Zeyu vs. Naruto

The large screen began to scroll, and everyone looked toward it in unison.

[Hiru Zeyu vs. Uzumaki Naruto]

"No way..." Kakashi said softly with a dead-fish eye, glancing at the Naruto standing before him.

It's actually Naruto, Zeyu thought as he looked at the screen. This should be pretty boring, but it's a perfect chance to keep a low profile.

"Zeyu-kun, good luck!" Hinata said from the side, clenching her fists with a smile.

Zeyu looked at Hinata and smiled back.

"Mm, thank you, Hinata. I'll be right back."

With that, Zeyu vaulted over the railing and jumped into the arena, looking back at the viewing platform.

Kiba had his hands behind his head, watching Zeyu down in the arena with a hint of envy. "Zeyu is so lucky, running into the weakest one, Naruto. I wish it were me."

The others who hadn't competed yet looked on with worry, cold sweat trickling down their faces.

"Alright, I'm going too!" Naruto clenched his fists, his face full of excitement as he prepared to head down.

Kakashi grabbed Naruto by the shoulder and said, "Don't go, Naruto. You're no match for him. Just forfeit."

Naruto was immediately displeased; he pouted and looked back at Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, shouldn't you be encouraging me?"

Sakura was also a bit confused and urged, "Kakashi-sensei, at least let Naruto try. That Zeyu's grades are just average; he can't be that strong."

Naruto nodded in agreement.

Kakashi sighed helplessly, let go of his shoulder, and said, "Well, don't say I didn't warn you."

Naruto looked blankly at Kakashi, squinting his eyes.

Zeyu stood with his hands in his pockets, waiting for Naruto to come down from above. He was getting bored and let out a yawn.

Hayate, standing to the side, watched the scene and began to urge Naruto along.

In the distance, the Third Hokage pulled out his pipe and took a puff. Zeyu and Naruto? The outcome should be decided pretty quickly, the Third Hokage thought with a chuckle.

He looked at the two who were now standing in the arena.

"Zeyu, I've wanted to have a real fight with you for a long time. I won't hold back later, so you better give it your all!" Naruto lowered his body slightly, smiling confidently.

Zeyu smiled faintly, lowered his own body to prepare for combat, and said, "Mm, I know you won't surrender, Naruto, so don't blame me for what happens next."

When Naruto heard this, he felt like Zeyu had spoken right to his heart. He was very happy; he stood up straight, held out his fist, and shouted, "Of course! My dream is to become Hokage! How could I fall here!"

On the viewing platform, some were surprised, while others were disdainful.

Another idiot. Running into that guy, you're just unlucky, Megumi thought, crossing her arms.

He really dares to say that, this guy, Kiba thought.

Good luck, Naruto, Sakura thought.

Here we go again, honestly, Kakashi thought.

At this moment, Hayate shouted, announcing the start of the battle.

"Take this! Ura!" Naruto yelled, charging straight at Zeyu.

"He's got quite a bit of spirit, at least," Sakura remarked.

Naruto raised his fist and swung at Zeyu, looking like he was about to land the hit.

Zeyu simply lifted his leg and kicked, landing squarely in Naruto's chest.

Naruto let out a pained cry and went flying.

He flew ten meters away, sliding along the ground for a distance before finally coming to a stop.

The entire arena was silent; the air suddenly turned still.

"Uh..." Sakura was speechless, the corner of her mouth twitching.

"I told you, but you wouldn't listen," Kakashi sighed helplessly and said softly.

"Kakashi-sensei, why didn't Naruto dodge?" Sakura asked, puzzled.

"It's not that he didn't want to dodge; Naruto simply couldn't react in time. He couldn't keep up with Zeyu's movements," Kakashi explained, watching Naruto lying on the ground.

Naruto lay there for a short while before clutching his chest and shakily climbing to his feet.

"So... so amazing," Naruto said, watching Zeyu cough twice.

"It would be better if you used your full strength, Naruto," Zeyu said, loosening his neck.

"Yeah," Naruto replied, forming a cross seal with his hands.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

A burst of white smoke appeared out of thin air, and as it instantly dissipated, five Narutos stood before him.

"Let's go!" the Narutos shouted in unison.

Three of the Narutos began to circle around Zeyu, while one charged straight at him.

Hmm? Is he going to use the Naruto Uzumaki Combo now? Zeyu thought, scanning his surroundings.

As he pondered, Naruto reached him and threw a punch.

Zeyu smiled slightly and reached out, catching Naruto's fist directly.

The Naruto in front of him froze, cold sweat trickling down his face.

Zeyu glanced behind Naruto, and sure enough, another Naruto was sprinting toward them.

