Just as she threw herself into Yoru's arms, Kushina realized what she had done. Even with her usual carefree personality, she couldn't help but blush.
This was in front of a huge crowd!
Noticing the strange looks from the people behind her, Kushina first felt embarrassed, then immediately turned annoyed. Clenching her fists, she shouted, "What are you looking at?! Want me to dig out your eyeballs?!"
"..."
The crowd quickly looked away, pretending they hadn't seen anything. Most of them were afraid of Kushina anyway and didn't want to provoke her.
Meanwhile, up on the highest spectator platform, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other village elders were also watching with mixed expressions.
Few people knew that Kushina was going to be the next Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. In fact, even Jiraiya wasn't aware.
Danzo, being one of the key figures behind the scenes, naturally knew.
Seeing Kushina's closeness to Yoru, his brows furrowed as he muttered, "That Yoru kid… isn't he getting too close to Kushina?"
Sarutobi paused for a moment, then shook his head. "They're just children. There's no need to interfere."
"But—"
"Enough!" Sarutobi's tone turned firm. "As long as they're in the Leaf Village, do you really think anything will happen?"
Danzo's face darkened, but in the end, he just snorted coldly and said no more.
Sarutobi, however, was thinking about something else entirely.
If Yoru was as talented as he appeared to be, then having him as Kushina's protector in the future wouldn't be a bad idea.
Yoru was an outsider, yes, but he had grown up in Konoha, and his original village had been completely wiped out by Sunagakure. Sarutobi had done his research—there was no risk of him being a spy.
However, what Sarutobi was really struggling with was Yoru's upcoming life-or-death duel with Uchiha Kan.
By the village's rules, he wasn't supposed to interfere.
But rules were just words on paper—if he really wanted to, he could pressure the Uchiha Clan into canceling the duel.
For now, he simply observed in silence.
The final matchups were drawn once more, and this time, Namikaze Minato got a bye.
That meant Yoru vs. Aburame Shibi.
However, what shocked everyone was that the moment Shibi stepped onto the battlefield, he immediately forfeited before the match could even begin!
The entire arena was filled with murmurs of surprise and confusion.
Even Yoru was taken aback. Had he really reached the point where opponents would surrender without a fight?
Shibi, wearing his signature dark glasses, calmly explained, "Your shockwave ability is extremely harmful to my insects. They sense the danger and warn me against fighting you."
"I've also analyzed the battle beforehand. No matter what I try, my chances of winning against you are almost nonexistent. Your abilities completely counter mine."
"I suspect that you can channel that power through both your fists and legs, meaning my insects wouldn't even be able to get close to you."
Shibi's matter-of-fact analysis made the entire audience realize something—Yoru's strength was even greater than they had thought.
For a top-tier competitor to surrender outright? That spoke volumes.
Among the observing Jonin, some nodded in approval at Shibi's keen battle awareness.
"This boy has an exceptional tactical mind."
"Indeed. Yoru's unique ability makes him a direct counter to the Aburame Clan's fighting style. Even if Shibi had given it his all, he would've been fighting a losing battle."
"Had Shibi faced Minato instead, that would've been a much more interesting match."
Some Jonin respected Shibi's decision, while others felt he should have fought regardless of the outcome.
Either way, the result was now clear—the final match was set: Yoru vs. Namikaze Minato.
The fight to determine first place.
Kushina had been excited just seeing Yoru reach the top three, but now he actually had a chance to claim first place!
She cheered loudly from the sidelines, her face full of excitement.
She knew how strong Minato was. Truthfully, she didn't believe Yoru could win, but that didn't stop her from supporting him wholeheartedly.
Even if he lost, getting this far was already an incredible feat!
"Since the previous match ended without a fight, there's no need for a break. Let's begin the final round immediately."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sipped his tea, a trace of anticipation in his eyes.
He wanted to see a true battle of genius-level talents.
So far, Minato had fought brilliantly, but his victories had all been far too easy.
Not once had he even broken a sweat.
This would be the first time they might see the true extent of Minato's strength.
"Haha! Finally, the championship match! Minato is definitely taking first place!"
Jiraiya was so excited he jumped onto the railing, waving his arms around like a wild man. He was already treating Minato as his disciple in his mind.
But beside him, Tsunade crossed her arms and gave him a sharp look.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. And Jiraiya—get down from there."
In front of all these students and Jonin, having Jiraiya crouching on the railing like a monkey was just embarrassing.
Seeing Tsunade's irritation, Jiraiya awkwardly scratched his head and jumped back down.
Still, he muttered, "No way that kid Yoru can beat Minato. The guy just swings his fists around—"
Suddenly, he felt a chilling aura wash over him.
Tsunade was smiling at him. But her hands were flexing, causing her knuckles to crack ominously.
"Oh? Just swinging his fists, huh?"
Jiraiya instantly broke into a cold sweat.
"…Ahem. What I meant was, let's just enjoy the match and see how it plays out."
"Hmph."
Tsunade withdrew her fist with a scoff, ignoring him.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru watched the scene unfold with his usual eerie smile.
"Hehehe… a battle between two geniuses. There's bound to be an interesting outcome."
One was a potential future Hokage, a once-in-a-generation prodigy.
The other had awakened an incredibly unique Kekkei Genkai, one that had yet to show its full potential.
Both fascinated Orochimaru immensely.
No matter the result, this battle was going to be one to remember.