Chapter 72
On the arena floor.
After some simple treatment, Sakura dismissed the medical team.
Her final blow had struck Naruto on the back of the neck, causing him to faint, but he was not seriously injured.
Throughout the entire battle, the most severe injury Naruto had received was probably that full-power kick from the girl.
Other than that, he had just fought too hard and had exhausted himself.
"Leave him be. It's nothing, he just passed out from stamina exhaustion. He'll recover soon," Haruno Sakura said faintly. Although she was just a mere Genin, after demonstrating her strength, her words now carried considerable weight.
With Naruto's recovery ability, as long as he rested for an hour, he would immediately be back to his lively self.
However, while physical fatigue could recover on its own, a downcast spirit needed some extra boosting.
After waking up and realizing that he had been defeated, Naruto had a dejected look on his face.
"Sigh... I still can't beat you, Sakura-chan."
Naruto hung his head, looking at the messy ice surface, his eyes lifeless, no longer sparkling.
"Although I said I would definitely beat you, that was just me being stubborn because I was unwilling to accept the fact that I always lose... The ultimate move I worked so hard to practice was completely ineffective."
"So, I'm just a loser who loses again and again..."
The girl let out a deep sigh. It was rare to see Naruto like this.
Speaking of which, the reason Naruto's ultimate move was ineffective was mainly because the battle between her and Gamabunta was a process of both sides going easy on each other.
If Gamabunta had started with a barrage of Gunshots to clear the field—as he did on the battlefield—then even someone as strong as Gaara would have had to bring out Shukaku to defend against that move. A large-scale AOE like that was not something that could be dodged with little tricks like clones and substitutions. Gamabunta had only used the Gunshot and the short sword slash consecutively after confirming Sakura's astonishing defensive power. He had held back at every turn, constantly going easy.
Of course, Sakura herself hadn't used any overly ruthless moves either. Otherwise, with Gamabunta's size, a single hit from her Water Cutter Jutsu would have been enough to have him recuperating for several months.
If it had been a real, no-holds-barred battle, Naruto, who could summon Gamabunta, would have been an almost unbeatable existence for a Genin.
Naruto was already very strong.
Thinking of this, Haruno Sakura suddenly smiled and vigorously ruffled Naruto's messy hair.
"That's not true, Naruto! Don't sell yourself short. In my eyes, you're not a loser who loses again and again, but a strong person who fights again and again after losing! While being powerful is a form of strength, the courage to stand up again after a failure, that is true strength! Look back. Although you haven't succeeded in your challenges this past year, you have grown so, so much. You've gradually grown into a truly strong person."
Naruto has that "I haven't read many books, so come and fool me" look on his face. He really is easy to trick!
"Lift up your head and look. The audience is cheering for our match! Without realizing it, you've already gained the recognition of so many people."
Naruto raised his head blankly, and the cheering crowd was reflected in his eyes. The long-lasting applause from the spectator stands seemed to inject a warm current into his heart.
That praise for the brilliant match included his share as well as Sakura's.
A brilliant smile appeared on Naruto's face.
"Thank you, everyone! Thank you for your applause! Although I lost the match, I'll definitely work twice as hard next time!"
He waved and shouted in all directions, and the audience responded enthusiastically.
Looking at his cheerful appearance, anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was the one who had won.
Sakura didn't mind Naruto stealing her thunder and let him be excited.
The second match was Hinata versus Temari.
"Next, will the contestants for the second match, Hyuga Hinata and Temari, please come down!"
Temari turned her head and glanced at Hinata indifferently, saying nothing.
She had seen the scene of Hinata knocking down that fat kid with a single palm in the preliminaries. The power of the Gentle Fist made her very wary.
I can't let her get close. I have to maintain distance, otherwise it will be troublesome...
Temari thought to herself.
Keenly sensing Temari's gaze, Hinata tilted her small face, looked towards Temari, and didn't mind her coldness, but instead gave a serene smile.
"Please be gentle with me!"
Her blank white eyes, when she smiled, curved into a crescent moon, which was quite beautiful.
Temari had no intention of responding at all.
They were about to go to war with Konoha. She was in no mood to greet the enemy before a battle.
Letting out a low snort and inwardly mocking Hinata's naivety, Temari took the giant fan from her back, stirred up a gust of wind, and actually rode the wind down to the arena floor.
Hinata, having been snubbed, didn't mind much and just regarded her as having a cold and arrogant personality. But regardless of whether Temari was arrogant or foolish, Hinata would not go easy in the match.
Seeing Temari's stylish entrance, she did not show any weakness either.
The smile on her delicate face receded. She propped herself up on the railing with one hand and jumped down along the wall. Halfway down, she pushed off the wall with force, and the explosive power instantly changed her falling figure into a horizontal leap.
This astonishing jump crossed a distance of several dozen meters. Bending her knees slightly, Hinata landed steadily in the center of the arena.
