Roy and Hoshino Sarutobi, the last two to battle, had already been escorted off the field. Izuma Shiranu had made no effort to repair the damaged arena.
At Izuma's command, Shōgetsu Uchiha and Darui descended into the battleground at the same time.
However, Shōgetsu didn't land in front of Darui—instead, he appeared at the very spot where Hoshino Sarutobi had just fallen.
Extending two fingers, Shōgetsu dipped them into the blood left behind by Sarutobi. His blood-red Sharingan locked eyes with Darui as he coldly asked:
"You—are you ready to die?"
The killing intent radiating from Shōgetsu Uchiha was suffused with rage. Both Izuma and Darui felt it clearly, like standing before a raging inferno.
"Man... what a pain."
Darui's defining trait had always been his distaste for trouble. Right now, Shōgetsu looked like the embodiment of it—and worse, he was a comrade from another village.
"Both sides, prepare."
As Shōgetsu steadily advanced, Izuma prepared to begin the match.
And Shōgetsu was already poised to strike the moment it started.
"Begin!"
With a sharp downward swing of Izuma's right hand, the second match of the third round of the Chūnin Exams officially began.
"Sharingan: Nai Rakuken no Jutsu!"
In an instant, Shōgetsu's Sharingan began to spin—unleashing a genjutsu that exposed his opponent's deepest fears, striking directly at the mind.
Despite his usual laziness, Darui wasn't weak. He'd done his homework and was fully aware of the power of Shōgetsu's Sharingan. His reaction was immediate.
"Damn it!"
The moment the Sharingan began to spin, Darui knew he was in danger—he'd already seen what he feared most.
"It's not real!"
With a sharp shout, he forced himself to focus and formed hand seals.
"Release!"
Disrupting his chakra flow, Darui broke free from the illusion.
But Shōgetsu had already prepared another technique.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Freshly freed from the genjutsu, Darui leapt backward and rapidly formed hand seals, countering with a burst of water.
Fire and water clashed, filling the battlefield with thick steam. In that instant, Shōgetsu disappeared from view.
"You'll join Hoshino in death…"
Out of the haze, Shōgetsu surged forward at blinding speed, thrusting his kunai at Darui's throat.
But to Shōgetsu, the steam posed no threat to visibility—the Sharingan pierced through the mist, turning the terrain into his personal killing ground.
The kunai plunged deep—but it wasn't flesh.
Poof!
The Darui he struck vanished in a puff of smoke. A Substitution Jutsu—he had slipped away the moment Shōgetsu vanished into the mist.
"Lightning Release: Ground Bolt!"
From beyond the fog, Darui unleashed a Raiton technique. With the lingering water enhancing conductivity, even a C-rank jutsu now hit with near B-rank intensity.
"There!"
But Shōgetsu had already located Darui with the Sharingan and locked onto him.
As the lightning surged forward, Shōgetsu leapt back—just in time to avoid the attack and emerge from the mist.
Before he landed, he pulled out two more kunai and flung a total of three at Darui with a flick of his wrist.
Seeing the glint of metal, Darui reacted quickly, diving to his right to evade the kunai barrage.
Shōgetsu expected that. He had already begun weaving hand signs.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
Recently mastered, the jutsu roared from Shōgetsu's mouth—a blazing torrent barreling toward Darui.
"Shit! I can't finish my seals in time!"
The rapid assault left Darui no room to counter. His heart pounded.
In the stands, Samui, Darui's teammate, furrowed her brow. Though calm by nature, even she could see—Darui held no advantage here. Shōgetsu's killing intent was palpable. If the battle continued like this… Darui might die.
Others from the Hidden Cloud looked on with tense expressions, equally alarmed by Darui's peril.
"Hrrr-AHH!"
With no other choice, Darui pushed himself to the limit, pouring out his chakra to narrowly dodge the inferno.
BOOM!
Though he avoided the flames directly, he was caught in the aftermath—the scorching heatwave sent him flying backward, tumbling across the field.
"Darui!!"
From the spectators' gallery, Samui shouted, her voice thick with concern.
Despite failing to finish him off, the sight of Darui hurtling through the air only fanned the fury in Shōgetsu's heart.
His Sharingan tomoe spun wildly. Without hesitation, he charged once more.
"I'll kill you—I have to kill you."
Right now, there was only one thing in Shōgetsu Uchiha's mind—vengeance for Hoshino Sarutobi.
"Go, Shōgetsu!!!"
Still mourning Sarutobi's death, Kōtaro Akiyama shot to his feet, shouting with unrestrained fury.
"Do it! Finish him!"
"Don't let him go!"
A chorus of voices from Konoha rose up—cheering Shōgetsu on, howling for Darui's blood.
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