The long-awaited final stage of the Chunin Exams had finally arrived.
It had been quite some time since the previous round, and in those few short days, many participants had grown tremendously.
Just like in the original story, Naruto had been training under Jiraiya and had mastered the Summoning Jutsu.
Sasuke, under Kakashi's guidance, had not only trained in advance but had even perfected Chidori ahead of schedule. Unlike before, the Curse Mark's influence had been minimized.
But the biggest surprise was Ino—who had broken free from her original path and developed a completely new jutsu that even Sakiya hadn't anticipated.
The technique, Ninja Art: Mind's Eye, was based on the Yamanaka Clan's mental jutsu, but incorporated elements of Genjutsu.
By using her chakra, Ino could transfer a small portion of her mental energy onto an opponent, creating a hidden spiritual link.
This allowed her to read their thoughts—or at least, fragments of them.
While she couldn't fully decipher an opponent's mind, she could extract key behavioral information, allowing her to predict their next move.
However, this technique came with a major limitation—it required an immense level of mental control. More importantly, it relied on the rare skill of "divided consciousness"—the ability to focus on two things at once.
For Ino, achieving true dual focus was still difficult. Prolonged use left her mentally drained and physically exhausted.
As a result, the technique was most effective when used in coordination with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
As in the original timeline, the third phase of the Chunin Exams was a series of one-on-one battles.
These duels were the ultimate test of a ninja's strength, strategy, and skill.
For Konoha, they were also a goldmine—an opportunity to open the arena to spectators, rake in ticket sales, and impress visiting nobles for potential funding and political support.
At the exam arena's entrance, a group of familiar faces gathered. Sakiya, Sakuragi, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and Naruto's team stood together, all buzzing with anticipation.
Naruto grinned, waving. "Good morning, everyone!"
Shikamaru, still groggy, yawned. "Ahh… Morning, Naruto."
Tsuchiya, brimming with energy, clenched his fists. "Haha! I can't wait to show off what I've learned!"
The final stage was about to begin.
The arena was set, the crowd buzzing with anticipation.
After a brief opening speech, the chief examiner—better known as the "Protagonist of Shippuden"—stepped forward to announce the rules.
The format? Simple.
One-on-one battles
Knock out your opponent
Disable them
Force them to surrender
Or, if necessary, someone will feed them their next meal
In short, just win.
As per tradition, the matchups were determined by a randomized system—a system, of course, fully controlled by Konoha.
The first preliminary matchups appeared on the board.
Sakiya glanced at the list, her eyes widening slightly.
Her name was first.
Sakiya vs. Yoroi
She blinked. Wait… What?
Had she just replaced Sasuke's original first opponent?
Her gaze quickly scanned the board for Sasuke's name.
Uchiha Sasuke vs. Kabuto Yakushi
Oh. Another shift in the timeline…
A smirk played at the corner of her lips.
Heh. Change it. Change everything. Let my Eye of Death become the center of this world!
Hayate, the examiner, stood atop his platform.
Sakiya saw the faintest smile on his lips before he addressed the crowd.
"The first match of the preliminaries—Sakiya vs. Yoroi! Contestants, step forward!"
The words had barely left his lips when—
Cherry blossoms filled the air.
Five glowing magic circles materialized, floating upright in the sky.
A beam of pure light shot through their center, slamming into the arena floor. Winds erupted, scattering cherry blossoms in every direction.
A massive sigil blazed beneath her feet.
And in the very center of it all stood Sakiya, left hand on her hip, right hand pointing to the heavens—
Surrounded by a storm of cherry blossoms.
"Behold! The Eye of Death—Sakiya has arrived!"
Ino covered her face, feeling a mix of embarrassment and secondhand shame.
She had a feeling that something like this would happen the moment she realized Sakiya was missing.
But to her surprise, the performance had the opposite effect—the crowd loved it.
"Wooooah! That was amazing!"
"So cool!"
"What a badass entrance!"
Tsuchiya glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention to him before shouting at the top of his lungs—
"Go, Eye of Death!"
His voice boomed through the arena, earning a shocked reaction from Sakuragi.
A second later, realization struck.
[I can't fall behind now!]
"Go, Chief! You must carry forth the will of the Death Oath!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a wave of silence washed over the crowd.
People turned, staring at them with baffled expressions.
Sensing the danger, Tsuchiya grabbed Sakuragi and bolted.
"Dude! What was that?!" Tsuchiya hissed as they ran.
Sakuragi calmly adjusted his glasses. "Just cheering for Sakiya."
Meanwhile, Sakiya's opponent had arrived.
A tall figure in dark clothing landed on the battlefield with calculated precision. His face was partially obscured by glasses and a mask, exuding a cold, detached aura.
Sakiya's eyes narrowed slightly.
Where have I seen him before…?
