warning was a second late.
"Earth and Fire Style: Earth Dragon Flame Flow!"
A monstrous stream roared beneath him, lava-like flames tearing across the stage.
That technique… I see now. Shigure grit his teeth as revelation dawned. So it's you, old man.
He activated the Flying Thunder God mark he'd planted earlier, vanishing a heartbeat before the firestorm engulfed him.
The masked opponent's follow-up came mercilessly: "Lightning and Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!" A great, electrified beast surged forward—its chakra meld ferocious.
But Shigure only raised his right hand. Chakra spun into a condensed sphere, humming menacingly.
"Rasengan."
The impact shattered the artificial dragon, water dispersing in a spray of sparks. His expression hardened.
"You can stop now, Sarutobi-sensei."
He vanished again with Flying Thunder God, materializing overhead in perfect position. Rasengan ignited once more as he slammed it downward.
The masked ninja didn't resist. With a familiar eruption of smoke and a sharp bang, the figure simply vanished—revealed as nothing more than a shadow clone.
Gasps tore through the arena. Even the Hokage didn't immediately reveal the truth.
Shigure stood at the center, his Sharingan gleaming, every sense alert.
"So this was your plan, old man. Testing me with shadow clones… But why now?"
The dust settled into silence. The crowd, bewildered and restless, leaned forward as if one.
Shigure's match wasn't over. Something else—something bigger—was unfolding behind this strange masquerade.
The Rasengan smoke still lingered when Shigure straightened, his gaze sharp.
The empty battlefield said nothing.
The audience held its breath.
And somewhere, in the shadows of the village, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched with narrowed eyes.
The real battle had only just begun.
--
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