"What?!" The Third Kazekage was utterly shocked. He had never imagined that Kazekaze had been hiding in the water from the very beginning!
"Was this also part of your plan?!"
Since the Third Kazekage had used all of his Iron Sand to restrain Kazekaze's Water Clone, he had no time to retrieve it. There was now nothing between them. No defense. No time to dodge.
Boom!
Kazekaze's rising uppercut struck the Third Kazekage's chin, sending him flying.
Thud.
Like a kite with a broken string, the Third Kazekage tumbled through the air, crashing heavily onto the ground. He rolled several times before finally stopping. Kazekaze gracefully landed back on the ground, steadying his stance.
The chin was one of the most vulnerable parts of the human body. A direct hit could easily cause unconsciousness. And this was a punch from the Gate of Limit state. Kazekaze believed that the battle had been decided.
"Proctor, you can announce the result now, right?" Kazekaze asked Sarutobi while deactivating the Eight Gates.
No matter how one looked at it, his opponent was the future Third Kazekage. One thing all Kazekage had in common was— They were impossible to defeat early on, and even harder to defeat later. Even Lee with the Eight Gates had lost to Gaara. And the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand surpassed Gaara's sand in both offense and defense.
"Even though I knew this, I still chose to clash head-on with the Third Kazekage. My tactical intelligence must be awful." Kazekaze sighed inwardly.
But this strategy had not only been effective but had also demonstrated his strategic thinking. This would be beneficial when he eventually became Hokage. After all— The Hokage, the Kazekage, the Tsuchikage, the ninjas of Konoha, the civilians, and even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire— Were all watching this battle!
However—Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to announce the winner, The Third Kazekage, who had been sent flying over ten meters, Sat up! Iron Sand slowly fell off his face.
"That was close…" The Third Kazekage exhaled sharply.
When Kazekaze's punch connected, he had truly thought he was done for. Even when Kazekaze was only in the Gate of Life state, his punch had bent the Iron Sand shield into a C-shape. Let alone now, in the Gate of Limit state. Even with the Iron Sand protecting him, he wouldn't have been able to endure the blow.
However— There was no real grudge between them. This was merely a Chunin Exam match. So, at the last moment, Kazekaze had held back, delivering a normal punch without enhancing it with monstrous strength.
In other words— Kazekaze had gone easy on him. And a ninja as talented as the Third Kazekage could see right through it. He could even guess the reason. This was just an exam.
"What is your name?" Leaning on his knee, the Third Kazekage stood up, his expression complex.
If Kazekaze hadn't held back, he would have been in grave danger. Technically, he had already lost. However— Even though this battle was about his personal promotion to Chunin, he represented all of Sunagakure. He wanted to admit defeat, but he couldn't afford to.
"Kazekaze." Kazekaze answered without hesitation.
'Using the Iron Sand Armor to minimize my damage, huh?'
Come to think of it, Gaara had used a similar technique during the Chunin Exams.
"Kazekaze, huh? I will remember your name. You are the strongest opponent I have ever faced. I dare say… I will never meet a rival like you again. Your strategic mind, combat experience, and raw strength— You're like a monster. If you hadn't held back, even with my Iron Sand Armor, I wouldn't have been able to withstand that attack. However—" The Third Kazekage took a deep breath and gathered more Iron Sand.
"Eighty percent of our country is desert. Resources are scarce, and our village relies on mission commissions as a vital source of income. So I must defeat you here, to prove Sunagakure's strength!"
As he finished speaking, the Third Kazekage rapidly formed hand seals. He originally hadn't planned to use this technique. But as he had said, he could not afford to lose.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wings!"
The Iron Sand compressed into two enormous wings, attaching to his back like those of a giant bird. Then— The black wings flapped powerfully, unleashing a strong gust that blew outward in all directions. Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, the proctor, had to raise an arm to shield himself from the wind and sand.
Before everyone's eyes— The Third Kazekage took off into the sky!
"Iron Sand Wings is a technique for aerial combat. The wings can launch Iron Sand Feathers as long-range projectiles."
The Third Kazekage shared this information with Kazekaze, as repayment for the mercy shown in that last punch.
"Kazekaze, be careful. The Iron Sand Feathers move too fast for the eye to track, and each one has homing capabilities."
When Kazekaze had struck him, microscopic Iron Sand particles had stuck to his skin. So the Third Kazekage didn't need to aim precisely. As long as he released the Iron Sand Feathers, they would seek out Kazekaze.
"This is the strongest technique I can use right now. Kazekaze, let's settle things with this!"
The reason he hadn't wanted to use this technique before— Was because once it was revealed, other ninjas would record it. That would be a disadvantage for his future battles.
However— Kazekaze wasn't just a formidable opponent. He was a worthy opponent. Most importantly— Kazekaze's speed in the Gate of Limit state far surpassed the movement speed of Iron Sand. If Iron Sand couldn't keep up with Kazekaze's speed, then its defense was useless. But aerial combat— Would effectively neutralize Kazekaze's taijutsu!
In the Kage seating area.
The First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, couldn't help but exclaim,
"He can fly?!"
There were only a handful of ninjas in the entire world capable of flight. And those who could— Had a significant tactical advantage. Since Kazekaze's punch hadn't ended things earlier, he wouldn't get another chance.
"Yes." The First Kazekage, Reto, nodded.
Before the exams, he had instructed the Third Kazekage not to use the Iron Sand Wings unless absolutely necessary. After all, in ninja battles, intelligence was everything. Now, in order to defeat Kazekaze— The Third Kazekage had revealed his greatest trump card.
"This puts Kazekaze at a disadvantage." Both Hashirama and Tobirama shared the same thought.
Would Kazekaze be able to counter the Third Kazekage's next attack? However— Kazekaze, standing in the puddle, showed no hint of distress. Because he had already known about this trump card.
"I will remember your name as well."