Chapter 293: A Thousand Punches
Only Danzo saw what had just happened among the audience of one hundred thousand.
The moment Hidan used the black spear to stab himself, Marisa summoned Star Platinum, activated a 2-second time stop, and moved Hidan out of the curse ritual circle.
Unaware of this, Hidan stabbed himself hard and was now too pained to move.
"Damn it..."
Hidan, drenched in sweat from the pain, couldn't move for the time being and could only watch as Marisa walked toward him.
"Though I don't know why you decided to stab yourself, don't think I'll let you off so easily."
Marisa taunted with a smirk, raising her fist.
Despite being at a significant disadvantage, Hidan sneered at Marisa:
"So what? You think your punches can defeat me? Lord Jashin protects me, granting me immortality. Your punches are just scratches to me."
"Is that so? Then I'll scratch you properly."
Marisa smiled brightly, revealing her pearly whites. As she spoke, the towering figure of Star Platinum emerged behind her.
"What is that?" Hidan felt a sudden pang of fear at the sight of Star Platinum.
"Your masseuse."
As Marisa spoke, Star Platinum reached out, grabbed Hidan by the collar, and tossed him into the air.
Whoosh.
Hidan flew several meters up, limbs spread out, before falling back to the ground.
Now.
Marisa's eyes gleamed, and together with Star Platinum, she clenched her fists and launched a flurry of punches at Hidan like a high-speed jackhammer.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
Marisa's shouts, accompanied by the sound of fists connecting with flesh, echoed through the vast stadium, reaching the ears of one hundred thousand spectators.
One second, five seconds, ten seconds.
Twenty seconds, thirty seconds, one minute.
Marisa and Star Platinum's punches rained down on Hidan's face, torso, and limbs for a full minute, delivering over a thousand blows.
Due to the force of the punches, Hidan remained suspended in mid-air, about two meters off the ground, continuously pummeled by Marisa.
During this time, his entire body was distorted and deformed under the barrage of punches, resembling...
The dough being kneaded.
The spectators in the stands were dumbfounded, unable to utter a word.
Finally.
After over a thousand punches.
"ORAAAAAA!"
With a drawn-out roar, Marisa delivered the final punch, channelling all her strength from her legs to her waist and finally to her right fist.
At the same time, Star Platinum merged with Marisa, cloaking her in blue armour and further enhancing her power.
BAM!
The punch landed squarely on Hidan's chest, caving it in and launching him into the air like a rocket.
At that moment, Hidan was truly flying.
All one hundred thousand spectators watched as Hidan soared higher and higher—ten meters, fifty meters, one hundred meters, two hundred meters...
Quickly.
Hidan's figure became a mere speck in the sky, barely visible.
It wasn't until he reached an altitude of around five hundred meters that the punch's momentum finally dissipated, and Hidan began his rapid descent.
Whoosh.
Like a daytime meteor, Hidan plummeted back to the arena, crashing in the centre with a spiderweb of cracks spreading around him.
Is this guy still alive?
"Quick, zoom in!"
In the broadcast room, the director immediately ordered all cameras to focus on Hidan and zoom in.
Then.
"Hiss!"
The stands erupted with the sound of thousands drawing sharp breaths.
Hidan was still alive.
He indeed proved his belief, and worshipping the evil god really granted him immortality. Even though Marissa pummeled him with over a thousand punches, he was still alive.
But Hidan's current state was worse than death.
Because his entire body was unrecognisable, almost beaten into a pulp. At least from the outside, he no longer resembled a human being.
"Ugh… huh…"
The lump of flesh emitted an ambiguous breathing sound, proving it was still alive. However, this was all Hidan could do now.
Several medical ninjas, who had been waiting on the sidelines, rushed in with stretchers and medical kits, coming to Hidan's side.
But then they hesitated, looking at each other in confusion, unsure of where to start treating Hidan.
In the end, they could only lift him onto a stretcher and rush him to the emergency room.
"That was so satisfying!"
Marissa punched the air fiercely, feeling exhilarated.
She had been in hundreds of fights from childhood to now, but none had ever been as satisfying as today.
Hidan was incredibly resilient, no matter how hard she hit, he wouldn't die, and hitting him felt great, much better than hitting a sandbag.
The spectators in the stands were terrified by Hidan's miserable state and developed a deep fear of the eight-year-old "girl" in the stands.
Extreme violence, pure power.
This was the first of Uchiha Marissa.
Even the referee took a while to recover, then quickly stepped forward, raised one of Marissa's arms, and loudly announced:
"Marissa wins! The champion is born!"
"Yeah~ Let's congratulate Iron Fist Marissa, the well-deserved top seed who won this Chunin Exam!" The host immediately stirred up the atmosphere, leading the applause and cheers.
"Marissa! Marissa!"
The audience erupted, cheering like a tidal wave.
A bunch of Konoha reporters and photographers swarmed onto the stands, snapping photos of Marissa.
In summary, this Chunin Exam was an unprecedented visual feast. It not only brought the most exciting Genin battles in history but also had various unexpected events and twists that were thrilling but harmless.
Exciting and thrilling, leaving everyone wanting more.
This was what most spectators were feeling at that moment.
Marissa stood proudly on the platform, her gaze sweeping across the entire stands, scanning over the ten thousand spectators, her domineering look exuding an aura of invincibility.
Out of a thousand Genin participants, Marissa made it to the end. Considering her age of only eight years, this astonishing champion deserved all the cheers and applause she received.
"Star Platinum, you deserve this victory too. Let's share this honor together."
Marissa murmured, and the tall and handsome Star Platinum appeared behind her, joining her on the big screen at the scene.
This scene would undoubtedly become the front-page photo of the news.
High up in the stands.
"What is that humanoid figure, Susanoo? But it doesn't quite look like it..."
