Temari was always confident and probably never expected to lose. She was a bit unable to accept it for a moment.
But looking at Temari's attack methods, you know that her Wind Release using the fan is more suitable for long-range attacks. Once in close combat, it's her disadvantage. Coupled with Tenten's decent Taijutsu level, defeating Temari was not difficult.
Natsuki, however, gave Shikamaru a meaningful look.
You know, originally it was supposed to be Shikamaru and Temari fighting in the finals, and they formed a bond from then on. Through continuous cooperation afterwards, their relationship also developed naturally.
But now, Temari lost to Tenten, so Shikamaru's wife might be gone.
Natsuki didn't intend to interfere too much. If Shikamaru and Temari were truly fated, they would eventually be together.
Immediately following was the tenth match, Naruto Uzumaki vs. Natsuki.
When Naruto saw that his opponent was Natsuki, he was completely stunned. He never expected to be so unlucky as to encounter the strongest one. How could he possibly win now?
You know, Natsuki defeated Orochimaru alone, while he, Naruto, only exchanged one move with Orochimaru before fainting.
Who was stronger and who was weaker was clear at a glance. It seemed there was no need to continue the match.
Shikamaru directly said: "Naruto, surrender. The outcome is decided."
The others also looked at Naruto with the same gaze. Although they didn't speak, Naruto knew what they meant, which instead ignited his competitive spirit.
He loudly declared: "I know Natsuki is strong, but if I don't try, how will I know I can't beat him, believe it!"
He was just that blindly confident, thinking courage could overcome everything, while in reality, his combat power was only useful at the end of the story. Other times, he could only rely on Talk no Jutsu. Neji lost this way, Nagato too, and even Obito was affected by Talk no Jutsu.
Why didn't Talk no Jutsu work at the end of the story?
Because Ōtsutsuki Kaguya wouldn't listen to your nonsense and would just kill you without a word!
Besides defeating Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, what else could be done?
Natsuki used Lightning Flash to instantly appear in the center of the arena. He didn't talk to Naruto at all, just stared at Naruto without blinking, making Naruto feel a chill all over.
But he had already spoken, so now he could only brace himself and step into the ring.
"Natsuki! I'll give it my all and definitely won't lose to you, believe it!" Naruto tried to use Talk no Jutsu, or perhaps he was just encouraging himself.
But Natsuki just looked at him without speaking, making Naruto feel awkward for a moment.
Fortunately, Hayate Gekkō announced the start, and Naruto immediately used Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. Dozens of Narutos swarmed forward, intending to gang up on Natsuki.
Chakra threads faintly appeared on Natsuki's ten fingers. Then his Lightning Flash flickered quickly, moving rapidly within the group of Shadow Clones, and his fingertips also quickly shot out Chakra threads, wrapping around the Shadow Clones.
In the blink of an eye, Natsuki bypassed all the Shadow Clones and even Naruto's main body, appearing behind them.
The group of Narutos turned back in confusion, only to see Natsuki suddenly retract his hands. The Chakra threads immediately tightened, instantly entangling all the Shadow Clones and pulling them all to the center. For a moment, the Shadow Clones collided with each other and then exploded one after another. In just an instant, all the Shadow Clones were gone.
Naruto's main body was still dazed, and when he saw all the Shadow Clones disappear, he was instantly stunned.
When he came back to his senses, he found that he couldn't move. Looking closely, he realized he was covered in Chakra threads.
Natsuki wouldn't waste time explaining anything. He quickly stepped forward and punched Naruto to the ground. Seeing that the referee hadn't spoken yet, he simply sat on Naruto's back and pointed a Kunai at Naruto's head.
Hayate Gekkō, the referee, finally decided to speak: "That's enough! Winner, Natsuki!"
Huh?!
Naruto was dumbfounded, his face full of disbelief.
Although he knew Natsuki was strong, he didn't expect to lose so quickly. He didn't even see what Natsuki did; his Shadow Clones were all gone in an instant.
How did he lose?!
At this point, Natsuki patiently explained: "See the Chakra threads on my hands? You're always reckless and careless, that's why you didn't notice. When I used Body Flicker Technique to go around you and your Shadow Clones, the Chakra threads all wrapped around them. Then, like a trap set with threads, they suddenly tightened, and didn't all your Shadow Clones disappear?"
"So that's it! Natsuki, you're amazing!"
Naruto couldn't help but admire, but thinking about how easily he lost, he became dejected for a moment.
Natsuki just smiled and released the Chakra threads from him. This was good. Don't talk nonsense during a battle, and Naruto's Talk no Jutsu would have no effect. There would be no time to recover, and he wouldn't even have a chance for the Nine-Tails' Chakra to react.
...Requesting flowers...
After defeating Naruto, don't say anything extra, step on him, point a Kunai at him, and would the referee dare not declare victory?
It's better to talk to Naruto after securing the victory, isn't it great!
Naruto and Natsuki left the arena together and returned to the second floor. Shikamaru leaned against the wall and said: "I told you already, the outcome was decided. It would have saved you trouble if you surrendered earlier."
Naruto didn't know how to retort for a moment, because a loser's retort was just pathetic.
Natsuki, however, helped him out: "Don't say that, Shikamaru. Winning and losing is one thing, but having the courage to fight is another. At least Naruto dared to fight me, which is quite courageous."
Naruto immediately chimed in: "That's right, believe it! My courage isn't bad!"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. He heard that Natsuki was giving Naruto a way out, and only a fool like Naruto didn't understand. Fortunately, he disliked trouble and was too lazy to explain anything.
After that was the eleventh match, Rock Lee vs. Gaara!
Here it was, another fated battle, but Xiao Li probably still wouldn't win.
At this time, Xiao Li had put the weights back on his legs. Perhaps it was because he protected his teammates in the Death Forest and received praise from Kai, so he was now brimming with confidence.
He stood face to face with Gaara, raised his bandaged hands, his eyes full of determination.
However, fate seemed to be playing a joke on him. His attacks couldn't break through Gaara's defense. Even after removing the weights and becoming faster, he still couldn't defeat Gaara.
Afterwards, his Eight Gates shocked everyone present. Not only did he break through Gaara's defense, but he also almost severely injured Gaara.
However, Xiao Li's Eight Gates opened to the fifth gate, causing immense damage to his body, and after a series of fierce moves, he was already covered in injuries.
Finally, Gaara seemed enraged and tried to use sand to strangle Xiao Li to death.
Fortunately, Kai intervened in time to block the sand, saving Xiao Li's life, but it also meant Xiao Li had lost.
Yet, even though Lee was in so much pain he fainted, he still managed to stand up, shocking everyone; his fighting will earned everyone's admiration.
But soon, bad news arrived.
Lee's injuries were severe and could not be treated with Konoha's current medical standards; he might never be a Ninja again.