The opening match, brought to the arena by two Sunagakure ninja working together, had gone surprisingly well.
The Iron Sand and puppet's relentless barrage had sent the atmosphere soaring to a small climax.
The VIPs in the stands had never seen anything like it.
They stared in stunned amazement, gasping one after another. Even the way they looked at the ninja had changed.
"So... this is how ninja fight?"
"Th-this is incredible!"
"It's just like something out of a myth!"
The atmosphere in the Five Kage's tower, meanwhile, was rather more complicated.
The Third Kazekage's grin beneath his hat widened, his pride entirely undisguised.
He glanced at the other Kage, inwardly savoring the moment.
Sunagakure had taken first place in this round!
He couldn't believe the Genin from the other villages could outdo Sasori and Tessen when it came to putting on a visual spectacle.
After all, those so-called "bigwigs" were only there to watch the excitement and get their thrills!
"Hmph. Just a few flashy, useless tricks."
Sure enough, the Third Raikage's already dark face grew even darker. He gave a heavy snort.
Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, touched his nose, his eyes flickering as if he were lost in thought.
The Third Mizukage's face was so dark it looked as though water might drip from it.
Their village's Genin were all elite among elites, but when it came to the scale of their jutsu and their visual impact, they truly fell far short of those two boys.
And these amateur spectators ate it up!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned a little more serious.
Those two brats from Sunagakure had certainly livened things up.
But there was nothing to do now except hope that Orochimaru and the others could offer a few genuine surprises.
Just as the Kage had expected, after such a "stunning" first match, the mood at the next few matches noticeably cooled.
First up was Konoha's Hatake Sakumo, facing the last of Kirigakure's barely qualified reserve members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Both were master swordsmen. Their battle was a blur of swift exchanges and flashing blades, full of technical skill.
But to the amateur spectators, it was nowhere near as thrilling as Iron Sand filling the sky and puppets flying through the air.
"Mm... they look pretty impressive, I guess?"
"They're fast, but... is that it?"
Next, Inuzuka Ryo of the Inuzuka Clan faced Nara Kashin of the Nara Clan.
One walked a dog, the other played with shadows.
It was certainly unusual, but compared with the jutsu that had reshaped the terrain in the first match, it was a whole league below in spectacle.
"That dog looks vicious."
"Shadows can grab people? That's kind of interesting."
The chatter in the stands was sparse, nowhere near as enthusiastic as it had been during the first match.
The crowd only came alive again when two new names appeared on the big screen—
Konoha, Tsunade!
Versus!
Konoha, Uchiha Yo!
"Whoa!!"
"Senju versus Uchiha!"
"This is a fated showdown!"
The stands erupted again in an instant.
Many people craned their necks, eager to see an earth-shaking battle.
But the result left them somewhat disappointed.
The First's granddaughter, the legendary Princess Tsunade, fought in a way that was brutally simple.
She spent the entire match chasing Uchiha Setsuna and hammering away at him with her fists!
The Uchiha's prized Sharingan and Fire Release Ninjutsu didn't seem to accomplish anything earth-shattering against Tsunade's unreasonable Strength of a Hundred.
A few moves later, she sent him flying with one punch, ending the match cleanly.
"That's... it?"
"The Uchiha's Sharingan doesn't seem nearly as amazing as the stories say..."
"That Tsunade only knows how to smash people with her fists. She's way too violent."
Hearing the scattered comments from the sidelines, Tsunade's cheeks flushed with anger, even though she had won.
"Those idiots! What do they know?"
Hearing the crowd's comments, Tsunade bared her teeth and cursed.
Those people didn't understand the limits of strength! Or precise Chakra control!
It was like talking to a brick wall!
"Hahahaha! Tsunade, don't take those amateurs seriously!"
Jiraiya grinned broadly, openly laughing at her.
"Next, it's up to Orochimaru and me!"
With that, he tossed his white hair back with a confident flourish and headed toward the center of the arena alongside Orochimaru.
In the tower, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched as his two students entered the arena.
