Chapter 45: The Konoha Crush Begins
BOOM!
Naruto Uzumaki, his sixty-four tenketsu points completely sealed by Hinata's Gentle Fist, was blasted backward by the concentrated air palm. He flew more than ten meters before crashing to the ground and continuing to roll across the arena floor.
His orange-clad body twitched on the ground, struggling to rise. The chakra disruption made every movement an effort.
Swish—
Hinata didn't wait. She didn't hesitate. The moment she saw Naruto still conscious, she reached into her ninja pouch, produced a kunai, and threw it in a single fluid motion.
The knife arced through the air and embedded itself in the ground directly in front of Naruto's face.
After completing this action, Hinata turned to Shiranui Genma and asked calmly: "Proctor. Does this count as my victory?"
Shiranui Genma nodded slightly, his expression showing a hint of approval. He raised his voice: "Fifth round victory goes to Hina—"
"Wait! I... I haven't lost yet!"
Naruto's voice cut through the announcement, strained but determined. He was forcing himself upright, legs trembling visibly.
Shiranui Genma glanced at him, then at the kunai embedded inches from his face, then back at Naruto's struggling form. Without changing expression, he continued: "—the winner is Hyūga Hinata."
"Eh?! Teacher, how can you do that?!" Naruto, who had somehow forced himself to stand, shouted energetically despite his condition. "I can still fight! Why are you calling it for me?"
Shiranui Genma's mouth twitched. He bit down on his senbon and replied with obvious exasperation: "Kid, do you think this is some kind of turn-based game? You expect your opponent to just wait for you to get back up?"
He gestured at the kunai embedded in the ground. "Look at that knife. Your opponent had no intention of killing you—if she did, it wouldn't be in the ground next to your head. But you didn't even notice it until now. That's enough for me to call the match."
"Eh?!" Naruto clutched his head dramatically, staring at the kunai with an expression of utter disbelief. "But I still have my secret technique! I haven't even used it yet!"
Hinata watched Naruto's antics for a moment, then shook her head almost imperceptibly and turned to walk toward the passage.
If you have an opportunity, you must never let the opponent catch their breath.
Ryuzen's teachings echoed in her mind. Years of absorbing his approach to combat had shaped her into something far different from the hesitant girl of the original timeline. Her fighting mindset had become decisive, ruthless when necessary, always practical.
She had done exactly what Ryuzen would have done in her position.
In the waiting room, Ryuzen watched Hinata's return with an expression of quiet pride.
He hadn't expected her to be quite so decisive. But watching her systematically dismantle Naruto—sealing his techniques before he could use them, pressing the advantage without mercy, forcing a logical victory rather than letting the battle drag into uncertainty—filled him with genuine gratification.
She had grown. Really grown.
If she had hesitated, if she had given Naruto time to recover, the battle might have turned. The Nine-Tails chakra sleeping within him could have awakened, giving him power far beyond Hinata's current ability to handle. But she hadn't given him that chance. She had sealed his chakra, created an opening, and forced the victory through cold logic.
Hinata has really grown up.
Naruto slouched away from the arena, defeated and dejected. The audience's attention shifted to the Hokage's platform, where a situation was developing.
The second round—Sasuke vs. Gaara—had been moved to follow the fifth. But Sasuke still hadn't appeared. By any reasonable standard, he should have forfeited by now.
But most of the audience had come specifically to see the last Uchiha. And the Third Hokage had agreed earlier to delay the match.
Shiranui Genma looked toward the Hokage's seat, seeking guidance. He didn't know what to do.
The Fourth Kazekage—Orochimaru in disguise—leaned toward the Third Hokage and murmured something. Hiruzen nodded slowly.
Shiranui Genma received the signal and announced: "Uchiha Sasuke will be granted an additional ten minutes. If he does not appear by then, he will forfeit the match."
FWOOSH—
Just as the ten-minute deadline approached its end, a whirlwind swept through the arena, scattering fallen leaves and drawing every eye upward.
Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Sasuke descended from above in a dramatic entrance, exactly as in the original timeline. Sasuke landed on the arena floor, his expression carrying the cool confidence of someone who had just completed intense training.
In the waiting room, Ryuzen watched Sasuke's arrival, then shifted his gaze to Gaara, who had already turned and was walking toward the arena.
His red eyes narrowed slightly.
Kenbunshoku Haki spread outward from him like an invisible ripple, passing through walls and crowds, touching every consciousness in the venue.
One... five... seventeen...
He counted silently.
They're everywhere. Dozens of them, disguised as spectators.
