"Old man, nice try!"
Mei Terumi shouted fiercely, directly launching a **Lava Release** toward the Earth Dragon's head. Lava Release possessed high-temperature properties; once it touched rock, it would rapidly melt the latter into volcanic ash upon the ground!
After all, while Earth Release could control the earth, it couldn't manipulate lava!
This match immediately turned into a contest of chakra!
Countless Earth Dragons rose from the ground, only to be quickly burned away by the rain of molten lava falling from above. Gradually, only volcanic ash remained on the surface—beyond the control of Earth Release.
"Teacher! Is that old man going to lose?" Obito asked again.
"It's hard to say who'll win!"
"But he can't even attack Mei Terumi anymore!"
Ye Liang shook his head slightly, without explaining clearly.
For a disciple, Obito was very dull indeed; thus, some things could only be understood rather than spoken aloud.
*Bang!*
A violent crashing sound erupted.
Mei Terumi's lava pillar finally shattered completely!
Shock filled her face—she hadn't anticipated this scene at all.
Obito showed surprise on his face, but Ye Liang had already seen it coming.
Once deprived of its stone target, the Earth Dragon immediately lunged toward the unprotected Mei Terumi.
"You've lost!"
"No! I haven't!"
Mei refused to accept defeat and was already preparing another counterattack when Ye Liang suddenly grabbed her.
"Why are you stopping me? I haven't lost yet! I can still fight!"
Then Ye Liang glanced toward the ground and said coolly, "You've lost."
"Lost?"
Mei blinked in confusion.
Moments later, she spotted rows of steel blades embedded exactly where she would have landed. Had she touched down there, even if not life-threatening, her delicate feet would surely have been pierced with countless holes.
*Hiss!* She drew in a sharp breath.
With no other choice, Mei shot Ye Liang a look that mixed both surrender and thanks.
Second round!
Karui versus Asuma!
...
Evening.
Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
Ye Liang sat on a long-missed wooden stool beside the excited Obito.
"Uncle Otsutsuki! I want watermelon-flavored ramen!"
In such hot weather, a bowl of chilled watermelon ramen could help beat the heat.
Ye Liang didn't quite understand how watermelon could be made into ramen, but island countries always seem to have some unusual food styles!
"Master Ye Liang, do you really think Mei Terumi will truly become the Mizukage someday?"
"Of course. When have my predictions ever missed the mark?"
Ye Liang smiled faintly.
Earlier during their stroll, in a relaxed moment, he had casually mentioned plot points from the original story.
"Boss! Another bowl please!"
"Coming right up!"
"But Master, today she lost. How could someone who loses still become Kage? Would a Kage-level master just randomly lose?"
"Haha! Before becoming Hokage, the Third got beaten up constantly too—he was even called 'Monkey' back then!"
"Eh? Really?"
"Of course it's true."
Otsutsuki Ichiraku cheerfully served another bowl of ramen. He loved hearing stories about famous people.
Ye Liang nodded and smiled.
At that moment, Mei Terumi herself appeared behind Obito.
"I may have lost, but that's only because that old guy had more chakra than me!"
"I'm not afraid of going head-to-head with him!" However, as soon as she said it, she regretted it.
Why was she getting upset over something a kid said?
Obito froze.
Then he noticed Terumi Mei behind him looked somewhat embarrassed.
"Mr. Ye Liang, thank you for what you did back at the arena. If it weren't for you, I might have..."
"The arena? Oh! That thing. No big deal!"
Ye Liang shrugged indifferently.
After all, as a spectator, protecting the examinees was part of his duty.
Right after speaking, Ye Liang suddenly realized something odd.
Earlier, Terumi Mei had directly used his name?
Although he went by Ye Liang, he never actually introduced himself that way to her before. Meaning she must've learned his name through other means!
She desires my body!
Ye Liang immediately figured it out!
"Obito, you go home first. You've got exams tomorrow."
"But I haven't finished eating yet."
"Obito, have you ever heard of a taijutsu called *Hunger Potential* [A Taijutsu that says when someone is starving, they can unleash unprecedented strength.]?"
"Really, sensei?"
"Of course. When have I ever lied to you? As long as you go home now obediently, I guarantee you'll pass the exam tomorrow!"
"Ah! Thank you, sensei!"
Obito hesitated slightly. He'd never heard this theory before, but if his teacher said so, there must be truth in it!
Once Obito left,
Ye Liang cut straight to the point.
He didn't believe Mei would take interest in him without reason. While normally an optimist, when it came to matters of life and death, he always stayed serious.
"Just tell me what's going on."
"It's like this!"
The two talked through the entire night. That evening, Ye Liang didn't return home.
...
"All right! The next match will be between Uchiha Obito from Konoha and Kurotsuchi from Iwagakure!"
Ye Liang shouted enthusiastically from the arena.
While enjoying the cheers of adoring female fans, he announced Obito's name!
"Uh, I hope he's okay after skipping dinner last night!"
Ye Liang felt somewhat uneasy. To avoid being a third wheel while talking to Mei, he'd hastily sent Obito away.
Honestly speaking, he already regretted it!
"Grrr!"
Obito arrived at the arena.
He looked trembling, clearly nervous. Almost no audience supported him—since the Uchiha had already shown signs of betrayal, naturally nobody cheered for him.
"I must prove myself! I must become Hokage!"
Obito clenched his fist tightly, and instantly, his previously gloomy expression became energized.
Kurotsuchi waited above.
She was also a contestant.
Her cheering section nearly filled the arena.
"Come on, sweetie Kurotsuchi! Beat this Obito! Beat that last-place loser!"
"Kurotsuchi, your senior brothers are here cheering for you! Don't be afraid!"
Voices erupted from the stands.
"Brother Hiruzen, this young fellow's skills seem quite terrible. Why doesn't anyone cheer for him?" Onoki asked Hiruzen Sarutobi curiously.
The latter's face clearly darkened.
"Yeah, he really is a total loser. Makes sense nobody's cheering for him," began Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The situation with the Uchiha clan was already extremely serious. Looking at the current atmosphere in the arena, tensions were about to blow up!
He couldn't let the other Kage notice anything—after all, the Uchiha were one of Konoha's most powerful fighting forces. If other villages discovered they had defected, it could cause them to look down on Konoha!
In that case, Konoha's reputation would be ruined!
"Really just a total loser?" Onoki asked skeptically.
At this moment, the two fighters on the arena floor prepared themselves for battle.
"You'd better stay sharp, little girl!"
Obito relaxed his guard a bit.
Kurotsuchi was the youngest competitor in this tournament. Although she was the little princess of Iwagakure, she was still just a tiny thing!
Her actual age was only eight years old!
Looks like she's in deep water!
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>