Neji stopped the RevolvingHeaven. His breathing had started to grow heavy, and the sweat seeping from his forehead soaked the cloth band of his forehead protector.
A cold sneer tugged at the corner of his lips. "Giving up? This is only..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Naruto raised his right hand once more, and three Kunai flew out again.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!
It was another rainstorm of Kunai filling the sky.
The sneer on Neji's face froze. His Byakugan could see the flight trajectory of every Kunai, but his legs could no longer keep up with the speed of his eyes.
"Again..."
Neji gritted his teeth and used Revolving Heaven again.
A Chakra whirlwind opened in the center of the arena, and countless Kunai struck the wall, emitting harsh metallic clashing sounds.
This time, Naruto did not wait for Neji's Revolving Heaven to end. He gathered Chakra at the soles of his feet, and his entire body rushed straight toward Neji.
Several Jonin on the spectator stand gasped in unison. Revolving Heaven was an absolute defensive circle formed by high-speed rotating Chakra. A close-quarters attack was equivalent to throwing oneself onto blades made of Chakra.
Naruto's body transitioned from stillness to high-speed advance in an instant. The moment he was about to make contact with Revolving Heaven, his right hand suddenly reached out.
A blue ball of Chakra lit up in his palm, the light illuminating the entire arena in a deep blue hue.
The Jonin on the spectator stand who had once seen the Fourth Hokage sprang from their seats at almost the exact same moment. They had seen this blue Chakra ball countless times.
Rasengan!
The next moment, the Rasengan slammed into the Chakra barrier and the two diametrically opposed Chakras produced intense mutual interference at the point of contact.
Under the continuous impact of the Rasengan, the barrier began to tremble violently, and countless fine cracks appeared on the originally smooth spherical surface.
Then the cracks expanded rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, and finally, with a low, muffled sound, the entire barrier of Revolving Heaven shattered into pieces, the Chakra fragments turning into countless scattered particles of light in the air.
Neji's body was blown away by the shockwave. He flipped several times in mid-air, his back slamming into the outer wall of the arena, the force of the impact causing spider-web-like cracks to appear on the wall behind him.
Neji barely supported himself on the ground with his arms, struggling to stand up again. The excruciating pain surging in his chest caused his whole body to go soft, his legs unable to fully support his body as if all his strength had been drained.
Swish!
Naruto appeared behind Neji. Immediately after, a Kunai was pressed against his neck.
Neji's body stiffened, he could feel the chill coming from the Kunai on his neck.
"Neji, you lost."
Hearing this, Neji's arms trembled and he knelt on the stone floor. Then his shoulders slowly slumped.
"I lost..."
The whole arena was silent for a moment, and then thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the surrounding spectator stands simultaneously.
In the spectator seats, Hinata covered her mouth with her hands, tears shimmering on her eyelashes.
Sakura and Ino screamed and grabbed each other's sleeves, jumping up and down.
Shiranui Genma appeared in the center of the arena using the Body Flicker Technique and raised his right hand to announce. "The first match, winner, Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto moved the Kunai away from Neji's neck and returned it to his ninja tool pouch. Then he bent down and extended a hand toward Neji.
Neji looked up at this hand and was stunned.
"Neji, when I become Hokage, I will abolish all unreasonable systems. Especially the kind of rules that control other people's lives." Naruto looked into Neji's eyes, using a voice that only the two of them could hear.
Neji's pupils constricted.
The Caged Bird Cursed Seal, the main family and the branch family...
These things that had weighed on him for over a decade—never had anyone told him they would abolish them.
"Naruto, you..."
Neji reached out and grabbed Naruto's hand.
Naruto pulled Neji up, and then supported him as they walked toward the medical team at the side of the arena.
Seeing this, the spectators in the stands erupted into even louder applause.
The ninjas on the field who had seen the Fourth Hokage were collectively silent at this moment.
There was no mistake. That blue sphere of Chakra, which pushed shape transformation to its limit, was definitely the Rasengan.
And then there was the back Naruto showed when he helped the loser up—a back they had seen countless times, on the battlefields of the Third Great Ninja War, a stance of being ruthless to enemies but never abandoning comrades during all missions.
In the VIP seating area, Hiruzen thought, 'Minato, you see it, don't you? Naruto has already grown to this extent.'
Orochimaru, standing to the side, spoke, his gaze fixed on Naruto's back as he supported Neji toward the medical room, "Hokage, the ninjas of your village are enviably excellent."
Hiruzen turned his gaze toward Gaara in the contestant waiting area. "You flatter us, Kazekage. Gaara from your village is equally outstanding."
Orochimaru said nothing more, his gaze continuing to watch Naruto's back.
'Is he the second Yellow Flash? Naruto, you've become quite a bit stronger than you were a month ago.'