The first Shinobi World Professional League was a great success.
In the final three divisions, two contestants from the New Generation Division placed. One was Tsuji, an orphan of the Yuki Clan from the Land of Water.
Tsuji had already awakened Ice Release and possessed exceptional talent.
Hidden Mist had discovered him and brought him to the competition, hoping to secure Celestial Organization resources in addition to their own.
The other was Kaito from Kusagakure. He possessed a special Kekkei Genkai capable of rapidly aging people.
This life-related ability was extremely valuable, and extremely dangerous.
Neither of them was very old; both were still of academy age.
Yet they had already distinguished themselves from countless shinobi. Their futures were bright.
The Open Division placed greater importance on combat strength and potential.
Deidara of Hidden Stone Village had succeeded the Fourth Tsuchikage, so he was naturally no longer eligible.
Meanwhile, the Hidden Mist brothers Suigetsu and Mangetsu had joined the Celestial Organization even earlier, so they were also ineligible.
Darui of Kumogakure, who possessed Storm Release; Shira of Hidden Sand Village, who had created the Seven Heavens Breathing Technique; Moegi Kazamatsuri of Konoha, who possessed Wood Release; Chojuro of Hidden Mist; and others all placed.
Darui was included because Kumogakure wanted to revive Atsui and Shi.
So, rather shamelessly, they had pushed a candidate for Raikage into the competition.
Although everyone in the Celestial Organization was rather speechless over it and urgently revised the competition rules afterward,
Darui had already entered the competition, so it would not have been right to make him withdraw.
Darui's strength posed no problem when facing the still-undeveloped younger generation.
After all, the final judgment was made by the referees and spectators. They could hardly claim that Darui had not won.
Although Kumogakure had exploited a