The moment of the finals has finally arrived.
As the setting sun slowly sank behind the massive rocky mountains surrounding the Village Hidden in the Sand, it painted most of the sky a scorching and somber orange-red.
The afterglow cast a thick golden rim around the massive circular arena, stretching the shadows of the two figures within it long.
The stands were filled with a deafening roar, the sound waves nearly overturning the scorching air that had been baked all day.
Anticipation, speculation, and cheers intertwined to create a tumultuous sea of excitement.
Inside the arena, two figures stood silently facing each other.
Somewhat surprisingly, the ninja, who was to act as the referee for the finals, did not appear on the field immediately as the previous referees had.
"I've watched your previous matches..."
Karura spoke first, her voice gentle, her gaze fixed on Shinichi, carrying a complex emotion that was almost apologetic: "Your duel with your partner... was truly amazing. That attitude of burning with all your might for your beliefs is admirable."
Her expression didn't resemble that of a ninja about to fight to the death; she was more like a gentle and quiet girl next door.
"You must have been exhausted from the previous matches, right? This kind of match might not be fair."
"But..."
She lowered her eyes slightly, "I have reasons why I have to win, I'm sorry."
Her words were sincere, revealing her inner conflict, but for the sake of the village and for the Kazekage's orders, she had to win.
"Senior, you flatter me."
Shinichi shook his head slightly, his expression calm: "Standing here, we are already opponents. Please do not have any reservations. Senior, please... gave it all your all."
"Let's stop communicating for now."
Just then, a clear and crisp female voice rang out unexpectedly in the room, interrupting the slightly special atmosphere between the two.
The moment the sound rang out, a tall figure appeared between the two like a ghost.
She was a young female ninja from the Village Hidden in the Sand, with a tall and well-proportioned figure and fair skin, a rarity among desert tribes. Her black hair was neatly tied up, except for two strands of hair with bright orange highlights in front of her forehead, which added a touch of brightness and unruliness to her cool temperament.
Her appearance was extremely abrupt. Apart from a very few strong individuals in the stands with keen senses or exceptional eyesight, almost no one saw how she arrived.
It was as if she had always been standing there. This strangely fast speed instantly silenced the somewhat noisy discussions inside and outside the arena.
Pakura?
Shinichi's gaze sharpened slightly, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
The newcomer's appearance matched the information he knew, but he couldn't see how the other party entered the arena at all. He could only barely catch a blurry afterimage that almost blended into the air, which was faster than the scope of a regular teleportation technique.
Could it be that the Pakura of this world, besides Scorch Style, also possesses Quick Style?
An idea flashed through his mind.
"So fast!"
Jiraiya, standing in the stands, was one of the few who could clearly see the fleeting trajectory.
He subconsciously compared it to his beloved disciple, Minato Namikaze, who was also known for his Teleportation Jutsu and speed.
"Kazekage-sama."
The third Hokage chuckled, taking a drag of his cigarette. His gaze fell on the tall, slender figure with orange-black hair in the center of the arena.
"This must be the genius ninja who has risen to fame in your village in recent years, the Scorch Style user, Pakura, right? Seeing her today, I can see that she truly lives up to her reputation. Her speed alone is astonishing."
The third Kazekage's expression remained calm, but the slight upturn of his lips betrayed a hint of unconscious pride: "You're too kind, third Hokage. Pakura does indeed have some talent in speed and Ninjutsu, but she still needs more practice."
Inside the arena, Pakura seemed oblivious to the conversation taking place in the stands.
Her gaze swept calmly over Shinichi and Karura, devoid of any extra emotion, as if she were merely carrying out a routine task as she declared in a clear and efficient businesslike tone: "I am Pakura, the referee for this battle."
"The finals, now begin!"
As soon as Pakura's cold voice fell, Shinichi's figure suddenly blurred.
Holding a katana, he transformed into a black streak that tore through the air, launching a swift iaido slash along the most direct and fiercest straight-line path, aiming straight at Karura.
