Strongest Shinobi

The matches ended fairly quickly, though Ren and Miyu were taken out fairly quickly. The battles had spanned over the last couple of days and only Izana and a Suna nin were left.

The Suna nin that was his opponent was fairly well known amongst the genin from Suna for his Earth and Wind release. It wasn't as adept enough as their kazekage's, who were able to bend metal or sand, but the genin had good prospects for the future, if he could increase his control in said nature transformations.

Izana had a few hours left before the match was supposed to start so he was thinking what to do. His opponent had showed remarkable control in long range attacks using wind release, while using Earth release in close range combat.

He could use lightning release, though no one knew he even had lightning release. The only nature affinities his clan knew he had were wind and fire, both not very helpful against earth techniques. He would manage with fire release during long range attacks.

No use thinking too hard about it, he would see what happened and act according the situation.

As the minutes passed by, Izana checked if everything was in order.

Throwing weapons? Check. Sword? Check. Gear in order? Yes.

His chakra capacity was full as well. Everything was prepared and he was ready to begin the battle.

When the signal was given, Izana walked into the arena, the stands all completely occupied by the audience. Even the seat for the Hokage was already in use by the Third. The only one they were waiting for right now was the Suna nin.

The time ticked on as the crowd became restless. The Suna nin was late.

"A few more minutes and it will be a default win for Izana." The proctor said.

A few more minutes passed by as they could see the Suna nin with his companions running their way. The girl from the group bowed to the proctor to apologize.

"Sorry for his tardiness. He lost track of time."

A mumble went on through the audience but it was soon stopped by the Hokage.

"No need. He is on time. Continue with the match." Having said what he wanted to say, the Third sat back down as he looked intently at the contestants.

"You heard what Hokage-sama said. Hurry up now. You two, go to the stands so we can begin."

The two quickly went to the stand while Izana and the Suna nin stood opposite of each other, waiting for the proctor the signal the start.

When he did, both remained standing, waiting for the other to make a move. Izana watched as he waited to see what the Suna nin's plans were. The Suna nin kept his eyes lowered, not looking Izana in the eye. While the wait went on, the Suna nin finally made his move.

He quickly formed his hand signs, slamming his hand downwards as the chakra flowed into the ground. The ground around the Suna nin rippled outward, though it didn't have a long range. The places where the ripples had formed, the ground had risen or fallen to create a whole different lay out of the arena. This was mostly centered around the Suna nin, but it served its purpose as it was harder to see where the Suna nin would be going.

Izana smirked as he too made his move. He moved towards the Suna nin, moving faster than the audience thought he could, dashing thought the risen rocks. Having activated his Sharingan, Izana looked closely for any sign of the Suna nin.

Low currents of wind could be felt passing throught the creases. Izana's skin began to tingle as he quickly side stepped, dodging a well aimed slice of wind. From out of the corner of his eye, Izana could see the silhouette of his opponent running past the obstacles.

"Two can play at that." Izana thought as he began to predict where the Suna nin would appear next. His eyes moved from one spot to the other, making the audience dizzy as they tried to follow his gaze.

"There."

Following that thought, Izana blasted a slice of wind towards his opponent who had appeared right where Izana had predicted him to be. The Suna nin barely dodged it as a huge tear appeared in his clothing, while a thin line appeared on his skin, blood dropping down from his arm.

When the Suna nin tried to disappear again Izana made hand signs insanely fast, slamming his hand on the ground. A summoning circle appeared beneath it as the whole battleground seemed to transform into a flesh.

"Summoning: Toad mouth bind."

The Suna nin soon found his feet to become stuck to the fleshy floor. He couldn't move a step from his current position. A smirk appeared on Izana's face as he closed in on his opponent as their eyes finally met. The Suna nin stopped struggling as his eyes became glazed over.

Within a few second, Izana had already incapacitated his opponent, hitting him straight on the solar plexus. The Suna nin fainted right then and there, falling to the ground as the summoning was cancelled.

"The winner. Uchiha Izana."

The audience was stunned at the way the battle had gone but soon burst out in applause as it showed the versatility of the way Izana battled. They were sure Izana hadn't shown even a little of his true strength, meaning he was a lot stronger than they had thought.

The Audience soon left after the contestants left the battlefield, waiting for their results.

_____________________________________________________________________________

During the finals, Hiruzen had watched closely on how Izana performed. The actions he took were rational, well executed and showed the signs of a cat playing with a mouse.

When he used the summoning, hiruzen could see his student in Izana. He couldn't help but smile as Jiraiya, who had accompanied him, began to laugh as he had a proud smile on his face.

"That's my student."

Hiruzen smiled at the outburst from Jiraiya. It had been a while since he had seen him like this, not counting his frequent trips to the hotspings.

"It was already certain he would succeed." Hiruzen said, his eyes on the back of Izana when he left the arena.

He handed a scroll to one of the Anbu at his side.

"Hand this to the leading proctor."

"Yes, Hokage-sama" The Anbu relied as he disappeared.

"Jiraiya. I have a mission for you and Izana. Meet me the day after tomorrow."

Hiruzen said as he too left the arena.