30: Chapter 30 Finalists, New StrategyThe commotion and bloodshed of the preliminary rounds had not yet completely dissipated when the chief examiner, Moonlight Gale, dragged his sickly body and announced the final results.
On the giant electronic screen in the center of the stadium, the flashing names finally stopped, and eight names were clearly listed, announcing the final lineup for the final.
Naruto Uzumaki.
Uchiha Sasuke.
Hyuga Neji.
Gaara.
Temari.
Kankuro.
Nara Shikamaru.
Akimichi Choji.
A long-suppressed murmur erupted from the crowd.Tension, anticipation, and unease intertwined within the tower, converging into a complex torrent that surged into Naruto's senses.
[Ding!You've received 2100 units of "anticipation" from the audience!]
[Ding!You've received 1800 units of tension from the audience!]
Naruto stood at the edge of the stands, oblivious to everything.
He simply glanced at the list calmly, his mind unmoved.
Everything is under control.
The disinfectant at Konoha Hospital always smells so pungent.
Naruto pushed open the door to a hospital room and went inside.
Hinata Hyuga had woken up.She was leaning against the headboard, her pale face devoid of color.Her weakness made even the simple action of turning her head extremely difficult.
When she saw the orange figure walk in, her pure white eyes were instantly filled with a bright light.
"Naruto… Naruto-kun…"
Her voice was weak, yet filled with undisguised joy and dependence.
Naruto walked to the bedside, pulled over a chair, and sat down.
"Take good care of your injury."
His words were simple, offering no further comfort.
"I will avenge you in the finals."
Hinata's body trembled slightly.She looked at Naruto's face, which was no longer filled with his usual silly smile but only with calmness, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart.
[Ding!You have received 3500 "Gratitude" from Hinata Hyuga!]
[Ding!You have received 4000 [Affection] from Hinata Hyuga!]
Naruto raised his hand and casually placed it on her shoulder again.
"Don't worry, you'll get better soon."
His lips did not move, but an invisible, warm spiritual wave was quietly transmitted through [Heart Path - Spiritual Transmission].
[Confirmed consumption of 10,000 Glory Points, converted into pure [Healing Energy].]
A pure, positive energy originating from "Glory" flowed silently into Hinata's body through his palm, beginning to repair her damaged meridians and internal organs.
Hinata felt an indescribable warmth spread from her shoulder throughout her body, dispelling the deep pain and chill, and clearing her previously drowsy mind.
Outside the ward door, a figure stood quietly.
Hiashi Hyuga, dressed in his neat clan chief's robes, did not go inside, but instead observed everything in the room through the small pane of glass in the door.
He heard Naruto's promise.
He also saw a look on his daughter's face that he had never seen before, a look that was a mixture of dependence and reassurance.
What method did this blond boy use to make his daughter, who had even given up on him, unleash such willpower and establish such a strong relationship of trust in such a short time?
Hiashi Hyuga's hands unconsciously tightened beneath his wide sleeves.
A feeling of being unable to control the situation made him wary.
The influence that Naruto Uzumaki has had on the Hyuga clan has exceeded his expectations and control.
[Ding!You have received 3000 of Hiashi Hyuga's ultimate [Judgment]!]
[Ding!You have received 2500 units of ultimate [Fear] from Hiashi Hyuga!]
Naruto withdrew his hand and stood up.He didn't look back at the door, but he had already taken in the emotional fluctuations of the person outside.
He left the ward and brushed past Hyuga Hiashi, who was standing in the corridor, without exchanging glances at each other the entire time.
Naruto found Sasuke Uchiha in a corner of the training ground.
Sasuke was leaning against a big tree, panting heavily, his black hair soaked with sweat and sticking to his forehead.
Even though the three black tomoe-shaped curse marks on his neck were hidden by his collar, they still exuded an ominous aura.
Each slight throbbing of the cursed seal caused all the muscles in his body to tense up.
"Yo, Sasuke."
Naruto greeted people in his usual carefree way.
Sasuke ignored him and simply turned his head to the other side.
"Still bothered by that mark?" Naruto sat down next to him without a second thought."That guy's power is indeed very tempting, isn't it?"
Sasuke's body stiffened for a moment.
"Shut up, you loser."
"You see, you and I are actually quite similar." Naruto completely ignored his anger and slowly said, "We both have a 'monster' inside us that doesn't belong to us."
He patted his stomach.
