Following the Forest of Death—where Team 7 had moved through the shadows like phantoms, securing their scrolls in record time without breaking a sweat—the preliminary rounds were held in the dark, cavernous arena of the Tower.
The Third Hokage sat above, flanked by Aizen. Hiruzen's eyes were filled with a mix of pride and a growing, gnawing unease. He looked at his advisor, whose silver hair seemed to glow in the dim light.
"Your students, Sosuke... they don't fight like Shinobi," Hiruzen whispered. "They fight with a coldness that reminds me of... well, of you."
Aizen's eyes remained fixed on the electronic board. "They fight with clarity, Hiruzen-sama. Emotion is the friction that slows a warrior down. I have simply polished them."
The Roar of the Golden King
The board spun and stopped: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka.
Kiba stepped forward, Akamaru growling at his side. "Hey, Naruto! I don't know what kind of fancy robes your sensei wears, but you're still the loser from the Academy!"
Naruto didn't yell. He didn't pull out a prank. He stood perfectly still, his hands at his sides. His blue eyes had a faint, golden ring around the pupil.
"Kiba," Naruto said, his voice carrying a strange, heavy resonance. "You should sit down. The floor is safer than the air right now."
"Shut up!" Kiba lunged with Gatsuga (Fang Over Fang). A spinning drill of claws and wind tore toward Naruto.
Naruto didn't dodge. He raised a single hand, palm open. The air around him began to shimmer with a white-gold heat. It wasn't the bubbling, hateful chakra of the Red Fox. It was something refined—Spiritualized Chakra.
"Hado #1: Sho (Thrust)."
A pulse of pure invisible force erupted from Naruto's palm. It wasn't a jutsu Kiba had ever seen. The shockwave hit the Gatsuga head-on, negating the rotation and slamming Kiba into the far wall with enough force to crack the concrete.
The arena went silent. Kakashi, Guy, and even Asuma leaned forward.
"What... was that?" Kakashi muttered, his Sharingan spinning. "No hand signs. No elemental buildup. Just... raw intent turned into force."
Naruto walked toward the unconscious Kiba. "I told you to sit down," he whispered. He looked up at Aizen on the balcony. Aizen gave a nearly imperceptible nod.
The Black Sun Rises
The next match: Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akado.
Yoroi was a spy for Orochimaru, designed to drain chakra. He lunged for Sasuke's neck, but Sasuke simply tilted his head. Sasuke's eyes were no longer the red Sharingan. They were a deep, void-like black with a silver rim—the Void-Sharingan.
"You want my energy?" Sasuke asked, his voice devoid of anger. "Take it. If you can survive the weight of it."
As Yoroi grabbed Sasuke's arm, he didn't feel chakra. He felt a crushing, spiritual gravity. It felt like trying to drink from a black hole. Yoroi screamed as his own internal energy was pulled out of him and into Sasuke.
Sasuke didn't even use the Lion's Barrage. He simply tapped Yoroi's chest with two fingers. "Bakudo #4: Hainawa (Crawling Cord)."
A yellow rope of crackling energy manifested out of thin air, binding Yoroi so tightly his bones began to creak. Sasuke stood over him, looking not at his opponent, but at the shadows where he knew Orochimaru was hiding.
"The snake is watching," Sasuke mused. "Let him see what a real Uchiha looks like under a God's tutelage."