The spectators in the surrounding stands clearly had not expected this battle over who would become the Sixth Hokage to reach an unprecedented fever pitch from the very start. They all held their breath, afraid of missing this historic moment.
And not just the ordinary spectators—even the Kage from each village in the stands, along with the advisors and elders led by the Third Hokage, wore grave expressions as they stared intently at the arena.
In the arena.
As Kakashi charged forward, he opened the Eight Inner Gates from the first gate, the Gate of Opening, all the way to the seventh gate, the Gate of Wonder. The surging airwaves forcibly drove back Itachi's all-consuming black flames of Amaterasu, ultimately gathering into a storm that fiercely assaulted Itachi beneath his Susanoo.
Though he had already activated his Susanoo, Itachi still did not dare let his guard down. Seeing that Amaterasu had failed to stop Kakashi in the slightest, he immediately drew back the Susanoo's arms and firmly shielded himself from the front.
Rumble...
The clash was over in an instant. Many spectators in the stands had not even managed to follow it with their eyes before a tremendous roar exploded through the arena!
Even though the venue had been renovated and reinforced before the Sixth Hokage election...
Even though defensive barriers had been deployed all around the venue to ensure the safety of the stands...
Even though the Earth Release team had hurriedly begun forming hand seals, with earthen walls rising one after another...
Even though the spectators had prepared themselves to withstand the impact from the moment they held their breath...
Despite all those precautions, the shockwave from the collision swept across the entire venue in an instant. The ensuing tremors made the venue shake violently, sending the spectators