"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, noble guests from all around, we have an incredibly exciting show for you, a clash of titans and favorites, a show that would surely not fail to excite us all!" the announcer cried into the microphone.
The roars from the crowd matched him. This was the main event, the final match of the night, and they had saved the best for last. "Two crowd favorites will clash once more today, this will be their third ever match here before you all, and their current score is one victory each," the announcer said, building the tension.
"On one side, we have the Crimson Devil, the girl with infinite chakra and endless ninjutsu at her command, fighting under the banner of Lady Kaguya-hime, the 'Crimson Whirlpool,' Karin Uzumaki!"
The crowd roared for Karin, her red hair easily making her stand out, a small bright spot on the stage.
"And her opponent, the current reigning champion of this establishment, tamer of Fūshin, and bright young star of this floor, fighting under the banner of Lord Oyashiro, Chino of the Bubble Style!" the announcer shouted, and the crowd's noise nearly overwhelmed my ears.
Chino had proven very popular with the crowd; her style of combat was flashy and unique, something that hadn't been seen before here on the island. It was a perfect blend of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and a surprising amount of genjutsu.
She had also learned a great deal from Fūshin and mastered the skill of looking impressive and entertaining the crowd. She was as much an entertainer as she was a fighter.
With her unique way of using Water Release, she had turned it into something that could resemble a Kekkei Genkai. It wasn't, but to the people watching, there was no difference.
Naturally, she hadn't devoted all her time to learning style, she had long since built up a proper rivalry with Karin, and had trained under many other fighters she and Fūshin had beaten and earned for En Oyashiro. She had learned from them, trained with them, and grown stronger.
She wasn't just a genius, but also a hard worker, and that was enough to push her to be one of the strongest fighters here. Only Fūshin and Karin were at that high level, and Fūshin was older than both of them.
Karin's progress came from a large number of battles and countless hours of training under me. I taught her everything I knew about the Uzumaki style of combat and let her fully tap into her stamina and chakra.
Karin was truly a genius; she learned quickly, and her chakra control was already at a level that could shame plenty of adult jōnin. Her senses had also sharpened thanks to her bloodline, and she could now get a clear picture of the battlefield with her chakra-sensing ability.
She was countless times stronger than she would have been without my intervention; she was already at the overall level of a Tokubetsu Jōnin. Not a true one, as those often specialized in a single area, but she had the all-round skills of a Tokubetsu Jōnin, just lacking the life-and-death combat experience.
Since the history of these ranks, the founding of Konoha, and the current ninja system, very few had reached her level at that age. Only people like Itachi Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, and Minato Namikaze.
And to think that on a small island like this, with illegal bloodsports and enslaved shinobi and samurai, two such geniuses would appear.
The five great villages would be beyond shocked if they knew, after all, even among them, such a genius is beyond rare, and those they have become important people, ANBU captains and Kage, commanders of entire armies.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you all know the rules. Karin is a free fighter, so she isn't among the normal ranks, which means this fight won't affect the arena's internal rankings, nor will Lord Oyashiro gain a new fighter if he wins, or lose his assets should he lose," the announcer spoke.
"But make no mistake," he continued. "That doesn't mean this is a fight without stakes, because neither of the fighters will allow the other to be the victor; these two young stars of these sands are deadly rivals!" he screamed.
"For tonight, the match is simple, a one-on-one, and a knockout or surrender is needed for a clear victor. The fight continues until one fighter is unable to continue!"
As he finished speaking, the referee looked at the two fighters, who stood opposite each other on the large sandy stage. The referee gave a final check to both to ensure they were ready.
Chino had a calm, confident expression on her face. Though behind that was deep jealousy, she was jealous that Karin had someone behind her, that she had a loving mother, and me, her teacher, to protect her.
It was these feelings that fueled her side of the rivalry, as well as the fact that, despite being younger, Karin looked older than her. No woman could easily accept being mistaken for a child.
It was a matter of pride.
As for Karin, she had a nervous, yet determined expression on her face. The rivalry with Chino was good for her, as it pushed her to train harder, to want to be stronger. She wanted to be the best, to prove herself to me, but also to prove to everyone that she wasn't just a weak little girl.
She wanted to show them all that she, too, could be strong.
The referee raised his hand, a sharp, decisive gesture that sliced through the roar of the crowd. For a moment, there was a profound silence, the entire coliseum holding its collective breath. Then, his arm slashed down.
