Chapter 39: The Rise of the New Stars
Although Naruto's mind was no longer on the competition, thinking only of Tsunade in Tanzaku Street and the ramen in Konoha Village, the preliminary process did not stop because of this.
Just as Naruto was pondering how to convince Tsunade and how to help Sister Ayame develop a new menu, a brutal battle began in the arena at the center of the tower.
Rock Lee VS Gaara
One was a "dead last No. 2" who only knew Taijutsu, and the other was a Hidden Sand VillageNinja carrying a gourd and exuding a dangerous aura.
Even though Naruto had just been remotely harassing Tsunade in his mind, he could feel the heavy atmosphere in the venue at this moment. He put away his playful grin and leaned over the second-floor railing to watch the arena.
[Here it comes, a truly tough battle.]
[An attempt by a mortal body to challenge a Bloodline Limit. The hardworking genius Rock Leeversus the naturally powerful Gaara.]
A trace of seriousness appeared in Naruto's blue eyes.
[Even though I know the plot very well and know that Lee will lose miserably... this is indeed one of the most hype battles in Naruto. Even knowing the outcome, I can't bear to see Lee get his limbs broken.]
Naruto's gaze swept across the sidelines. Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka were gathered near the medical team. On the surface, they seemed to be chatting, but their eyes were actually staring tensely at the arena, and they already had several special talismans pinched in their hands.
In the arena.
There was no flashy Ninjutsu, only the dull thud of fists hitting flesh and afterimages too fast to see clearly.
"Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain... Open!"
Lee gave a roar, and red steam erupted from his body. The air vibrated, and cracks appeared on the floor. Gaara, who had been holding his arms the whole time, finally showed a hint of astonishment on his face.
Is this... Konoha's Taijutsu?
Bang!
Gaara's sand armor shattered piece by piece under the high-speed attacks. He was kicked high into the air.
"Hidden Lotus!"
Watching the bandages flying in the sky and Gaarabeing wrapped and swung, the entire venue was silent except for the sound of breathing. Even Might Guy gripped the railing tightly, his knuckles turning white.
[No matter how many times I see it, it makes my blood boil. This attitude of not hesitating to burn one's life to prove oneself.]
Naruto thought silently in his heart.
However, the gap between the two was simply too large after all.
Lee's physical strength was exhausted, and the side effects left him unable to move. The scattered sand gathered again, and under Lee's watchful gaze, it slowly wrapped around his left hand and left foot.
"Sand Binding Coffin," Gaara uttered three words coldly, his palm suddenly clenching.
Now!
At the moment Might Guy prepared to rush down, and just as Naruto felt something was wrong—
Two figures moved faster than Might Guy.
"In your dreams! That one is our... ally!"
On the spectator stand, Sakura used [Dynamic Vision Enhancement] to see the flow trajectory of the sand clearly. The two special Kunai in her hand were shot out rapidly, accurately pinning the sand nodes wrapping Lee's limbs.
Bang!
A miniature Chakra explosion disrupted the condensation of the sand. Although it failed to completely break Gaara's restraint, this moment of delay gave the arriving Might Guy time to save him.
Lee still suffered fractures, but the injuries were not so serious that they would end his Ninja career.
Watching Lee being quickly carried away, having already been pre-treated by Sakura with healing Chakra, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth again.
[Nice! These girls are really reliable! They even dared to interfere with Gaara's sand.]
[It seems Lee won't have to undergo any dangerous surgery this time; he just needs to lie down for a month or so to recover.]
The battle ended, but the killing intent in Gaara's eyes did not disappear.
When he passed through the contestant passage, that Otogakure Ninja named Dosu, who was afraid because he saw Gaara's strength but didn't want to lose face in front of his companions, actually spoke up to provoke him.
"Hey, brat of the Desert..."
Dosu's words were not yet finished, nor did he have time to lift his arm equipped with a sonic device.
Gaara just turned his head. Those eyes with dark circles had no emotion, as if looking at a dead object.
Pshhh.
From the shadows on the ground, a surge of yellow sand sprang out and snapped Dosu's neck. He didn't even have time to let out a scream.
The smell of blood permeated the air.
The surrounding candidates turned pale with fright. Naruto just leaned against the wall, watching coldly.
[Truly cute in their stupidity.]
Naruto's inner thoughts reached the mind of every holder through the heavenly curtain.
[Clearly knowing that the guy is an IchibiJinchuriki who treats killing like drinking water, yet insisting on going to his death for that bit of self-esteem. A worthless extra; if he's dead, he's dead. It just happens to save a spot for the upcoming main tournament.]
This indifference toward life made both Sakura and Hinata's hearts tremble.
Only then did they realize that the Naruto who was always laughing and seemed unreliable also had a cold side deep in his heart. In his eyes, there were only "his own people" and "irrelevant people."
This kind of favoritism, on the contrary, made them feel more at ease.
"The preliminaries... are all over!"
With Gekkō Hayate's announcement, the large screen in the tower flashed again, displaying the matchup list for the final tournament.
Uzumaki Naruto VS Hyuga Hinata
Uchiha Sasuke VS Gaara
Kankuro VS Shino Aburame
Nara Shikamaru VS Temari
Looking at this list, Naruto nodded with satisfaction.
[Perfect, everything is under control.]
[Whether it's Nara Shikamaru and Temari, or the pair of Sasuke and Gaara, everything is proceeding according to plan.]
[There is still one month until the formal finals. This month is special training for others, but for me...]
Naruto's gaze swept over Hinata, Sakura, Kurenai, and Ino in turn, a fox-like smile appearing on his face.
[Hehe, that's the 'honeymoon period' for me and the beautiful ladies! Special training? That's something only single dogs do. My special training is to become stronger through 'wrestling' and 'guidance' among the flowers!]
[Moreover, that lecherous old man Jiraiya should also appear. And my dear Granny Tsunade.]
Accompanying these thoughts, the notification sound of the [goddess conquest system] also rang out.
[Ding!]
[Detected that the host successfully survived the preliminaries and, in the process, completed a deep mental influence on multiple core characters through 'unintentional' flirting.]
[Your 'Prophet' and 'LSP' personas are now deeply rooted in people's hearts.]
[Obtained phase prize: Charm Aura · Upgrade.]
[Effect: For adult women over 25 years old or those with powerful strength (such as Kage-level Experts), your words and actions will possess double the 'defense-breaking' effect and attraction.]
"Yosh!"
Naruto gave a big stretch and, under the gaze of the crowd of Ninjas, strode toward the exit.