However, although Karura dislikes fighting, her reaction is quick; after all, her strength is undeniable.
She didn't even form hand seals; with just a slight movement of her slender fingers, the scattered sand on the ground instantly responded, condensing and shaping into dozens of sharp-edged sand shuriken. With a shrill sound of tearing through the air, they covered the first half of Shinichi's sprint path like a precise net!
Shinichi's sprint continued unabated, yet his body made incredibly subtle swaying and turning movements as he charged forward, like a fish swimming among dense reefs, narrowly avoiding most of the sand shuriken that grazed his clothes.
The few that were unavoidable were precisely deflected by his katana, the blade striking the sand and sending up plumes of yellow dust.
The distance between them closed again in this exchange of charge and evasion.
Such speed and agile footwork!
She can't be careless!
Karura's gaze narrowed slightly, and she gently waved her hand in the direction of Shinichi's location.
More sand on the ground, as if soldiers obeying a king's command, surged up and instantly condensed into a giant sand hand that could cover half the arena.
With its five fingers spread wide, it brought a heavy momentum that blocked out the light and crushed everything as it grabbed fiercely toward Shinichi.
The shadow instantly loomed over, and the strong wind made it hard to breathe.
Shinichi's eyes went sharp as blades. Chakra erupted beneath his feet, and his speed increased further beyond his limit!
He bursts forth with even greater speed and at a more cunning angle, charging fiercely forward diagonally to the side!
Almost at the final moment, when the giant sand palm's five fingers suddenly closed with a dull crashing sound, he darted out from the narrow gap between the fingers, so narrow it was nearly nonexistent!
At the same time, while moving at high speed, he had already completed the hand seals.
Fire Style: Flame Bombs
A massive fireball, far exceeding the normal diameter, spewed from his mouth like a miniature sun falling from the sky.
With terrifyingly high temperatures that distorted the air, it tore through the sand, heading straight for Karura, who was standing still and seemingly unable to dodge!
However, Karura remained calm, or rather, she didn't need to dodge at all.
Just as the blazing fireball approached within three meters of her, the sand on the ground rose rapidly as if it possessed life and sentience.
Boom!
A seemingly thin but extremely sturdy sand wall instantly rose from the ground, like a huge ancient shield, standing firmly in front of the fireball.
The fireball slammed into the center of the sand wall, exploding into a sky full of flames and black smoke, scorching the surface of the sand wall black and making a terrifying sizzling sound, but ultimately failed to penetrate it.
The shield remained unmoved, and behind it, Karura's clothes were not even disturbed by the heat.
The first round of the fight was completed in the blink of an eye, so fast that many viewers didn't even have time to react.
Karura waved her hand again, and another wave of sand surged up from the side, like a yellow waterfall, rushing towards Shinichi, who had just landed with an overwhelming force.
Shinichi took a deep breath and, with his superb speed and precise control of his body, he nimbly weaved and dodged through the gaps between the crashing sand waves and the continuous attacks of sand spikes and spears.
Like a seabird stubbornly navigating a storm, he repeatedly and dangerously avoided being surrounded, and tenaciously and step by step closed the final distance between the two.
The following rounds were almost entirely repetitions and reinforcements of the same pattern: Shinichi kept breaking through the gaps in the sea of sand's attacks, closing the distance to the limit, and then unleashing sharp sword strikes, explosive Taijutsu attacks, or Ninjutsu bombardments from tricky angles.
Meanwhile, Karura remained firmly in the center, manipulating the endless sea of sand with his mind.
The Sand Shield always appeared in the most needed position at the most critical moment, with the most appropriate shape and thickness.
It blocked, absorbed, and neutralized all of Shinichi's attacks, whether they were physical blades and fist strikes or Fire Style Jutsu.
Integrated offense and defense, calm and unhurried.
The flowing sand seemed to be an extension of Karura's will, forming an absolute domain that appeared flawless and impregnable.