The Konoha Arena buzzed like a disturbed hive. Thousands of spectators—lords, Daimyōs, and the Kazekage himself, seated beside Hiruzen—all waited for the spectacle.
Naruto stood on the participant balcony, arms crossed over his chest.
His face was an impenetrable mask, but his Qi Sensory was operating at its limit, scanning the stands.
The air was saturated not only with excitement but also with a hidden, sticky threat. ANBU hid in the shadows, and strange chakra signatures flickered among the audience.
They're waiting, Naruto realized. This whole tournament is just a decoration.
The first match passed quickly.
Shikamaru Nara versus Temari.
Naruto watched with mild interest. Shikamaru caught the Sand Kunoichi in his Shadow Possession Jutsu, demonstrating yet another stroke of tactical genius, and then... raised his hand.
"I forfeit. I'm out of chakra."
The crowd booed, but Naruto gave a barely perceptible nod.
Well done. Looks like he already realized the real battle lies ahead. He didn't waste resources on a show. Just as expected.
Second match. Kankurō versus Shino Aburame.
Kankurō walked into the arena, looked up at the Kage box, twitched his shoulder nervously, and declared:
"I withdraw."
Another forfeit. The tension grew. Shino remained standing there, his bugs buzzing, annoyed at being ignored.
The Puppeteer is saving his dolls, Naruto noted. They're waiting for the signal. Soon.
"Third match!" Genma Shiranui announced, spitting out his senbon. "Naruto Uzumaki versus Neji Hyuga!"
Naruto pushed off the railing.
"My turn."
He dropped down, landing softly, without unnecessary noise. Neji was already standing opposite him.
The veins of the Byakugan bulged at the genius's temples. He looked at Naruto not as an opponent, but as an error in an equation that needed to be erased.
"You look confident," Neji said coldly. "But that changes nothing. Fate cannot be altered by training. A failure will always remain a failure. I saw your fight with Sasuke. You rely on tricks and brute force. Against my eyes, that is useless."
Naruto sighed.
"You talk a lot about fate for someone who can't even choose his own haircut without the clan's permission."
Neji's face twisted with rage. "You dare..."
"Begin!" Genma commanded.
Neji surged forward. Gentle Fist.
The blonde didn't use clones. He accepted the close-quarters combat.
When the Hyuga's fingers thrust toward his tenketsu, the Uzumaki didn't perform a hard block. He shifted his body, allowing the strike to pass millimeters from his skin, and softly touched the enemy's wrist, redirecting the vector of the attack into the void.
Qi Taijutsu: Soft Flow.
Neji attacked again. Faster. A flurry of strikes.
Naruto moved like water. His sensory perception predicted the trajectory, and his body "flowed around" the threat.
What is this? Neji thought, increasing the tempo. I see his chakra. It's calm. Why can't I hit him?
On the balcony, Hinata clenched her fists. She recognized these movements. These were the very movements they had practiced by the river.
Neji, frustrated, decided to end the games. A dash. A palm strike to the chest.
Naruto didn't manage to completely evade the line of attack.
WHAM!
The blow landed on his shoulder. But instead of shutting down the arm, Neji felt as if he had struck a bag of wet sand. The density of Naruto's body was abnormal.
Counterattack. A straight kick sent the Hyuga flying back.
"Eight Trigrams: Rotation!"
A blue vortex of chakra threw Naruto into the wall. Dust rose.
"That's it," Neji exhaled.
But when the dust settled, Naruto stood there, brushing himself off.
"And who's the one relying on tricks here?"
Neji froze. He's not injured?!
Naruto cracked his neck.
"You won't win this fight with defense."
He closed his eyes.
Let's show him the difference in our power, Fox.
"With pleasure."
The air trembled. Red, bubbling chakra erupted, forming a Cloak. The pressure was such that the spectators in the front rows grabbed their throats.
"What are you?!" Neji shouted.
"Someone who refused to give up."
Naruto vanished.
The ground exploded.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji went into a desperate defense, trying to intercept the flow with strikes to the pressure points.
Two palms. Four. Eight...
Naruto calmly took the hits with his body. The red chakra hissed, burning the Hyuga's fingers, but he didn't stop.
"Sixty-four!"
The finale. A strike to the heart.
And then Naruto caught his hand.
A red claw intercepted the wrist centimeters from his chest.
Silence.
"My turn."
Naruto clenched his free hand into a fist. He concentrated Qi and Chakra into a single point. Not a Rasengan—he wasn't planning to kill him. Just a Punch.
BOOM!
The shockwave passed through Neji's body, knocking the air from his lungs. The genius of the great clan flew ten meters and smashed into the wall, cracking the stone. Knockout.
"The winner is Naruto Uzumaki!" Genma announced.
The stands exploded. Applause, screams. Naruto looked up to the balcony where Hinata was beaming with happiness.
He allowed himself a faint smile. The Cloak dissipated.
But at that moment...
On the other end of the balcony, Gaara clutched his head.
The surge of the Kyūbi's chakra was the final straw. Shukaku inside him went berserk, resonating with the Fox's hatred.
"Aaaah!" Gaara screamed, sand beginning to flow uncontrollably from the gourd. "Mother! She wants his blood! RIGHT NOW!"
On the balcony, the Sand team's sensei, Baki, instantly assessed the situation. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead beneath the fabric of his turban.
Bad. Too early. If he starts the transformation here, in a confined space...
Baki shifted his gaze to the Konoha Jonin. Guy and Kakashi tensed in the stands. ANBU in the shadows readied their blades.
...he'll be killed during the transformation process. The arena is a trap. There is no room to maneuver here.
Baki made a decision instantly. He made a sharp hand gesture—Suna's secret signal for "Emergency Change of Position."
"Kankurō! Temari!" his voice, amplified by chakra, cut through the roar of the crowd. "Get him out of here! Move!"
Kankurō, who was trying to calm his brother, flinched and looked at his mentor.
"But the plan... We're supposed to release him here!"
"The plan has changed!" Baki barked, jumping down to them. "Here, they'll crush him with numbers before Shukaku fully awakens! He needs time and space!"
He grabbed Gaara by the shoulder, transferring momentum to his subordinates.
"Drag him into the forest! Let him transform fully, away from their Jonin! And when the Beast takes its true form... come back and grind this village into dust!"
Temari and Kankurō nodded. Hoisting the maddened Gaara by his arms, they dashed toward the exit, using Shunshin.
In the stands, Kabuto, disguised as an ANBU, saw this.
Smart, the spy appraised. They don't want to lose their Main Caliber in the first seconds of the war. Well then, let's cover their retreat.
He formed a hand seal.
White feathers began to fall from the sky like snow.
Spectators in the stands went limp, sinking into sleep.
The tournament was over. The war had begun.