Akihiro arrived at the battlefield where Hiroshi was fighting. Hiroshi, who was only facing a genin from Team 12, seemed to be having some trouble.

  —Wow... this is more impressive than I expected —Akihiro said, visibly surprised.

  The terrain was enveloped in overwhelming heat. The ground had been devastated by the combined force of Earth, Lightning, and Wind jutsus; it looked like a piece of hell torn from the earth and cast to the surface.

  Hiroshi was using his lightning and fire techniques, while the genin was only using Earth and Wind jutsus to contain them.

  —Considering only the chakra natures both are using —Akihiro continued, observing carefully. —Hiroshi should win by a clear margin. After all, fire consumes wind, and lightning strikes through the earth. The elemental affinities are on his side.

  He crossed his arms, frowning in confusion.

  —If the affinities are in his favor... why is he having so many problems? —he wondered aloud.

  Hiroshi was struggling to keep up. The enemy genin’s jutsus were being cast quickly and continuously, as if chakra exhaustion wasn’t an issue for him.

  —He’s using low-consumption techniques to keep up the constant pressure... At this rate, Hiroshi will be the first to fall from exhaustion —Akihiro murmured as he stood up, observing more closely.

  —It looks like Team 12 is a very difficult tiger to tame —he added with resignation.

  His previous experience with the other genin from that team had already been troublesome. It had forced him to expend a considerable amount of chakra, and from what he was seeing, this new confrontation wouldn’t be any easier.

  At the same time, Hiroshi was dodging a jutsu while weaving a fire jutsu. The heat built up inside him as the jutsu was completed.

  —Fire Style, Phoenix Fire Jutsu! —Hiroshi shouted. He took a deep breath and exhaled a rge fireball that took the shape of a vermilion bird, roaring furiously toward the genin.

  The genin wasn’t surprised; he simply quickly weaved a few hand seals.

  —Earth Style: Earth Concealment Jutsu —he said calmly, as his body sank into the ground and disappeared from sight.

  The vermilion bird crashed violently into the spot where the genin had been. The earth was crushed on impact, and the fire swept across the surface, instantly charring it. However, there was no trace of the enemy.

  —Damn rat! —Hiroshi yelled, panting from exhaustion.

  —Earth Style: Earth Crushing Jutsu —whispered a muffled voice, almost imperceptible.

  Suddenly, the ground beneath Hiroshi’s feet opened up as if a giant beast had opened its jaws. His body, already unstable from fatigue, fell without resistance into the chasm. The earth closed sharply, swallowing him as if he had never been there.

  A deafening roar followed: the earth exploded as if a wild force had erupted from the core. Fragments of rock were sent flying in all directions, and a cloud of dust rose like a storm.

  Amid the chaos, Hiroshi’s body emerged from the earth, covered in dust and blood, gasping for air, his eyes burning with fury.

  —Never... —he spat between breaths— bury me... before my time. —He said as his body began to surround itself with crackling lightning.

  The genin clicked his tongue.

  —You used too much chakra to break out from within. Now you're on the brink of exhaustion, so surrender vol—

  He didn't finish. A presence materialized behind him.

  —Sorry, but I can't allow my teammate to be eliminated this way. —Said Akihiro as his hand moved towards the genin.

  Only for the genin to quickly turn around and deliver a high kick, forcing Akihiro to leap backward.

  Akihiro clicked his tongue.

  —Such annoyingly sensitive senses —he said as he straightened, and the fūinjutsu lines on his hand disappeared—. Next time, I won’t try to look cool by saying words... I’ll just do the jutsu.

  —A fool who can’t keep his mouth shut and a reckless one... truly a unique team —the genin commented as he raised a kunai.

  Akihiro didn’t deny it.

  —So, a two-on-one? Are you willing to walk away unscathed? —he asked with a slight smile.

  —If I lose, it’ll only be after taking one of you down with me —said the genin. His refusal was expected by everyone present... and the spectators.

  —Alright, then let's put on a great show for our audience —Akihiro replied just before his figure vanished for a moment and appeared in front of the genin.

  He raised his hand and pointed directly at his head.

  The genin barely had time to react. Instinctively, he raised his kunai, deflecting Akihiro’s hand while his other hand quickly formed a jutsu.

  —Earth Style: Earth Concealment Jutsu —he said, attempting to distance himself and hide underground.

  —Sorry, but I can’t allow that —Akihiro responded, quickly closing the gap and forcing the genin to abandon his jutsu and continue the fight hand-to-hand.

  —I’ve been watching you for a while. You have good control of your jutsus, but you don’t seem to be a good hand-to-hand fighter. That’s why you keep your distance from your opponents —Akihiro said, a sinister smile on his face.

  The genin said nothing, but his eyes betrayed a slight tremor, like a child whose secret has been discovered. Still, despite the pressure and his increasingly erratic breathing, he didn’t show signs of surrendering easily.

  It was something to be expected from a ninja aspiring to become a Chūnin. He wouldn’t give up so quickly.

  The genin struck and threw his kunai toward Akihiro. Akihiro reacted instantly, narrowly dodging, but as he did, he caught a glimpse of a small paper attached to the kunai.

  —Shit —he muttered, attempting to activate his movement jutsu to escape. But before he could complete the action, the explosive tag activated.

  A powerful explosion echoed through the air, the sound rumbling like thunder. The shockwave made the ground tremble, throwing dust and debris around him.

  The dust and smoke covered the area, and Akihiro appeared, with light burns and his clothes in a sorry state.

  —That... was way too close —he said, wiping the sweat that began to trickle down his forehead. He had gotten careless, lowered his guard, and that nearly cost him dearly.

