Overlooking All Heroes

As the chief examiner's words fell, the expected uproar did not erupt around the arena. Instead, an eerie silence descended.

A deathly silence.

Sensing this inexplicable atmosphere, the chief examiner panicked. Don't tell me something went wrong again?

He was practically on the verge of a nervous breakdown!

Just as he looked up toward the stands—

Countless people throughout the main arena erupted in thunderous cheers. The clamor surged into the skies.

The sound shook heaven and earth.

It spread to every corner of Konoha.

At that moment, every resident of Konoha could hear the earth-shaking cheers.

Ryōken had won.

In one stroke, he had surpassed Minato Namikaze and become the strongest genius of Konoha's new generation.

Only now did countless students come to their senses.

A month ago, Ryōken had still been Konoha's most notorious good-for-nothing, the only student at the ninja academy who had been unable to extract chakra.

Yet one month later, he had defeated Minato Namikaze, the one with the greatest strength and talent.

They had witnessed it.

This miracle, etched deeply into their hearts, would be impossible to erase.

A breathtaking feat.

At that moment, everyone remembered this name.

Ryōken.

Everyone seemed to see the ninja called Ryōken wielding a sword, roaming freely through the ninja world and shaking the entire ninja world to its core.

In the arena.

At that moment, Ryōken stood at the center of the arena, seemingly radiating an invisible authority. Whenever the students outside met his gaze, they could not help lowering their heads, not daring to look him in the eye.

There was no longer any prejudice in countless gazes. Only respect and awe remained.

The strong deserved respect.

His domineering gaze swept toward the stage below, settling on the other winners who had advanced to the main arena.

Seeing Ryōken look their way, the remaining four could not help feeling guilty. They lowered their heads to conceal the awkwardness on their faces.

At the same time, they kept complaining inwardly.

Who would still dare to go up there now?!

That Sword Qi was terrifying.

Were they looking to get beaten up?

As his gaze shifted, so did the crowd's. Their eyes turned toward the winners who had yet to take the stage, all carrying a meaningful look.

Fortunately, when Hiwa Hyuga saw Ryōken enter the arena, she had already given up on fighting and gone to sit in the stands.

Otherwise, she would have been among those receiving all the attention right now.

After a long while.

Rosen Senju could not endure it any longer. He abruptly raised his head, stepped forward, and said earnestly yet helplessly, "I concede."

After speaking, he let out a relieved breath and walked to the side, folding his arms as he watched.

With someone taking the lead, the others naturally followed suit. One after another, they immediately lowered their heads and conceded.

Among them, Ryōken even spotted two relatively familiar figures: Shibi Aburame, the future head of the Aburame clan and the father of Shino Aburame, one of the Twelve Young Powerhouses; and an Inuzuka clansman with markings painted on his face.

Ryōken found this somewhat baffling. He tilted his head, his face full of conflict as his mind struggled to understand.

Since when had I become so terrifying?

Why weren't any of you coming up?

If Rosen Senju and the others had known about this complaint, they probably would have wanted to strangle Ryōken.

Who would want to fight someone whose strength was unfathomable? There was absolutely no hope of winning.

That stunning Sword Qi had given them an intense sense of danger even from so far away, directly crushing their desire to compete.

It was better to concede outright. They had not planned on competing with Minato Namikaze for the championship in the first place.

Now that even Minato Namikaze had been defeated by Ryōken, why would they make fools of themselves?

Seeing their agonized expressions, the chief examiner understood immediately.

He raised his head high, then suddenly lifted his hand and announced.

"Champion: Ryōken!"

Naturally, another wave of cheers erupted.

Even louder than before.

Upon hearing the word champion, all the ninja academy students finally abandoned the illusory misconceptions in their hearts and accepted reality.

The astonishing scenes from the examination struck their hearts. When they recalled how they had once mocked Ryōken and compared it with his current status as champion—

They could not help blushing in shame, lowering their heads, utterly speechless.

Setting aside the random thoughts in his mind, Ryōken listened to the frenzied cheers and praise.

He felt a little unreal.

A month ago, he had been an unknown student, unable to extract chakra or learn ninjutsu.

At that moment, listening to the cheers ringing in his ears and feeling those respectful gazes, Ryōken slowly exhaled and calmed himself.

The key to becoming stronger was already in his hands, along with the maturity he had gained over the years and his unwavering resilience.

Ryōken looked deeply at the ruined arena, then smiled faintly, calm and detached, without the slightest trace of worldly concern.

From now on.

This would be my era!

Ignoring the various astonished and awestruck gazes, Ryōken lightly leaped onto the stands. The surrounding crowd naturally parted, making way for him.

That was the authority brought by strength, even if he was only first in an examination.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the stands.

Hiwa Hyuga had pushed through the crowd and run toward Ryōken.

Standing before him, she took several breaths. Her little face was filled with incomparable delight, and the glimmer in her eyes was especially captivating.

Looking at Hiwa Hyuga's bright smile and adorable face, warmth rose in Ryōken's heart. He affectionately rubbed her head.

"First place!"

Ryōken said with a grin, wearing an expression that practically begged to be punched.

At his words, Hiwa Hyuga's eyes curved like a pair of beautiful crescents. She giggled, revealing two adorable dimples.

"Yeah. You didn't see it in the arena—their startled expressions were so funny."

As she spoke, her voice suddenly grew softer. She opened her eyes wide and glared indignantly at Ryōken. A few sparkling tears clung to her long eyelashes, making her pitiful appearance especially heart-wrenching.

"Why are you crying all of a sudden?"

Ryōken lowered his head and looked at Hiwa Hyuga, utterly confused. Wasn't this supposed to be a happy moment?

"You have no idea how worried I was about you. Luckily, you won. Father should agree now, right?"

Hiwa Hyuga's face flushed red as she murmured softly, her voice nearly inaudible.

"Huh?"

Her voice was too quiet, so Ryōken could not help leaning closer to hear more clearly.

Hiwa Hyuga looked up and saw Ryōken's face so close to hers. Her heart skipped a beat, and her little face turned red as she hurriedly said.

"Nothing. I'm just happy, that's all."

"I see. Let's go, my treat today."

Unable to get anything more out of her, Ryōken stopped dwelling on it and said excitedly.

"Come on, Ichiraku Ramen!"

In all of Konoha, only Uncle Ichiraku had continued to treat Ryōken warmly and encourage him when everyone else discriminated against and looked down on him.

Without his support, who knew how much longer it would have taken Ryōken to extract chakra?

Perhaps, to Uncle Ichiraku, such a small kindness was insignificant.

But Ryōken would never forget it.

A drop of kindness deserved an ocean in return.

At that moment, Ryōken only wanted to tell Uncle Ichiraku this exhilarating news—and eat several bowls of his ramen while he was at it.

Without paying.