As Naruto lay on the ground, everyone thought the battle was over.
However, to their surprise, Naruto stood up once again, unleashing an immense surge of red chakra.
This scene left everyone watching utterly stunned.
"What is this?"
"How is that possible? He's already been struck at his chakra points!"
"This is unbelievable!"
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock.
"This chakra... there's no mistaking it. It's the Nine-Tails. When did he gain control over its chakra?"
At this thought, he instinctively turned to look at Shigeo Aburame, as if seeking answers from his expression.
Seeing Sarutobi's astonished face, Shigeo couldn't help but chuckle.
"Until the very end, no one knows who the true victor will be. Hokage-sama, don't you agree with what I said earlier?"
"Uh…"
Hiruzen was at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, Naruto, now back in fighting form, charged at Neji Hyūga once more, and the two resumed their intense battle.
At a critical moment, Neji executed the "Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation," while Naruto, empowered by the Nine-Tails' chakra, charged straight into him.
"Boom!"
The clash of two powerful chakras created a massive explosion, sending a towering cloud of dust into the air in the arena's center.
When the dust finally settled, Neji emerged from a crater, standing shakily.
Naruto, on the other hand, lay unconscious in another crater not far away, eyes closed as if he had passed out.
The arena was silent. Everyone seemed to be waiting for the referee to announce the final result.
But at that moment, the ground beneath Neji suddenly cracked, and Naruto burst out from underground.
"Hyaah!"
With a loud cry, Naruto unleashed an uppercut, striking Neji's chin and knocking him to the ground.
The Naruto lying in the other crater suddenly disappeared in a puff of white smoke, revealing a tunnel beneath it.
It turned out Naruto had used a shadow clone as a decoy while digging underground to land a surprise attack on Neji—a decisive move!
Seeing Neji immobilized due to chakra depletion, the referee, Shiranui Genma, immediately declared:
"The winner is—Naruto Uzumaki!"
As the announcement echoed through the arena, the stands erupted into thunderous applause and cheers.
"Fantastic!"
"Well done!"
"That was an amazing match!"
The crowd cheered for Naruto and applauded Neji, appreciating the spectacular battle they had witnessed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi joined in the applause, turning to Shigeo Aburame as he clapped.
"That was truly a remarkable fight. Until the very end, no one knew who the true victor would be. Your words were spot on—I've learned something today!"
"You flatter me, Hokage-sama. For me, it no longer matters who the victor is."
Shigeo adjusted his sunglasses and squinted slightly.
"What matters is that I've earned billions. I'm retiring early and planning a hot spring trip to the Land of Hot Water with Konan. Hokage-sama, you're welcome to join us—on me, of course!"
"Uh…"
Hiruzen was momentarily speechless, his mouth twitching several times.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Kazekage remained relatively indifferent, focusing on the arena as if anticipating the next match.
The next battle was supposed to be between Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara.
However, since the opening ceremony, Sasuke had been absent. Even now, after the first match had ended, he still hadn't appeared.
Just as Hiruzen was about to instruct the referee to disqualify Sasuke, the Fourth Kazekage spoke up.
"Hokage-sama, please reconsider disqualifying Sasuke."
Hiruzen looked troubled.
"Sasuke hasn't shown up. Without a reasonable explanation that satisfies the feudal lords and nobles present, it's impossible to delay further."
"I see. That is a valid concern."
The Fourth Kazekage pressed on.
"However, many of us—including myself and the dignitaries here—have come specifically to see this match. Sasuke is the last Uchiha. Please ensure he faces Gaara from the Land of Wind."
After hearing the Kazekage's reasoning, Hiruzen nodded.
"Understood. We'll postpone this match for now. Shigeo, inform the proctor."
"Yes, sir!"
Shigeo replied and disappeared in a flash, reappearing moments later in the center of the arena. After delivering Hiruzen's orders to the referee, he vanished again, returning to his previous position.
Meanwhile, the referee, Shiranui Genma, addressed the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the participants for the next match have yet to arrive. Therefore, we will postpone that match and proceed to the following one: Kankurō versus Shino Aburame. Please step forward."
However, before he could finish, Kankurō spoke up.
"Proctor, I forfeit. Please proceed to the next match."
His words immediately sparked discontent among the audience, with boos and jeers erupting from all sides.
Shiranui Genma could only announce reluctantly:
"Due to Kankurō's forfeit, Shino Aburame wins by default!"
This further fueled the crowd's dissatisfaction.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"Take the fight seriously!"
"We came all this way to watch, and this is what you do? Boo!"
Amid the chaos, Temari frowned, stepped forward with her giant fan, and declared:
"Alright, I'm up next, right?"
"You seem eager to fight," Shiranui Genma remarked with surprise before nodding.
"Very well. Let's proceed with the next match. Nara Shikamaru, it's your turn!"
"..."
Shikamaru, who had no desire to fight, sighed heavily, especially when he saw that his opponent was Temari.
But before he could forfeit, Naruto pushed him off the stands.
"Come on, Shikamaru! You got this!"
With that, Naruto shoved Shikamaru down into the arena.
"Ahhh…"
Shikamaru screamed as he tumbled to the ground, landing flat on his back. Then he simply stayed there, unmoving.
This enraged the crowd further.
"Hey, start the fight already!"
"Let's get this over with!"
"How long are you going to lie there? Get up and fight!"
The spectators threw fruit peels and empty cans at Shikamaru to express their frustration.
Now more than ever, Shikamaru wanted to give up.
At that moment, Temari spoke up.
"What's wrong? Are you forfeiting too?"
"..."
Still lying on the ground, Shikamaru tilted his head back to look at Temari, his face full of helplessness.
"Why is my opponent another woman? Such a hassle."
He thought to himself but still showed no intention of moving.
Seeing this, the impatient Temari furrowed her brows in anger.
"If you're not making a move, then I will!"
With that, she leapt forward, swinging her giant fan down forcefully.
"Boom!"
A loud crash sent dust flying everywhere.
When the dust settled, Shikamaru was nowhere to be seen.
Temari looked up to find him clinging to the arena wall, using chakra to stay aloft as he looked down at her.
"I don't care about becoming a Chūnin, but as a man, I can't lose to a woman. So… let's do this!"
"..."