Group of Death

By this stage of the battle, Naruto understood clearly.

As long as he took down the puppeteer himself, this seemingly powerful puppet machine would no longer pose any threat.

However, he was in poor condition as well. Three of his ribs were broken, and every breath felt like needles stabbing into him.

"Come on!"

Kankuro also knew that the battle had reached its final moment.

"Black Secret Technique: Mouth Needle!"

He endured the pain as he twisted and leaped about.

On one side, he controlled the daggers on the puppet's limbs to hold back the army of clones. On the other, a retractable spike shot from Crow's mouth and viciously chased after Naruto's real body.

"Watch out! It's poisoned!"

Sasuke's gaze sharpened. Seeing a faint dark-purple aura around the tip, he could not help warning him.

But Naruto no longer had the strength to dodge.

At the critical moment, Crow's head stopped less than ten centimeters from Naruto's nose before suddenly dropping limply to the ground.

It turned out that, on Kankuro's side, once Crow's mouth kunai had been pulled away from the battlefield, the pressure of the suppressing fire abruptly decreased. The daggers on the puppet's limbs could no longer fully block the tide-like swarm of clones.

One clone found an opening, slipped through, and smashed a hard punch into the puppeteer's face.

The Chakra Threads snapped at once, and on Naruto's side, Crow's head lost power like a kite with its string cut.

"Good! Now, I'll show you the secret ninjutsu I specially developed!"

Naruto clenched his fists as four clones charged toward Kankuro in succession from four different directions.

A punch, a kick, a sliding tackle, and a spinning rising kick!

Naruto himself gritted his teeth and rushed forward. Two clones crouched sideways, clasping each other's wrists to form a platform.

Naruto leaped up, stepped on the clones' feet, and as they forcefully thrust him upward, he shot into the air before coming down with a fierce strike:

"Naruto Uzumaki Barrage!!"

The dust settled.

Crow's lonely head lay limply off to the side, silently watching this miserable farce.

Hayate Gekko entered the arena, confirmed Kankuro's condition, then rose and announced:

"First match, Naruto Uzumaki wins!!"

"We won!" Sakura shouted, pumping her fist.

"He is not an opponent to be underestimated either," Rock Lee said seriously.

"What a huge upset," Choji Akimichi remarked.

"Mm-hmm."

Ino Yamanaka beside him agreed.

In the arena, Naruto collapsed to the ground in exhaustion after the referee announced the result.

The Medical Team quickly entered, with two groups carrying both Kankuro and Naruto onto stretchers.

Unlike the unconscious Kankuro, Naruto laughed as he looked toward the stands, waving as though he were a victorious general returning from battle.

This is how I'll win everyone's recognition, one step at a time!

Naruto lay happily on the stretcher, but the pain in his chest struck again, making him bare his teeth in agony.

Too bad I won't get to watch Sakura and Sasuke's matches.

"Hmph, not bad."

In the stands, Sasuke watched Naruto being carried away, a smile curling his lips.

Deep down, he could not help being secretly shocked. Naruto's growth was truly far too fast.

"Then, let's begin the next match!"

Everyone's attention returned to the electronic display.

The next match was Shino against Zaku of the Sound Shinobi.

In this match, Shino displayed remarkable calm and cautious combat ability. Through careful planning step by step, he ultimately had his insects clog the wind vents in Zaku's palms and claimed victory.

The matches progressed one after another.

Third round, Temari VS Tenten.

Their battle proved one thing: ten thousand ordinary ninja tools could not compare to one well-suited divine weapon.

Result: Temari won.

Fourth round, Shikamaru Nara VS Kin Tsuchi.

Shikamaru Nara, the sharpest mind among Konoha's new generation, used his family's secret technique, the Shadow Imitation Technique, along with a small trick to easily defeat Kin, the female Sound Shinobi.

Result: Shikamaru Nara won.

Fifth round, Kiba Inuzuka VS Tsurugi Misumi.

Tsurugi Misumi, Yakushi Kabuto's teammate and also a Sound Ninja Spy, could freely stretch and twist his body around others.

But against Kiba Inuzuka, who fought in perfect sync with his ninja hound, he was constantly forced to neglect one side for the other.

In this battle, Akamaru displayed formidable fighting strength that did not match his cute appearance.

Result: Kiba Inuzuka won.

Sixth round, Hinata Hyuga VS Dosu Kinuta.

Hinata Hyuga, the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan's Main Family; Hinata Hyuga, who had always followed in Naruto's footsteps; Hinata Hyuga, who no longer wished to run away—she showed enough tenacity in this battle.

However, the composed Sound Ninja Dosu excelled at using sound waves as weapons. Once he widened the distance, he perfectly countered the Hyuga Clan's close-range Gentle Fist style.

Result: Dosu Kinuta won.

Seventh round, Sakura VS Ino Yamanaka.

The two childhood friends, once close since their earliest years, had gradually become estranged over the common troubles of growing girls.

Now, they had finally arrived at their fated showdown.

In this battle, both displayed the resolve and will expected of ninja.

In the end, through the fight itself, they also reached a certain degree of mutual understanding.

Result: Draw. Both contestants were disqualified from the competition.

Eighth round, Gaara VS Akado Yoroi.

Although he had been quietly warned before the match to stop at the proper point, Gaara displayed overwhelming dominance when Akado Yoroi, the Sound Ninja Spy, recklessly provoked him.

Though it was only the tip of the iceberg, his terrifying strength still sent chills through everyone in the stands.

Result: Gaara won.

It was worth mentioning that only through the joint intervention of Sand Shinobi leader Baki and referee Hayate Gekko did Akado Yoroi avoid the fate of death.

Even so, he paid with an arm and half a leg.

"Then, let's look at the next match."

Ignoring the oppressive atmosphere permeating the arena, Hayate Gekko dutifully continued the competition.

At this point, only four contestants remained who had yet to fight:

Uchiha Sasuke, Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, and Choji Akimichi.

Among them, Lee was the most excited.

Of the remaining contestants, one was the man he regarded as his lifelong rival, as well as his teammate—the once-in-a-century genius of the Hyuga Clan, Neji Hyuga.

The other was the greatest rival for Sakura's affections in his eyes: Uchiha Sasuke.

How he wanted to defeat Sasuke with his own hands before the lovely Miss Sakura, proving that he was the dependable man most capable of protecting her for the rest of her life.

On the other side, Shikamaru Nara was deeply worried for his teammate, Choji Akimichi.

This was completely a group of death. No matter whom Choji drew, his chances were grim.

"I think you should just forfeit," Shikamaru muttered to himself.

Choji, on the other hand, seemed quite easygoing. "I hate fighting. But if I become a Chunin, my father promised I can eat barbecue for an entire week!"

"Idiot, it looks like you have no idea what kind of situation you're in," Shikamaru said helplessly.

At the same time, Uchiha Sasuke still looked calm, but beneath the seemingly tranquil surface, enormous waves had long been churning within him.

A blazing light flickered in his eyes. Of the people he had most wanted to fight before the tournament, aside from Gaara, the other two were both here.

At this moment, he only prayed that he would not be matched against Choji Akimichi.

The electronic display began to scroll.

The four names flashed rapidly. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the final matchups.

The screen froze, and two names appeared prominently: