Rules * Memorizing the Script

"But they deserved to be scolded," the Uchiha said. "Lord Izuna repeatedly told them to perform well, but they didn't even use their finishing moves and still ended up fighting like that."

"Yes, if it weren't for Lord Izuna's quick reaction, those two wouldn't have just been scolded and punished." The Sarutobi Clan members looked at the Daimyo's procession slowly walking away, their expressions solemn.

The Aburame Pin to the side mentally finished what he hadn't said.

Yes, their fight was actually a scene arranged by Lord Izuna, but they messed it up.

This is a diplomatic-level performance mishap.

To put it mildly, it was just a fight between juniors. The Senju Clan and Uchiha Clans have never gotten along, so it's normal for them to fight.

But on a larger scale, it was a failed display of force.

This would give Daimyo the impression that all Konoha Ninjas are like this, utterly useless.

This would also cause other countries to look down on our Ninjas, and consequently, to feel disdain for the Land of Fire.

If not handled properly, it won't be as simple as just making amends later.

The Special Administrative Region has too much power; the nobles would never easily allow Ninjas to obtain this level of authority.

The Land of Fire had a capable Daimyo who suppressed the voices of the nobles, and also had the support of some nobles who sympathized with the actors and genuinely wanted the Ninjas to have a better life. This made the implementation process a little smoother.

But no one abroad has seen that mind-blowing stage play, and the Ninjas there don't have someone like Izuna who can subtly point out what kind of power they possess and remind them of it.

If the nobles, who want to keep the Ninjas obedient, learn of this, they will surely put pressure on the Land of Fire.

While Lord Hashirama and Lord Madara possess the world's top combat abilities, there are still Ninjas who can rival them.

The four Shinobi Villages now established—Iwa, Kaze, Rai, and Shui—are all led by ruthless individuals. How could someone capable of emulating the God of Shinobi and the Asura of the Ninja World to unify the Shinobi Clans of a nation be weak?

Moreover, the situation within our Land of Fire is also very turbulent.

Internal conflicts between various clans within Konoha persisted, and the nobles of the Land of Fire also debated the very existence of Konoha.

It's a miracle that Lord Izuna was able to unfold his plan so quickly.

No, it's more accurate to say that the smooth progress was precisely because of the swift and decisive action taken.

What he wanted to do was to help the entire Ninja community shed its past image as a killing machine and step into a wider world.

This great achievement is comparable to that of the two who established Shinobi Villages and ended the thousand-year war.

These are all actions capable of changing the world order.

But precisely because it is such a great undertaking, there are also many people who want to stop it.

Now is the final moment; the approval for the Konoha Special Administrative Region is about to be issued.

Everyone was watching him; even the slightest mistake could make this seemingly certain matter extremely complicated.

Uchiha Ibo, Senju Ren.

Normally speaking, for a mistake of this magnitude, it wouldn't be unreasonable to ask them to atone with their lives.

But Lord Izuna cleverly glossed over the matter.

First, they asked for their names, making sure everyone heard their surnames.

The feud between the Senju Clan and Uchiha Clans is long-standing and well-known to everyone.

So the reason they fought became: the younger generation of the two families probably didn't like each other, so they came to the Dueling Arena to settle their differences.

Then, they interrupt any possible associations with extremely harsh, even insulting, language.

Well... anyone would be stunned to hear that adjective... it's truly an evil adjective.

Anyway, it works very well.

Then, he would subtly Suggestion their involvement was not part of his entertainment program, but rather their own personal feud, thus completely distancing himself from the situation.

After this series of moves, these two are probably now seen as reckless children in the eyes of the Delegation.

They stopped wondering why it was such a coincidence that people would be fighting in the Dueling Arena.

They'd just think, "Why did those two unlucky kids have to fight when their boss was around? They deserve to be punished."

"I'm really curious what their last move is..." Wakako murmured. "Being saved for last must mean it's a really powerful move."

Izuna answered her question.

"That's true."

"This move is called Finishing Move. If it can be activated once in a battle, the outcome is basically decided. But because of this, it requires an extraordinary amount of energy. It can usually only be activated after other moves have completed two cycles."

Wakako seemed to understand something, "So that's how it is. It means we need to accumulate strength, right?"

"That's right," Izuna affirmed, "But there are also ways to accumulate them faster."

"If Ninjutsu or Taijutsu attack effectively hits the opponent, the accumulation speed can be increased, allowing the battle to end more quickly."

Yuan Yusheng tilted his head slightly. "Wait a minute. We just saw that kind of powerful attack. Normally, it should end the battle in one hit, right?"

"Our simulated battle has a set of judgment rules." Izuna held up one finger, "Everyone has a fixed amount of health, and each hit will also have a judgment damage."

"Blocking can effectively reduce damage, but it will deduct a certain amount of health. If you don't want to keep taking hits and losing health, you must actively fight back."

"But if you are attacked head-on without any defense, all the values set for the move will be deducted. Simply put, there are many people who lose because of a single Ninjutsu move."

"Of course, if you are knocked down by the opponent using Taijutsu and cannot get up again, that can also be considered as leaving the game."

"We use a ten-second countdown method for this—if you can't get up within ten seconds, you lose," Izuna shrugged. "Just like a traditional duel."

Everyone exclaimed in sudden realization.

Several of the Envoy genuinely found the sound amusing, Wakako's voice was drawn out exceptionally long, clearly indicating that he had already applied this rule to the unfinished duel in his mind.

Ōnoki remained silent, but Izuna's answer resolved the doubts he had harbored while watching from the sidelines.

Now he understood that it wasn't just a spectator Arena, but a complete simulated combat system.