Their emotions couldn't hide from his perception. Beneath the surface calm of ordinary audience members, he sensed killing intent barely restrained. Anticipation. Excitement. The focused readiness of soldiers waiting for the signal to strike.
Can't those people control their emotions better? Ryuzen thought with mild amusement. Their intent is so obvious to anyone with sensory abilities.
He made no move to warn anyone.
Explaining how he knew would be difficult. More importantly, opportunities like this were rare. Born in a peaceful era, he might never see another chance for combat on this scale. The Konoha Crush plan represented a small war—the kind of event where killing was not only permitted but expected.
And he had a system that rewarded kills with experience.
Why would he give up this opportunity?
His arm settled around Hinata's waist as she returned to his side. She leaned against him naturally, her breathing still slightly elevated from her match, and together they watched the arena below.
The battle began.
Among the ten finalists—excluding Naruto, whose power fluctuated wildly depending on Nine-Tails intervention—the strongest overall were Ryuzen himself, Hyūga Neji, Gaara, and Uchiha Sasuke. Ryuzen had already demonstrated his overwhelming superiority. Neji had been broken. Now it was Sasuke's turn to face the Sand jinchūriki.
The first round had given the audience ultimate visual spectacle. This match, while not reaching those heights, still drew full applause.
Sasuke's speed was impressive. He had clearly trained hard during the month, mastering the taijutsu that Kakashi had copied from Rock Lee's battle. His movements blurred as he pressed Gaara, and the "absolute defense" of sand began showing cracks.
The crowd roared with each successful strike.
Ryuzen watched with clinical detachment. Fast. But predictable. His movements follow patterns—he's executing techniques rather than flowing with the battle. Lee's speed came from instinct and training. Sasuke's speed is borrowed.
Still, it was enough.
Sasuke broke through Gaara's defenses, forced him back, and then—just as in the original—sprinted toward the high wall, preparing to use the technique Kakashi had taught him.
His right hand filled with lightning. Chidori's chirping sound echoed across the arena as he gathered power for the finishing strike.
But as he ran along the vertical surface of the wall, seeking height for maximum impact, his eyes fell on something that made him freeze.
The wall. The massive wall surrounding the arena.
Or rather—the massive gap in the wall, where Ryuzen's slash had carved through stone like butter. Beyond it, he could see the village. Through it, he could trace the path of destruction that had split the arena in two.
His eyes traveled from the severed wall to the chasm-like ravine dividing the battlefield.
Such smooth, straight lines... like they were cut with a blade.
A blade.
That guy.
Damn it! How did he do that?!
Sasuke's right hand crackled with lightning, blue sparks dancing across his palm. Unconsciously, his gaze lifted to the waiting room where he knew Ryuzen stood watching. Through the glass, he could just make out that silver-haired figure, those red eyes that always seemed to see everything.
On Sasuke's face, the confident expression he had worn since arriving flickered. In its place surfaced something else—reluctance, disbelief, and the bitter taste of a gap he couldn't seem to close.
The gap can't be this big!
The shout burst from him involuntarily, lost in the roar of Chidori and the crowd's cheers. He pushed off the wall, launching himself at Gaara with desperate intensity, his borrowed power channeled into one final strike.
His palm pierced through Gaara's sand shield like a spear through paper.
White feathers began falling from the sky.
Soft. Silent. Everywhere.
The audience blinked, confused. Some reached up to catch the feathers, wondering at this strange development in the middle of a match.
Then their eyes grew heavy.
One by one, spectators slumped in their seats. The confusion on their faces never had time to turn to fear.
On the Hokage's platform, the Fourth Kazekage moved.
His disguised form shifted, transformed, and suddenly the Third Hokage was pinned to his seat by a massive sword extending from his former ally's body. The barrier jutsu activated, trapping them both within a dark, sealed space.
Below, throughout the arena, disguised ninja shed their illusions and revealed themselves. Sound ninja. Sand ninja. Dozens of them, weapons drawn, killing intent released at last.
The Konoha Crush plan—the joint invasion by Sunagakure and Otogakure—had officially begun.
In the waiting room, Ryuzen felt Hinata tense against him.
"Ryuzen-kun... what's happening?"
He didn't answer immediately. His Kenbunshoku Haki swept through the venue one more time, cataloging enemy positions, assessing threat levels, identifying which disguised spectators were now revealed enemies.
Then he smiled—a thin, sharp expression that didn't reach his eyes.
"Stay close to me," he said quietly. "And don't hold back."
His hand settled on his sword.
Time to work.
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