No! It hadn't disappeared!
That wasn't a real soccer ball at all.
"It's a Shadow Clone!!"
"Naruto Uzumaki turned into the ball with a Shadow Clone!!!"
That ball was actually Naruto Uzumaki's Shadow Clone?!
He had combined the most basic ninjutsu with strategy to this extent. That combat instinct and natural talent left the First and Second Hokage in the stands, along with the Madara and Izuna brothers, speechless!
And this was...
Konoha's bottom-of-the-barrel?
Heh. Maybe it was time to redefine what "Konoha's bottom-of-the-barrel" actually meant?!
Everyone present, both watching from the stands and observing the match elsewhere, was inwardly full of comments.
But no matter what, back on the field.
By the time they reacted, Tenmon Hyūga no longer had the chance to use a second Palms Revolving Heaven!!
They could only watch helplessly as young Tobirama revealed the real ball, which had been hidden by the Uzumaki Clan's Fūinjutsu, and prepared to volley it straight into the Uchiha-Hyūga goal!
"!!!"
Amid the dead silence, a young boy's shout rang out:
"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!!!"
But that was actually another Palms Revolving Heaven?!
In such a short span of time? Impossible, right?!
"No, it's not Tenmon!"
"It's..."
"Tennin Hyūga!!!"
It was Tennin Hyūga!!
When had Tennin Hyūga appeared beside Tenmon Hyūga?!
"Brother?!"
Tenmon Hyūga clearly hadn't expected this either!!
Of course, young Tobirama was even more caught off guard!
Against the boy's already snow-white skin, the shock on his face stood out all the more. It was obvious he had no idea when Tennin Hyūga had darted over to his younger brother's side!
But young Tobirama had already kicked the ball.
The force from his foot had already been transferred. Even if he tried to use chakra to stick the ball to himself, it was too late.
Just then, a voice that was always somewhat unreliable sounded from beside him.
"Tobirama, you still have me too!!"
Young Tobirama turned his head.
That bright, confident expression, even with a pot-lid haircut acting like a Fūinjutsu on his looks, made young Hashirama shine brilliantly on the green field!
"Big Brother?!!!"
His vermilion eyes, red like Sharingan, went wide. The boy's face was full of astonishment!
At the same time...
From the opposite side of young Tobirama, young Hashirama also launched a midair kick!!
Everyone watched as the soccer ball was caught between the two boys from front and back, struck by identical force at the same time!!
The moment Tennin Hyūga's Kaiten stopped, the ball happened to drop.
"Now!"
Young Tobirama and young Hashirama, one on the left and one on the right, both kicked the ball with all their might at the same time!
Driven by force from both sides, the ball drew an unbelievable arc through the air!!
The two Hyūga brothers could no longer use Palms Revolving Heaven again in such a short time.
Time seemed to slow down. Their Byakugan watched the ball sway left and right before their eyes, yet they could not tell which direction it would take into the goal!
In the distance, young Madara Uchiha sprinted toward them at full speed.
Young Obito was chasing even harder with Intangibility activated!
Sasuke and Naruto were still tangled up with each other.
All of them watched as the ball drifted unpredictably into the goal.
"Thud."
A soft sound.
The ball struck the net dead-on.
Naruto: "It went in!!!"
The Senju brothers off the field were swept up in the excitement too.
Hashirama Senju howled in delight, while Tobirama Senju, reserved as ever, allowed the faintest smile to show.
The Senju brothers were satisfied. Naturally, the Uchiha brothers were not.
"There's still time!! Even the score!!"
Madara Uchiha was so angry he turned irritable, directly calling out young Obito and Sasuke on the field.
"You two! Are those two huge pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan just for show?! With that much of an advantage, you still can't win?! If you can't win, I'll leave both of you here. Don't even think about going back!!
"Hmph! What a damn disgrace to the Uchiha!! Two proud pairs of Mangekyō, and this is all you can do?!!"
Fugaku Uchiha, standing nearby, went numb.
What did Madara Uchiha just say?
Leave Sasuke and young Obito in the Warring States Period?
Don't joke around...
Though if it were that older Obito over there, he would support leaving him here.
Kushina Uzumaki was so excited that she kept cheering Naruto and Kakashi on, shouting for them to score another goal again and again, firing Naruto up until he was practically howling with energy.
Eight to seven.
There wasn't much time left.
Over on Sasuke's side, he was so anxious that he even used Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi.
Naruto was no slouch either. He had his Shadow Clones form a human ladder and leaped over the black Blazing Flames. No matter how terrifying those black Blazing Flames were, if they could not keep up with the speed of Naruto Uzumaki's Shadow Clones, they were useless!
A header!
He knocked back the ball young Madara Uchiha had kicked over with his head.
"Leaf Shadow Dance: Lion's Barrage!!"