He took a deep breath, feeling both anticipation and a trace of concern.
The other four Kage noticed Hiruzen Sarutobi's reaction and grew interested as well, all turning their attention to Orochimaru and Jiraiya in the arena.
"Oh? Sarutobi's students?"
Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, remarked with interest.
"Hmph. Let's hope they're worth watching."
The Third Raikage rumbled.
The gong signaling the start of the match rang out sharply!
The moment it fell silent—
Orochimaru and Jiraiya made the same move almost simultaneously!
They bit their fingers and swiftly formed Hand Seals!
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Boom! Boom!
Two enormous clouds of white smoke erupted in the middle of the arena, surging skyward!
When the smoke cleared, two enormous beasts appeared before the crowd, so huge they took everyone's breath away!
One was a massive snake with a lithe body covered in purple scales and a fierce glint in its eyes—Manda!
The other was a toad with a pipe in its mouth, wearing a short jacket and wielding an enormous short sword—Gamabunta!
"Whoooooa!!"
"Wh-what is that?!"
"Th-that's one huge summoned beast!"
The spectators in the stands went completely wild!
They had never seen creatures so enormous!
The ferocious aura washing over them left many unable even to breathe!
Tsunade was taken aback too, her eyes widening slightly in surprise.
Powerful summoned beasts weren't easy to command...
She wasn't surprised that Orochimaru could summon a beast like that.
But Jiraiya... since when could that guy summon such a powerful beast?
"Th-this is..."
In the tower, the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki and the Third Raikage's expressions changed in an instant!
They stared fixedly at Gamabunta and Manda in the arena, their eyes full of shock and disbelief.
Such powerful toads and snakes, with such distinctive features...
They could only be found in those two legendary places!
Could it be... that these two Konoha brats had already earned the recognition of those two Sacred Lands?!
How was that possible?!
"Damn you, Jiraiya!!"
"You summon me to this godforsaken place?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Gamabunta had his pipe clenched in his mouth. He looked at the densely packed spectators around him and Manda across the arena, then roared in irritation.
"Come on, Boss Bunta, don't be mad! Just help me out a little and buy me some time!"
Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly, putting on a sheepish smile.
"Hmph!"
Gamabunta grunted in displeasure, but still drew the short sword from his back.
"Manda, play with him for a while."
On the other side, Orochimaru glanced at Manda beside him and spoke calmly.
"Hiss—! Don't order me around!"
A flash of displeasure crossed Manda's scarlet eyes, but he hissed and twisted his enormous body, charging straight at Gamabunta!
"Just what I wanted!"
Gamabunta's fighting spirit surged at the sight. He drew the short sword at his waist and charged to meet him!
Boom!
The two behemoths clashed, their bodies tangling as a deafening roar shook the arena!
Orochimaru watched them, the corner of his mouth curling into a meaningful smile.
There was only one reason Manda was being so obedient.
He had already gained a measure of mastery over Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu!
The cultivation method of The One basically followed the Daoist School's path, pursuing the supreme state of "unity between heaven and humanity."
After repeatedly testing and refining it, he had found that this cultivation method from another world greatly aided the practice of Sage Mode.
But it still wasn't enough!
The Natural Energy in the Naruto world was far more violent than "Primordial Qi," and much harder to control, especially after it entered the body.
To gain perfect control over this power, he needed other techniques...
The next moment!
Crack, crack, crack—
Fine blue-violet scales rapidly emerged beneath Orochimaru's skin, covering half his body in the blink of an eye!
A pair of fearsome dragon horns slowly grew from his forehead!
An immense surge of Chakra, far surpassing anything before and almost tangible in its intensity, burst from his body and swept across the arena!
Sage Mode!
This was the result he had finally achieved after more than a year of studying the White Snake Sage's cells in depth and drawing on Mount Myoboku's Twin Technique!
By constantly using Chakra to alter his body, making it mutate and grow ever closer to—and more adapted to—the White Snake Sage's cellular state, he had developed a unique technique that let him enter Sage Mode at will...
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