27: Chapter 27 Preliminaries, The Gears of FateAs the preliminary rounds began, Sarutobi Asuma made a dazzling entrance with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a languid air.
The examiner was Sarutobi Asuma, the son of the Third Hokage.
"Alright, now let's announce the rules for the preliminary rounds."
"One-on-one elimination system."
"This electronic screen will randomly select those who pass the Death Forest test."
"The selected player will engage in one-on-one combat here, and the winner will advance to the preliminary rounds."
"Let's begin now."
On the giant electronic screen in the center of the stadium, names flashed wildly before finally freezing.
Uchiha Sasuke VS Zaku.
"Alright, contestants for the first match, please proceed to the center of the field," the chief examiner, Sarutobi Asuma, announced in a languid tone, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
Zaku, from the Sound Village, walked down with a sinister grin on his face.He cracked his knuckles and looked at Sasuke with disdain and cruelty in his eyes.
Sasuke Uchiha tensed up.
He could feel the three black tomoe marks on his neck transmitting a cold and evil power into his body.That power was both corroding him and tempting him.
"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura Haruno looked at him with concern.
Sasuke didn't respond.He just took a deep breath and walked down the steps one by one.
The moment the battle began, Sasuke launched his attack.The wind cave in his palm emitted a piercing whistle, and the violent air pressure mixed with sound waves to create a deadly impact that slammed into Sasuke.
Sasuke relied on the Sharingan's precise perception to dodge the attacks with difficulty.However, the continuous excruciating pain from the cursed seal caused his movements to become noticeably sluggish.
Every movement he made affected every nerve in his body, as if countless needles were churning inside his flesh.
"Too slow!Is this all the genius Uchiha can do?" Zaku laughed wildly, his attacks becoming even more ferocious.
From the high stands, Naruto Uzumaki leaned against the railing, calmly observing everything.
He wasn't watching a game.
He was observing a set of control experiments.
Experiment subject: Uchiha Sasuke.
Variable: Orochimaru's cursed seal.
He could clearly "see" how that evil chakra intertwined with Sasuke's own chakra.It acted as a catalyst, amplifying the negative emotions deep within Sasuke's heart, such as resentment, anger, and desire for power, and then transforming these emotions into a violent force.
This is a crude but effective way of extracting energy.
Bang!
Sasuke was caught off guard and was hit head-on by a powerful air pressure, sending him flying backward and rolling several times on the ground.
"Damn it." He struggled to get up, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
[Ding!You have received 3800 units of ultimate [Pain] from Uchiha Sasuke!]
[Ding!You have received 4200 units of "Unwillingness" from Uchiha Sasuke!]
"It's over!" Sakstedt raised both hands, ready to deliver the final blow.
At that moment, countless black lines appeared on Sasuke's body.The lines spread from the cursed seal on his neck, instantly covering half of his body.His chakra level increased exponentially at that instant.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique!"
Sasuke spat out several fireballs, their speed and power far exceeding anything he had ever done before.But even more bizarrely, he concealed several shuriken within the fireballs.
Sak's stirrups blocked the fireball with the wind tunnel, but they couldn't stop the sharp blades that were obscured by the flames.
Pfft!
Blood splattered.
Sakden screamed as his arms were pierced by shurikens, completely rendering him unable to fight.
Sasuke stood swaying, drenched in sweat, panting heavily.The power of the cursed seal slowly faded, leaving him with even more intense pain and weakness.
He won, but he was even more pathetic than if he had lost.
Naruto looked at the newly earned points on the system panel, but his heart remained unmoved.
The names on the big screen started scrolling again.
Naruto Uzumaki VS Kiba Inuzuka.
"Oh my gosh!It's my turn!" Naruto immediately jumped down from the railing, striking an extremely excited and silly pose as he shouted and rushed off the field.
Kiba Inuzuka, accompanied by his ninja dog Akamaru, looked at him arrogantly."You loser, you're out of luck.I'll take care of you in three minutes."
Akamaru barked in agreement.
The genin in the stands burst into laughter.
[Ding!You have received 800 "Pride" items from Kiba Inuzuka!]
[Ding!You have received 1500 [Contempt] from the audience!]
[Ding!You have received 500 [Worries] from Hinata Hyuga!]
"The match begins!"
Asuma had barely finished speaking when Kiba Inuzuka moved."Akamaru!"
He threw a soldier's ration pill into Akamaru's mouth, and Akamaru's fur instantly turned red, and his aura became violent.
"Ninja Art: Beast Mimicry Ninja Art: Four-Legged Technique!"
Kiba Inuzuka lowered his body, his nails and canine teeth grew longer, and his whole being exuded a wild and aggressive aura.
"Tooth-to-teeth!"
The man and the dog transformed into two rapidly spinning tornadoes, shrieking as they tore through the air, attacking Naruto from both directions.
"Waaaaah!" Naruto screamed in terror, scrambling around the field on all fours, desperately trying to dodge the attacks.
He was occasionally brushed by the whirlwind, leaving a tear in his clothes.
Sometimes, pebbles would fly up and hit his cheek, making him wince in pain.
