Arena Matches * Black Zetsu

After returning home, Izuna was so bored that he lay down to sleep.

What he didn't know was how many people in Konoha tossed and turned all night.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Hashirama dragged Tobirama to the gates of the Uchiha Clan Compound.

The Uchiha clan members guarding the gate, seeing the two powerful figures arrive together, almost thought something terrible had happened and hurriedly went to report it.

Hashirama waved his hand and said with a smile, "No need, no need, we're here to find Izuna."

Then they walked in as if they knew the way inside.

Izuna had just woken up, with a single strand of hair sticking up, and was sitting on the porch eating Rice Ball, while Madara had already tied up Izuna's hair and was doing so.

Izuna was taken aback when he saw the two of them Earth Flow.

"What's wrong?" He took a bite of his Rice Ball and asked indistinctly, "You two came together, is Konoha about to collapse or has Black Zetsu attacked?"

Hashirama down next to him, his expression as serious as if he were going to war. "Izuna, something terrible has happened."

Izuna put down the Rice Ball and became serious. "What is it?"

"The news that your eye fell out," Hashirama took a deep breath, "Has spread throughout the entire village."

Izuna blinked.

She blinked again.

Didn't Madara tell you?

"You told them?"

Izuna and Hashirama stared at each other, bewildered.

Upon realizing that Hashirama had only come to say those words, a very subtle expression appeared on his face.

His brows furrowed slightly, his lips twitched slightly, and his eyes were filled with surprise and confusion. If one had to describe this expression in one word, it would be—

An elderly person is looking at their phone on the subway.

"That's it?" Izuna stuffed the last bite of the Rice Ball into his mouth. "You guys came all this way early in the morning just to tell me this?"

"Isn't this serious?!" Hashirama widened. "The news's spread, everyone knows you have a problem with your eyes! What if someone takes advantage of this..."

"Take advantage of what? Take advantage of... what..." Izuna thought for two seconds before realizing what he meant, "Take advantage of the opportunity to assassinate me?"

"Yes!" the three said in unison.

Izuna turned to look at Madara, "Brother, why are you joining in the fun?"

But Ban also looked serious.

Izuna fell silent.

Then he laughed in exasperation.

"I'm telling you," he said, crossing his legs and shrugging, "Aren't you guys overcomplicating things?"

The three looked at each other in bewilderment.

Izuna held up one finger. "First of all, the fact that my eye popped out is really no big deal. You all know I don't fight with my eyes, so it makes no difference to me whether I have my left eye or not."

Madara opened his mouth, as if to say something, but Izuna stopped him by raising his hand.

"Secondly," Izuna held up a second finger, "So what if the news gets out? I am Uchiha Izuna, Madara Uchiha's younger brother, and one of the leaders of the Konoha Special Administrative Region. Do you think you can let anyone touch me?"

He spoke in a light tone, but Hashirama and Madara straightened their backs at the same time.

"Third," Izuna held up a third finger, "Even if someone is foolish enough to come looking for death, if I can't beat them, can't I at least run away? If all else fails, I'll just yell, 'Brother! Someone's trying to kill me!' and then you guys rush out and beat them into a pulp, isn't that enough?"

He spoke of it as if it were the simplest of things.

"Fourth," Izuna said speechlessly, "I don't believe anyone is stronger than Hashirama. I can even exchange a few blows with Hashirama. We didn't even have a clear winner the other day. With my fighting skills, you're worried that no one else can hurt me? Are you serious?"

Three people:...

They found themselves unable to refute it.

"But..." Hashirama struggled, "What if they're from a Delegation? We can't just attack them."

Izuna tilted his head. "Then arrest them and hand them over to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Trespassing into Special Administrative Region and attempting to assassinate an administrative official—these two charges are enough to get them in trouble."

"But what if the other party is someone from the village?" Tobirama began, "Those families who are dissatisfied with you, if they take this opportunity—"

"That's even better." Izuna interrupted him, her smile radiant. "It's a perfect opportunity to clean up the internal instability. Haven't you always wanted to unify the various races? Someone's delivered a weakness to our doorstep, might as well take advantage of it."

"But..."

Izuna sighed, "Hey you guys, think about what you'll do after you've got something on them. It hasn't even happened yet and you're already so worried about me. It makes me feel terrible. I'm not someone to be trifled with. Are you looking down on me by being so timid and hesitant?"

Hashirama was stunned by Izuna's unhappy expression.

Ever since he heard about the eyes, he had been worried about Izuna's safety, worried that someone would take the opportunity to cause trouble, and worried that the hard-won peace would be broken.

proceed with extreme caution, as if facing a formidable enemy.

But the more you act this way, the more enemies you imagine, and the more timid you become, the more opportunities seem to come your way.

They were indeed underestimating Izuna, and at the same time, they underestimated themselves.

Who am I?

Hashirama Senju.

The God of the Shinobi World.

Beside him was Madara Uchiha, the Asura of the Ninja World.

These two titles were earned by them through countless life-and-death battles, with the blood and bones of their enemies.

The entire Shinobi World trembles at the mere mention of their names.

Their younger brother is no ordinary person either.

One is Water Release- Tobirama Senju Ninja developed Space-Time Ninjutsu and is still developing new techniques to this day.

The other is Uchiha Izuna, known as the Perfect Ninja, proficient in Fire Release Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, and possessing a sense of perception akin to Future Sight.

People like them should have no fear of anything.

But now? Just because of this ridiculous thing that Izuna's eye fell out, they're panicking like this, unable to sleep, and rushing over early this morning to discuss countermeasures.

Outrageous.

That's outrageous!

Hashirama laughed three times, a look of utter arrogance appearing on his face. "You're right!"

He patted Izuna on the back, so hard he almost knocked him over. "I was stupid! Sorry, Izuna ~"

Izuna was knocked forward by his slap, and after regaining her balance, she glared at him irritably.

Ban snorted coldly from behind, but the curve of his lips betrayed him.

"Then it's settled," Hashirama stood up, dusting off his clothes. "Anyone who's blind enough to come looking for death will die a rhythmic death."

"Wait," Izuna reached out to stop him, "I haven't finished speaking yet."

Hashirama looked down at him.

"While dealing with them one by one is fine, but..."

Izuna shook his head, his ahoge sticking up and down in the sunlight, and his expression turned into a kind of... excitement that sent chills down Tobirama's spine.

Izuna drawled, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons, "Being constantly harassed is really annoying. There are always people buzzing around like flies; you swat one, and another one comes along. It's so annoying!"

He clapped his hands.

How about this?

Hashirama's eyes lit up, and he immediately leaned forward like a big dog with its ears perked up. "Oh! What a great idea?"

Tobirama leaned back instinctively, his brows furrowed, his tone wary. "... I have a bad feeling. What are you planning now?"

"Tobirama, what are you saying? Do you think I'm the kind of person who causes trouble?" Izuna said innocently.

"You are." Tobirama without hesitation.

Izuna choked for a moment, then waved his hand confidently. "But this time it's really serious. Think about it, why would everyone want to assassinate me? Because they think I'm easy to bully. They've already lost their eyes, so they must be pushovers."

"Then let them know I'm not someone to mess with, right?" Izuna stood up and stretched his neck. "If everyone knows it's not worth messing with me, they won't cause trouble."

Ban raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to do?"

Izuna turned around, a smile playing on his lips.

Let's have a public, grand Ninja battle!

Hokage Building, Izuna loudly announced to everyone.

"To commemorate the establishment of the Konoha Administrative District yesterday, we will begin a three-day celebration!"

"The festival will be held at Konoha Amusement Park! Anyone who wants to participate must dress up as a Ninja!"

"During the festival, admission to the Amusement Park is halved! If you haven't prepared a Ninja costume, you can choose the props you want to wear at the costume selection area inside the park!"

Izuna raised a finger. "However, weapons must naturally remain outside the park. If we discover anyone carrying weapons into the park, they will be killed on the spot."

The phrase "kill without mercy" was uttered casually by Izuna.

But everyone understood the weight behind it.

The plaza in front of the Hokage Building was packed with people. There were Ninjas, civilians, members of the Delegation, and merchants who had come after hearing the news.

The crowd was silent for a moment, then erupted into a buzz of discussion.

"Kill without mercy? Really?"

"Lord Izuna, you're true to your word, aren't you...?"

"But if we don't carry weapons, what's the difference between us Ninjas and Ordinary People?"

"Are you stupid? Our Taijutsu and Ninjutsu don't require weapons to unleash."

"No, isn't the point of going to Amusement Park to have fun? What would we need weapons for?"

"That's true..."

"But not having weapons would indeed be a bit..."

Among the crowd, several Delegation from other Shinobi Villages exchanged a glance.

