Chapter 72

Ten minutes later...

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Off the field.

After a brief treatment, Sakura dismissed the medical team.

Her final blow struck Naruto on the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious, but he wasn't seriously injured.

Throughout the entire battle, Naruto's most serious injury was probably from the kick the girl delivered with all her might.

Aside from that, he simply overexerted himself and exhausted himself.

"Let's leave him here. It's alright. He just fainted from exhaustion and will recover soon," the girl said calmly. Although she was only a Genin, her words carried considerable weight after demonstrating her strength.

With Naruto's regenerative abilities, he can immediately return to his energetic self after just one hour of rest.

However, physical fatigue can recover on its own, but mental depression requires some extra boost.

Upon waking up, Naruto found himself defeated and looked utterly dejected.

"Sigh... I still can't compare to you, Sakura."

Naruto hung his head, staring at the wrecked ice surface, his eyes lifeless and devoid of their former liveliness.

"Although I was certain I could defeat you, that was just a boast born out of resentment at the constant defeats... All the hard-earned techniques I practiced were completely ineffective."

"So, I'm just a loser who keeps failing..."

The girl sighed deeply; it was truly rare to see Naruto like this.

Naruto's special move didn't work, mainly because the fight between her and Gamabunta was essentially a process of both sides holding back.

If Gamabunta had immediately unleashed an Iron Cannonball upon entering the fray—just as he does on the battlefield—even someone as powerful as Gaara would have had to resort to Shukaku to defend against it. Such a large-scale attack cannot be evaded by tricks involving clones and substitutions. Gamabunta only used Iron Cannonball and short sword slashes after confirming Sakura's astonishing defensive capabilities. He was truly holding back at every turn, constantly holding back.

Of course, Sakura herself didn't use any particularly powerful moves, otherwise, given Gamabunta's size, taking a hit from a Water Blade Technique would have been enough to keep him recovering for months.

If it were a real battle, Naruto could summon Gamabunta, would be virtually unmatched by the Genin.

Naruto is already very strong.

Thinking of this, the girl suddenly smiled and vigorously ruffled Naruto's messy hair.

"That's not true, Naruto! Don't underestimate yourself. In my opinion, you're not someone who keeps losing, but someone who keeps fighting! Strength is certainly impressive, but true strength is having the courage to get back up after a defeat! Look back, although you haven't succeeded in any challenges this past year, you've grown so much. You've gradually become a true powerhouse."

Naruto, with his "I'm not well-educated, come and fool me" attitude, is really easy to fool!

"Look up and see! The audience is cheering for our game! You've gained so much recognition without even realizing it."

Naruto looked up blankly, and the crowd cheering for the exciting match came into view. The thunderous applause from the stands seemed to warm his heart.

The praise for the wonderful match belonged to both Sakura and him.

Naruto's face broke into a bright smile.

"Thank you everyone, thank you for the applause! Although I lost the game, I will definitely work harder next time!"

He waved and cheered in all directions, and the audience responded in kind.

Judging from his jubilant expression, anyone who didn't know better would think he was the winner.

Sakura didn't mind that Naruto had stolen her thunder, and let him be excited.

The second match was between Hinata and Temari.

"Now, please come down here Hinata Hyuga and Temari, the participants in the second match!"

Temari and glanced indifferently at Hinata, without saying a word.

She had witnessed Hinata knock down that fat man with a single palm strike during the preliminaries, and the power of Gentle Fist made her very wary.

We must keep our distance and not let her get close, or things will get complicated...

Temari thought to herself.

Sensing Temari's gaze, Hinata tilted her head and looked at Temari, ignoring her coldness, and smiled serenely.

Please give me your guidance!

When her white eyes smiled, they curved into a crescent moon, which was quite beautiful.

Temari showed no intention of responding.

With war about to break out with Konoha, she had no time to greet the enemy before the battle.

With a low snort, Temari mocked Hinata in her heart, Temari took the giant fan off her back, creating a hurricane, and actually landed on the field on the wind.

Hinata, having made a fool of herself, didn't care much, simply viewing Temari as having a cool and aloof personality. Whether Temari was aloof or adorably silly, Hinata would never hold back in a match.

Seeing Temari enter the arena with such grace, she was not to be outdone.

The smile vanished from her delicate face. She braced herself against the railing with one hand and leaped down the wall. Midway down, she pushed off the wall with all her might, the explosive force transforming her descent into a horizontal leap.

With this amazing leap, Hinata covered a distance of several dozen meters, slightly bending her knees, and landed steadily in the center of the arena.

Unlike Temari's graceful and ethereal entrance, which relies on the wind from a giant fan.

Hinata's entrance was effortless, a simple leap followed by a steady landing, perfectly embodying the grace of being both swift as a rabbit and serene as a virgin.

Hinata's graceful and serene Hinata immediately won over the audience, eliciting waves of applause and cheers.

Sakura smiled slightly and went to greet her.

