Realizing that Jie was looking at her, Mei Terumi's heart skipped a beat.
'What's going on? Why is Jie Uchiha looking at me like that?' Mei thought anxiously. 'Could he have already found out?'
However, she quickly realized that her plan was already in motion. Even Jie couldn't change the situation now.
With that thought, Mei calmed down. She gave a soft 'hmph' and completely ignored Jie's gaze. 'You can only stay smug for a little longer. Soon, you'll be the one crying.'
Seeing Mei's reaction, Jie couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. This woman was simply too naive, actually treating the Akatsuki like some kind of treasure.
Right at that moment, the team battles came to an end, followed immediately by the individual matches among the Genin.
Remembering Jie's words, the three little ones fully believed that the ninja from the other villages would go all out in the final showdown.
A fierce battle was inevitable.
Because of that, they stayed on full alert, vigilantly watching the opponents they were about to face.
During the drawing of lots, Sasuke was the first among the three to step onto the stage. His opponent was a Genin from Kirigakure.
Coincidentally, this Hidden Mist Genin was the exact same person Sasuke had defeated during the first round of the exams.
The moment he saw Sasuke stepping onto the field for the individual match, the Mist ninja nearly burst into tears. His luck was truly awful. After finally making it to the finals, he never expected to run into one of Konoha's monsters again.
None of those monsters were easy to deal with, and he had just happened to draw Sasuke, the same freak who had already beaten him once before.
'What do I do? Should I just surrender?' the Mist ninja wondered, despair written all over his face as he stared at Sasuke's figure.
'But if I surrender immediately, won't that look too pathetic? Maybe I should struggle a little and exchange a few blows with that brat first. Even if I lose, at least it won't be so humiliating.'
After thinking it over, the Mist ninja quickly made up his mind.
As soon as the match started, he would launch a preemptive attack, hold out for two or three moves, then immediately surrender. That way, he could save face and avoid getting beaten half to death. Perfect.
Naturally, Sasuke had no idea what the Mist ninja standing in front of him was thinking. He didn't even realize this was someone he had already defeated before.
However, when he noticed the faint, strange smile flickering across the Mist ninja's face, Sasuke immediately became serious.
'That Mist ninja is actually smiling!' Sasuke thought. 'Is he hiding his true strength? Did he already see himself winning before the battle even started?
'No, no matter how strong the opponent is, I have to fight to the very end. I absolutely can't let people look down on my brother because of me.'
With that thought in mind, Sasuke immediately activated his three-tomoe Sharingan.
At the same time, arcs of lightning began dancing around his body. A thin, almost invisible cloak of lightning chakra formed around him.
"Lightning Release Chakra Mode!"
The moment they saw Sasuke's current state, every Kumogakure ninja present stared in shock.
Although the lightning cloak around him was still weak, they recognized it instantly. It was the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, a technique passed down exclusively through the Raikage line!
How could a secret technique exclusive to Kumogakure, one reserved only for the Raikage, appear on a Konoha ninja? And the user was just a child!
For a moment, even Yugito couldn't help but turn toward Jie, hoping he would give a reasonable explanation.
Sensing Yugito's gaze, Jie paid it no mind and had no intention of explaining himself.
He simply smiled and spoke casually.
"Not bad, not bad. Looks like my half-month of special training wasn't wasted after all. Still, taking nearly half a month just to learn the Lightning Release Chakra Mode... Sasuke's talent really is lacking."
Hearing Jie's words, Yugito was instantly speechless.
Sasuke had mastered Kumogakure's top-tier secret technique in only half a month, yet Jie was actually dissatisfied with that kind of talent?
'If Konoha doesn't want a genius like this, they might as well hand him over to Kumogakure.'
For a brief moment, Yugito almost blurted those words out loud. Fortunately, she stopped herself at the last second.
She was a Tailed Beast that longed for freedom. How could she possibly suggest recruiting a human? It had to be Yugito Nii's remaining consciousness affecting her. Yes, that had to be it.
The Two-Tails comforted itself inside Yugito's body.
Meanwhile, the other Kage had also noticed something unusual.
Ever since that thin layer of Lightning Release Chakra Mode appeared around Sasuke's body, his chakra had surged several levels in an instant.
Even Iwagakure and Sunagakure didn't possess a top-tier jutsu like this, yet a ten-year-old child from Konoha had already mastered one.
For a moment, Ohnoki and Rasa were practically drooling with envy.
They desperately wanted a technique like that as well.
Both of them exchanged a glance, instantly understanding each other's thoughts, before both turning their eyes toward Jie.
Konoha truly seemed blessed.
Not only did genius ninja appear one after another, but even their secret techniques stood at the absolute top among all the ninja villages.
Facing such a terrifying opponent, if the other villages didn't unite, they would probably just be waiting for their own destruction.
However, the Kirigakure ninja facing Sasuke had no idea what the Kage on the VIP platform were thinking.
All he knew was that death had never felt so close before.
And as the seconds passed, that terrifying feeling of being swallowed by the abyss only became heavier.
"Chidori!"
Feeling the powerful energy continuously surging through his body, Sasuke's confidence soared. Without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed the killing move he had practiced to perfection.
In an instant, a massive amount of Lightning Release chakra gathered in his right hand.
A sharp screech echoed across the arena. Sasuke's body turned into a streak of lightning as he charged straight at the Mist ninja.
"I surren—!"
The moment he saw Sasuke's terrifying speed, the Mist ninja's face turned deathly pale. Completely abandoning his pride, he hurriedly opened his mouth to surrender.
But before he could finish speaking, the Kirigakure ninja lost the ability to speak forever. In that brief instant, Sasuke's Chidori cleanly pierced through his heart.
Paralyzed by the lightning coursing through his body, the ninja couldn't force out another sound.
Thud.
The Mist ninja's lifeless body collapsed onto the ground.
Sasuke stared blankly at the specks of blood on his right hand, and a strange sense of absurdity suddenly rose in his heart.
'That was it...?'
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