Chapter 81: Mind Games

As Nobles, merchants, and citizens from around the Elemental Nations filed into Konoha's Chunin Exam Stadium, Wu sat silently atop Hiruzen's head, the elderly man none the wiser. He had attempted to meet up with Orochimaru earlier, but the hermaphroditic snake hadn't shown up since the Second Stage of the Chunin Exams.

Though he had considered flying over to Otogakure to see what was going on, Wu ultimately decided against it. He had been fairly busy the past month, and he didn't want to fly over 'just' to check on things. The invasion hadn't been called off, so Wu assumed Orochimaru would show up sooner or later. If s/he didn't, he 'would' fly over to Otogakure. And if it turned out Orochimaru had betrayed him in some manner, Wu would track the slippery bastard down to the ends of the Earth.

Fortunately, just as the dignitaries representing the participating villages began to arrive, Wu finally sensed Orochimaru's Chakra. S/he had done something to 'alter' it, giving them the impression of someone else to an average Sensor, but Wu's senses weren't so easily deceived. Besides, he could also sense Tayuya, Jirobo, Kidomaru, and Sakon.

What initially confused Wu was the 'appearance' Orochimaru had adopted before entering the VIP viewing booth. S/he was garbed in the robes and hat of the Kazekage. Even stranger was the fact s/he had gone out of her way to conceal the lower half of her face with a cloth despite the fact Wu had never once seen Rasa covering his face...

("Is this supposed to be a counter against my ability to see a person's true form? How shoddy...")

While it was true that masks and clothing could interfere with Wu's ability to ascertain someone's original appearance, that was only if said person hadn't transformed. If they did, he would be able to determine their true form even through their clothes, as their external disguise would literally appear transparent to him.

Interrupting Wu's thoughts, Hiruzen greeted, "Ah, Kazekage-dono. It's been many years since we last met. I wonder what made you decide to participate in the Exams this year?"

Mimicking Rasa's voice perfectly, Orochimaru replied, "It's good to get out of the desert on occasion. My children are also participating in the Exams this year, so I've come to witness their growth and see how they compare to Genin from Konoha. I heard you had some rather...interesting rookies in this year's batch. Uchiha Sasuke, and a young Yamanaka who can already use her family's penultimate Jutsu? Quite the accomplishment for one so young..."

Narrowing his eyes in amusement, Hiruzen caressed his pointed beard as he asserted, "They're far from the only ones. Konoha was blessed by the appearance of a phenomenal teacher, one who is gradually changing the way we train all of our young leaves. Soon enough, I believe his influence will spread throughout the Elemental Nations, redefining what it means to be a 'proper' Shinobi..."

Understanding that Hiruzen was talking about him, Wu internally mused, ("Well...he's not wrong...")

Equally aware of who Hiruzen was talking about, Orochirasa narrowed his eyes and questioned, "You wouldn't happen to be referring to 'Saiko Dadi,' would you? I have heard rumors that he was from Konoha..."

Though he could have just as easily refuted it, Hiruzen's smile broadened as he replied, "Indeed. However, within Konoha, he is known as Senju Wu, husband to Senju Tsunade and the future Head of the Senju Clan..."

Not expecting Hiruzen to expose Wu outright, Orochirasa's eyes briefly widened as he inquired, "And you permit him to run around, antagonizing other villages? I'm sure you've heard about what he did in Kumo..."

Exhaling an amused chuckle, Hiruzen replied, "That's a matter between Konoha and Kumo. As for Wu-kun...he is free to decide his fate. Konoha will continue to support him, no matter the path he chooses..."

("Okay, this guy definitely 'knows' I'm here...")

While Hiruzen had absolutely no way of sensing him, his understanding of Wu allowed him to predict some of the boy's movements. He knew there was a high chance that Wu would be located somewhere in his immediate vicinity as it was the best place to attain updated information. Thus, while not everyone supported his decision to support Wu, Hiruzen made sure to pay the boy a bit of lip service whenever he could.

Hearing Hiruzen state that Konoha would continue to support Wu, beads of sweat began forming beneath Orochirasa's veil. The way his old mentor talked, it was like Wu's status had already transcended the village and its politics. Orochirasa knew the boy was powerful but was he already at the point where he could act with impunity?

Recalling his past interactions with Wu, Orochirasa's expression beneath his veil became grim. If his suspicions were correct, his only saving grace was that his objective didn't contend with Wu's. He had just spent the last month pretending to be the Kazekage and years before sowing the seeds of dissent. If Wu stepped in at the last moment, many of the plans he had formulated over the last half a decade would fall through in an instant...

Interrupting Orochirasa's thoughts, Hiruzen rose from his throne-like chair and dusted himself off as he softly mused, "Well now, shall we get things underway?" before stepping forward, silencing the thousands of people in the crowd as he stared down at the contestants with his hands behind his back.

"First of all, I would like to thank everyone for attending this year's Chunin Exam Finals. The twelve Genin you see gathered before you have worked tireless to reach this point, so I ask that you please stay and witness their growth for yourselves. Now, then...without further ado, let the Chun Exam Finals begin...!"

Following the Hokage's uncharacteristically terse speech, the Proctor and referee of the Finals, Gekko Hayate, the same man that had overseen the Preliminaries, turned to address the twelve Genin gathered to participate in the event. His complexion had improved considerably since then, so he no longer appeared to be on the cusp of death as he began explaining the rules. Afterward, everyone except Ino and Karui moved to the waiting area, leaving the two glowering girls boring holes into each other in the center of the large, circular arena.