They had originally planned to sneak in during the celebration to gather intelligence, but upon hearing the words "kill without mercy," they had to reassess the risks.

--Shot dead on the spot while carrying a weapon.

Konoha established this rule, and they have the Strength to ensure its implementation.

If you act rashly, you will not only fail to achieve your goal, but you may also end up losing more than you gain.

Ai Wei smiled slightly and said to the Ninja beside him, "Interesting. This is equivalent to bringing everyone's combat power to the same level. Without weapons, they can only rely on Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, and they have to do it in full view of everyone."

The Ninja from the Land of Lightning glanced at him. "You wouldn't be thinking of making a move, would you?"

Ai shrugged. "I don't have that kind of guts, don't talk nonsense."

Lei Ren sighed.

The murmurs from Izuna and the others on the stage subsided slightly. Izuna cleared his throat and continued speaking.

"Of course, this celebration also features unique Ninja -themed activities." He drawled, deliberately creating suspense, his eyes sweeping across the audience, "That is— the Dueling Arena!"

The moment the words "Dueling Arena" were uttered, the eyes of the Genin lit up.

Ordinary civilians might not understand the weight of these three words, but all the Ninjas present knew.

They had heard about it yesterday; the simulated combat system personally designed by Izuna was a true Asura Realm where combat skills could be honed without any risk to one's life.

Izuna raised a finger, his voice rising a few decibels. "Registration begins today! The war officially begins tomorrow! People from all countries and places are welcome to participate!"

"This Dueling Arena will feature two events: the Arena Challenge and the Ranking Matches!"

"Ranking Matches, as the name suggests, are about defeating as many opponents as possible to reach the top. Participants are randomly matched, with winners advancing and losers being eliminated."

"The ultimate winner, in addition to generous rewards of money and items, can choose to train with a Kage Level expert from our village for a period of time!"

Boom--

The crowd erupted.

"Kage Level powerhouse?! Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha?!"

"They'll make a killing no matter which one they choose!"

"To have Konoha's top experts personally instruct me or something!"

"I want to sign up!"

The Ninjas were so excited they blushed, and even the civilians joined in the commotion.

The Delegation's guards were even more eager to make their move.

Even if they don't bring back the spoils of war, receiving personal guidance from the God of the Shinobi World or the Asura of the Ninja World is still a huge gain!

Ōnoki's breathing quickened for a moment, then he forced himself to calm down.

He's Ninja from the Land of Earth. If he really makes it to the top of the Ranking Matches, should he accept the reward?

If they accept, they'll owe Konoha a favor; if they don't, it'll be such a waste.

The boy frowned, caught in a dilemma.

He never even considered the possibility of defeat.

The cheers from Izuna and the others subsided slightly, and a meaningful smile appeared on Izuna's lips.

As for the Arena Challenge--

He paused deliberately, and everyone in the audience unconsciously held their breath.

"Since this is the first time this event has been held, I, Uchiha Izuna, will be the one to defend the title and accept everyone's challenges!"

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Everyone was stunned, staring wide-eyed at the smiling young man. What had he just said? He was going to personally defend the arena?

In the crowd, a Ninja from Kirigakure couldn't help but whisper, "Is he serious? His eyes aren't..."

Before he could finish speaking, someone next to him covered his mouth.

Ai's smile vanished.

He sensed absolute confidence in Izuna's tone.

It's important to understand that "defending the Arena" means that one person occupies the Arena and is challenged by all the other contestants.

Simply put, it's a war of Wheel.

Wheel is extremely physically and mentally taxing; he wouldn't have so openly declared his intention to defend his title if he didn't have some confidence in himself.

It seems that Izuna's eye problem is not a big deal for him at all.

Izuna, seemingly oblivious to everyone's shock, continued with a smile, "The rules of the Arena are different from those of the Ranking Matches."

"The rules are simple. Temporary weapons will be provided at the edge of the Arena. There are no restrictions on Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or Genjutsu. One failure will result in being banned from challenging again."

"I will also do my best to meet your challenges. Of course, if you feel you can't win, you can admit defeat at any time, and I will not pursue you."

He spoke casually, as if he were talking about something trivial.

But the people in the audience didn't think so.

"No restrictions whatsoever? That's a rather overly confident statement..."

"He only said he would stop, does that mean he's certain he can't beat him? How arrogant..."

Just how strong is he?

"I don't know, he hasn't made a move since Konoha was founded..."