"Palms Revolving Heaven!"
"Chidori!"
"Shiden!"
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
"Water Release: Great Waterfall!!"
Time ticked away, second by second.
With the final explosion of the explosive tags, the score froze at eight to seven, with Senju-Uzumaki narrowly ahead.
Madara Uchiha was so furious he wanted to say nothing at all. His face was so dark that only a fool like Hashirama Senju would dare provoke him.
Hashirama burst into loud laughter and comforted him by saying he would play Tailed Beast Ball with him someday.
"This match reminds me of when we were kids, competing against each other at skipping stones."
"...Yeah."
Those youthful days, full of spirit and confidence.
If only, back then, they could have been like this parallel world and not let go of each other because of other people's interference.
He wondered whether those two stones, engraved with [Run away] and [It's a trap], were still lying quietly at the bottom of the Naka River.
On the green field, the two groups of teenagers stood facing each other in rows and formed the Seal of Reconciliation, a segment Tobirama Senju had specifically requested.
Both Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju felt a complicated mix of emotions.
The Daimyō said, "Exactly, exactly~ A match like this is quite interesting too~"
"Why not hold this kind of event once every three or four years? Whichever side wins gets to choose someone to be the leader~"
He waved his little fan.
"Hoo hoo hoo hoo~ The village is called Konoha, right? How did that line in the video go? Where the Konoha leaves flutter, the Fire continues to burn! What a fine name."
He thought for a moment.
"The name Hokage is good too." The Daimyō gave his word. "I have decided!! From now on, every four years, a soccer match will decide the rotating term!!"
Wait!
Wasn't that way too hasty?!
The first to object was Tobirama Senju.
"To be a leader, one needs sufficient capacity and the people's recognition! This is not child's play!"
"Hehehe, what does it matter~" The Daimyō waved the little fan in his hand, covering his mouth as he laughed. "It's not as if I was chosen by the people to be Daimyō. My father passed the position to me, did he not~"
"That's..."
Even Tobirama Senju could not refute the Daimyō's words. Saying any more would be gravely disrespectful.
"Hahahaha, isn't this fine, Tobirama?"
Hashirama Senju patted his younger brother on the back and laughed, watching the teenagers on the green field as they regretted not winning the championship and agreed to compete again next time.
"A match like this can't be won through one person's effort alone. It requires all eleven members of the team to work together and trust one another without holding back. If someone can't even do that, what right do they have to become Hokage?"
"Big Brother..."
"If a captain's individual ability is too outstanding, but he refuses to consider anyone else, then he can't shoulder the responsibility of leading the whole team through the opposition and winning the championship. Anyone can understand that."
"So, if someone wants to be Hokage and command the entire village, he has to treat every Clan and every person as part of his own body."
As the Second Hokage, how could Tobirama Senju fail to understand that?
He knew very well that his brother had said those words for Madara Uchiha to hear.
As they both quietly took in those words, Madara Uchiha said nothing.
By then, the spectators invited by the ninjas could no longer hold themselves back.
Wealthy merchants crowded in, having seen enormous business opportunities in this sport.
"So after the major ninja clans of the Land of Fire merge, the Senju or Uzumaki will produce the first leader?"
Why be ninjas at all?
How much money could that make?! Honestly!
Their vision was too small!
Match tickets, local tourism, cultural products, merchandise toys, wasn't all of that money?!
Most importantly.
"Um, let me ask about that blond-haired kid. Yes! The one wearing jersey number ten."
"Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Yes, yes, that one. Let him endorse the Land of Hot Water's hot springs for us. How does this endorsement fee look?" The wealthy merchant's abacus clattered as he showed a number to Butsuma Senju and Ashina Uzumaki.
"Huh?!!"
"Tsk! As expected of a merchant from the Land of Hot Water! You move fast! We deal in weapons! The blades from our shop are definitely the fastest blades! We're taking that white-haired kid's endorsement. No one is allowed to snatch him!"
"I want that one! The black-haired one wearing jersey number seven! We're an old-established granary shop!"
The Clan Heads of the Uzumaki, Senju, Uchiha, and Hyūga clans all wore solemn expressions, the corners of their mouths twitching.
Damn it, why didn't they ever see you this eager when it was time to collect accounts before winter every year? Now you're throwing money at people?
Fine, go ahead and throw it over.
"Naruto's endorsement won't work. They're about to leave. How about that Uzumaki goalkeeper instead?"
"Oh, but he's not as impressive as that kid Naruto's Sexy Technique. Our hot spring's signature attraction can't do without that!!"
Yes, on the green field, Naruto truly used every trick he had!
He had even used the Sexy Technique and the Harem Technique...
And from the looks of it, when Naruto used the Sexy Technique against Sasuke in the earlier match, he failed to charm Sasuke, but he certainly got the audience's blood pumping.