"He's probably Wind Release Ninjutsu user; his Taijutsu is average," he whispered.

After all, she was just a supporting character, and she had almost forgotten all the information about Temari from the original work. She deduced all of this from Temari's entrance.

Hinata nodded slightly, accepting the information without making a sound.

As soon as Sakura finished speaking, she pulled Naruto up, Body Flicker Technique left the arena, and returned to the rest platform.

Leaning against the railing, he took out a bag of energy-boosting gummies from his ninja tool pouch and started eating them leisurely while waiting for the match to begin.

Of course, Military Rations Pill by ninjas. The latter was simply famous for its quick and effective results, which led to its widespread use among ninjas. In fact, many ninjas disliked Military Rations Pill, not only because of their terrible taste, but also because Military Rations Pill were too irritating and bad for their health.

Last time Sakura accompanied Haku shopping, she also visited a few ninja shops that specialize in these kinds of candies. After careful selection, she bought several bags of these gummies. Although they take longer to work, they contain a lot of energy and are not irritating to the body, making them perfect for a ninja like Sakura who is still developing. The ones Sakura chose have a texture and taste similar to Swiss candy from Earth, which made her feel quite nostalgic (Note).

The battle with Naruto, just two large-scale Ninjutsu, had almost depleted half of her stamina, and she felt weak in the legs afterward. There might be a series of battles to come, so she needed to recover her stamina as soon as possible.

Not to mention Sakura, who was leisurely replenishing her energy.

Off the field, the girl with long, straight black hair and Byakugan and the girl with blonde hair in a ponytail were staring at each other solemnly.

The blonde beauty with four ponytails is Temari, Elite Genin of the Sand shinobi. She is skilled in using a giant fan to unleash Wind Release Ninjutsu with a wide range and extraordinary destructive power, but her Taijutsu is only average.

The girl Byakugan and flowing black hair was Hinata, the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan Konoha. She was a master of Taijutsu, deeply versed in the essence of the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist, and possessed extraordinary close-combat skills, though she was not particularly proficient in Ninjutsu.

Both players off the field had a certain understanding of each other— Temari had accessed the Hyuga's information because of the Konoha Crush Plan, while Hinata had combined Sakura's observations and her own analysis—so they both quickly grasped the key to this match.

Distance.

Hinata can break through Temari's Ninjutsu blockade and rush to her side to engage in close combat, then Temari will definitely lose.

Conversely, if Temari successfully suppresses Hinata, her chances of winning are very low.

The two adjusted their distance and stood far apart.

This delicate distance ensures that Temari won't be instantly defeated by Hinata, nor will Hinata be completely overwhelmed and defeated by Temari from start to finish.

It's a distance that both parties can accept.

Seeing that the two were already standing in place, Genma Shiranui nodded and raised his right hand high.

The competition would officially begin the moment that hand landed.

Temari planted the giant fan on the ground, the fan surface slightly opening to reveal three Little Star. Her Chakra appeared calm on the surface, but inside it surged like an undercurrent.

Her delicate, willow-leaf-like eyebrows furrowed slightly, forming a gentle wrinkle above her exquisite nose. Her dark, bright eyes gazed intently at Hinata, their gaze carrying the sharpness and unwavering resolve characteristic of Sand shinobi.

The fan ribs obscured her fair, pointed chin and tightly pursed cherry lips. She remained silent, gazing at Hinata in quiet contemplation.

Hinata remained unfazed by her aggressive gaze, her face always bearing a calm and confident smile.

She assumed a stance, standing with her feet neither too far apart nor too far back, her hands one in front of the other, sometimes extending her palms out, sometimes retracting her fists to protect herself—the standard starting posture of Gentle Fist.

Hinata's Byakugan silently opened, and veins bulged on her fair face, revealing a ferocious intent beneath her delicate appearance.

The two stood facing each other in silence, waiting for Genma Shiranui to announce the start of the match.

The somber atmosphere seemed to affect the audience, and the hall fell silent as everyone held their breath and stared intently at the two girls below.

Having just witnessed Sakura and Naruto exchanging their ultimate attacks, how exciting will the battle between these two girls be?

The audience is eagerly anticipating it.

Off the field, Genma Shiranui finally brought his right hand down heavily.

"The match begins!"

On the rest platform, a girl who was lazily leaning on the railing chewing on a gummy candy suddenly narrowed her eyes.

P. S. [It's been a while since I've written anything, and something feels off. I'll just post this now; I haven't edited it carefully yet. Exams are over, and I'll resume regular updates today. \≈qu; The author finally picked up pen and paper, but the feeling of writing was so unfamiliar. A chilling thought arose: maybe...? Thinking about the possibility of receiving death threats, the author ultimately sat down and obediently began writing. \≈qu;]

P. S. [Sasuke was originally number 4, but then I thought that if Sasuke won, the second round would be an internal battle Team 7, which would be too unfair, so I changed it.]

[I deliberately mentioned Swiss candy because it's the only type of candy I like.]