Recalling her previous encounter with Ino, Karui grabbed the hilt of her sword as she said, "You're going to pay dearly for what you did to Omoi..."

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Expecting a more 'explosive' outburst from the bronze-skinned redhead, Ino became marginally more serious as she lowered herself into a stance reminiscent of the Gentle Fist. She wasn't a Taijutsu specialist like Hinata, Sakura, or Kaia, but she knew enough to protect herself.

With both girls clearly prepared to tear each other apart, Hayate exhaled a habitual cough before saying, "Begin." in a lazy-sounding but ultimately serious tone.

Understanding that Ino's ability required line of sight and took time to reach its target, Karui immediately tossed a smoke bomb at her feet, a massive cloud of thick black smoke filling an area of around 15m in an instant. The use of smoke bombs was generally frowned upon in events like the Chunin Exam Finals, but Karui was no longer interested in showing off purely for the sake of her village. Ino had harmed someone she cared about, and Karui intended to make her pay.

Unfortunately for Karui, Ino just so happened to be a Sensor. Her skills couldn't compete with Wu's, but she was quickly catching up to her father as the 'Best Sensor' in the village. Thus, while she couldn't see Karui, she could sense the redhead's chakra like a fluorescent white flame, burning brightly within the cloud of smoke.

As said flame rapidly accelerated toward her, Ino performed a series of hand signs before slapping the ground to produce a wall only around knee high, timing its appearance with Karui's attempt to decapitate her. There were no rules against killing in the Finals, so the enranged redhead wasn't playing around as she had been during the match against Choji.

"Wha-!?"

Due to using Lightning Release to accelerate her movements, Karui ended up running shins-first into Ino's earthen wall, sharp pain radiating through her legs as her momentum caused her to stumble forward. She attempted to tuck her body so she could flip and land on her feet, but Ino had other intentions. The moment Karui tumbled over her earth wall, she rose like a rocket, planting both of her fists into the redhead's abdomen with enough force to launch her tens of meters into the air.

Taking advantage of Karui's inability to dodge in mid-air, Ino formed the same square-shaped hand sign that had done Omoi in. Karui tucked in her arms and legs, seemingly trying to 'block' the invisible attack, but things were slightly different than they appeared. The moment Ino launched her into the air, she bit down on a yellow pill with the kanji for 'Lightning' on its surface.

Just as Ino's attack reached Karui, giving her complete control over the swordswoman's body, powerful Lightning Release Chakra surged through and enveloped her body. Intense pain permeated every pore and fiber of Karui's being, but a vicious and triumphant smile developed across her face as her little countermeasure had allowed her to break free of Ino's control.

As having her control broken caused a rebound effect on her mind and body, the taste of blood filled Ino's mouth as she suppressed the urge to cough it up. What Karui didn't know was that she had 'a lot' of experience having her techniques broken, so she simply 'ignored' the pounding of her head as she began to weave hand signs.

Expecting Ino to collapse, the smile on Karui's face faded as she saw her opponent weaving hand signs with a resolute expression on her face. The notion that Ino was just a spoiled, arrogant, tree-hugging bitch that relied on her Clan's Hereditary Jutsu immediately vanished from her mind, but it was too late. The Lightning Pill had impaired her nervous system, and she was still in the air. As a result, she was effectively helpless as Ino raised her hands as if she were holding a trumpet, exhaling a massive stream of water...

As Ino's attack enveloped Karui, strangely exploding on contact, Omoi, who was watching the match amid the rest of Kumo's delegation, closed his eyes and muttered, "Karui..." in a somber tone. He had tried to talk his childhood friend and partner out of participating in the Finals, but she had refused, stating how she would 'avenge' him...

Interrupting Omoi's negative thoughts, the ever-busty Samui placed her hand on his shoulder, saying, "Karui will be fine." in a calm, resolute tone. Kumo was currently negotiating a treaty with Konoha, so Samui doubted they, or, more accurately, Wu would allow someone to die in the middle of the transaction.

Proving both her words and suspicions, Karui's unconscious body was flung from the watery explosion without any noticeably critical injuries. Most of the damage she had sustained was from her improper use of the Lightning Pill. However, considering she was up against the 'prodigy' from the Yamanaka Clan, Samui couldn't blame her for preparing 'something' to counter the fearsome Clan's mind and body-controlling techniques...

Understanding that Omoi wouldn't be able to rest until he had 'confirmed' Karui's condition, Samui rose to her feet and said, "Let's go. We'll meet her en route to the infirmary. You can fret over her as much as you want then."

Nodding his head, Omoi rose to his feet and followed after Samui while the rest of the delegation watched them depart. This was the first time many of them, especially the Genin, had witnessed a Chunin Exam Finals outside of Kumo. It was a very important learning experience for them, so while they were also concerned about Karui's condition, they remained in their seats, eager to see the remaining matches...

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(A/N: Ino actually 'was' a prodigy in the original series. Her growth was inhibited due to her infatuation with Sasuke, but she had surpassed her father by the end of the Fourth Ninja War despite only being seventeen. Her sensory abilities later allowed her to become the Leader of Konoha's Barrier Team, so years of training with Wu have allowed her to bloom into the prodigy she always was.)

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