Act Fast, Look Cool

The battle between Shikamaru and Temari was not exactly intense, but it was more spectacular than most of the audience had anticipated.

Throughout the match, Shikamaru treated the spectators to multiple "reversals," making for excellent viewing. Not to mention those with a keen eye for combat, even the ordinary civilians who knew nothing about ninja battles were thoroughly satisfied.

In particular, the astonishing strategic and tactical planning Shikamaru displayed—utilizing everything at his disposal, from his own resources to the surrounding environment—successfully achieved his goal of "controlling the enemy with the Shadow Possession Jutsu."

However, once he achieved his objective, Shikamaru decisively surrendered, as he was nearly out of chakra and the means he had conceived to secure victory were no longer executable.

When the referee announced Temari as the winner, the audience erupted into thunderous applause.

Seeing this, the Third Hokage breathed a slight sigh of relief—many of the Daimyo present had come specifically to watch the matches. If they felt too bored, the support these Daimyo provided to Konoha in the future might diminish.

He is indeed Shikaku's son, the Third Hokage thought with satisfaction. By the standards of a Chunin, even Uchiha Sasuke's previous performance was not as good as his.

After a brief relaxation, the referee ordered the participants of the third match to enter: Shino Aburame versus Sakura Haruno.

Shino was as silent as ever, so Sakura had to take the initiative: "Shino, I've become much stronger this past month. You don't have a chance to win."

"I will not concede just yet." Shino was very calm. "If you ask why, it is because I, too, have grown stronger over this past month."

"Match start!"

After shouting this, the referee immediately stepped back to put some distance between himself and Shino—though he wasn't afraid of bugs, a dense, swarming mass of them was a bit unsettling.

Shino extended his hands forward, and hundreds, if not thousands, of Kikaichū flew from his body like a black cloud, threatening to envelop Sakura.

Some in the audience who were afraid of insects, or those suffering from trypophobia, had already covered their eyes with their hands, not daring to look.

Consequently, they missed the spectacular scene that followed: Sakura raised her right foot high and stomped down. With a single strike, she shattered the surrounding ground, and the resulting shockwave instantly pulverized the approaching Kikaichū into dust before blasting them away in all directions.

The Third Hokage widened his eyes, as if he had seen a familiar figure: "Tsunade..."

It wasn't just the Third Hokage; many Konoha ninja also saw someone they knew well in Sakura at that moment.

"What terrifying power!" The referee held one hand in front of his face to ensure he could keep his eyes open. "The power of that kick is likely no less than Lady Tsunade's Heavenly Foot! Who is this young girl?"

Shino, who had felt the shockwave at close range, was in a bad way. He held his hands in front of him and lowered his center of gravity to avoid being blown away: "Where did she get this kind of power?! Back at the Ninja Academy, wasn't she best at theory and chakra control?!"

Sakura didn't stand there foolishly waiting for Shino to recover. Before the shockwave had even dissipated, she had already rushed in front of him and thrown a punch. She stopped her fist just before impact, but the wind pressure from the strike still blew Shino back more than ten meters.

The referee, possessing decent skill and judgment, announced at the right moment: "Sakura Haruno wins!"

Shino lay on the ground for three seconds before climbing back up. Sakura walked over and reached out with a smile: "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Shino gently grasped Sakura's hand, then immediately let go once he was standing: "Your ability... no, I should say your improvement in terms of raw power, truly exceeded my expectations."

"It's not just pure strength; it's also chakra." Sakura took the initiative to explain: "At the moment of impact, I refine as much chakra as possible within my body and then concentrate it to the maximum."

"I see. By concentrating chakra only at the moment of impact, you not only maximize power but also reduce chakra consumption." Shino understood immediately: "But that is only theory. To actually achieve your level of control, the requirements for chakra manipulation must be incredibly high."

The referee, standing nearby, heard their conversation: "Looking across all of Konoha, the only one who can achieve this level in actual combat is Lady Tsunade."

With a smile, the referee reminded them: "The next match is about to begin. If you two are finished, please leave the arena as soon as possible."

Once the two reached the arena exit, the referee announced loudly: "The fourth match, Uzumaki Naruto versus Gaara! Will both contestants please enter the arena!"

Upon hearing Gaara's name, the Sunagakure ninja immediately grew tense.

On one hand, Gaara was their Jinchuriki, and his mental state was unstable, with several records of going on a rampage to date.

On the other hand, Gaara entering the arena meant that the "Konoha Crush Plan" they had plotted in league with Orochimaru was about to begin.

Kankuro leaned over to Gaara and warned him cautiously: "Gaara... don't forget the plan."

Gaara looked at Kankuro with an expressionless face: "I know."

This response put Kankuro at ease: "That's good. Gaara's mental state is even more stable than we anticipated."

Gaara walked toward the arena at a leisurely pace, recalling the battle between Naruto and Rock Lee during the preliminaries: "The speed and power of that bushy-browed kid—even with the Armor of Sand, I might not be able to defend against it completely. And that blond kid is even better than him..."

"Ah~ only a guy like that is worth killing!" Gaara's expression suddenly twisted into a manic grin: "Wait for me, Mother~ soon you'll be able to taste some excellent blood!"

"Hey, kid." A voice familiar to Gaara suddenly echoed in his mind: "I'll give you all the power you need in a moment, and I won't interfere with you, as long as you beat the guy across from you to a pulp."

"Shukaku..." Gaara's manic expression suddenly vanished: "You... know that blond kid?"

"How could I possibly know a tiny human?" Shukaku let out a cheerful laugh: "Haven't you realized it yet? That blond brat is just like you—he's a Jinchuriki!"

Gaara slowly widened his eyes, filled with nothing but confusion.

In the spectator stands, Naruto had yet to leave the arena.

"Why haven't you gone down yet?"

Sasuke asked Naruto, "What are you waiting for?"

Naruto toyed with the Kunai in his hand and laughed, "Waiting for a good chance to look cool!"

Sasuke glanced at the chakra seal on the Kunai and understood, "The Flying Thunder God Technique is one of your trump cards; isn't it a waste to use it just to show off?"

"This isn't just any ordinary showing off!"

Naruto emphasized, "Besides, even if everyone knows I can use the Flying Thunder God Technique, its effectiveness in actual combat won't be diminished in the slightest. That is precisely the strength of the Flying Thunder God Technique."

Sasuke thought about it carefully, and it was indeed true.

"Ah, that guy with the panda eyes has entered the arena."

Naruto tossed the Kunai in his hand toward the arena and waved at Sasuke, "I'll be back in a flash."

The Kunai nailed precisely into the ground a few meters in front of Gaara. Under the gaze of all the spectators, Naruto used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear instantly beside the Kunai, pulling it out with a casual motion: "Uzumaki Naruto, reporting for duty!"

At this moment, everyone present who had seen the Fourth Hokage saw, in Naruto, the shadow of that figure known as the Yellow Flash...