The teams passed quickly, and finally, the st team to close the first round arrived.

  —He’s got too arrogant a smile for my taste —said Akihiro, watching the leader of one of the two Team 12s.—His name is Raiden Kisaragi —his companion replied seriously. —They say he's one of the most promising of his generation.—Really? I've never heard of him —he said, looking at him.He’s younger than me, so he’s probably an early graduate, just like Aiko.—I hope he’s interesting —I murmured while watching.

  The fight began. Raiden advanced, and for an instant, his body blurred, a sign that he had used a movement jutsu. A blink ter, he appeared in the middle of the enemy team.

  —Lightning Style: Thunder Palm Jutsu —he said calmly, pcing his hand on the back of one of his opponents.

  An intense bolt of lightning surged through the ninja’s body, incapacitating him instantly.

  —Interesting… He’s not very strong, but it’s a good contact technique, and his speed is quite decent —Hiroshi commented, surprised. As a Lightning Style user, he could notice the jutsu’s subtleties better than Aiko or Akihiro.

  —He could be an interesting opponent in the final… if he even makes it to face us first —Akihiro murmured with a smile.

  The two teammates of the fallen ninja reacted instantly, turning to attack Raiden with a jutsu, but his allies appeared in a blink and immobilized them before they could do anything. In a matter of seconds, the fight was over.

  —Those two seem fast, but not very strong —Aiko commented.

  —We didn’t get much out of this… It was disappointingly quick —Akihiro added with a hint of disappointment.

  —Considering all the teams, they’ll make it to the final unless something unexpected happens. So, maybe, it’s worth waiting —Aiko said.

  Everyone nodded. The first round was over, and the next round began immediately.

  The examiner stepped forward and announced:

  —The second round begins. This time, the matchups will not be determined by lottery. Team 1 will face Team 12, Team 2 will face Team 11, and so on.

  Without giving a moment to rest, Team 1 and Team 12 faced off.

  —Looks like they have no intention of letting them rest. Now, everything will depend on your position to get, or not, a brief respite before the next fight —Aiko commented.

  They nodded in agreement. Their number was 8, which gave them enough time to recover chakra before their match.

  —Don’t waste chakra. If we lose due to carelessness, Miyuki will tear us apart.

  A shiver ran through the team as they imagined how furious Miyuki would be if they wasted energy unnecessarily. Without wasting time, they began pnning which jutsus to use to win their battle quickly.

  The fight between Teams 1 and 12 ended quickly and without much spectacle.

  —Team 12 is the winner. Team 1 is disqualified.

  The examiner looked at the next competitors.

  —Teams 11 and 2, step forward.

  The following matches were decided almost immediately. The victorious teams were Team 2, Team 3, and Team 9. Their fights were nothing remarkable; they stuck to traditional ninjutsu and taijutsu, with slight variations but nothing out of the ordinary.

  Finally, our turn arrived: Team 5 vs. Team 8.

  —Let’s finish this quickly —Aiko said as he stepped forward.

  As the round began, Aiko, Hiroshi, and Akihiro attacked aggressively, not giving the opposing team a chance to react. Within seconds, their opponents were eliminated.

  —We barely used any chakra, but it was a bit exhausting —Hiroshi said.

  Aiko and Akihiro agreed. Although chakra expenditure was minimal, their stamina had been slightly affected. However, they were used to prolonged battles, so this fatigue barely made a real difference.

  The st match was between Team 6 and Team 7, with Team 7 emerging victorious.

  —The second round is over. The third round begins; the matchups will be 12 vs. 7, 2 vs. 8, and 3 vs. 9.—

  Everyone nodded, and immediately, the members of Team 12 and Team 7 stepped forward.

  Team 12, led by Raiden, began moving forward, only for Team 7’s leader to advance and intercept their path, keeping a safe distance to avoid lightning attacks.

  —Wind Style: Oscilting Wind Jutsu.— Team 7’s leader decred.

  A strong gale began to rise around him. The air vibrated intensely as razor-sharp gusts swirled, forming a constantly shifting whirlwind of wind.

  The air currents twisted in unpredictable patterns, creating an almost invisible yet lethal barrier. The ground beneath his feet cracked as the wind pressure increased, lifting dust and leaves into the air.

  —What a strange technique… It serves both as offense and defense, but it seems to ck much mobility —Hiroshi commented, watching closely.

  Raiden narrowed his eyes as electricity began to crackle around him. Without wasting time, Team 7’s leader lunged at him. Raiden reacted immediately, firing a bolt of lightning straight at his opponent. However, the lightning struck the wind barrier and dispersed into fleeting sparks.

  —Wind is stronger than lightning, so Team 7’s leader has the advantage here —Aiko said seriously—. If Raiden doesn’t come up with a pn quickly, he’ll fall… and the rest of his team will follow.

  Raiden gnced at Team 7’s leader, frowning, then signaled to the rest of his team, who were engaged in combat with the other two genin of Team 7.

  They immediately stopped fighting and moved to Raiden’s sides, forming a triangle. Then, they performed several hand seals.

  —Earth Style: Earth Shift Jutsu!—Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu! —they chanted in unison.

  The ground began to tremble violently, with the genin on the right as the focal point, while the other took a deep breath. As he exhaled, a massive fire dragon took shape, roaring intensely.

  The fire dragon lunged at Team 7’s leader, swirling around him like a serpent, enclosing him and constricting him within its bzing body. The young ninja stared in disbelief.

  —This is ridiculous… Are they even genin? —he muttered, feeling the scorching heat consuming his body from within.

  When the dragon finally dissipated, Team 7’s leader y on the ground, unconscious and severely burned with third-degree injuries.

  With that, Team 12’s victory was secured. The remaining two genin of Team 7 surrendered upon realizing there was no hope of winning.

  —Victory goes to Team 12. Team 2 and Team 8, step forward. —The examiner decred.

  Akihiro and the others no longer had the same confident expressions as before. Those jutsus were dangerous, but more than that, their strategy was quick and improvised.

  —Let’s win the next one fast. —Aiko said, stepping forward into the arena.