Hiruzen Sarutobi's Gaze

"Hey! You up there hugging your girlfriend, look at the electronic screen! Is that you?"

A man on the arena shouted at Feng An.

Only then did Feng An remember that the preliminary matches were not over yet...

He looked up and saw his name on the electronic screen: Feng An versus Funaha Yuta.

He turned to Hinata and said, "I'll come hug you again in a moment."

Hinata nodded, her face red.

What kind of thing was that to say?

He was going to come back and hug her again later!

Could he at least spare a thought for everyone else present?

The others in the stands nearly ground their molars to dust when they heard Feng An.

Feng An leaped down from the stands.

Gekko Hayate coughed twice and said, "Since everyone is here, the match will begin."

Funaha Yuta had long since run out of patience.

Seeing Feng An still being lovey-dovey with his little girlfriend before coming down only made him more irritated.

"Die!"

Funaha Yuta's face twisted viciously as he raised a kunai and charged at Feng An.

Feng An lifted his gaze.

Well, damn. You were even more impatient than I was.

As Funaha Yuta rushed over, Feng An suddenly sprang backward.

A cold gleam flashed through Funaha Yuta's eyes. "Let's see how you dodge in midair!"

Did I even need to dodge?

Suspended in the air, Feng An rapidly formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."

In an instant, four or five fireballs wrapped around Shuriken and flew toward Funaha Yuta.

At that moment, Funaha Yuta had only just thrown his Shuriken.

What?!

My directly thrown attack was slower than his Ninjutsu that needed hand seals?!

Funaha Yuta's expression changed drastically.

He hurriedly retreated while forming hand seals at the fastest speed of his life.

"Mist Concealment Technique."

A thin white mist instantly spread across the arena.

Funaha Yuta concealed himself within it.

Naruto, watching from the stands, immediately widened his eyes. He remembered this technique vividly.

Zabuza Momochi had used this Ninjutsu during the Land of Waves mission. If Kakashi had not been there, they would have died in that thick mist.

Yet before Naruto could use his Talk-no-Jutsu to stack buffs on Feng An, Feng An broke his opponent's technique first.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough."

He exhaled an overwhelming blast of wind pressure, dispersing the thick mist in an instant.

Funaha Yuta's figure was completely exposed.

He was pressed against the wall, looking utterly bewildered.

Was this really the power of a Ninjutsu a genin could use?

He had used the mist to sneak up beside Feng An with a kunai in hand.

Just as he was about to claim victory with a single strike—

A fierce gust suddenly blew away the mist and hurled him into the wall behind him.

If the wind had not stopped, he would still be hanging on that wall.

Seeing that he did not seem injured at all, Feng An shook his head and sighed.

"Sure enough, I still have too few killing moves."

Only after taking this exam did he realize that while he was proficient in every area, aside from his fists and kunai, he did not seem to have any Ninjutsu capable of killing in one hit.

"I'll just use my fists."

Feng An charged toward Funaha Yuta at high speed, moving as swiftly as a hummingbird skimming the ground.

Funaha Yuta's eyes nearly popped out when he saw that speed.

He hurriedly pressed his hands together and shouted, "I—"

By then, Feng An was already right in front of him.

"Surrender!!!"

Feng An threw a punch.

A large hole instantly opened in the wall, and cracks rapidly spread upward before stopping at a length of two meters.

That shout seemed to have drained every last bit of strength from Funaha Yuta.

He leaned against the wall, trembling uncontrollably.

Feng An glared at him fiercely.

"Can you surrender more decisively next time? I almost failed to hold back and hit you in the head."

"I... survived."

Having narrowly escaped death, Funaha Yuta only heard ringing in his ears. His mind blank, he collapsed onto the ground.

The surroundings fell silent.

Gekko Hayate was the first to recover. "Cough, cough. I declare Feng An the winner... cough."

Even Gekko Hayate had been momentarily stunned by Feng An's destructive power.

Once he announced Feng An's victory, everyone finally snapped out of it, and the crowd immediately erupted into uproar.

"Gasp... That punch was way too powerful!"

"The speed at which he formed hand seals earlier was so fast that I could only see afterimages."

Sakura looked at Feng An with mixed feelings and muttered, "Feng An... he's that strong?"

"Why can he be at the top in both Ninjutsu and taijutsu?"

Rock Lee, who was watching the match, clenched his fists resentfully as well.

"With that kind of strength and such a beautiful little girlfriend, he's really enviable!"

"Exactly! They're a perfect match, made for each other!"

Those who had resented Feng An's public displays of affection no longer felt jealous.

The strength he had displayed was far beyond the scope of what they could envy. All that remained in their eyes was admiration.

Feng An flashed over to Hinata's side.

"Have you been waiting long? Come here, let me hug you!"

He stretched out his arms and pulled Hinata into his embrace.

Hinata's face flushed red as she said helplessly, "I wasn't waiting... no, I was waiting for you... no, no..."

The more she spoke, the more flustered she became. The steam rising from her head grew hotter and hotter, looking hot enough to boil eggs.

Across the arena, Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes as he studied Feng An.

Red hair? The Uzumaki Clan?

He calmly said, "Anko, do we have any information on that red-haired boy?"

"Let me look, Lord Hokage."

Anko pulled out a stack of ninja records and muttered as she flipped through them, "Feng An..."

"Feng An?!"

She suddenly remembered that the red-haired brat who had claimed to kill Orochimaru was named Feng An!

Seeing her suddenly react, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "What is it?"

Anko hurriedly shook her head and said awkwardly, "I encountered him in the Forest of Death before. He killed the Grass ninja Orochimaru had disguised himself as. Since I went after Orochimaru afterward, I forgot to report it to you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "No matter."

As she quickly flipped through the records, she finally found Feng An's file among the last few pages.

"Lord Hokage, his file states that he is an orphan. At the Ninja Academy, he often failed to meet the standards, and he only barely passed his graduation exam."

"After graduating, he had no jonin teacher leading him. Judging from the records of the nine D-rank missions he completed, he acted together with Team 8."

Team 8? So he was the child Kurenai had mentioned before?

To possess such power...

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I understand. You may leave."

Anko lowered her head. "Yes, Lord Hokage."

First, the highly regarded Byakugan genius had surrendered. Then Feng An displayed strength far beyond that of a genin, sending everyone's emotions soaring even higher.

Hearing the discussions still raging around him, Gekko Hayate coughed a few times and said, "Cough, cough. Everyone, the matches are still continuing..."

As the electronic screen began scrolling once more, Gaara and Rock Lee's names appeared on it.

A small swirl of sand rose in the arena, and Gaara's figure appeared atop the stage.

He looked coldly at Rock Lee in the stands.

"Get down here quickly."

Kakashi rested a hand on his chin and muttered, "Sand Clone?"

Gekko Hayate said, "Match ten: Gaara versus Rock Lee. Cough, cough. Contestant Rock Lee, please enter the arena."