To teach orphans and street children to become geniuses who could overwhelmingly surpass their peers, only the Hokage could achieve such a feat.
The geniuses of their great clans, despite being supported by their entire families, simply couldn't compare to the disciples taught by the Hokage.
Inoichi initially found it very difficult to accept, but now he had grown accustomed to it.
Minato was already someone he could no longer hope to chase; his original ambition had naturally been extinguished.
This battle also allowed Chōza to clearly see his own strength, which was a benefit to him, helping his restless heart settle down.
After a long moment, Chōza raised his head and smiled at his two friends.
"Actually, I wasn't too disheartened. Losing to the Hokage-sama's disciple was inevitable; I just didn't expect it to be so effortless. It really made me realize the gap."
Then he opened his palm and showed the paper butterfly to Inoichi and Shikaku.
"It's quite pretty, isn't it? Consider it a memento of my crushing defeat this time. I'll definitely have to train harder in the future and not get overconfident."
Seeing this, the two nodded: "Alright, since you're fine, we're relieved."
Chōza also tucked the butterfly into his pocket, then put his arms around his friends' shoulders: "Alright, alright, let's not talk about that anymore. We came to the tournament happily, but I ended up making a fool of myself. We definitely need a good barbecue for lunch; let's all go!"
Shikaku and Inoichi exchanged glances: "Fine, let's eat. You're paying anyway."
Chōza declared grandly: "Of course! When have I ever let you pay?"
With that, the three laughed jovially as they left the competition grounds.
At this time, Konan also met up with Yahiko, preparing to head home for a meal.
Yahiko had a bye this round, which was quite good as it allowed him to conserve his strength better for the next battle and gave him more time to study opponents he considered troublesome.
"Come on, let's go home for dinner. Mistress should be cooking, right?"
Konan smiled faintly: "If she hasn't cooked, we can just invite Mistress out to eat. I won my match today, so I'm very happy."
Konan's mood was indeed excellent. It was a rare opportunity, and she had successfully demonstrated her strength without embarrassing Master.
Chōza was already very strong among ninjas his age in Konohagakure, but Konan still defeated him in a dominating fashion.
This also showed that Konan's strength was considerable. Thinking of this, the smile on Konan's face grew even brighter.
"Yahiko, who knows, I might just beat you in this tournament."
Konan said, seemingly a little provocative, her eyes twinkling playfully at Yahiko.
Yahiko, however, lightly tapped Konan's head: "If you want to defeat me, you'll have to wait another five hundred years. You're not the only one who's been improving."
Yahiko felt Konan was truly getting ahead of herself; she had only won one tournament match, yet she already thought she could surpass him.
However, this also ignited Yahiko's competitive spirit. If he met Konan in this tournament, he absolutely had to be serious! If he lost, it would be embarrassing.
Uncle Amado would surely make fun of him relentlessly.
The two walked side by side, and as they left the arena, they encountered Chōza and his two friends emerging from another passage.
Seeing them, Chōza immediately greeted Konan: "Konan-sama, are you heading home?"
Hearing Chōza call her "-sama," Konan immediately waved her hand: "Don't call me that! I'm hardly a '-sama.' We're just heading home for dinner; I hope Mistress has already made lunch."
Konan offered a friendly smile. This was simply her polite side, as she and Chōza had only just met.
In private, however, Konan was quite lively.
Inoichi and Shikaku also greeted Konan and Yahiko; they naturally knew Yahiko as well.
After all, while the two youngsters rarely took action within the village, they were often seen around.
They were also frequent patrons of the Akimichi clan's barbecue restaurant, the one run by the owner.
"Um, we should probably get going now; we're really quite hungry…"
Yahiko said, rubbing his stomach.
Chōza and his friends nodded repeatedly at this: "Right, right, please go ahead, both of you. We're also off to eat."
Afterward, the two groups parted ways, each heading in different directions.
Only after Konan and Yahiko had completely walked away did the three begin to talk.
"Konan-sama was so serious during the battle, but I didn't expect her to be so gentle in private," Inoichi said with a laugh.
"She's only eleven, after all, younger than us. And Yahiko-sama, too. I wonder what his strength is like; he must be very strong as well."
Shikaku nodded in agreement: "That must be right. Yahiko-sama specializes in Water Release. Do you remember when the Hokage-sama demonstrated that Water Whale Jutsu at the academy training ground five years ago? It was to spark Yahiko-sama's imagination and help him create his own jutsu."
Shikaku then added: "Moreover, they are both Chunin, so their strengths shouldn't differ too much. It feels like the champion of this tournament will likely be one of them."
Chōza, after hearing this, shook his head helplessly: "Ah, the world of geniuses is truly unimaginable. What method did the Hokage-sama use to make them so strong, even though they're three years younger than us?"
Inoichi tapped Chōza's hard head: "Fool, age has never been the standard for measuring a ninja. Isn't the Hokage-sama himself an example? I don't need to say more, do I?"
Chōza pouted: "I was just complaining casually. If age really mattered, the old folks in the nursing home would have taken over the world by now."
The three brothers burst out laughing together, then continued on their way to the barbecue restaurant.
Meeting Konan and Yahiko merely led them to talk a bit longer; they didn't develop any feelings of fawning or flattery.
Because it was meaningless; the three of them would become clan heads in the future, and their status wouldn't necessarily be lower than that of the Hokage's disciples.
Meanwhile, Konan and Yahiko had already returned to the Kumotsuru Clan territory.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, they were met with a fragrant aroma. Minato and Kushina were busy serving dishes in the yard.
Amado, meanwhile, was holding a book, crossing his legs, and reading with relish, looking as if he was just waiting for dinner to be served.
Seeing Yahiko and Konan return, Amado greeted them: "Oh, Konan, you did well this morning, didn't you expose too much of your strength?"
Konan chuckled: "I'd say it was alright. Chōza is a pretty strong opponent, and I didn't want any accidents. Plus, I wanted to bring some honor to Master, so I used a bit more of my strength."
Amado nodded at this. He could understand young people having a competitive spirit.