Kiba and Hinata, watching from the stands, were completely stunned.
Kiba's eyes were wide with shock. "I always knew Shino was secretive and a bit arrogant, but I never expected him to be so ruthless when he gets serious!"
"I… I never knew Shino was this powerful," Hinata stammered.
"Wait, something's not right!" Kiba's eyes narrowed, his expression turning serious. "Why do I get the feeling that's not Shino?"
"That's… that's impossible," Hinata said, her Byakugan already scanning the figure in the arena. "That is Shino. Kiba, you can tell by his scent, can't you?"
"No… you're right," Kiba admitted, clenching his fists with a look of extreme frustration. "The scent is definitely Shino's, but… I still don't think it's him!" On their team, Kiba had always considered himself the leader, the strongest of the three. He knew, with absolute certainty, that he was nowhere near capable of what he was witnessing now. He simply refused to accept it. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Kiba insisted, "He… is definitely not Shino!"
All eyes were fixed on the swirling vortex of insects. From within the swarm, Izumi's pained groans could still be heard as she was being bitten by tens of thousands of kikaichū. Although her chakra was nearly depleted, she had no intention of giving up. It was, perhaps, the inherent arrogance of the Uchiha clan. The proctor, Genma Shiranui, showed no intention of stopping the match, allowing the insects to continue their assault.
In the contestants' box, Sasuke was frantic. "Shiro, if this continues, Izumi will die! We have to stop the match!" Before he could even finish his sentence, Shiro had already leaped into action.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu!"
A massive dragon of flame appeared out of nowhere, swallowing the insect swarm before it even had time to react. Sasuke, taking advantage of the opening, rushed into the inferno, retrieving the near-unconscious Izumi and landing beside Shiro.
"I'm sorry, Shiro, I…" Izumi's pained face was filled with a mixture of weakness and shame.
The unexpected intervention of the two boys sent the arena into an uproar.
"What the hell! I was enjoying the show!"
"Can't handle a loss, Uchiha?! Why are they interfering before the referee even calls the match?!"
"We demand that the Uchiha be disqualified! They have no respect for the rules!"
"So many of those bugs were incinerated! What a waste.!"
"This is unacceptable! Shino, don't let them get away with this!"
"Damn Uchiha!"
Genma Shiranui looked up at Hiruzen Sarutobi in the VIP box. After seeing the Hokage's subtle nod, he turned to Shiro and the others. "The match is not over. Please leave the examination area immediately."
"What?" Sasuke said angrily. "Look at what those bugs have done to her! How is this not over?"
"That's right," Genma responded coldly. "I am the referee. If I say the match is not over, then it is not over."
"Damn you! I can see you want her to die!" Sasuke could no longer suppress his rage and was about to attack when Shiro suddenly stepped in front of him, then began to walk slowly toward "Shino Aburame."
"Shiro Uchiha, what are you doing?" Genma ordered, his voice deep and commanding. "I order you to return to the waiting area immediately, or I will have you disqualified from the exam!"
Shiro completely ignored him, his eyes fixed on the figure across the arena.
"You… are not Shino Aburame."
"Who are you?"