He was completely overwhelmed and could only run around like a headless fly, looking both ridiculous and pathetic.
"Go for it, Naruto!" Sakura Haruno couldn't help but shout.
"What is that idiot doing?" Sasuke leaned against the wall, enduring the excruciating pain in his body, watching the shameful scene on the field, a nameless anger rising in his heart.
Kiba's attacks became faster and faster, and Naruto's room to dodge was constantly being compressed.
"Hahaha!All you can do is run?You're the worst runner!" Tooth's laughter was full of mockery.
[Ding!You have received 1000 of Kiba Inuzuka's ultimate "Pride"!]
[Ding!You've received 2200 units of tension from the audience!]
Naruto calmly calculated in his mind.
That's about it.
The buildup of emotions has been enough.
"That's enough!" Kiba Inuzuka seized an opportunity, merging with Akamaru to form an even larger white tornado.
"Fang fang!"
This is his strongest move so far, enough to shatter a giant rock instantly.
The devastating attack arrived in front of Naruto in an instant.
"Ah!" Naruto seemed to be stunned, standing frozen in place, unable to move.
Just as the spinning claws were about to touch his body.
A barely perceptible wisp of violent red chakra "leaked" from the seal on his abdomen.
Buzz.
The world seems to have slowed down.
Naruto's speed and strength exploded at this moment.
He didn't dodge.
He did not use any ninjutsu.
He simply faced the devastating tornado and threw a single punch.
Bang!
A deafeningly loud bang.
The violent spinning came to an abrupt halt.
The giant tornado formed by Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru was forcefully shattered by that punch.
The two figures were sent flying backward at an even faster speed than when they arrived, tracing a long parabola before crashing heavily into a distant wall and then sliding to the ground, completely unconscious.
The entire venue was deathly silent.
Everyone stared blankly at the scene, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
One second he was being chased and beaten down, the next second he knocked out his opponent with a single punch?
Naruto stood there, his body trembling slightly.
Then, his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, panting heavily, his face showing weakness and lingering fear from surviving the ordeal.
"Phew.phew.that was close.almost.almost lost control." He muttered to himself in a moderate volume, making sure the examiners on the platform could hear him.
A hint of seriousness flashed in Kakashi's single eye.
"It's the power of the Nine-Tails.leaking out unstablely under pressure.He simply can't control it yet."
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, exhaled a smoke ring, having the same thought.
This confirms their long-standing concerns.
Only Naruto himself knows the truth.
He didn't even use 0.1% of his strength in that punch.
The so-called "Nine-Tailed Rampage" was nothing more than a carefully orchestrated play, a perfect smokescreen to conceal [Evil Spirit Possessed Ice Demon] and his true power.
[Ding!You have received 12,000 units of ultimate [shock] from the entire audience!]
[Ding!You have received 1500 [Approvals] from Kakashi Hatake!]
[Ding!You have received 2000 [Worries] from Hiruzen Sarutobi!]
Killing three birds with one stone, yielding a great harvest.
The medical team carried the unconscious Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru away.
The names on the big screen began flashing again.
Ultimately, two surnames appeared on it.
Hinata Hyuga VS Neji Hyuga.
The atmosphere inside the room instantly became subtle.
The internal strife within the Hyuga clan, one of the oldest and most prestigious clans in Konoha.
The eldest daughter of the main family, a genius from the branch family.
All eyes were focused on the frail-looking girl.
Hinata Hyuga's body trembled uncontrollably under the watchful eyes of everyone present.
She kept her head down, not daring to look at anyone, especially her cousin with the indifferent expression on the other side of the venue.
She exuded an intense and palpable sense of fear and unease.
Hyuga Neji, on the other hand, wore an expression of arrogance and disdain, but beneath that calm lay a cold hatred directed at the main family and at "fate."
Another top-quality ingredient.
Hinata bit her lip and used all her strength to take a step forward, preparing to walk towards the arena that felt like hell to her.
Just then, a figure blocked her way.
It was Naruto Uzumaki, who had just gotten up from the ground and was still pretending to be a little unsteady.
"Um." Hinata took a step back in fright and spoke in a barely audible voice.
Naruto neither laughed nor offered loud encouragement.
He took a step closer and spoke in a low voice, so that only the two of them could hear him.
"Don't be afraid, let him see what the Hyuga clan's true 'eyes' are like."
As he spoke, Naruto casually raised his hand and gently patted her shoulder.
[Ding!500 Glory Points consumed, converted into Pure Courage.]
A barely perceptible, warm yet resolute energy flowed silently into Hinata's body through his palm.
That wasn't chakra, nor was it any kind of ninjutsu.
It's a kind of emotional energy that goes straight to the soul, called "courage".
Hinata Hyuga's body suddenly stiffened.
The icy sea of fear deep within her heart did not disappear, but a surge of scalding magma erupted from the seabed, forcefully resisting the biting cold.
She slowly raised her head, and for the first time, a faint but inextinguishable flame ignited in her pure white eyes, which had always been timid and evasive.
She looked at Naruto, her lips moved, but she couldn't say anything.
Then, she turned around and faced the cousin who had brought her endless childhood trauma.
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