MrProper

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I'm still a little off, but I am making sure to get enough rest. Next one is coming soon! Please enjoy the chapter!

The globe blasted apart as snow flew outwards in every conceivable direction!

Spectators desperately clung to their belongings as the torrent of light, air, and energy reverberated through the stands! Even tremors erupted beneath the Earth's very surface, many outside the arena even believed it to be a small earthquake!

"Hold on... is this considered normal for shinobi?"

"N-No... I don't think so."

"Then what in the world was that strange light?! You ought to know, considering you share the same profession. Out with it!"

"I-I'm sorry sir. Nothing comes to mind."

"Tsk! Useless..."

Many esteemed dignitaries consulted their colleagues and aids, hoping for answers. Quite a few had already placed their bets for the outcome of this match, unable to wait for the finals. Unfortunately, even guards with a shinobi background lacked a sufficient answer to quell their curiosity.

But answers would have to wait as everyone's focus quickly shot upwards to the sky, or rather...

"Look up there!"

"H-H-How...?!"

...The five bodies falling from it!

"H-H-How can this be happening?!"

The Frost Daimyō yelled after spitting out his drink in disbelief.

"Is this really... what the hell?!"

The water Daimyō's aid, Tenzen Daikoku, was no better. 

Suzu had managed to blast every single opponent into the sky with her abnormal power.

Blank white eyes signifying their unconscious states, the Frost Genin fell outside the platform's boundary, resulting in their elimination from the preliminary round.

The snow had cleared.... all could finally place their eyes on the lone victor standing in the arena's center.

"I-I can't believe... is this really happening right now?!"

"Uh... well. It's quite a shame... but there's always next year. If you'll excuse me..."

Tenzen Daikoku subtly distanced himself from the irritable Daimyō biting his nails in frustration after his ninjas embarrassing defeat. It hadn't even occurred to him they'd lose this round, despite the "humble" comments he shared with others earlier.

"Oh my... just who is that phenomenal girl?"

"I... have no clue. Her attire appears to indicate an allegiance to Kumogakure."

"Regardless, she'll undoubtedly develop into quite an exceptional kunoichi... and beauty."

Mabui fought to hold back her laughter at the hypocrisy of the men around the feudal lord, who only minutes ago, flocked to him like bees to honey. The swooning admiration had vanished without a trace.

"No... they're more like poisonous wasps."

"Huh? What was that?"

"Nothing Tetsuo... just glad another one of ours made it."

"Mm. All that's left is Sano-kun. Though, I'm not entirely sure all these old men ogling Suzu is necessarily a good thing."

"Pfft! Please... try not to make me laugh."

The young girl of fourteen years unknowingly managed to gather the attention of those with malicious intent.

Most had indeed arrived for the Finals only, but it was hard to deny the kunoichi's grace, allure, and power. Preliminaries were quite helpful in determining which Genin to bet on for later.

However, others remembered the names of exceptional participants not simply for betting, but potential manpower they could convince... or tempt into their fold.

The act of "Poaching" promising ninja from their respective villages was a common practice for those of high status.

"Guess we should've expected them to start eying her... I just didn't think it'd be so soon."

"No amount of money or luxury could ever convince Suzu into giving her loyalty to any of those old, perverted men."

Mabui whispered back to Tetsuo, remaining cautious as to not upset anyone here.

"In all honesty, you can't really blame them. Even I can't deny having thoughts of recruiting those three for Mori Sp."

"Is that so... don't tell me you're picking up some bad habits here?"

"H-Hahaha. At the end of the day, I am a businessman. In this day and age, we make our living by seizing the moment, and it doesn't take a genius to understand the potential Team Tango."

"At least you demonstrate the capacity to keep it in moderation... unlike most here. I pray you never change, Mori-dono." 

Mabui smirked while viewing the entourage around her more as spoiled children, than fully grown men. Yet, these were the very same people who truly ran the world, as much as it annoyed her.

