Looking down at the battlefield below, now transformed by Kurotsuchi's Earth Style jutsu, Ōnoki couldn't help but stroke the beard on his chin with satisfaction.
His eyes were exceptionally sharp—he could tell with just one glance that the young girl using Wind Style had already exhausted her chakra and was running on fumes.
"Heh… Kazekage-dono, looks like we'll be taking this round."
Ōnoki turned to Rasa with a smile, leaning in close with deliberate smugness.
"Against my granddaughter, Temari's still a little lacking."
Rasa responded blandly, his expression unreadable.
If Ōnoki could see Temari's exhaustion, there was no reason Rasa couldn't. Still, he couldn't allow himself to show frustration at this moment—it would be a loss of dignity as the Kazekage.
Seeing that Rasa didn't take the bait and kept his calm, Ōnoki didn't push it further and shifted his gaze back to the arena, where the outcome had already become clear.
---
"Earth Style: Opening Earth Rising Excavation!"
Having used Lava Style to temporarily evade the barrage of wind blades, Kurotsuchi moved behind the still-standing stone figure left by her earlier jutsu. Raising her hand, she unleashed another advanced Earth Style move.
The ground began to rumble and shift, rising dramatically until it formed a structure that resembled a small volcano. From its crater, countless boulders spewed forth, flying directly at Temari!
Kurotsuchi had clearly held back with this technique. Despite her mastery of Fire, Water, and Earth chakra natures, she chose not to infuse these boulders with flames—though she very well could have.
In the original timeline, she once used this exact technique in tandem with her father, Kitsuchi, to wipe out a large number of White Zetsu clones.
Now, Temari, having depleted the last of her chakra to unleash her signature move "Scythe Dance," could no longer counterattack. She was forced to dodge with increasing desperation, barely avoiding the avalanche of stone.
Kurotsuchi, riding atop her badly damaged stone golem—carved up by Temari's wind blades—descended upon the weary kunoichi.
"Don't underestimate Iwagakure's shinobi," Kurotsuchi declared with a confident smile, standing triumphantly atop the stone golem's head, her red ninja gear gleaming under the arena lights. "But you're not bad. I acknowledge you."
Temari looked up at the dark-haired girl, her lips pressed tightly together. Reluctantly, she admitted:
"I lost…"
As Temari's words fell, Genma Shiranui emerged from somewhere in the shadows, looked at the two girls, and announced toward the audience:
"Winner: Kurotsuchi of Iwagakure."
The crowd erupted in even louder applause than in the previous match.
While Naruto vs. Neji had been spectacular, it had mostly been a battle of taijutsu.
In contrast, this fight between two highly ranked kunoichi from prestigious villages had featured an intense display of ninjutsu. The average spectator—most of whom were civilians—came for the "special effects," and this match had delivered in spades.
Genma glanced at the battered arena and lazily said:
"Five-minute break. Earth Style users, repair the field. Next match contestants, get ready."
---
In the resting room for participants, Naruto had finally freed himself from Rock Lee's endless chatter and drama. He pouted in frustration.
"Hey, how come Sakura still isn't here?"
"It's already almost time for the third match."
Naruto couldn't help but worry about her.
The black-haired boy beside him didn't speak but looked calm. At this moment, Sasuke felt like he was finally getting into the zone.
Witnessing two spectacular fights firsthand had ignited the fighting spirit bubbling within him.
This… this might be what Kakashi meant when he talked about a 'blade.'
A blade was not a sword.
A sword was a noble weapon, wielded by gentlemen. A blade, on the other hand, was born purely for battle—designed to kill, to draw blood.
Back in the day, Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake, had built his legendary reputation with a single blade on the battlefield.
Even the fabled Sannin had once been overshadowed by Sakumo Hatake.
At that moment, not far away, the red-haired boy seemed to sense Sasuke's rising bloodlust. He opened his eyes and locked his gaze on the Uchiha, who had his eyes closed in focus.
Mother… this one…
His blood must be delicious…
Gaara's killing intent flowed out without restraint, instantly drawing everyone's attention in the resting room.
"What's with this guy?" Naruto furrowed his brows, visibly on guard.
"It's not wise to be so openly murderous in a place like this… It'll only make you enemies."
A large, honest-looking boy scratched his head awkwardly as he glanced at Gaara.
"Heh… You can't wait either, huh?" Sasuke opened his eyes, revealing his two-tomoe Sharingan, and smirked coldly as he stared at Gaara.
The two locked eyes—sharp as blades clashing in midair.
"This guy…" Naruto remained alert. He couldn't shake the feeling that he and Gaara shared something in common, though he couldn't place it.
"Best not to fight here."
A calm, almost ghostly voice echoed from the corner of the room.
Only then did the others notice a boy wearing dark glasses, quietly standing there.
"...If you want to fight, do it on the battlefield," he added.
"You are?" the large redhead looked puzzled.
"..."
"…Forgive my rudeness. I'm your opponent—Shino Aburame."
The sunglasses-wearing boy fell silent for a moment, then spoke plainly.
"Ah—what?" the redhead blinked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to forget you. I really didn't notice."
The tall, sincere boy bowed deeply in apology. He wasn't the type to lie.
But sometimes, honesty was the deadliest move.
Shino said nothing, his sunglasses concealing any hint of his emotion.
"…It's fine."
With Shino's calm words, the atmosphere in the room eased a bit.
Just then, Genma Shiranui's voice rang out again, calling both Shino and his opponent to the field.
"Looks like it's our turn." The big redhead scratched his head, smiling awkwardly at Shino.
"Yeah."
Shino calmly walked toward the arena entrance, passing Kurotsuchi on her way back from victory.
Kurotsuchi skipped happily toward the resting area and ran straight to her teammate.
"Akatsuchi! Do your best out there!"
"Defeat that… what's-his-name?"
"Whatever, just win!"
She patted his shoulder with gusto, grinning from ear to ear.
Her words made Shino pause for a second, but he resumed walking without a word.
---
Meanwhile, Sakura sat atop a rooftop overlooking the stadium, munching on soft, sweet rice dumplings. Watching Akatsuchi's stone giant being devoured by a swarm of insects, she glanced down at the black sesame seeds on her last dumpling.
Suddenly, she didn't feel very hungry anymore.
"Why are you sitting here?" a voice beside her asked.
She turned to see Kakashi casually seated next to her.
"Why are you sitting here?" she shot back, raising an eyebrow.
Kakashi glanced at the fully armed young girl beside him. "Naruto seems pretty worried about you."
Sakura didn't react much to that—she simply responded with a short hum.
And by now, the match below had already ended.
A sea of insects had swarmed Akatsuchi, draining his chakra and leaving him powerless.
Once again, Shino Aburame had preserved his undefeated record.
(End of Chapter)
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