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[— Manga Scene —]
'Impossible… She broke free of Ino's technique!' Shikamaru thought in shock.
'She used too much power before the technique took hold, so she doesn't have enough chakra left.' Their teacher, Asuma, reasoned.
"You have two minds…? Who are you?" Ino was so stunned by Sakura's ability to forcibly expel her from her own mind that she found herself asking about her true identity.
"Don't you know? I have the strength to match my beauty. Girls need to become strong to survive." Sakura's reply was cutting.
'You shouldn't have been able to expel the invasion that easily. When I applied that technique on you…'
'True, Ino had very little chakra left, but the fighting spirit inside Sakura toward her rival Ino carries a greater effect.' The picture was clear to their teacher, Kakashi.
'That was an emotional surge, an awakening triggered by Naruto's voice, and she pushed Ino out. That's not surprising either. She's like Naruto… she hates losing.'
'Both of them are running on only the bare minimum of chakra remaining.'
Sakura and Ino looked at each other, deciding how they would settle things, 'This is it… the final strike.'
They exchanged powerful punches to each other's faces, knocking one another unconscious.
"Both are unable to continue fighting."
"The result is a double knockout. There is no winner in this match." The referee Hayate declared.
[— End Scene —]
The Art Store erupted in a wave of laughter and boisterous commentary the moment the scene ended.
The ending was completely unexpected, especially after everyone had held their breath at the close of Volume Eight, convinced that Ino had settled the matter entirely in her favor with her secret technique.
"Hahaha! Did you see that, Jiraiya?" Tsunade shouted, slamming the table before her with a laugh, tears nearly escaping her eyes.
"Inner Sakura… that girl has a monster inside her no less troublesome than Naruto! She kicked Ino out like an annoying fly!"
Jiraiya, who was also wiping tears of laughter from his face, nodded in agreement.
"Truly, this is hilarious! Naruto's voice woke the dark side in Sakura. Poor Ino, asking her 'Who are you?' as though she'd seen a ghost. That kind of willpower is what makes girls genuinely terrifying when it comes to rivalry."
Beside them, Nawaki was staring at the volume with a complicated expression. "A draw…? After all that scheming and cut hair and mind techniques, it ends with a mutual punch to the face?"
Next to little Nawaki, Kato Dan rubbed his chin, thinking aloud. "It's frustrating and satisfying at the same time. They proved they're perfectly equal, but watching them fall together like that makes you feel the battle was more than just a ninja fight. It was a settling of personal scores."
Jiraiya agreed with what Dan said. After all, everyone knew they were both chasing Sasuke's attention.
…
In another corner of the store, the atmosphere was more tense. Inoichi Yamanaka was staring at the pages with a displeased, regretful expression.
"A draw? The heiress to the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques ends in a draw with a civilian girl because she couldn't endure her 'inner voice', what kind of nonsense is this?" He exhaled with irritation, his pride in Ino's brilliant technique somewhat wounded.
But as he continued reading, Inoichi's expression gradually softened. When he reached the scene that followed the two girls regaining consciousness, how Ino looked at Sakura with a sincere smile and told her, "You've finally bloomed into a beautiful flower," Inoichi felt warmth spread through his heart.
"She's so kind…" he murmured with a gentle smile.
"Well, perhaps she learned something more important than winning this match. She gained a true rival and a lifelong friend."
But that tender moment didn't last long. The instant Ino announced in the manga that she had no intention of giving up on Sasuke, the annoyance returned to Inoichi's face.
'Why all this obsession with that Sasuke!?' he thought bitterly.
'He's just some Uchiha boy, what does he have that our clan's young men don't?'
Beside him, Shikaku Nara chuckled softly, watching his friend's reactions. "Calm down, Inoichi. Girls at this age have different priorities than we do."
Meanwhile, Chouza Akimichi was crunching on some snacks and nodding his head.
"The important thing is they're both fine, and they showed tremendous fighting spirit. Look at Shikamaru in the manga, he looks more shocked than you!"
…
Elsewhere, Haruno Kizashi and Mebuki were sitting with astonishment written across their faces.
"Sakura… she…" Mebuki said, placing her hand over her mouth.
"She expelled a mind technique! I didn't know she had that kind of inner strength."
Kizashi, wearing his usual genin outfit, shook his head with admiration mixed with grief.
"She was truly remarkable. But… what a shame." He sighed deeply, gazing at the referee's call of a draw.
"This means she won't advance to the third exam. I had hoped to see her go further, to prove to everyone that a daughter of an ordinary Haruno family could stand alongside the elite."
Mebuki nodded with a faint sadness. "Yes, her journey through the exams stops here, but her true journey as a shinobi has just begun. Do you see how Ino looks at her now? She's earned the respect she was always searching for."
Kizashi smiled at that. Indeed, Sakura had proven that the Haruno name could stand alongside the great clans' elite. The very thing he himself had never managed to do.
He genuinely wanted to cry in that moment.
…
In the Konoha council section, the atmosphere was far more composed. Hiruzen Sarutobi was exhaling pipe smoke as he gazed at the open volume before him. Beside him sat Uzumaki Mito, watching events unfold with knowing, experienced eyes.
"The next generation of 'Ino-Shika-Cho,' and this new generation of shinobi, appear quite promising," Mito said in her calm, dignified tone.
"Sakura and Ino demonstrated something rare, the ability to separate personal feelings from combat duty, while still preserving the bond between them. That is the essence of Konoha's strength."
Hiruzen nodded his agreement. "Indeed. Their draw is not a defeat; it is a victory of will. They fought with everything they had, and left no room for regret."
Danzo, who was seated in the shadows as was his habit, couldn't stop himself from commenting in his cold voice.
"Emotions can be a liability in real battles, but in this case, they were the engine that drove Sakura beyond her limits. Nevertheless, their elimination from the third exam may be to their benefit. The next stage will not be mere 'girls' battles.'"
"Indeed, both are genuinely promising…"
"They show some real potential."
Homura and Koharu agreed with the Hokage's words, praising the new generation's development and their capacity for innovation under pressure.
"But what is this happening here…?"
Their attention was quickly drawn to the shocking scene at the chapter's end, another Konoha kunoichi thoroughly crushed by a kunoichi from Suna, a fresh blow to Konoha's pride.
…
[— Manga Scene —]
"Tenten fought well, but she cannot escape the tempest…" Neji said with a pitying look.
"This can't be…" Rock Lee was devastated.
On the battlefield, dozens of kunai, shuriken, and various ninja weapons were scattered across the ground, but what drew the eye most was Tenten, defeated, lying atop her opponent's weapon: a massive fan.
"How dull…" Temari remarked with a smirk.
"Wha— what happened to her?" Naruto asked in confusion.
"And here we were afraid we'd lose." Kankuro scoffed.
"Hmph." Gaara merely snorted, indifferent.
'The Sand Village… they are dangerous…' The Third Hokage reflected inwardly.
[— End Scene —]
A brief silence settled over the Art Store in Konoha after that scene was read, before whispers and commentary began spreading like wildfire among the readers.
Tenten's crushing defeat, the girl readers had previously believed was a prodigy with ninja weapons, came as a shock to many, especially since the manga had skipped the fight's details entirely, showing only the final result.
"Did Tenten really lose that easily?" one of the young shinobi wondered, staring at the page in disbelief.
"She seemed so confident, but look at that massive fan… This Temari looks like an absolute beast."
His friend shook his head in response: "She seems a little underwhelming… What happened? We didn't even get a glimpse of her skills before the fight just ended like that. Was all that training worthless against a single fan?"
But another reader was analyzing the scene more deeply, interjecting: "No, I don't think so. From Neji and Rock Lee's words, it seems like Tenten fought with everything she had… those moments were simply skipped, not shown on the page. Maybe Rubiro-sensei wanted to focus on Sand Village's terrifying power rather than the details of the defeat."
"How pitiful…" one reader commented with a sardonic edge.
"A Konoha ninja getting defeated that humiliatingly, lying on top of her own opponent's weapon… It makes us look weak in front of the other villages."
"True," another agreed.
"But look at the bright side, did you notice that sharp exchange of glances between Rock Lee and Gaara? My god, is that a hint that the next confrontation will be between them?"
Suddenly, the excitement in the store surged.
"A battle between Gaara and Rock Lee?! I'm genuinely excited for that! Imagine Gaara's terrifying power against Rock Lee's insane speed!"
But some didn't share the optimism.
"If it really happens, I still won't get my hopes up. Gaara will win easily. From that contemptuous look of his, he doesn't see anyone as his equal."
"I agree, Rock Lee is a hardworking kid, but Gaara… He looks like a force of nature that can't be stopped."
…
Sunagakure:
While the debate raged in Konohagakure, the atmosphere in Sunagakure, specifically in the section of the Art Store where the Third Kazekage sat with his advisors, was entirely different.
The Kazekage sat with his trusted advisors behind him, Elder Chiyo and Ebisu, all of them staring at Volume Nine, which had been released not long ago.
Their eyes lingered for a long moment on the chapter's final line, that thought which passed through the elderly Third Hokage's mind:
'The Sand Village… they are dangerous…'
A cold, confident smile settled on the Third Kazekage's face.
"So even Hiruzen has begun to feel the threat," he said in a tone carrying a great deal of restrained pride.
"For the Hokage to acknowledge the strength of Sand's shinobi in the manga's pages… it means our message has been received, even if delivered through a 'painted future.'"
Elder Chiyo shook her head as she studied the image of Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara.
"These kids… they represent the future of Suna that we are striving to build. Temari showed the pride of the Sand, and Gaara…" She paused for a moment, gazing at the Hokage's comment.
"But this acknowledgment of danger is a double-edged sword. Hiruzen will not stand idle if he senses we pose a genuine threat."
Ebisu, who had been watching in silence, added in his quiet voice.
"The manga has revealed our winning cards early. Temari has shown the fan technique, and Gaara inspires dread by his mere presence. If the Hokage sees us as dangerous, then the upcoming Chunin Exams will not be merely a competition; they will be an arena of early political and military confrontation."
"Let them feel the danger," replied the Third Kazekage, turning the page toward the next chapter.
"We in Suna have lived too long in the shadow of the great villages. Now, thanks to this art store and this manga, the world is beginning to understand that our sands show no mercy. If Hiruzen thinks we are dangerous now, let him wait until he sees what Gaara does in the third stage."
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 170: Doesn't Shikamaru Resemble Me Greatly?
Chapter 171: Shikamaru's Intelligence and Naruto's Battle!
Chapter 172: Uzumaki Naruto VS Inuzuka Kiba!
Chapter 173: No One Ever Tried to See the Real Naruto!
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