{Like Rei told me, it's always about the money...}

But frustration could no longer faze her, as she believed Kumogakure would one day rise above the need to rely on such individuals. With recent improvements, largely in part to Tetsuo, she grew only more determined to fulfill her duty now.

"The others here will probably have the same reaction when your dear cousin gets his turn."

"Hm. I definitely can't argue with that."

"Then let's hope I can use that as a talking point for cozying up to some of the old rich fogies in here. You ready for another round?"

"After you."

As they stepped away from the window walls, Mabui shot one last glance towards the arena. Her thoughts focused on the person most important to her.

{Rather than his match, the only thing that concerns me is whether or not he likes the gift I left for him. Tango should be giving it to him soon. I hope Samui, Yugito, and I picked out the right size, he's gotten a little bigger recently.}

Mabui, Tetsuo, and his personal bodyguard Shō continued his lowkey advertising of his company. Being the savvy merchant in his own right, he exploited every opportunity he could find since the matches began.

Carefully laying the groundwork for when the Genin would utilize the "unique" devices he provided for the Final rounds.

After receiving some advice from the enigmatic Tohru, he moved on to forging new connections and friendships, albeit at a slow pace.

While very eager, Shō cautioned him to avoid an overzealous display, else he'd appear desperate.

"The Finals... we're almost there. Just hold a bit longer."

"Right. Guess I just hate waiting. Once Team Tango gets to that point, then the hard part begins..."

♦♦♦

"Could you two see anything?"

"Nope."

"S-Sorry Captain... the light was too much for my Sharingan¹Copy Wheel Eye, I couldn't see a thing!"

Fugaku Uchiha turned to his two companions for their opinion on the results of the match. While initially uninterested at first, even the diligent clan leader couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Suzu's power.

Even more so when faced with the revelation that even his eyes could not see through her "light".

"U-Uh... I know there are techniques in the world capable of obscuring the vision of Dōjutsu²Visual Techniques users—Ah! Like the Kirigakure no Jutsu³Hidden Mist Jutsu."

"Yakumi's right captain... and that snow of theirs functioned in a similar way, albeit not at the same level."

"Tell me something I don't know, Shisui. But the dome, and all of its contents were completely blasted away by that strange energy. I don't like unknown variables, especially when I'm not the one fighting."

"Relax captain, Itachi isn't stupid enough to NOT take that girl's skill as a serious threat. I should know better than most."

Fugaku didn't respond, still mulling over his own worries.

Though his faith in his son was absolute, the weight of today's events heavily burdened his shoulders. His desire for the Uchiha clan to emerge victorious was no less ambitious than any of the other clans and organizations present today.

While his silence unnerved the young and less experienced Yakumi, the overly casual Shisui merely sighed before sharing his thoughts.

"We already knew the other villages would bring their best, it doesn't make sense to jump whenever we spot another promising Genin."

"Shisui-senpai..."

Yakumi grew anxious, for it was practically an unspoken rule in their clan to never speak with Fugaku in such a manner.

"Besides, he already passed the preliminaries and made it to the finals, very easily I might add. If you're to remind Konoha of our clan's value, it's best you don't lose your composure now."

"...You've been spending too much time under the 3rd's command Shisui, or do you not remember how our clan does things?"

"Oh, I do. Otherwise, I'd never bother to report back to you whenever you asked."

Fugaku grumbled somewhat after glancing at his laidback clansman. Preferring not to be lectured by one many years younger, he couldn't deny the truth Shisui's words held. 

"Hey... the next match is about to start. Shouldn't we...?"

"Yakumi's right, all we can do is watch and offer our advice to Itachi when we are able. The rest is up to him."

"You're quite right..."

Seeing there was no point in continuing, both Shisui and Fugaku turned their attention back to the arena as Yakumi, awkwardly seated between them, did his best to remain quiet.