"Mine is the Nine-Tails.Yours is a 'gift' left by Orochimaru."
"What do you want to say?" Sasuke finally turned his head, his crimson Sharingan staring intently at him.
"I'm thinking there are two choices when it comes to this power that's parasitizing my body." Naruto held up two fingers."One is to be devoured by it, become its slave, and be drained of everything in endless pain."
"Another one…" He paused, a strange smile appearing on his face, "is to make a deal with it.Use it, control it, and make its power work for you."
These words, like the whispers of a demon, struck precisely at Sasuke's deepest desires and inner conflicts.
"A deal?" Sasuke's voice was a little hoarse.
"Yes, a deal." Naruto stood up, brushing the dirt off his pants."Of course, it's difficult.It requires a strong will and a willingness to accept the consequences.But for a genius like you from the Uchiha clan, it shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
His words were full of reverse provocation.
He did not persuadeSasuke embraced the darkness, transforming "mastering the darkness" into a challenge only a genius could accomplish, an opportunity to prove himself superior to Naruto.
Sasuke remained silent.
He watched Naruto's relaxed figure, then recalled his incomprehensible strength in the Land of Waves, and the explosive power of his punch that shattered Fang in the preliminaries.
Could it be that.Naruto obtained that power through a "transaction"?
An even more frenzied thirst for power burned fiercely in his chest.
[Ding!You have received 6000 units of the ultimate [Craving for Power] from Uchiha Sasuke!]
[Ding!You have received 5500 [Jealousy] from Uchiha Sasuke!]
Sasuke suddenly stood up from the ground, didn't look at Naruto again, and turned to run in another direction.
He's going to undergo special training; he's going to find Kakashi; he needs to become stronger.
Regardless of the cost.
Naruto returned to his small apartment.
He closed the door, shutting himself out of everything.
[Spell: Tent, unfold.]
An invisible barrier enveloped the entire room, rendering Hiruzen Sarutobi's crystal ball completely useless at that moment.
Naruto sat cross-legged on the bed and opened the system panel.
He began preparing for the final.
The most foolish choice to confront Hyuga Neji head-on is to avoid direct confrontation.
The pressure point strikes of Soft Fist and the Heaven-Reversing Technique of Baguazhang are both extremely difficult moves to deal with.
But what if we could attack from another dimension?
"System, exchange for introductory knowledge of [Spellcasting: Shadow Manipulation]."
[Confirmed consumption of 40,000 Shadow Points?This spell allows the user to manipulate their shadow for binding, attacking, or storing items.]
"confirm."
A vast and exquisite body of knowledge flooded into my mind.
Unlike the secret arts of the Nara clan, the shadows manipulated by this curse are even more bizarre and illogical.
It is not an extension of chakra, but a manifestation of its own "domain".
very good.
With this, Neji's 360-degree defense with no blind spots becomes a joke.
Then, his thoughts turned to another goal.
Gaara.
That Jinchuriki from the Hidden Sand Village, radiating loneliness and hatred.
He is not alone.
He is a walking, highly concentrated aggregate of negative emotions.
His loneliness, his hatred, his confusion about existence, and his desire for killing—each of these is the system's top-tier nourishment.
On that stage of the finals, under the spotlight of millions, he completely unleashed his emotions, and the reward was.
Naruto could almost foresee the numbers on the system panel jumping wildly.
The day of the finals is drawing ever closer.
The atmosphere in Konoha Village became more tense than ever before.
The number of clandestine patrols on the streets has increased significantly.
Ninjas and dignitaries from Sunagakure, Otogakure, and even other small countries arrived in Konoha one after another.
The Kazekage, the Tsuchikage.these Kage-level powerhouses who usually only exist in legends will all be present to watch the battle.
What seemed like an ordinary genin promotion exam had long since evolved into a political game concerning the village's reputation and future.
A storm is brewing.
dusk.
Naruto stood alone atop the Hokage Rock, atop the enormous head of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
The orange-red afterglow stretched his shadow long.
He looked down at the village of Konoha, whose lights were gradually coming on, and took in the entire outline of the village.
His gaze crossed the village's boundary and landed in the distant Land of Waves.
There, there is a bridge connecting the mainland.
A bridge named after him.
That was his first "glory farm," which provided him with his first source of initial capital.
Now, this enormous village beneath his feet, and the impending gaze of the entire ninja world, will become his new stage.
Naruto felt the cold wind blowing across the mountaintop, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
"It's time for me to change the world."
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