In Konoha's main arena, the sea of people had returned.
Today was finally the day of the top-sixteen elimination tournament.
Following the same order as the preliminaries, from the first group to the third, one round of the elimination tournament would be held each day. This meant that today would only decide the final eight.
Nawaki and the others sat in the contestants' area, watching the other matches.
The winners among them were also very likely to become their future opponents.
However, the contestants in the junior group were all too young. No matter how strong they were, there was a limit.
Among them, the most outstanding were undoubtedly Killer B from the Cloud Village, Pakura of the Scorch Release from the Sand Village, and Shisui Uchiha from Konoha.
"Fugaku, this clansman of yours is really impressive. He already has the strength of a jōnin at such a young age," Minato said with admiration. "It seems he made quite a splash in the war with the Mist Village."
"Yes, Shisui is indeed exceptional. In time, he will surpass me," Fugaku said, not hiding his appreciation for Shisui in the slightest.
As the head of the Uchiha clan, he naturally hoped for more geniuses among their ranks.
Unsurprisingly, Shisui easily defeated his opponent and advanced to the top eight.
The top-sixteen matches for the first group quickly concluded, and next, it was Nawaki and the others' turn.
"Let's go draw our lots."
"I hope I don't run into you guys in the first round."
"Me too."
They had to go before the Third Hokage to draw lots. Under the watchful eyes of the several Kage, no one would dare to cheat openly.
Kaito, not one to be modest, was the first to step forward. He drew a small ball with a number on it and showed it to everyone. "It's number three."
"Number three?" Nawaki took a deep breath. "That means whoever draws number four will have to fight Master Kaito."
One by one, others went up to draw.
A drew number one, and Kitsuchi drew number ten.
Soon, it was Minato's turn. He picked up a small ball, glanced at it, and couldn't help but show a wry smile. "It's number seven."
"Number four..." Nawaki couldn't help but mourn for Minato for a second, hoping he could fight with the pride of Konoha.
To be honest, among the three from Konoha, Minato had the highest chance of defeating Kaito.
The Flying Thunder God Technique, as a powerful space-time ninjutsu, allowed one to move as if through an unguarded land; it was almost impossible to counter.
Giving Minato an encouraging look, Nawaki stepped forward to draw. "It's number six."
Fugaku, who followed, drew number fifteen, placing him in the last bracket.
They returned to their seats, looked at each other, and all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Aside from Minato having to face Master Kaito, both of our opponents are pretty weak."
Nawaki looked at Minato and said, "Good luck, Minato. If you unfortunately lose, I'll get revenge for you in the next match."
"Thanks, but I won't give up," Minato said with a smile. "It's not certain who will win or lose yet."
"Having confidence is a good thing. Good luck," Fugaku added, patting him on the shoulder encouragingly.
They didn't talk for long before the matches for the second group were about to begin.
The first match was A against an unknown opponent, which he won with ease.
The second match was Kaito versus Minato.
Kaito stood up from the Kage's seat, gave a nod to the other leaders, and said with a smile, "If you'll excuse me, I'll be back shortly."
As soon as his voice fell, his figure vanished, reappearing in the center of the competition arena in the next instant.
"Such speed. Kaito is truly remarkable," the Third Hokage said with a gentle smile, but he couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry for Minato.
"Hmph. I can do that too," the Third Raikage said bluntly.
Beside them, Yagura rolled his eyes imperceptibly, thinking, 'Your movements are like a clap of thunder. How can you be the same as the calm and composed Amekage?'
The Third Hokage didn't mock him, but instead nodded in agreement, showing Yagura the shameless side of a politician.
Minato's entrance was not as flashy as Kaito's. He walked into the arena amidst the cheers and encouragement of his comrades.
"Lord Amekage, please grant me your guidance."
"Of course, of course."
In the audience, Tsunade's eyes were fixed on Kaito. Beside her sat Jiraiya, who had specially returned to watch the match.
"I didn't expect Minato to face Kaito in the first round. This is going to be tough."
"Yes. Minato is the one among them with the best hope of winning against Kaito. If he had gotten some intel on Kaito beforehand and faced him later, he would have had a good chance. Unfortunately..."
Tsunade sighed.
"Indeed," Jiraiya nodded. "But Kaito doesn't know much about Minato either, so it's a fair duel."
What he didn't expect was that Kaito had known about Minato's techniques for a long time.
In another section of the audience, Orochimaru leaned against a pillar, also paying close attention to this duel.
Kaito, just how strong are you now?
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the tournament favorite, Kaito, began his first public battle.
As the battle between Kaito and Minato began, the Village Hidden in the Mist in the Land of Water received two uninvited guests.
"Come on, Kakuzu. From now on, your name is Yahiko, and you'll call me Nagato, understand?" the Chakra Clone said to Kakuzu, who was standing beside him in front of the Mist Village.
"Understood, you despicable Nagato. You've told me so many times already. Can we get started?" Kakuzu said impatiently.
As they spoke, the Mist-nin had already spotted them, and one seemed to be coming over to investigate.
"Details are important. A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant's nest, understand?" the Chakra Clone said earnestly.
"I know your head!" Seeing the Mist-nin enter his attack range, Kakuzu could no longer suppress his anger. He quickly formed hand seals and roared, "Water Style: Great Raging Waves!"
A surging torrent of water suddenly rose, sweeping away the unsuspecting Mist-nin and crashing towards the Mist Village, submerging many houses.
"Enemy attack!"
The well-trained Mist-nin quickly sprang into action, shouting as they rushed out.
Having experienced the Bloody Mist rule, the Mist-nin were all high-quality killers who didn't bat an eye at murder. Faced with a strong enemy, they were not afraid at all.
"Not bad, Yahiko. You remembered what I said," the Chakra Clone said with a gratified smile, his body suddenly floating into the air.
"Next, it's my turn, Nagato, to make a move."
He spread his hands to the sides and shouted, "Almighty Push!"
A powerful force radiated out from him as the epicenter, sending everyone and everything in front of him flying.
In an instant, he had cleared half the field.
Phew, trying to imitate [Almighty Push] with a burst of chakra is a bit strenuous. The Rinnegan really is a despicable cheat!
The Chakra Clone caught his breath slightly and, along with Kakuzu, charged into the Mist Village.
Possessing the ability to absorb chakra, the Chakra Clone became a nightmare for the Mist-nin.
They stole the vessel sealing the Three-Tails and leisurely withdrew, leaving half of the Mist Village in ruins.
"Quick, report to Lord Mizukage! Our Tailed Beast has been stolen!"