Kushina Uzumaki ultimately achieved an overwhelming victory.
Although Tama Inuzuka had raised nine new Ninja Beasts in one go, she still couldn't match Kushina who had entered Sage Body Mode.
With Kushina's final victory secured,
the last match of the round was between Yamanaka and Shibi Aburame, with Shibi Aburame emerging as the winner.
Thus, the second round concluded, producing the Hidden Leaf Village's eight finalists:
Hiashi Hyuga, Mikoto Uchiha, Minato Namikaze, Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, Shibi Aburame, Might Duy, and Kushina Uzumaki.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly walked onto the competition stage and delivered a full speech.
The general message was that the third round, being the final tournament, would be held one week later.
With that, the second round came to an end.
However, right after the competition ended, Tsunade was summoned to Hiruzen's office.
"What? The Land of Rain has been completely cut off from the outside world?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his cigarette and slowly nodded: "Starting some time ago, all Anbu sent for reconnaissance have been forced to retreat at the Land of Rain's border. Space, sensory, and elemental techniques... all ineffective. That country seems to have been completely severed from the Shinobi World."
Tsunade's eyes widened: "How is that possible...?"
Hiruzen's gaze fell heavily out the window, his voice dropping to a whisper: "What's worse, Jiraiya has refused to return from Mount Myōboku. And Orochimaru... has gone missing within the Land of Rain."
Tsunade's expression changed dramatically.
By now, even a fool would recognize that something major was wrong with the Land of Rain.
Especially its self-imposed isolation, which quickly alerted Hiruzen Sarutobi as Hokage that something was amiss.
With a grave expression, Tsunade pondered: "Jiraiya and Orochimaru have indeed been frequently visiting the Land of Rain recently. The reason might be related to Ninja Beasts."
Hiruzen: "Ninja Beasts?"
Tsunade recalled her recent interactions with Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
She nodded, reorganizing and recounting the fragmented information she'd heard from Jiraiya. Each piece of intelligence alone seemed laughable, but when connected, they sent chills down one's spine.
"I even think... there might be some connection between Ninja Beasts and Tailed Beasts that we're unaware of. And Jiraiya and Orochimaru... they clearly know more than I do, yet they've told you nothing."
After listening, Hiruzen set down his pipe.
Smoke slowly dissipated between his fingers.
The Land of Rain clearly had major problems.
But at this critical moment, both Jiraiya and Orochimaru were keeping things from him. Setting aside Orochimaru for now, even Jiraiya was hiding things - this indicated serious underlying issues.
"What's Jiraiya's reason for this?"
Mentioning this made Tsunade furious: "You'll have to ask Mount Myōboku about that."
Mount Myōboku.
Just mentioning the place made Hiruzen sigh and rub his head in frustration.
"Also, Tsunade, I have a favor to ask of you."
Tsunade: "What is it?"
"I want you to take Minato as your student."
"Minato? His ninjutsu doesn't seem very compatible with mine."
Hiruzen smiled at this: "That's fine. Just take him as your student in name. I'll personally handle his training."
The night in the Senju clan's territory was quiet.
Yet Uzumaki Mito tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Despite being a Jinchuriki with exceptionally resilient mind and body, she felt unusually exhausted today.
The reason was simple: the Nine Tails inside her was as excited as if it had been injected with adrenaline.
Mito turned over, trying to force herself to sleep, only to feel the massive Chakra roll excitedly in her abdomen once more.
"Hey... Mito."
The Nine Tails' lazy voice echoed in her mind, yet carried an uncharacteristically youthful cheerfulness.
"Tell me... is that little girl Kushina going to be my next Jinchuriki?"
Uzumaki Mito pressed her hand to her forehead.
This was already the third time the Nine Tails had asked this question today.
She replied wearily, "Yes, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Kushina will inherit my position."
The Nine Tails fell silent for a moment,
Then, its massive Nine Tails Chakra suddenly erupted with a strange sense of exhilaration.
"Excellent!!!"
Mito: "..."
...Did it actually use the word "excellent"?
The Nine Tails continued shouting, "Hurry up! I can't wait to get inside her! You should hurry up and die already!!"
Even with her cultivated patience, Uzumaki Mito struggled to contain herself: "Oh?"
The Nine Tails justified itself matter-of-factly: "Look how adorable those two Vulpix are!
Especially the ice one... Ooh hoo hoo... I haven't felt this excited in ages!!!"
Mito: "..."
She suddenly understood why she couldn't sleep.
The Nine Tails was in heat.
Mito sighed deeply: "You're a Tailed Beast... why are you suddenly acting like a male fox?"
The Nine Tails refuted with serious dignity: "I have no gender concept. Though they both do, that doesn't matter..."
The Nine Tails continued lost in its fantasy:
"Once I move into that little girl Kushina's belly, those two Vulpix will definitely visit me every day... We can properly exchange Chakra."
Exchange Chakra?
Wasn't this just Tailed Beast dating?
A Tailed Beast over a thousand years old... wanting to date two juveniles?
Mito's worldview shook slightly.
However, she wasn't entirely opposed to this strange development.
After all, her greatest concern had been about the relationship between the next Jinchuriki and the Nine Tails.
Would Kushina be able to control the Nine Tails?
Now it seemed there was no need to worry at all.
The Nine Tails couldn't wait to throw itself at her.
Still, Mito felt compelled to issue a warning.
The Nine Tails pouted:
"What do you know? I just... want to properly nurture the younger generation."
Just as Uzumaki Mito was about to continue speaking, the Nine Tails began muttering mysteriously.
"But... the Chakra structure of those two Vulpix... seems... somewhat similar to us Tailed Beasts?"
Similar?
Deep in the night in Hidden Leaf Village, one other person remained awake.
A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, creating soft whispering sounds.
In a corner of the training ground, Minato Namikaze stood at the center of the open area, his expression focused.
His fingers continuously traced strange arcs in the air.
As Chakra guided his movements,
The air vibrated as if being painted.
One Barrier appeared.
Then another.
And another...
Intricate, delicate, and complex Barrier structures materialized around Minato,
Like transparent lenses suspended in the night sky.
Minato continuously recorded every angle, every refraction, every subtle fluctuation,
His brow furrowing and relaxing,
Constantly calculating, correcting, breaking down, and reassembling in his mind.
He was constructing his own Spatial Perception Map.
On the other end, someone was quietly observing him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood behind a large tree,
the glow of his pipe flickering intermittently.
He watched Minato's instantaneous Lightning Flash, observing how the youth independently deciphered the structure of the Spatial Barrier without any guidance.
"This child... his innate perception of space... far surpasses that of his ninja peers."
Minato activated the technique once more.
He threw a Kunai,
instantly teleporting behind it by reflecting coordinates off the Barrier, moving faster than the eye could follow.
Indeed, this child Minato remained the most promising future of the Hidden Leaf Village worthy of his attention.