  —Give me a break —Akihiro said, looking aside. His puppets had indicated not only the genin’s location but also what he was doing.

  The genin, with his hands on the ground, shouted:

  —Earth Style: Great Colpse Jutsu.

  The earth began to move, and the entire field shook, crumbling with an intensity much greater than before. Rocks and the ground lifted like massive blocks, creating complete chaos.

  Akihiro jumped and regrouped with his partner, who had moved out of the area of effect of the Great Colpse and was in the process of recovering his chakra. Hiroshi had been paying close attention throughout the entire battle, watching every movement of his teammate.

  —Go with Aiko, things are going to get very dangerous here —Akihiro said as he nded.

  Hiroshi nodded, feeling that with some of his chakra recovered, he could support Aiko effectively.

  —Don’t you need help? He’s strong —he replied, concerned. Both in Akihiro’s battle and his own, the genin had been incredibly troublesome, so Hiroshi feared his friend might get disqualified if the situation worsened.

  —I’ll manage. Now, go —Akihiro responded.

  Hiroshi nodded and left with a movement jutsu. The three team leaders were easy to spot, they were causing the most havoc on the battlefield.

  Akihiro sighed, this was going to be exhausting. He immediately weaved a movement jutsu and appeared in front of the genin.

  The genin, noticing him, quickly formed several seals. Akihiro wasted no time and began forming his own seals.

  —Earth Style: Earth Spear Jutsu —the genin shouted, unleashing a rain of earth spears towards his opponent.

  —Water Style: Great Water Bullet Jutsu —Akihiro responded, taking a deep breath and shooting a stream of compressed water that flew with pinpoint precision directly toward the genin.

  The rock spears quickly shot toward Akihiro, but the speed of the Water Bullet was even greater. The genin, reacting quickly, moved to dodge the water jutsu. However, in losing focus, the Earth Spear jutsu weakened, giving Akihiro enough time to dodge the spears effortlessly.

  Akihiro quickly regained his stance and immediately used a movement jutsu to close the gap with the genin.

  The genin, who had been preparing a jutsu, startled when he saw Akihiro appear and, instinctively, tried to flee. But Akihiro wouldn’t let him escape. Before he could run, Akihiro grabbed his arm and delivered a direct punch to his stomach.

  The impact was brutal, and the genin barely had time to react. The air was knocked out of his chest, and his body bent forward, forcing him to stay in pce. Akihiro didn’t give him any respite and, seizing the opportunity, pushed him back with a knee strike to his abdomen, knocking him off bance.

  Disoriented, the genin tried to regain his stance, but Akihiro didn’t give him a second to breathe. With a quick twist, Akihiro dislocated the genin’s arm, and the genin let out a scream of pain.

  Despite the suffering, the genin gritted his teeth, biting down hard. With his free hand, he pulled out a kunai and, in a swift movement, stabbed it into Akihiro’s arm that was holding his. The kunai sank deep into Akihiro’s arm, and he had to grit his teeth even harder to keep from letting go of the genin.

  With his free hand, Akihiro unched a series of quick strikes: a hook to the genin’s face, followed by a combination of punches to his sides. Each blow echoed through the air, the sound of fists striking his body clear and sharp.

  The genin managed to block some of the blows with his free arm, but not all of them. Finally, seizing a moment of distraction, he nded a precise blow directly to Akihiro’s jaw, causing him to stagger backward and forcing him to release his grip. Blood began to flow from his lip.

  The genin, quickly, attempted to flee, but Akihiro, regaining his composure, ran toward him and grabbed him from behind. With force, he smmed him to the ground, hitting his body with all his weight and unleashing a series of punches. It was no longer a battle between two trained genins; it was more of a fight between two animals.

  Blinded by pain, the genin tried to counterattack, throwing a punch at Akihiro’s side. However, Akihiro caught his hand and dislocated it. The genin’s howl of pain echoed across the field.

  Akihiro paused for a moment, looking at the defeated genin. He didn’t waste any more time. He raised his hand and quickly struck the genin’s neck, knocking him out.

  —Damn it —Akihiro muttered as he stood up, looking at his arm. Blood had stained his uniform. He grabbed the kunai still embedded in his arm and pulled it out with force. A sharp pain shot through his body, and he felt the urge to scream, but he held it back. He knew it was a terrible idea to remove the weapon, but in his state, he couldn’t keep fighting.

  He pulled out a bandage from his weapon pouch and wrapped it around the wound. The blood kept flowing, but with his shinobi physique, he could hold on for a while.

  —Alright, let’s see what happened with the others.

  —I don’t think it’s necessary —a friendly voice appeared.

  Akihiro looked up and saw the figure standing there. He recognized them immediately.

  —Raiden, right? —he asked, already knowing the answer.

  —Yes —Raiden nodded, not hiding it at all.

  Akihiro sighed and asked:

  —My teammates?

  —Unconscious. It was a real headache —Raiden said, patting his clothes.

  They were torn and missing parts. He didn’t look unscathed either, and it was clear that the battle had taken its toll on him.

  —Are we the st ones? —Akihiro asked, already knowing the answer.

  —Yes, the st ones —Raiden said with a smile.

  Akihiro nodded and said, —Finish it quickly.

  Raiden nodded and jumped toward him, pcing his hand on Akihiro’s forehead.

  —Lightning Palm —A small electric fsh passed from his hand to Akihiro’s head, low enough not to cause any injury, but just enough to knock him unconscious.

  Akihiro fell forward, into Raiden’s arms. Raiden held him and said:

  —Although we’re not teammates, I admit your fight with my teammate was impressive. Congratutions.

  That was the st thing Akihiro heard before losing consciousness.