The dust slowly settled after the Revolving Heaven. Kushina's clones dispersed, once again leaving only her and Hizashi in the arena, who wasted no time and began closing the distance.
Kushina straightened up, the bold smile never leaving her face, but her gaze became far more serious. She formed another seal, this time summoning only eight clones, and with a shout of "Forward! Dattebane!" rushed into the attack as well.
Hizashi was not intimidated by the numerical advantage. He was clearly confident in his Gentle Fist style; the Byakugan tracked every muscle movement, every surge of chakra in the red-haired kunoichi.
The first clone vanished quickly after a strike to the shoulder that precisely blocked a tenketsu. The second tried to approach from the left, but a slight turn of the Hyuga's body—and his palm knocked the air out of the opponent.
The third and fourth attacked simultaneously. Hizashi stepped between them, almost gliding across the ground, and with two short strikes destroyed both. But Kushina did not stand idle either; she constantly tried to break his rhythm with unexpected maneuvers and thrown kunai.
Moreover, each of her clones possessed incredible strength just like her. And although Uzumaki was still far from Tsunade's level, even so, after a few precise hits, her blows could end any fight.
Hizashi had to maneuver, gently deflecting his opponent's fists and constantly evaluating the distance between them. Unfortunately, unlike his brother, he did not possess the Sixty-Four Palms technique.
One of the clones still managed to graze him—and even that was enough for him to feel a dull pain in his ribs.
Damn, it seems her physical strength has increased even more.
Another clone leapt from above. The Hyuga stepped forward, ducking under the strike, then thrust his palm upward, followed by an instant turn and a series of blows that eliminated the remaining copies.
The real Kushina was left alone and tried to create clones again, but Hizashi was already expecting this. He rushed at her and began a relentless attack.
One strike to the shoulder, second to the solar plexus, third to the side, fourth to the arm. It seemed like the end, but suddenly there was a pop, and the kunoichi's body dissolved into smoke, while the real one leapt out from behind the Hyuga.
Now.
The thought flashed through her mind, but Hizashi instantly used Revolving Heaven, throwing Uzumaki a few meters away. With some effort, Kushina got back up, her eyes narrowing dangerously as sweat appeared on her forehead.
"You think you're the only one who learned a new technique before the exam?"
She asked, and the young man frowned. Although he wasn't seriously injured yet, the rotation technique required a considerable amount of chakra. However, there was no time to worry—in the next moment, Kushina, standing before him, clapped her hands, concentrating chakra.
Immediately, two golden chains burst from her abdomen. They were not fully formed, partially dissolving in places, without tips, but even so they clearly radiated danger.
The weapons immediately shot toward the Hyuga, forcing him to react instantly, dodging with rolls and jumps. But no matter which direction he moved, the chains changed their trajectory as well.
In the stands, Nawaki, who had already regained consciousness, frowned. He trained with Kushina quite often, but had never seen anything like this. Turning to Tsunade, he asked a question, to which she replied:
"This is a sealing technique characteristic of the Uzumaki clan. Kushina is currently using a rather crude and incomplete version, but the very fact that she has already mastered it speaks of remarkable talent."
"Indeed, I must admit your students are quite strong as well, Jiraiya," Orochimaru hissed nearby, carefully watching the battle. To everyone's surprise, the future Toad Sannin did not claim this achievement.
"Unfortunately, I didn't teach her that jutsu. I think we all know that right now in Konoha only Lady Mito possesses such a technique."
While the three conversed, Kuro, leaning on the railing, could not take his eyes off the arena for even a second. Excitement mixed with slight caution was clearly visible in his gaze.
I didn't expect her to master the Adamantine Chains so early! Considering they can even restrain the Nine-Tails' power, how did a genin manage to use them?! Well, it seems things are getting truly interesting, and playing around with Minato is no longer my main concern.
Meanwhile, in the arena, the Hyuga found himself in a completely disadvantageous position. Cornered by the chains, he decided to use Revolving Heaven again.
Chakra spun around him in a vortex. The sphere formed faster and more stably than before. The chains collided with it at full speed, and for a moment it seemed they would be repelled—but instead, they wrapped around the rotating chakra.
The chains did not break the defense directly; they suppressed it. The Byakugan clearly saw the structure of the vortex being disrupted, but Hizashi could do nothing about it.
Soon the sphere shattered, and the chains immediately wrapped around the young man's body. Hizashi tried to gather chakra for a final desperate burst, but it was already useless—his chakra would not respond.
Kushina breathed heavily, maintaining the technique.
"So, who's underestimating whom now?"
The Hyuga looked at her calmly, despite his dire situation.
"Your technique is truly terrifying. I surrender!"
"Hyuga Hizashi cannot continue. Winner — Uzumaki Kushina!"
The technique dispersed, and Kushina, as if catching a second wind, straightened sharply, raising her fist into the air.
"That's how it's done! Dattebane!"
Now only the final semifinal remained.
Nara Kuro versus Namikaze Minato.
Seemingly, the two most promising genin in the exam, but after what had just been seen, many had reconsidered who the true genius in Jiraiya's team really was.
As they descended into the arena, Nara and Namikaze exchanged glances and, smiling, stood opposite each other. Kuro spoke first.
"It's been a while, hasn't it? Seems like last time you lost. Ready for a rematch?"
"More than. I really want to defeat you, Kuro-kun. Let's go all out."
"Well, you know, I now have my own reasons to reach the final, so I'm afraid you'll have to try very hard!"
"I'll try not to disappoint."
After their brief exchange, the examiner checked their readiness and gave the signal.
"Begin!"
In this fight, Kuro decided to show everyone a bit more of his power. So instead of the usual Nara clan shadow control technique, he summoned his shikigami.
Soon, two imposing figures appeared beside him. Two enormous dogs with elongated muzzles and burning eyes. This sight caused a real stir in the arena. Minato himself froze, his eyes widening in genuine shock. Even he, who always maintained composure, was speechless for a moment.
"So this is the special technique you were talking about?" Jiraiya asked, staring intently at the arena.
"Yes, exactly," Orochimaru replied with a predatory smile.
"A special technique? How do you know about this, Jiraiya? And why didn't this brat show it to me even once during our training?" Tsunade asked in surprise, but before he could answer, Orochimaru spoke.
"I'm even curious what you and your student came up with against this technique."
"Heh-heh…" Jiraiya chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head and looking away. "You know, I think I forgot to warn Minato."
Hearing this, the people around looked at him with surprise and even slight irritation—especially Kushina, who began worrying even more about the outcome of the match. After all, she had trained quite a lot with Nara and knew his strength.
Meanwhile, in the arena, Minato, having regained his composure, created two shadow clones to match the opponent's numbers.
"To be honest, I never even thought you had such a trump card up your sleeve, Kuro-kun."
"Well, what can I say, I'm a man of many talents."