"Begin!"
The world exploded into motion.
Chino moved first, her hands a blur of precise, elegant seals. "Water Style: Bubble Cocoon!" A shimmering sphere of iridescent bubbles erupted around her, not a defensive shell, but a swirling, chaotic mass. She launched herself forward, not running, but riding the current of her own jutsu, a human projectile encased in a torrent of liquid and reflected light.
The crowd oohed and aahed, captivated by the beautiful, deadly display. It was pure spectacle. But my eyes saw deeper. I saw the chakra woven into each bubble, the subtle genjutsu layered within the reflections, designed to disorient and distract.
It was truly impressive for someone so young to make her own ninjutsu like that, more so since it wasn't purely Water Release, but also Yin Release mixed in, such a ninjutsu with its own genjutsu was rare, and making something like that was truly difficult.
But to fight someone like Karin, who was a skilled sensor, without something like that thrown in, it would be hard to fight her without being at an extreme disadvantage.
Karin, in turn, used her tried and true method of forming a dozen shadow clones right out of the gate, giving her the advantage of numbers.
Yet, Chino knew this tactic and had come up with one of her own counters, instantly, the many large bubbles that filled the stage all had a Chino inside them.
Only one was real; the others were just genjutsu clones.
But precisely because they were a double-layered genjutsu combined with a ninjutsu, even Karin couldn't see which was the real one. At least not without them attacking, which meant that currently, neither could tell where their real opponent was. The entire stage was now a chaotic mess of Karin's shadow clones and Chino's bubble clones.
The crowd was going wild with excitement at this exchange. The announcer was screaming, a stream of nonsense and hyperbole. "What an opening! A clash of clones and bubbles! A battle of wits and wills! Who will break through this mirage of mayhem first?"
The Karin clones all started to weave hand signs. If there was one thing she didn't lack, it was chakra, and if there was another thing she didn't lack, it was ninjutsu. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" the dozen clones shouted in unison, sending a massive gust of wind at the army of bubbles, each of which popped, releasing a puff of foul-smelling smoke.
They had all been fakes. Chino, in turn, had still not revealed herself, and while the smokescreen was now gone, the fight had not moved any closer to a conclusion.
"A clever trick," I murmured, a flicker of approval in my tone. "She uses the bubbles as a feint and a smokescreen to mask her real position."
Kanna, sitting beside me, had her hands clasped so tightly her knuckles were white. "Where is she? I can't see her!"
"Patience," I said calmly, my Byakugan piercing through the chaos. I could see Chino's real location, crouched low behind one of the arena's few stone pillars, a small, satisfied smile on her face. She was analyzing Karin's patterns, waiting for the right moment to strike.
But Karin wasn't just relying on her eyes. Her head was cocked slightly, her brow furrowed in concentration. She was feeling the battlefield, her senses stretching out like a fine net, searching for the single, distinct chakra signature of her rival.
And without the bubble clones, it only took her a moment to find what she was looking for. Her head snapped up, her eyes locking onto the pillar where Chino was hiding.
"There you are," she whispered.
Once more, she started weaving together hand signs, and I identified them as Fire Release.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Karin and her remaining clones shouted in unison, sending a volley of small, controlled fireballs towards the pillar.
"Bad move," I whispered as the fire instantly ignited the foul-smelling gas. Karin hadn't identified the source of the smell, but it was sulfur.
Chino had already used Earth Release to hide under the ground as soon as Karin finished her ninjutsu, perfectly baiting Karin into her trap. Just before the explosion, she had managed to create a small hole and escape the blast.
"BOOOOOM!"
The explosion was large, sending sand and debris flying across the arena. The crowd roared, a mix of excitement and shock.
Kanna gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Karin!"
I didn't flinch. "She's fine," I said, my eyes still fixed on the arena. "The explosion was at the center of the arena, far enough away from her. Though it did destroy her clones, which wasted a huge amount of chakra."
I could easily see what Chino was going for, she knew Karin had her beat when it came to chakra, so she wanted her to waste as much as possible to level the playing field a little.
It was smart, a high-level tactic that one wouldn't necessarily expect from a child her age.
But pressure was effective for growth, and Chino was always under a lot of pressure.
That single move allowed her a chance to win, though it wouldn't be easy, but at least she now had a real chance.
Very clever, I praised her in my head as I watched Chino begin her counterattack.