Then it clicked.
He was there.
During the first phase of the exam, this guy had targeted both her and Ino.
Her fingers curled into a fist. Oh, I remember you now.
The man behind the glasses, Yoroi, smirked slightly.
On paper, he was a former Konoha genin, but in truth, he was a spy—just like Kabuto.
And right now? He was beyond annoyed by the kid standing before him.
This brat… That flashy entrance…!
He clenched his fists, thinking about his hidden trump card.
"Hmph. It doesn't matter how dramatic your entrance was—"
"The moment I touch you, you lose."
Up on the examiner's platform, Hayate took a deep breath and raised his hand.
"Match start!"
The words fell like a hammer.
And the fight began.
Yoroi wasted no time—he threw several shuriken, each one coated in chakra, increasing their speed and power.
At the same time, he charged forward, closing the distance between him and Sakiya.
But Sakiya was ready.
She reached into her ninja pouch, her hands moving in a blur. Suddenly, a flurry of kunai and dozens of shuriken filled the air.
With a graceful spin, she unleashed them all at once.
It was an impressive display…
…except for one problem.
Her aim was terrible.
The shuriken rained down randomly, scattering across the battlefield like falling flower petals—some even flew into the audience!
One particularly rogue kunai shot straight toward Kakashi, who instinctively caught it mid-air.
He blinked. Then frowned.
"Oi… is she trying to kill the spectators?"
Despite the chaotic mess, a few of Sakiya's stray shuriken managed to knock down Yoroi's incoming projectiles.
Yoroi's eye twitched.
"You… You have no skill, but ridiculous luck!"
He was already within three meters of Sakiya now—close enough to finish this fight.
With a sudden burst of speed, he lunged forward, kunai in hand, aiming straight for her heart.
But Sakiya didn't move.
She stood still, smiling, her eyes glinting mischievously as she winked at him.
"The Eye of Death… has already marked you."
Yoroi ignored her dramatic nonsense and stabbed forward—
—only to hit nothing.
His kunai passed straight through her body.
A phantom.
Yoroi's heart dropped.
Something was wrong.
Now that he thought about it… the moment he'd stepped near her, the ground beneath him hadn't felt right.
Before he could react—
A massive, glowing magic circle suddenly flared to life beneath his feet, spreading across the entire arena.
Above him, Sakiya's mocking voice echoed:
"Hahaha! Foolish, ignorant enemy! In the grand theater of my 'Eye of Death'—you are doomed to fail!"
Yoroi's eyes widened.
Shit! What kind of technique is this?!
Without thinking, he hurled a wave of shuriken in every direction, hoping to break the illusion.
"Damn it! You and your stupid theatrics!"
But before he could regain his footing—
The magic circle pulsed.
A beam of light shot straight for him.
"Tch!"
He barely managed to dodge to the side—but the moment he landed, he noticed something worse.
More beams.
A ring of glowing lights formed all around him, caging him in.
Yoroi gritted his teeth.
He didn't know what these beams did, but one thing was clear—
He absolutely could NOT let them touch him.
Clang!
A sharp metallic hum filled the arena as dozens of beams of light suddenly aligned—all of them locked onto Yoroi.
A wave of pressure surged over him, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead.
The next moment—
The beams flared.
Blinding light flooded his vision, forcing him to focus all his energy on defending himself.
Then—
A sudden whoosh cut through the air behind him.
Yoroi's lips curled into a sneer.
[Hah! So that's her plan? All of this was just a flashy distraction so she could attack from behind? How predictable… how naive!]
In one swift motion, he whirled around, kunai in hand, slicing straight at his unseen attacker—
—and hit nothing but air.
His smirk vanished.
Where—?!
Before he could react—
WHAM!
A massive club slammed into his back with brutal force.
Yoroi's body was launched five meters into the air, flipping uncontrollably before he crashed face-first into the ground.
His momentum didn't stop there—his face dragged across the arena floor, acting as an accidental brake before his body finally came to a halt.
The entire stadium fell silent.
For a few seconds… nothing moved.
Then—
A tiny, ghost-like wisp of a soul seemed to float out of Yoroi's motionless body.
His body twitched. Then stopped.
Sakiya stood tall, still holding her massive club in the exact post-swing stance.
For a brief moment, the silence stretched.
Then—
The crowd erupted.
"OH OH OH! COOL GIRL!"
"STRONG! TOO STRONG!"
"SAKIYA, YOU'RE THE BEST!"
"THE EYE OF DEATH REIGNS SUPREME!"
Sakiya slowly slung her club over her shoulder, tilting her head up with undeniable pride.
Her expression said it all—
The winner. The strongest. The undisputed champion.
Ino, who had been clenching her fists in worry, finally exhaled.
A soft, proud smile formed on her lips.
"That's my Sakiya."
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