The match began with a flash of movement.
Uchiha Mikoto, acting first, threw three kunai in rapid succession.
The weapons clashed midair, bouncing off each other in a precise arc as they curved toward Aburame Shibi.
Shibi, clad in the traditional Aburame clan style—high-collared coat, dark glasses, and his face partially obscured—calmly intercepted the kunai midair with his own. Metal clanged, and sparks flickered.
Without wasting time, Shibi began weaving hand signs.
"Binding Technique," he murmured.
Mikoto's brows furrowed.
"No... I can't move!"
Her feet were frozen in place.
"Get out of there, Mikoto!" Nawaki shouted from the audience.
"It's no use," Shibi said flatly. "My kikaichū have already crawled beneath your feet, hidden in the seams of the stage. You're trapped."
With that, he raised both hands. "Go, my children."
A stream of insects surged out from beneath his cloak, crawling straight for the immobilized Mikoto.
But Mikoto didn't panic. With swift hand seals, a burst of electricity surged around her.
"Lightning Release: Static Field!"
Sparks danced around her body, arcing down to the floor. The kikaichū under her feet writhed and scattered, stunned by the lightning chakra.
"Oh? Using lightning to counter the insects... smart." Uchiha Tatsumi observed with a grin from the sidelines.
"Mikoto, let's go!!" Minato and Nawaki both shouted.
With her feet freed, Mikoto instantly threw a smoke bomb, obscuring the battlefield.
But Shibi remained composed. He extended his arms slightly, insects buzzing louder as they hovered around him.
"Even if I can't see you, they can."
Through the kikaichū's feedback, he tracked her movements.
"She's circling to my right," he muttered. "Engage."
A massive swarm of bugs burst from his body, fanning out to surround Mikoto from both sides.
The smoke cleared.
Mikoto was encircled.
"Mikoto!!" Nawaki shouted in panic.
The Aburame clan's kikaichū—once attached—were notoriously difficult to remove. The match could end here.
But then, a sudden pulse of chakra flared.
"Minato, Nawaki—back up!" Tatsumi shouted, grabbing both and dragging them back twenty meters from the stage.
"Huh? Why—?"
"Explosion."
BOOM!!
A thunderous blast rocked the training field. The entire arena vanished in a cloud of dust and smoke. Students screamed. Even some of the teachers flinched at the sudden force.
The center of the stage was gone, a crater left in its place.
Uchiha Tatsumi narrowed his eyes. "That power… easily on par with a B-rank technique. She really used that many explosive tags…"
He smirked. "No wonder Deidara was obsessed with this. Explosion really is art."
Shuriken suddenly whistled through the air.
Emerging from the dust, Mikoto hurled several blades in a wide arc. Each traced an elegant curve, targeting Shibi.
Shibi, though stunned by the explosion, instinctively deflected the incoming shuriken with precision.
"Pointless," he muttered. "No matter how skilled the throw, it won't—"
Then his eyes widened.
Each shuriken had nearly invisible threads attached—translucent ninja wire, specially treated by the Uchiha clan. Even seasoned shinobi could miss it.
A classic technique from Granny Cat's training.
Mikoto gave a sharp tug.
The threads snapped taut—wrapping around Shibi like a net, binding his limbs.
"Well played," Tatsumi said, impressed. "Classic Uchiha shurikenjutsu."
Mikoto didn't hesitate. Her hands flew into seals.
"Lightning Release: Arc Line!"
A surge of lightning raced through the wire. Shibi's body jolted violently as the chakra coursed through the conductive threads. He collapsed.
"Winner, Uchiha Mikoto," Orochimaru announced, having calmly observed from just outside the explosion radius. His voice was calm and raspy, as always.
He added, "Regarding training arrangements for the top three, your instructors will notify you tomorrow. That's all for today—class dismissed."
Mikoto descended from the stage and walked over to Tatsumi and the others.
"That was amazing, Mikoto," Tatsumi said, patting her head gently.
Mikoto beamed. "Hehe, not bad, right?"
"But what was that explosion?" Nawaki asked, still dazed.
"Detonation tags," Mikoto replied casually. "I electrocuted the bugs on my feet with Lightning Release, then used a Clone Jutsu under the smoke screen. The bugs swarmed the clone, and I used the tags on the clone to blow them all up."
Tatsumi gave an approving nod. "Genius use of misdirection and elemental counters. That's a real kunoichi at work."
Now, the top three of the Academy trial were decided: Uchiha Tatsumi, Namikaze Minato, and Uchiha Mikoto. All of them were orphans—students with great potential but lacking personal mentors.
That would soon change. They would each be assigned one of the Sannin as their special instructor.
As for Nawaki?
He already had a trio of mentors: the infamous trio of "gambling, drinking, and slacking"—Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru. So he wasn't too worried about special instruction.
...Though honestly, Nawaki's pure-heartedness was kind of a mystery. Despite growing up surrounded by chaos, he remained oddly innocent. Or maybe just... simple.
When Tatsumi finally returned home, the sky was fully dark.
The matches had dragged on, and he'd been held up again—mostly because Tsunade kept blocking his path, trying to convince him to spar.
Eventually, she stormed off when he refused again.
The poor cherry blossom tree near the gate never saw it coming.
Afterward, the four of them went to Ichiraku Ramen to recharge. Now, back in bed, Tatsumi stared at the ceiling, giddy.
"It's time to tally the points…" he whispered, eyes gleaming.
"Art is explosion."
"My stupid system…"
"Hehehehehehehe…"