{"If you're to remind Konoha" eh? Not us? Shisui... it's as I've feared. We're starting to lose him to the top brass. If I'm not careful, I could lose both him... and Itachi.}

♦♦♦

"Haaa... Haaa..! A-Amazing... it was far more than I expected...!"

With the dome destroyed and contestants eliminated, Suzu had yet to move from the arena's epicenter. Black scorch marks served as the only visible traces of the previous energy explosion.

From head to toe, her entire body trembled, not from exhaustion... but exhilaration. This was the first time she'd ever used such a high amount of her supposed "Ascended" chakra.

While not painful, the residual effects were unlike anything she had ever felt before.

"Phew... my fingers won't stop twitching, but I don't feel bad at all. Just the opposite in fact. This power... does it contain some form of resonance?  Maybe... Yugito-sama and B-sama weren't entirely correct about—Hm? Why is it so...?"

The coliseum's eerie silence halted her train of thought. She didn't fancy being stared at by the crowd like an exotic animal.

Suzu shot a quick glare towards the referee, silently encouraging him to make an announcement.

"*AHEM*! The winner of the fifth preliminary round is... Suzu!"

"About time, I can finally get off this annoying sta—ACHOO! Don't tell me... did I catch a cold?"

Kitsuchi was slow to declare the victor, for like many others, his mind was preoccupied with uncovering the cause of this strange event.

"W-Wait... is no one going to explain as to what in the hell just happened?!"

"Come on! I put over 40000 ryō⁴Currency of the world on that match! How did the Frost lose?!"

"This is ludicrous... she must've cheated! I want my money back!!"

Suzu paid no mind to those taking out their misplaced anger at her. For betting, a Frost Genin emerging as the victor appeared to be the obvious outcome.

The young kunoichi consistently glanced at her hand as she left the arena, studying the current behavior of her chakra nature.

"That sensation earlier, I've never experienced something so..."

However, opinion was far more diverse than any would have assumed, for others looked at her with more wonder, than curiosity.

"Yeah. It was like discovering something I've always needed... but never knew until I had it..."

"It's a shame the match ended so quickly, I wanted to see more. We'll have to keep an eye on her in the Finals."

"I know what you mean... Kumogakure isn't playing around."

Eyes of varying notions followed her walking off the stage. Each and every step wasn't missed before her figure was gone.

What bothered most was not what they saw, rather what her chakra caused them to feel inside their very bodies.

Even the Gokage⁵Five Shadows were no exception...

"That was quite something. Congratulations on being blessed with an outstanding kunoichi, Raikage-dono."

"Hmmm. Thank you, Hokage."

Hiruzen was the only one who spoke to A after the match.

{With Mukade and Tsubusa eliminated, it'll be difficult for any more of ours making it to the final rounds. Fortunately, Yūra has already passed, but still...}

The Kazekage Rasa, still disappointed his Genin could not win this match, kept his mouth closed out of concern he'd embarrass himself.

As did the Tsuchikage Ōnoki, who rubbed his bearded chin with concern.

{It doesn't make any sense. One minute the Shimo-nin entrap everyone, and the next, they're getting launched into the sky. To produce such a powerful attack at that age... just who is this "Suzu" girl?}

Ōnoki's eyes subtly moved to the left, trying to gauge A's expression in hopes of unraveling this conundrum.

{What in the world has this unruly brat cooked up now?}

"You..."

"Hm?"

But what was most surprising...

"Your Genin... is quite adept, Raikage-dono"

"Hm?! That's... quite the high praise coming from you... Mizukage."

The 4th Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, had finally spoken for the first time, catching all the Kage off guard. For the entirety of the event, he'd been nothing more than a silent figurehead, no trace of emotion whatsoever.

His speech sounded somewhat fractured, as if there was another holding him back, before he returned to his silence once again.

{What's his deal? I normally have this uncomfortable feeling whenever he's near me, but just now... it felt... normal?}

A focused on him for some time, before the abrupt buzzing sound of the massive monitor stole his attention. It was now in the midst of selecting the next group of Genin for the upcoming match.