The woman in the red dress walked barefoot across the soft carpet, mumbling as she went.
Just as her dress slid halfway down, exposing one pale shoulder, she finally noticed—
The person lying on the bed wasn't who she'd expected.
Instead of Lu Bingran, it was a devastatingly handsome young man.
She froze.
Her dress still halfway off, her lacy red undergarments were clearly visible—and honestly, probably the largest size that brand sold.
But even so, those garments looked like they were barely holding it together.
If not for the top-tier quality… they might've already burst.
Naruto looked at her calmly, gaze unwavering.
Once she processed the scene, the woman quickly pulled her straps back up, locking eyes with Naruto—eyes now blazing with fury.
But not because her body had been accidentally revealed.
No—it was betrayal.
This room was supposed to be theirs, a private space shared only between her and Lu Bingran.
And now a man was here?
'Lu Bingran… you betrayed me first. I won't be the one left humiliated!'
Teeth clenched, fists tight, the woman sprang into action.
Her knees bent, her body launched—a flying kick aimed straight at Naruto's face.
Say what you will, this world had a high average for physical strength. She was fast.
She didn't ask questions. Didn't shout.
Just acted.
Unfortunately, she hadn't yet mastered anti-gravity skirt control.
From Naruto's angle, the view was… well, revealing.
Naruto casually reached up, caught her ankle midair, and with an effortless flick of the wrist, threw her back across the room.
She landed hard.
Eyes wide with disbelief, she coughed up blood, organs swirling from the internal shock.
Her once-flawless wavy hair now a disheveled mess—combined with the blood-stained lips, it gave her a strangely tragic allure.
She wasn't weak—her strength was just a notch below Lu Bingran's, sitting around Tier Seven.
But she'd been absolutely flattened in a single exchange.
They weren't even on the same scale.
Naruto had no reason to show mercy just because she was pretty.
"Banshō Ten'in."
With a wave, he yanked her toward him.
His hand clamped around her slender neck, her face turning pale from the pressure.
As Naruto considered whether to end her right there, the door swung open again.
Lu Bingran rushed in, panic all over her face. Upon seeing the scene, she immediately ran forward.
"My lord! Please don't kill her! It's a misunderstanding!"
Her tone was pleading.
Naruto sighed and tossed the red-dressed woman aside like luggage.
Lu Bingran caught her mid-air, quickly checked her condition, and exhaled in relief.
"I thought you went back to visit your parents. Why are you here now? And without telling me?"
The woman coughed several times before managing to speak.
"I wanted to surprise you, okay? Well… what a surprise it was. I almost died."
She seemed to realize she was intruding and, holding onto the woman in red, gave Naruto an apologetic nod.
"Forgive us. We'll leave now. Sorry for the disturbance."
Naruto watched the two women's retreating silhouettes—graceful, elegant.
Despite the attack causing zero actual harm, the entire encounter had stirred a bit of heat in him.
But since neither of them liked men, Naruto didn't push. Forced feelings were meaningless. He respected that.
So, he summoned Kaguya from the Heavenly Dominion to… relieve some pressure.
Three Days Later: The National Academy Tournament Begins.
As a national-level event, the Academy Tournament was massive in scale.
It gathered the top talents from every region.
Just the spectator stands alone could seat over a million.
Thanks to this world's humans having excellent eyesight, no one worried about not seeing the action.
To the people of this world, this tournament was the ultimate spectacle.
To Naruto?
Utterly boring.
If someone like Lu Bingran—an Eighth-Tier powerhouse—was this weak, what did that say about Tier 3 to Tier 6 students?
During the preliminary rounds, Naruto was actively fighting off sleep.
The so-called student fighters weren't that much stronger than civilians in his eyes.
Most were dropped with a single attack.
Quickly, Naruto's name began to circulate.
No matter how famous or hyped up a genius opponent was—
When faced with Naruto, they all went down in one punch.
Soon enough, people began calling him the "One-Punch Competitor."
The tournament, which started with over a thousand participants, had already whittled down to under a hundred.
Those who remained were supposedly the cream of the crop.
The best of their generation.
All the competitors were housed in a circular dormitory complex.
Individual private rooms lined the ring, while the central space offered everything from training facilities to dining halls.
They should have been excited to make it this far.
But no one felt celebratory.
Because of one reason: the One-Punch Competitor.
Naruto's casual, disinterested way of obliterating every opponent with a single move had left them all in a state of existential crisis.
It wasn't just that he overpowered weaker students—
He was dropping elite prodigies in one hit.
Dining Hall, Mealtime.
After a full day of fighting, the remaining students gathered in the central cafeteria to eat and recover.
The environment was top-tier. Food was plentiful.
Even rare high-tier monster meat was available—free and unlimited.
But nobody could really enjoy it.
Their eyes all gravitated toward a single table in the top-right corner.
There, Naruto was devouring food like a starved beast.
Having grown up on the humble flavors of the Shinobi World, the food here blew his mind.
Thus—he let himself go.
The table was piled with bones, scraps, and empty plates—enough to feed dozens of people.
And Naruto was still going strong.
His stomach was like a bottomless pit.
"Is this guy… even human?" a red-haired youth muttered in disbelief.
But the moment the words left his lips, Naruto's hand snapped up.
"Banshō Ten'in."
He yanked the redhead across the cafeteria and grabbed him by the throat.
The boy flailed, eyes wide in panic.
"W-Wait! You can't! This isn't a battle zone! Fighting's not allowed here! Let me go!"