"That blond brat from Konoha's pretty good."
"Impressive. I don't think even a jonin could pull that off."
"The Hyuga kid looked stronger, though. Feels like he got a bit of a raw deal losing like that. What a shame."
"Holy crap! Are Konoha's genin all this fierce now?! They're way stronger than we were at their age."
"Yeah, our brats are miles behind."
Naruto and Neji's battle had just ended. The Arena's stone slabs still held the lingering warmth of colliding chakra, and cheers continued to ring through the stands.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Gekko Hayate covered the blood at the corner of his mouth and raised the referee's flag again. "Next match: Konoha ninja Inuzuka Kiba versus Cloud Village ninja Atsui!"
The spectators were speechless (ー_ー)!! ... Take a break, will you? The contestants might be fine, but you're going to die out there.
Qingwu: Why does watching Gekko Hayate cough give me this strange sense of déjà vu about Qi Qin Shi? Hmm, maybe it's because Uzuki Yugao really is quite pretty. Purple has a certain allure.
The Konoha jonin: We're used to it. He's been coughing for years. Always looks that frail, yet he's still alive and kicking.
Baki: I'll find a chance to help him die a little. Just kidding~
Thud!
Two figures leaped out of the contestants' area almost simultaneously and landed heavily in the center of the Arena. Akamaru: Three. What?! Don't I count?! That's discrimination against dogs!
"Finally, my turn! Watching Naruto and the others fight was driving me crazy," Inuzuka Kiba said with a grin. Despite his smile, his eyes brimmed with excitement and fighting spirit.
Naruto and the others all did well.
I can't fall behind, either.
"Woof, woof!"
Akamaru pressed close to his feet, his amber eyes narrowing warily as