The battle between Naruto and Sasuke was unlike anything you'd expect from two human shinobi.
It was massive in scale.
Just one clash between them reshaped the entire battlefield. To the spectators, the fight was nothing but flashes of golden and violet light, followed by thunderous explosions that ripped through the arena.
The rest of the contestants had no choice but to scream and flee, caught in the overwhelming force of the two giants colliding.
That first round ended with a bang—literally—and left the crowd in awe.
They loved every second of it.
This year's Chūnin Exams were divided into two stages. The second stage, the finals, would focus entirely on one-on-one combat in a proper arena setting—no distractions, no teams, just pure individual strength.
The venue? A brand-new large-scale arena, built just for this.
Thanks to their overwhelming performance, Naruto and Sasuke easily secured their spots among the top ten. That meant they didn't even need to participate in the finals—they were already qualified for promotion.
As for Sakiya, her job as adjudicator for the event was done. The one-on-one matches didn't really require her direct involvement anymore.
With that, a month-long break was announced. A chance for the contestants to recover from the grueling battles and prepare themselves for the final round.
Sakiya was ready to enjoy this free time with her family.
Or so she thought.
Because Tsunade came knocking.
---
At the Hokage's Office
Sakiya kicked open the door, storming into the room with her usual attitude and a scowl on her face.
"What is it now?"
Tsunade didn't flinch. She was already used to the girl's blunt nature.
Sitting calmly at her desk, Tsunade laced her fingers together and said evenly, "Since you're so free right now, I have an urgent mission for you."
Sakiya narrowed her eyes and raised a hand, palm forward, cutting her off mid-sentence.
"No thanks. I'm not in the mood for some high-risk nonsense right now."
Tsunade sighed. She had expected this reaction.
But then… she played her trump card.
"I'll grant you one unreasonable request. Anything."
Sakiya blinked, caught off guard.
"One… unreasonable request?"
A slow, confident grin formed on her face.
"Hmph. You really think you can bribe me like that?"
Still, her curiosity was piqued. She crossed her arms, smug.
"Fine. Let's hear it. What's the mission? If it's something basic, I'm not going."
Tsunade didn't bat an eye. She knew Sakiya too well by now.
Besides, the definition of "unreasonable" was flexible—and entirely in Tsunade's hands.
What's that? Fairness?
When had Tsunade ever worried about that?
And really—Sakiya was the one who accepted the deal, wasn't she?
Tsunade moved calmly at first, flipping through a stack of paperwork on her desk.
One minute passed.
Her expression tightened with a small frown, and the sound of rustling paper grew louder.
Five minutes in, the desk was a mess. Her irritation was written all over her face as she began rifling through the documents more aggressively.
At ten minutes, her movements were full of frustration.
By fifteen minutes, papers were flying everywhere. She was tossing files left and right in a full-blown tantrum.
Sakiya watched the entire scene unfold in silence, a bead of cold sweat forming on her forehead. She dared not interrupt.
Then—
A knock came at the door.
Tsunade froze mid-throw, her furious gaze snapping toward Sakiya like a predator locking onto its prey.
Under the pressure of that look, Sakiya flinched and raised her hands slightly, as if to say, "Don't look at me like that…"
But then, Tsunade's expression instantly calmed, shifting her focus to the door behind Sakiya.
"Come in," she called out.
Sakiya slowly lowered her hands, slightly embarrassed. So… it wasn't about me after all…
The door creaked open and Shizune stepped in, holding a stack of documents. She stopped the moment she saw the chaos.
Her face darkened.
"Tsunade-sama…"
Tsunade looked vaguely guilty. "Ah… well, I couldn't find the file, so…"
Shizune sighed deeply. "I really can't keep up with you, Tsunade-sama. You need to think before you act. You are the Hokage, after all."
She walked over, placed the new stack of documents on the desk, and gave Tsunade a firm look.
"So—what file were you looking for?"
Tsunade coughed awkwardly. "Uh… the urgent mission report from the other day."
Shizune nodded without missing a beat and knelt down to search through the mess.
Sakiya stood awkwardly to the side, scratching her head. Is she really going to find anything in that disaster zone?
Then she spoke up hesitantly, "Uh… maybe I should just come back la—"
"Found it."
Sakiya blinked in surprise. Seriously?
Shizune held up a file pulled from the chaos and handed it over to Tsunade. Then, without saying a word, she began calmly cleaning up the scattered documents on the floor.
Sakiya stood in stunned silence, watching the scene unfold.
She's... really skilled at this.
Watching Shizune quietly organize the scattered papers, Sakiya suddenly felt a twinge of sympathy.
This poor woman's totally overworked… Tsunade's basically abusing her staff!
Tsunade glanced at Shizune with a guilty look.
"Hey, Shizune, you don't have to clean all that up—I'll handle it."
Shizune kept organizing without pausing.
"As Naruto's assistant, it's not right for the Hokage to be picking up papers. I've got it."
Tsunade hesitated, caught off guard by the calm professionalism. Then she sighed deeply.
"Honestly... I shouldn't even be Hokage anymore."
She leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples.
"Maybe it's time to step down. Kakashi's looking more and more like the right choice…"
Being Hokage had become more exhausting than ever. Especially since the formation of the World Ninja League—so many new responsibilities, so much more to handle.
…
Tsunade shook herself from her thoughts, then looked at the file in her hand and turned to Sakiya.
"This mission is serious. A massive chakra source was detected—a huge burst of energy."
She tapped the file.
"From what we've gathered, it's stronger than even the Tailed Beasts. That's how intense it is. And right now, everyone who could handle something like this is tied up elsewhere. You're the only one available."
Sakiya tapped her cheek thoughtfully and looked up at the ceiling.
"A massive chakra surge, huh? Sounds like something that broke free from a seal… maybe even some ancient beast or a sealed deity?"
Tsunade ignored the speculation and continued.
"The energy was detected in a desert—what used to be the Land of Rouran."
Her voice lowered slightly. "The Fourth Hokage once went there on a mission."
Sakiya's eyes lit up.
Rouran... the Fourth... the Dragon Vein…!
Memories flooded her mind. Her right eye glinted, and an excited grin spread across her face.
"This is getting good. Something ancient must've been sealed there. Whether it's a beast or something worse… I'm in!"
Tsunade gave a small smile. "Glad to hear it. I knew you'd be interested. You'll handle this one solo."
Sakiya took the file and gave a confident little smack to her chest.
"Of course! I'm not a kid anymore. I'm the Eye of Death!"
With that, she turned sharply and started heading for the door, energized and ready.
But just as she reached for the handle, Tsunade called out again.
"Oh—one more thing."
Sakiya paused and glanced back, curious.
Tsunade held up a single finger, smirking.
"Try not to blow up too much."