The announcer's voice rolled across the arena, sharp and formal.
"First match of round three — Sirochi of Umo versus Shima Senju of Konoha."
A ripple moved through the crowd. Not excitement exactly — curiosity. Medics didn't usually headline fights like this. Most people expected clean victories or quiet defeats.
Hana didn't.
She felt Shima's chakra tighten the moment her name was called. Not spike — focus. Like a blade being set into alignment.
Shima stepped forward, ponytail swaying once before settling against her back. She didn't smile. Didn't wave. She rolled her shoulders subtly, fingers flexing, breath steadying the way Tsunade had drilled into her since childhood.
Across the arena, Sirochi moved with a different rhythm.
Calmer. Slower.
She walked as if she had time, pale eyes scanning the field, memorizing distances, angles, wind. Her chakra was clean and even, layered carefully — medical chakra reinforced with something unfamiliar, threaded differently than Konoha's style.
Hana narrowed her eyes.
The proctor raised his arm. "Begin."
They didn't rush each other.
For three long seconds, nothing happened.
Then Sirochi moved first — a sharp hand seal, palm slicing down.
"Medical Release: Neural Distortion."
The air seemed to bend.
Shima felt it a fraction of a second before Hana sensed it — the invisible strike aimed not at flesh, but at nerve pathways. Shima twisted sideways, chakra surging into her legs as the technique grazed past her shoulder.
Her arm went numb instantly.
"Already?" Shisui muttered beside Hana.
Shima didn't panic.
She rolled with the momentum, slammed her palm into the ground. "Chakra Pulse."
The arena floor cracked beneath her hand, a controlled burst of chakra rippling outward. Not to attack — to disrupt. Sirochi leapt back just in time, the shockwave tearing through the space where she'd been standing.
Smart, Hana thought. She's breaking Sirochi's precision field.
Sirochi landed lightly, eyes narrowing. "So you're not just muscle."
Shima flexed her numb arm once, grimacing as sensation crawled back. "And you're not just a healer."
They moved again — faster now.
Sirochi darted in, fingers glowing faintly green, aiming for pressure points along Shima's ribs. Shima blocked with her forearm, but Sirochi didn't pull away — she redirected, sliding along Shima's defense, her chakra flaring sharply.
"Scalpel Palm."
Shima felt it — the skin didn't break, but underneath, muscles spasmed violently. Her breath left her in a sharp gasp as her balance faltered.
Sirochi didn't hesitate.
She pivoted, swept Shima's legs, and drove her down hard into the sand.
The crowd gasped.
Hana's heart kicked. "Shima—"
Shima twisted mid-fall, slamming her elbow into the ground, absorbing the impact through chakra control instead of bone. She rolled, came up on one knee, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
YOU ARE READING
The Uzumaki Legacy
Fanfiction"When the villain and victim are in the same body , a human is created ." Hana Uzumaki is a sensor with power she was never meant to possess-and a past the village never meant her to remember. Trained under Orochimaru and bound by blood to sealing t...
