Nawaki patted his chest confidently.
Hearing this, Chiba nodded. It seemed that Nawaki wasn't too bad after all.
"Alright, since you understand, how about I let you stay on the battlefield for ten minutes?"
"Really?" Nawaki asked in surprise.
In truth, he hadn't thought too deeply about it—he simply wanted to last longer than the others.
"Of course, we're good brothers," Chiba replied with a smile, patting Senju Nawaki's shoulder.
Just as Nawaki was feeling touched, the match in the arena was coming to an end.
Bang!
With Akimichi Chōza knocked down, the match concluded.
"Loess wins," Jiraiya announced.
As his words fell, the medical team quickly carried Akimichi Chōza away.
Before Jiraiya could call for the next match, Nawaki and Chiba stepped into the training ground on their own.
Seeing this, Jiraiya simply looked at them and said, "I won't repeat the rules—you both know them already."
He then raised his hand.
"The match begins!"
At the very moment Jiraiya gave the signal, Nawaki charged forward, drawing a kunai from his pouch and lunging straight at Chiba.
Bang!
Chiba blocked the attack effortlessly.
He hadn't expected Nawaki to be so reckless—was he really trying to challenge him in taijutsu?
Did he really believe that the deal they made earlier would make such a difference?
Amused by the thought, Chiba swiftly countered with a kick. Although he had agreed to let Nawaki stay in the fight for ten minutes, that didn't mean he would just stand still and take hits.
Five Minutes Later
The battle continued in full force.
However, up in the stands, two people who knew them well—Orochimaru and Tsunade—were utterly confused.
They were well aware of the vast difference in strength between Chiba and Nawaki. Yet, for some reason, Chiba was going easy on Nawaki.
"Tsunade, do you know what's going on between them?" Orochimaru asked.
"I was about to ask you the same thing," she replied, watching the fight closely.
Orochimaru thought for a moment before offering an explanation.
"I have a theory. Would you like to hear it?"
"Go ahead," Tsunade said.
"My guess is that they struck a deal," Orochimaru began. "After all, Senju Nawaki is the grandson of the First Hokage. There are not just Konoha villagers watching this exam—there are also people from Iwagakure in the audience."
"If Nawaki were to lose too quickly, it could affect Konoha's reputation."
His analysis made sense, but in truth, Nawaki wasn't thinking on such a large scale—he just wanted to avoid an embarrassing defeat and have a shot at being promoted to Chūnin.
Hearing Orochimaru's reasoning, Tsunade smiled.
"If that's really the case, then Nawaki has grown up. He's starting to consider both the clan and the village."
"Of course, this is just my speculation," Orochimaru added with a smirk. "We can ask them afterward."
"It doesn't matter," Tsunade said, waving it off. "Regardless of his reasons, he did well this time."
On the VIP Seats
"Tsk tsk tsk… Uchiha and Senju," Onoki muttered.
"Oh? Does the Tsuchikage have any thoughts on this?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, maintaining a calm demeanor.
"I wouldn't call them insights," Onoki replied. "But seeing these two clans together like this reminds me of… those two people."
Sarutobi Hiruzen instantly knew who Onoki was referring to.
After all, those two were legends.
Back when they were alive, the ninja world experienced one of its most peaceful periods—no one dared challenge the Ninja God and Ninja Shura.
"Third Hokage, that boy from the Senju clan isn't weak," Onoki continued. "Which branch of the family does he come from?"
"You mean Nawaki?" Sarutobi said with a faint smile. "You may not know him, but you certainly know his grandfather."
Onoki's eyes widened slightly.
"Wait… is he actually that man's grandson?"
He was genuinely surprised.
The first Senju he encountered upon arriving in Konoha just so happened to be the grandson of Senju Hashirama.
However, something seemed off.
Down in the arena, Senju Nawaki was attacking with all his strength, yet the Uchiha boy was merely dodging, occasionally countering.
Onoki found this… odd.
Shouldn't it be the other way around?
After all, in history, Senju Hashirama always suppressed Uchiha Madara.
Back in the Arena
Dodging yet another strike from Nawaki, Chiba whispered, "Nawaki, your ten minutes are almost up. Ready to wrap this up?"
Nawaki didn't stop attacking.
"I know."
Bang!
Realizing that time was almost up, Nawaki used the force of his counterattack to leap backward, creating some distance.
He then swiftly formed hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Snake Technique!"
As he finished the jutsu, several serpentine water formations materialized around him.
Chiba raised an eyebrow.
"Nawaki, what is this?"
"This is a jutsu modified by Lord Orochimaru from the Water Dragon Jutsu! Take this, Chiba!"
Orochimaru?
That explained why it was in the form of a snake.
As the water snakes rushed toward him, Chiba decided it was time to end the match.
Boom!
Bending his legs slightly, Uchiha Chiba suddenly exerted force, launching himself into motion.
Considering that Nawaki's ninjutsu wasn't particularly refined, Chiba didn't want to embarrass him by overpowering it completely.
Instead, he evaded skillfully, using minimal movement to dodge the water snakes.
After the final attack missed, Chiba appeared right in front of Nawaki.
"Nawaki, time's up," he whispered. "Do you want to forfeit, or should I knock you out?"
Nawaki looked at him gratefully before raising his hands.
"Examiner, I forfeit!" he announced.
Jiraiya, who had suspected something odd from the start, had been closely watching their fight. After overhearing their brief exchange, he pieced things together.
Still, he made no comment and simply nodded.
"Uchiha Chiba wins!"
Jiraiya then turned to him.
"Chiba, go rest. The final match will begin in fifteen minutes."
Although Chiba didn't need to rest, he had no interest in breaking the rules.
Returning to the waiting area, he found that only two participants remained.
Himself… and Kitsuchi.
As Uchiha Chiba sat down, Kitsuchi approached him.
"Your name is Uchiha Chiba, right?" Kitsuchi said. "I've been paying close attention to your fights. You're strong—stronger than what you've shown so far."
"So, what exactly are you trying to say?" Chiba asked, slightly confused.