Ninjutsu selection, cooldown time, health check, and 10-second countdown.

These rules exist to recreate the intense atmosphere of real combat as closely as possible.

Or rather, it was established to protect the personal safety of combatants.

It ensures safety while allowing you to experience a near-life-or-death battle.

This Dueling Arena is absolutely perfect!

How could this person's brain be so big as to come up with something like this?

And it sounds like a lot of fun.

I wonder if I'll have a chance to go up and fight someone else.

Ōnoki's warlike young heart was pounding.

The other Ninjas couldn't help but look back frequently.

Ninjas are indeed warlike, and who wouldn't want to try their luck in a seemingly safe Arena?

"I plan to train commentators for the battles later," Izuna added. "There will definitely be some dazzling matches in the Dueling Arena in the future. With professional commentators on site, everyone will be able to understand the battle situation more intuitively next time they come to watch."

"Commentator?" Wakako turned her head.

"They're the ones who provide real-time commentary on the battle during the match," Izuna said. "They analyze both sides' tactical intentions, Ninjutsu choices, and Taijutsu styles, predicting the next move. They let the audience not only enjoy the spectacle but also understand the intricacies."

Yuan Yusheng nodded slightly.

Izuna led the group forward.

They are about to encounter the parade.

Meanwhile, at the Hokage Building...

The Hokage Building was bustling with activity, like a pot of porridge boiling over. Employees were running down the corridors carrying documents, the sounds of doors opening and footsteps overlapping, almost never stopping.

The venue setup for the Appointment Ceremony, the guest list, and the guard rotation schedule all need to be finalized before the sun is directly overhead.

Hashirama Senju the window, already dressed in his Hokage robes.

The Hokage Robe and hat had only been delivered to him an hour ago.

How should I put it? It's extremely luxurious.

Hashirama intended to wear a white robe and a flaming hat on his head, simply to let people know he was the Hokage.

However, Izuna strongly opposed it and rejected his proposal outright.

The clothes he's wearing now were designed by Izuna after several days of deliberation with the tailor.

Actually... he couldn't see what had been changed. He didn't understand anything about the patterns or the design, but as long Izuna was happy, that was all that mattered.

Hashirama placed his straw hat beside his knees, holding several folded sheets of script paper in his hand, his lips moving silently as he recited his lines over and over again.

Meanwhile, Tobirama Senju is talking to a girl from the Senju Clan.

The girl was probably in her early twenties, wearing a dark blue kimono with the cuffs tied, her hair tied back, and she had a dashing and spirited appearance with bright eyes and white teeth.

Holding two files in her hands, she looked up at the Tobirama with bright, sparkling eyes.

"Lord Tobirama, I've revised the Guard Corps post deployment map according to your annotations! See this annotation—"

The Tobirama, glanced at it, and said, "The checkpoint rotation schedule has been changed?"

"Yes! It was rearranged according to the timetable you annotated, and I've confirmed it with each group; there are no conflicts."

Tobirama turned a page, his pen tip touching a line of small print at the bottom. "Here, the reinforcement contact code—you've used the old code I set last week. Today is a new cycle; go back and check today's code list, copy it again, and submit it."

"Okay, um... Lord Tobirama, I was wondering if you have time tonight? I'd like to invite you to dinner, because you've always taken good care of me..."

"I'm busy."

"Eh."

He handed the file back deftly, his tone calm, "Is there anything else? If not, go and prepare it quickly."

The girl took the file, her smile fading. "Yes, Lord Tobirama..."

Before he could finish speaking, Tobirama had already turned and gone to meet with the others.

The girl left dejectedly.

Hashirama watched the whole thing from a small stool.

His expression was indescribable.

After Hashirama and Tobirama finished their work and took a short rest, Hashirama said, "I have something to say to you..."

Tobirama had just picked up his teacup when he looked up at him. "Huh?"

"That girl Yūki to invite you to dinner, even if you're not interested, you should at least politely decline, right? Just saying 'I'm busy'..." Hashirama frowned, "I feel embarrassed for that kid."

Tobirama put down his teacup. "Working hours should be for focusing on work. She wanted to invite me after everything was finished; bringing this up now seems a bit inconsiderate of her."

Hashirama looked at him expressionlessly. "But you've already refused at least ten times."

"Have you finished memorizing the script?"

Hashirama choked for a moment, but he didn't give up. "You really can't blame me for questioning your sexual orientation."

Tobirama's eyebrows didn't even twitch. "It wasn't just women who came to invite people just now."

"So on such a celebratory day, can't you put aside your stupid experiment and get together with everyone?"

"I'd like to ask you, why are you all so relaxed?" Tobirama placed the teacup back on the table, the bottom of the cup making a solid, soft sound as it hit the wood.

"This isn't the time to celebrate a great victory. This is the time to showcase Konoha to other countries. Instead of being on edge, you're already thinking about how to hold a victory celebration. I really admire you."

He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over me, and asked, enunciating each word clearly, "So, have you finished memorizing your speech?"

Hashirama's words of advice were stuck in his throat.

Tobirama raised his voice. "Big Brother!"

"I've memorized it! I've memorized it!" Hashirama held the script to his chest, clutching one side in each hand. "I'm just still a little nervous!"

"You bastard! If you dare to mess up, you can forget about getting paid!"

Hashirama froze on the spot as if struck by Lightning Release, his expression shifting from apprehension to terror. "No! I have a family to support! You can't do this!"

"I think they're just afraid they won't have enough money to gamble, aren't they?" Tobirama rolled his eyes, stood up, and said, "Hurry up and memorize it!"

"Okay, okay."