Another path

Although there is nothing

The dome of quicklime she'd solidified using a water jutsu suddenly cracked open when Higure threw a kunai at it. That shouldn't be possible - hardly any rock was harder and denser than quickly cooled down lava, so how ?
Kurotsuchi however wasnt here anymore.
Everyone's attention was brought back onto the shinobi when a mud dragon started chasing Higure. He dodged the gigantic jaw with a few leaps but all of a sudden-

- Finally got you !

It was too late to react : his left foot had been trapped in mud and he barely had the time to shield his thorax with his arms when the dragon collided with him, sending crashing into the opposite wall of the arena.
He tried to get back up but stumbled, visibly dizzy. Kurotsuchi didn't waste a single minute and once again shot quicklime at him, completely encasing him save for the head. She cooled it down with water, watching her prisoner with a satisfied smirk.

But instead of surrendering, Higure simply smiled. Kurotsuchi got back into a stance, though she seemed not to really believe he could do anything in this situation.
Eventually, she used another jutsu just for good measure and the soil turned into quicksands around Higure, slowly swallowing him.
Looked like the end of the fight. The comeback of Kurotsuchi was pretty astonishing but in the end, it was nothing too surprising for the people of Iwa. It was Kurotsuchi after all.
The arena still remained pretty silent, waiting for Higure's surrender when a small sound caught people's attention.
A louder crack was heard and before the Iwa kunoichi could react, large blocks and shards of basalt came flying toward her. She conjured a mud wall to protect herself but then the soil started rippling underneath her. She saw that where Higure had been trapped, the earth was now trembling, creating ripples of mud that went toward her.
- Wait, where Higure had been trapped ?

A hand gripped her shoulder and she barely had the time to turn around that a fist was rammed against her sternum, an electric current traveling through her entire body as she was sent flying and crashing into a wall.

A bewildered silence fell back on the arena as Higure went toward Kurotsuchi, along with the referee. She was out cold, no doubt about that. Higure then grabbed her wrist and went :

- Oh fuck- Megumi, you might be needed here !

All the Uzushio shinobi started either snickering or sighing : Higure had again overdone it. Megumi came running and started working immediately. She was frowning, starting to scold Higure :

- Seriously, how did you shock her so badly she went into cardiac arrest ?

- Maybe since she's from Iwa, she's extra sensitive to Raiton ?

- Higure.

- I'm sorry !

The referee sighed and finally announced Higure as the victor under Onoki's twitching eye.
Kurama smirked at him and the other Kage looked over in pity - things weren't exactly working out as the old Kage would've wanted here...

- I shall discuss with my shinobi what our village will be asking of yours. Make sure you thank your granddaughter appropriately for this gift.

And with this, the arena was vacated as the crowd cheered for Higure. He climbed back up and got immediately chastised by his teammates though they seemed more amused than annoyed.
Sasuke observed Higure silently. His gaze went from him to Suzuka, narrowing when it fell back on his fellow clan member.

" Higure, that bastard... Who would've known he could use Raiton and Dōton as well ? I bet that's why Kakashi has been teaching him. It's likely that he even learned the Chidori... And the way he used Raiton to shatter the basalt, I'm not even sure how exactly he pulled that off. Even a strong current wouldn't just destroy such a dense rock type. Do I really need to be on the lookout for him too ? Suzuka and Kakashi are already quite much but now that guy as well ? Fuck- and that's not taking into account those from my village. Tetsuya, Neji or Lee could give me a run for my money and I can't afford to get all out if I want to measure to Suzuka. By now, it doesn't even matter whether or not she'll listen to me- I need to know I'm stronger than her. She can't be superior to Itachi yet so if I can't even beat her then-... What a fucking mess I am as of late... I know for a fact how strong I am so what am I so worked up for ?"

As if on cue, a hand grazed his shoulder and Sasuke turned around only to meet Tetsuya's worried eyes.

- Are you alright ? You looked quite upset...

A sigh escaped the raven haired shinobi, his frown dissolving into a calmer expression.

- I'm fine now.

That came out of nowhere. Because there was no way that Sasuke fucking Uchiha just admitted - although implicitly - that Tetsuya was comforting him. The red head was blinking rapidly in confusion and worry made its way back in his eyes and Sasuke could tell why. He'd rarely ever felt that tense and he was pretty sure his jaw was about to dislocate from how contracted it was. Tetsuya seemed to notice and merely laughed lightheartedly to diffuse the situation. Thankfully he wasn't acknowledging Sasuke's near-breakdown.

Those two were so enraptured in their weird interaction that neither of them had noticed the ongoing commotion. They were puzzled when they came back to their senses and noticed the two shinobi standing in the arena.
Sasuke watched how Tetsuya's gaze grew excited and truth to be told, he could feel eagerness himself at the prospect of this fight.

After all, it'd been years since he'd last seen Kakashi in action.