From the observation deck, Veigar Koshima watched warily as Roy strode forward, slow and steady. Instinctively, he activated his Chakra Sensory Technique.
Beside him, Shōgetsu Uchiha mirrored his vigilance. His crimson Sharingan flared to life the moment his gaze landed on Roy.
Through both Veigar's perception and Shōgetsu's eyes, it was clear—Roy's chakra was coalescing, swirling inward.
There was no need to guess. The next strike would be Roy's final, lethal move.
"An opening."
Suddenly, Hoshino Sarutobi spotted a clear weakness in Roy's stance. Without hesitation, he hurled three fūma shuriken in a triangular formation and began weaving hand seals at lightning speed.
But what Hoshino didn't know was that Roy's apparent vulnerability wasn't a mistake—it was the result of gathering his chakra into a singular point to execute a forbidden technique.
"Ninjutsu: Wrathful Thunderburst!"
Roy didn't dodge. He didn't flinch. All the chakra in his body surged outward in a blinding explosion of electricity, arcs of lightning dancing wildly across his skin.
The shuriken were instantly deflected by the raw force of his unleashed chakra.
Boom!
With a fierce stomp, Roy launched himself forward, sending sand and dust flying through the arena. He charged straight at Hoshino, his ninjatō gleaming with deadly intent, its tip aimed directly at Hoshino's vitals.
Only then did Hoshino realize something was wrong.
Gritting his teeth, he slammed both hands onto the ground in a desperate counterattack.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
With a shout of fury, he poured all his remaining chakra into the jutsu. This was his last stand.
A torrent of earth and stone shot forward, hurtling toward Roy.
But it was too late.
Roy's blade cut through the mudstone stream like it was paper, splitting it cleanly in two. Not a scratch landed on him.
Boom!
Roy burst straight into the crumbling earth dragon, detonating it from the inside. The explosion rocked the arena, the shockwave silencing all noise in an instant.
Out of the smoke, Roy emerged—unrelenting, unstoppable.
Hoshino never had a chance.
Roy's ninjatō pierced clean through him.
Crash!
With Hoshino still impaled on his blade, Roy slammed him hard into the arena wall. A burst of blood splashed across Roy's face as Hoshino's body went limp, unconscious and critically wounded.
"Match over! The victor is Roy!"
Izuma Shiranu, seeing the decisive end, flickered to their side with a burst of speed and announced the result.
"Heh~"
Roy gave a scoff, mocking and triumphant. His face twisted in contempt as he used the last of his strength to rip the blade from Hoshino's chest before collapsing onto the ground.
"Medical team!"
Izuma had the authority to stop Roy from delivering that final blow—but he didn't. He simply watched as Roy withdrew the blade, knowing full well what it meant.
He caught Hoshino's body as it began to slump down the wall.
But the medical-nin were already in motion, having anticipated the call the moment Izuma declared the match's end.
An elite jōnin from the medical corps swiftly took Hoshino from Izuma's arms, laying him gently onto a stretcher and beginning emergency treatment on the spot.
From where he sat, Roy sneered, eyes full of scorn, watching Hoshino like one would a corpse.
That last act—drawing the blade—hadn't been for style.
It was a death sentence.
As a Kumogakure shinobi, Roy knew full well the tensions between his village and Konoha. Long-standing hostility didn't need words.
Killing Hoshino here, in a sanctioned exam, would leave Konoha with no choice but to swallow the loss.
And Roy wasn't about to let such a golden opportunity slip away.
A short distance from Veigar, Shōgetsu Uchiha stood frozen, eyes locked onto the emergency treatment.
His Sharingan spun wildly, his body trembling with suppressed rage.
He was terrified for Hoshino's life—and utterly consumed by hatred for Roy.
Veigar glanced toward Shōgetsu, unsure how to comfort him. Even he could feel the dark fury building in his own heart.
He and Hoshino weren't close friends, merely fellow shinobi from the same village, comrades-in-arms in the Chūnin Exams. But Roy's final act—drawing the blade—had crossed a line.
It had stripped Hoshino of any chance of survival.
The next second, Shōgetsu's killing intent erupted.
The air around him turned frigid as the last flicker of life in Hoshino faded.
No screams.
No hysterics.
Just deadly silence.
"I'll avenge him."
Shōgetsu's voice was calm—eerily so—as he turned to Veigar.
Only then did Veigar see it—Shōgetsu's right eye had evolved. Spurred by grief and rage, his Sharingan had awakened its third tomoe.
Even Veigar felt a chill run down his spine under Shōgetsu's gaze.
"Do it," Veigar said quietly.
"If it were me, I'd do the same."
No encouragement. No protest.
Just the truth in his heart.
"He's gone."
One of the medical jōnin gently shook his head, formally declaring Hoshino Sarutobi dead.
They pulled a white sheet over Hoshino's lifeless form and carried him off the field.
In the audience stands, Kōtaro Akiyama, who had been cheering for Hoshino with all his heart, stood frozen. His hopes had been shattered the moment the sheet covered his friend.
Tears streamed down his face as he cried out:
"Hoshino—!!"
A final farewell from a comrade.
A soul-shattering goodbye.
"Rest in peace... Farewell forever!!!"
Kōtaro's voice echoed through the entire Konoha arena.
And in that moment, something took root in his heart—just as something shifted in Veigar's as well.
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