Unlike Temari's entrance, which relied on her giant fan to ride the wind and was light and elegant.
Hinata's entrance used no external objects. A simple push and a jump, followed by a steady landing, perfectly demonstrated the grace of moving like a startled rabbit and being still as a maiden.
A balance of motion and stillness. The calm and serene Hinata instantly won the favor of the audience. The arena was immediately filled with applause and cheers.
Sakura smiled slightly and went up to her.
"She should be a Wind Style ninjutsu-type ninja, with average taijutsu," she said quietly.
After all, she was just a supporting character. She had forgotten most of the information about Temari from the original story. This was all she had deduced from Temari's entrance.
Hinata nodded gently, accepting the information without a change in expression.
After saying her piece, Sakura pulled Naruto along, used a Body Flicker to leave the arena floor, and returned to the waiting platform.
Leaning on the railing, she took out a bag of energy-replenishing soft candies from her ninja tool pouch and ate them in small bites, leisurely waiting for the match to begin.
The specialized rations for ninja were, of course, not limited to just soldier pills. The latter was just famous for being fast-acting and highly effective, and was widely used by ninja. In fact, many ninja didn't like soldier pills, not only because their taste was too terrible, but also because they were too stimulating and bad for the body.
The last time she went shopping with Haku, Sakura had also visited a few ninja shops that specialized in selling these rations and had carefully selected and bought several bags of these soft candies. Although they were a bit slow-acting, the energy they contained was not to be trifled with, and they were not stimulating to the body, making them very suitable for a ninja like Sakura who was still in her developmental stage. The one Sakura had chosen had a texture and taste a bit like Sugus candy from Earth, which made her feel quite nostalgic.
In the battle with Naruto, just two large-scale ninjutsu had consumed nearly half of her stamina. After the fight, she also felt her legs were a bit weak. There might be more battles to come, so she had to recover her stamina as soon as possible.
Let's not mention the leisurely Sakura who was replenishing her energy.
Below on the floor, the long-haired, white-eyed girl and the blonde, pony-tailed girl were looking at each other solemnly.
The beautiful blonde girl with four ponytails was the elite Genin of the Sand, Temari. She was skilled at using a giant fan to cast Wind Style ninjutsu, which had a very wide range and was quite powerful, but her taijutsu was only average.
The white-eyed girl's shoulder-length black hair flew with the wind. She was the main family's daughter of the Konoha Hyuga clan, Hinata. She specialized in taijutsu and was deeply proficient in the essence of the Hyuga clan's unique Gentle Fist. Her close-range combat strength was extraordinary, but she was not very proficient in ninjutsu.
Both of them on the floor had a certain understanding of each other—Temari had come into contact with the Hyuga's information due to the Konoha Crush plan, while Hinata had synthesized her own observations with Sakura's analysis—so both quickly understood the key to this match.
Distance.
If Hinata could break through Temari's ninjutsu blockade and rush to her side to engage in close-quarters combat, then Temari would surely lose.
Conversely, if she was successfully suppressed by Temari, Hinata's chances of winning would be very low.
The two of them adjusted their distance and then stood still far apart from each other.
This subtle distance would neither allow Temari to be instantly killed by Hinata, nor would it allow Hinata to be suppressed from beginning to end by Temari.
It was a distance that was acceptable to both sides.
Seeing that the two had taken their positions, Genma Shiranui nodded and raised his right hand high.
Once that hand fell, the match would officially begin.
Temari propped her giant fan on the ground, the fan surface slightly open, revealing three stars. The chakra in her body was calm on the surface, but surging like an undercurrent within.
Her slender, willow-leaf-like delicate brows furrowed slightly above her pretty nose. Her dark, bright eyes looked at Hinata with a stern gaze, carrying a sharpness and tenacity unique to the Sand ninja.
The fan's ribs blocked her fair, pointed chin and her tightly pursed cherry-like small mouth. She said nothing, just silently watching Hinata.
Hinata paid no mind to her aggressive gaze, a faint and confident smile always on her face.
She took her stance, her feet planted neither here nor there, her hands one in front and one behind, either extending a palm or retracting a fist to protect her body. It was the standard opening stance of the Gentle Fist.
The Byakugan was quietly activated. Veins bulged on Hinata's fair face, revealing a hint of ferocity amidst her gentleness.
The two stood in a silent standoff, waiting for Genma Shiranui to announce the start of the match.
The grave atmosphere seemed to affect the spectator stands. The venue instantly fell silent, everyone holding their breath and watching the two girls below.
They had just watched the exchange of ultimate moves between Sakura and Naruto. Now, how exciting would the battle between these two young girls be?
The audience was full of anticipation.
Below, Genma Shiranui's right hand finally swung down heavily.
"Let the match begin!"
On the waiting platform, Haruno Sakura, who was lazily leaning on the railing and chewing on soft candies, suddenly narrowed her eyes.
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