"If I remember correctly, a similar figure appeared behind the Sixth Hokage. Could it be a hereditary Kekkei Genkai?"
The four Kage whispered among themselves, watching Star Platinum with amazement.
"This is a Stand."
Dan's voice suddenly rang out, surprising everyone.
"A Stand?"
The four Kage looked even more puzzled. They knew about the basic substitution jutsu, but this was different.
Dan didn't keep them in suspense and explained lightly:
"A Stand is the manifestation of spiritual energy, different from the chakra used by ninjas. It's a special ability.
As you can see, this ability, like a Kekkei Genkai, can be inherited through bloodline, which is why Marissa also awakened a Stand."
He didn't hide the existence of Stands anymore, partly because he knew that intelligence agencies throughout the ninja world had been trying to uncover his abilities.
He had used his Stand several times on the battlefield, attracting the attention of many.
Including "The World," which can stop time, even though Dan hid it well and was never seen through. But let's not forget he had a carefree daughter.
With Marissa frequently using her Stand, under the watchful eyes of many, "The World" would be exposed sooner or later.
Since that was the case, he might as well make it public.
After all, even if others knew, so what?
Dan was not like Jotaro Kujo, whose standability became widely known, and even a mouse could defeat him.
"A Stand…"
The four Kage muttered the term, shocked. They never expected Uchiha Dan to develop a new power outside the ninja training system.
No wonder he was incredibly strong.
The powerful Stand ability, combined with the Uchiha clan's bloodline, was this the legendary chosen one?
The more they learned about Dan's strength, the more despair they felt, realising that:
As long as Uchiha Dan was alive, the affairs of the ninja world were his to dictate.
After all, this man's power was even more domineering and unparalleled than the legendary God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju.
At this moment, Kakashi hurriedly approached and asked Dan:
"Hokage-sama, it's time for the award ceremony. What do you think...?"
"Alright."
Dan nodded, stood up, and then leapt into the air.
"Look, it's the Hokage!" The spectators in the stands followed Dan's figure.
Whoosh.
Under the gaze of the entire audience, Dan, dressed in his pristine white Hokage robe, descended slowly from mid-air with the breeze, his clothes fluttering like a celestial being descending to earth.
This was the extraordinary Sixth Hokage.
Dan casually picked up the golden trophy and walked towards Marissa, stopping three meters away from her.
At this moment.
In the centre of the ten-thousand-seat stadium, father and daughter stared at each other without speaking.
"Click, click!"
The reporters nearby frantically took pictures, some even lying on the ground to get the best angles.
"Come, take your trophy," Dan said to his daughter with a faint smile.
"Hmph."
Marissa snorted, not moving a step, then suddenly pointed a finger at Dan and shockingly declared, "Dad, one day, I will definitely defeat you!"
Her bold words echoed in the stadium and were broadcast to every corner of the ninja world.
The audience was in an uproar.
Dan chuckled at her words, then casually tossed the trophy aside like trash and responded to Marissa:
"Such ambition, as expected of my daughter. In that case, let me give you some motivation."
With that, Marissa barely saw Dan move before he was in front of her, throwing a punch at her stomach.
Warudo!
Without thinking, Marissa instinctively activated her Stand ability, turning the entire world grey and pausing time.
Unfortunately, it was futile.
She could only stop time for two seconds, which was far too short to launch a counterattack or retreat to a safe distance.
After all, her father, Uchiha Dan, had far superior control over time.
Dan could even suppress Marissa's "Warudo," rendering her unable to move for even a second.
Time resumed.
With a thud, Dan's punch landed squarely on Marissa's stomach, contorting her face with pain as she dropped to one knee, unable to withstand the agony.
Seeing this, the audience was once again in an uproar.
Who could have imagined that what should have been a heartwarming award ceremony would turn into such a "father-daughter bonding" scene?
Is this how the Sixth Hokage educates his children?
So iron-blooded, no wonder Marissa had grown so much at only eight years old.
But even a tough guy has rare moments of tenderness.
After punching Marissa, seeing her sweating profusely and groaning on the ground, Dan couldn't help but sigh.
Then he took a step forward and reached out with his large hands towards Marissa.
"What are you doing?"
Marissa exclaimed as her father scooped her up in a princess carry.
She stared wide-eyed, momentarily stunned.
"It's been a long time since I held you like this. My daughter has grown up and gotten heavier."
Dan lifted Marissa, weighing her slightly with a look of sentimentality.
Snapping back to her senses, Marissa struggled furiously and shouted angrily at Dan: "Put me down, you annoying dad!"
Being held like this in front of so many people felt like an enormous humiliation to Marissa. She knew she would be laughed at in the future.
She was the boss of the ninja school; she couldn't afford this embarrassment.
"Even though you're cursing, your little face is blushing. So you've been craving fatherly love, huh? You should have said so earlier; Dad always loves you the most."
Dan shook his head, showing no intention of letting go.
"Who needs your love? I want to see Mom, and my godmother!"
Marissa, having her thoughts exposed, felt both embarrassed and annoyed, finally showing a bit of the demeanour of a little girl.
"Hahaha!"
Dan laughed heartily, carrying his daughter down from the platform.
The host, watching the father and daughter's backs, wiped a tear from his eye and said emotionally:
"Such deep father-daughter affection, what a touching scene. Dear audience, let us offer our sincerest applause, cheers, and blessings to the Sixth Hokage and Marissa!"
As the host's words fell, another wave of cheers erupted from the audience.
With the Chunin Exams reaching this point, it was almost at its end. Next would be a closing ceremony performance, after which the audience could leave in an orderly fashion.
But at that moment, an even bigger surprise occurred.
"Huh, why is it getting dark?"
The host muttered, then looked up in confusion, only to freeze in shock.
(chapter ends.)