"And before that?"

"Before his defeat at the Lord Tobirama, he was known as the Perfect Ninja."

Discussions rose and fell.

The news spread like wildfire from the plaza in front of the Hokage Building, and soon a long queue of people had formed to register.

Whether they genuinely wanted to fight Izuna or were hoping to kill him in the match, they all joined in the frenzy.

In an inconspicuous corner of the square, a white head silently listened to Izuna's announcement before disappearing underground.

After making the announcement, Izuna left, leaving the staff to collect statistics and register applicants.

Hashirama grabbed Izuna's shoulder, excited like a child. "Izuna! You're going to defend the arena yourself?! That's so cool! Can I sign up? I want to fight you!"

"No way." Izuna refused without even thinking, twisting his shoulders to try and shake off the large hand, but he couldn't budge it. "If I let you come up here to fight, I'll be exhausted. What's the point of the game for the others?"

"What about freckles? Are freckles okay?"

"My brother won't do either!" Izuna said firmly.

Madara snorted coldly from behind and pulled Hashirama's hand away, "Even if you asked me to go, I wouldn't. What kind of skill is it to bully your own brother?"

Izuna turned around and smiled at him, "Madara-nii is the best."

Ban didn't speak, but the curve of his lips betrayed him.

Hashirama clutched his chest dramatically. "It's not fair! Why is Madara the best, and what about me? What about me?"

Izuna tilted his head and thought for a moment, "Hashirama is great too, but if you were to compete, I might just admit defeat."

"... Is that considered a compliment?" Hashirama muttered, but his eyes were still sparkling. "Oh well, I'll just watch from the sidelines anyway. Izuna, don't lose, or I'll go up and beat you back."

"That won't happen." Izuna waved his hand, looking impatient. "Alright, time to get back to work. We still need to draft an agreement for this impromptu event, and we need to determine the competition format and rewards..."

As they spoke, they walked towards the Office.

Tobirama followed a few steps behind, watching this scene with a blank expression.

His gaze lingered on Izuna for a few seconds before shifting away.

The rules for that Arena Challenge were extremely arrogant.

Weapons, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu are allowed without any restrictions. Although not explicitly stated, this clearly Suggestion challengers can go all out and even kill their opponents without any problem.

This was an act of handing a knife to the enemy, a very bold move that gave those who wanted to kill Izuna a huge opportunity.

Even knowing it's an open conspiracy, those hostile forces won't let this opportunity pass.

Whether they want to test the waters or aim for a fatal blow, they will definitely come to take on the challenge.

As for Izuna's statement, "I will also do my best," it can be translated as: I will crush all doubts with my own Strength in front of everyone.

Tobirama's fingers stopped rubbing.

He suddenly realized something.

Izuna was actually very angry.

He was angry that he was being treated like a fragile object that needed protection.

That's why we need to use the most direct and forceful methods to prove that we're not pushovers.

"He's quite concerned about saving face," Tobirama muttered to himself, a slight smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips.

He quickened his pace and caught up.

Meanwhile, deep underground.

The White Zetsu's head emerged from the rock wall, and then its entire body "flowed" out of the stone like molten wax.

"Lord Black Zetsu."

In the darkness, a pair of dark yellow eyes slowly opened.

"Explain."

White Zetsu reported everything he had seen and heard in Konoha.

Black Zetsu remained silent for a long time after hearing this.

"... He's going to personally defend the arena?" Black Zetsu's voice carried a hint of disbelief.

"Yes, Lord Black Zetsu. He doesn't sound like he's joking."

Black Zetsu's phantom swayed slightly underground.

That's not right.

According to his speculation, after news of Izuna's eye problem spread, Konoha should have strengthened its defenses, tightened its Defensive Line, and hidden that dangerous individual.

But Izuna did the opposite.

Instead of hiding, he deliberately stood in the most conspicuous position, allowing everyone to see him and challenge him.

"He's fishing," Black Zetsu said coldly, "Using himself as bait to catch those who want to kill him."

White Zetsu tilted his head. "Should we send White Zetsu? Although you're weak, now's the perfect opportunity. If we can kill him in front of everyone—"

"Fool." Black Zetsu interrupted him. "What you can think of, he can't? Since he dares to stand on the Arena, it means he's absolutely confident. Anyone who acts rashly will only become a stepping stone for him to establish his authority."

White Zetsu shrank back, not daring to speak again.

"Have you found Jigen?"