Naruto gripped the young man's throat like he was catching a chick.
A youth hailed as a "genius" in his region now found himself completely powerless.
Naruto's sky-blue eyes swept across everyone in the cafeteria, searching for any sign of the other system holder the system had warned him about.
Even with Transparent World and the Tenseigan, he couldn't spot anyone suspicious.
'Should I just kill everyone?'
The thought flashed through his mind but was quickly dismissed.
After all, the mission was to win the championship—not end it by wiping out the contestants.
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the red-haired youth to the ground.
"Go get me more food."
The youth clutched his neck, teeth clenched in humiliation.
But the fear of death still lingered in his chest. Without a word, he scrambled off to obey—returning with tray after tray of meat dishes.
After a Satisfying Meal.
Naruto returned to his room to rest.
As soon as he left the cafeteria, the tension that had blanketed the room erupted.
A tall young man with long hair stormed over to the entrance. Standing in the doorway, he was nearly as tall as the two-meter frame.
Every participant who tried to leave was blocked by his towering frame.
Annoyance spread quickly.
"Move!"
"What, you think being tall makes you untouchable?"
But no matter what they shouted, the long-haired youth remained motionless, casting a cold, sweeping gaze over the crowd.
Finally, a buzz-cut redhead snapped.
His fists ignited with blazing red energy, like they were wrapped in fire.
"Fire Fist!"
He lunged forward, aiming his flaming punch right at the tall youth's face.
But the taller boy didn't even blink. His hand turned crystal-blue, and he effortlessly caught the punch mid-air.
With one swing, he sent the redhead flying back.
Just as more students looked ready to jump in, the tall youth shut the cafeteria doors with a heavy clang.
His deep voice echoed through the room:
"Who here actually believes they can beat Uzumaki Naruto?"
The entire cafeteria fell silent.
None of them had an answer.
They were "geniuses," sure—but none could confidently say they could win.
"There are no rules in the dorm area. Why don't we team up and take him out now?"
The proposal stirred mixed reactions—some tempted, others ashamed, many uncertain.
Sensing the hesitation, the tall youth drove his point home:
"First place gets ten top-grade Body Tempering Pills. Who here doesn't want that?!"
In the end, nearly fifty contestants agreed to join forces.
Each was someone who had believed they had a shot at first place—until Naruto appeared.
With weapons drawn and spirits high, the group marched toward Naruto's room.
The tall youth stepped forward and pounded on the door, the loud thudding echoing through the hallway.
Inside, Naruto lounged lazily on the couch. His Tenseigan could see through the walls, revealing everything happening outside.
He sighed.
"Guess I'll speed up the tournament a bit."
He walked to the door and—*with a single kick—*blew it off its hinges.
"ALL TOGETHER!" shouted the tall youth—who promptly retreated to the back of the group, using the others as meat shields.
Clearly, he wasn't as bold as he looked.
But it didn't matter.
"Shinra Tensei."
The Repulsion Force exploded within the narrow corridor.
Powerful shockwaves ripped through the entire rest area, flattening the structure into a pile of rubble.
Dozens of elite contestants were sent flying like kites, tumbling through the sky.
The tall youth, of course, soared the highest and farthest—his betrayal written in the arc of his flight.
A Few Moments Later…
The destruction drew immediate attention from the organizers—
Specifically, Lu Bingran.
As an Eighth-Tier Martial Artist, she flew over gracefully and landed among the ruins.
She looked around and saw only one man standing.
Naruto.
She sighed.
"They came at me first," Naruto shrugged. "I held back. No one should be dead. The tournament must go on."
Realizing what had happened, Lu Bingran started cleaning up the mess.
The flying contestants soon began raining down from the sky, each one bruised and broken.
Thankfully, martial artists had tough bodies. Otherwise, most of them would be unfit to compete after a fall like that.
One of them—a boy with a middle-parted hairstyle—was the first to recover.
Once steady on his feet, he slipped away quietly to a secluded training field.
He looked around to confirm he was alone… and then began muttering frantically:
"System! Get out here! You're the one who told me to enter this damn tournament.
With someone like that around, how the hell am I supposed to win?
He leveled the entire dorm with one punch! What do you expect me to do?!"
The system remained silent.
The boy growled, clenching his fists:
"Don't give me that. Give me a power-up, a package, something! I'll do your dumb tasks later—just give me the goods now!"
Finally, the system responded—its voice calm and mechanical:
"Apologies, Host. Even if I gave you the Ultimate Reward, you would still be instantly defeated."
"WHAT?!"
The boy screamed.
"You're seriously this weak?! One freak shows up and you fold like paper?!
Aren't you supposed to be a system?!"
"That's not how it goes in the novels!
I'M the protagonist!"
"HEY! SAY SOMETHING!"
…