Orochimaru said calmly,
"The daimyo of every nation, including the shinobi from Sunagakure, came here specifically to see the Uchiha fight. If we wrap this up carelessly, I'm afraid the daimyo will be dissatisfied."
After being reminded by him, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze cleared somewhat.
If he directly declared Second Pillar the loser, it would likely also cause the daimyo to be dissatisfied with this tournament.
Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered with a dark expression for a moment, then instructed Ashi Raido, "Postpone the match. Continue with the next one first."
"Yes."
After seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's decision, the corners of the disguised Kazekage's mouth curled into a contemptuous smile beneath his veil.
As a cloud of smoke dispersed, Ashi Raido appeared before Shiranui Genma and spoke to him quietly.
Then, with another puff of smoke, he vanished from the arena.
Shiranui Genma said, "Everyone, one of the examinees for this match has not arrived at the venue, so the match will be postponed until later."
Noisy chatter erupted once more.
"What's going on?"
"If you can't run this properly, then don't run it at all."
With no other choice, Shiranui Genma directly announced, "Next match: Kankuro versus Shino Aburame. Examinees, enter the arena."
"Tch." Kankuro looked displeased. He did not want to reveal Crow's secret just yet.
"I forfeit."
At Kankuro's words, the surrounding crowd immediately became uproarious.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire even tried to hide his entire face behind his fan.
"Konoha!"
Even the most timid daimyo now bore a grudge against Konoha. In the future, Konoha would have a much harder time with mission commissions and financial appropriations.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turned livid.
Orochimaru's whereabouts had yet to be discovered, and accidents in the tournament kept happening one after another.
With such incidents occurring again and again, he