Scanning the area again, he saw three more Narutos approaching from different directions.

The Naruto in front, realizing his fist was held fast and unable to move, panicked and threw another punch.

Zeyu caught that one too, then exerted force to swing Naruto around, though he didn't let go.

Holding onto Naruto, he spun around twice.

The three clones surrounding them were struck by the feet of the Naruto in Zeyu's grip and vanished into puffs of white smoke.

Zeyu then released his grip, hurling the Naruto in his hand toward the final one hiding in the back.

The last Naruto let out a cry as he was knocked to the ground, his own clone vanishing into smoke as well.

"The gap is too wide; Naruto doesn't stand a chance," Kiba said.

Kakashi looked at Naruto on the ground and sighed helplessly. "It's over."

"Well then..." Hayate looked at the fallen Naruto and stepped forward, about to make the announcement.

"Wait!" Naruto wiped the corner of his mouth and shouted, slowly standing up to face Zeyu with a look of pure defiance.

"I... I can't go down yet! I'm the man who's going to become Hokage!" Naruto yelled, raising his hands to form the cross seal again.

Is he still going to fight? Hayate thought, looking at Naruto.

"Sigh, honestly," Zeyu said, looking at Naruto's determined eyes with resignation.

In the next second, Zeyu charged straight toward the distant Naruto.

Naruto was taken aback; before he could even perform his jutsu, Zeyu was already in front of him.

Naruto threw a frantic punch at Zeyu, but Zeyu vanished from his sight in an instant.

Zeyu appeared behind Naruto and delivered a sharp chop to his neck.

Before Naruto could react, he felt a surge of pain in the back of his neck and began to lose consciousness, his eyelids drooping.

Zeyu whispered from behind him, "Sorry, Naruto. Go to sleep."

With that, Naruto collapsed and fell flat onto the ground.

Seeing this, Hayate immediately declared Zeyu the winner.

Zeyu turned toward the second floor, smiled at Hinata's position, and flashed a peace sign.

Hinata's face turned bright red in an instant, and she looked quite embarrassed.

"Zeyu-kun is so amazing," Hinata whispered, clasping her hands against her chest.

"Tch, it would be a miracle if he didn't win," Megumi said, crossing her arms with a look of disdain.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps approached, growing louder and closer.

Shota arrived beside them and rushed to the railing, looking down at the arena with anxiety.

"Huh? Big brother is already done? How could this be..." Shota said, gripping the railing.

He then plopped down onto the floor, his head hanging low in frustration.

Megumi watched this scene and helplessly covered her face with her hand, sighing.

This idiot is hopeless, she thought.

"Well, there's still a chance," Nana said, crouching down to pat Shota on the shoulder in comfort.

Zeyu leaped back up to the second floor and pulled Hinata into a hug.

"I'm back. Where's my reward?" Zeyu said with a smile, stroking Hinata's head.

Hinata was startled at first, but then she obediently reached out to hug Zeyu back tightly, closing her eyes in his embrace and instinctively breathing in his scent.

The people present were all speechless.

"Anko, have Hayate come over here," the Third Hokage said slowly, taking a puff of his pipe.

Down on the arena floor, Hayate was just preparing to start the next match when Anko's call came through his earpiece.

He immediately made his way up to the second floor where the Third Hokage was.

"What are your orders, Lord Hokage?" Hayate asked.

Anko also looked at the Third Hokage with a hint of confusion.

After the group finished their discussion, Hayate walked over to Zeyu. Seeing the puzzled expressions on their faces, he said, "Zeyu, are you willing to fight one more match?"

"Why?" Zeyu asked.

"The number of participants is a bit short, but you don't need to worry. Regardless of whether you win or lose this match, you will still advance," Hayate said, coughing twice.

"Is this the Third Hokage's arrangement?" Zeyu asked.

"Yes," Hayate replied, feeling a bit curious. What is so special about this ninja that the Third Hokage is paying so much attention to him? Hayate wondered, sizing Zeyu up.

Zeyu fell into deep thought, glancing up at the second floor across from them.

At this moment, Hinata, who was in his arms, looked up at Zeyu with concern and said, "Zeyu-kun, are you alright? Maybe you shouldn't fight."

Zeyu smiled slightly, patted Hinata's head, and said, "It's fine, I'm okay. Don't worry, it's just that I'll have to trouble you to wait for me a little longer, Hinata."

"I don't mind, but please be careful, Zeyu-kun. Don't push yourself," Hinata said, her eyes filled with reluctance to let him go.

Zeyu kissed Hinata on the forehead, smiled, and said, "That's a kiss for peace of mind. Don't worry, Hinata, I'll be back in a flash."

With that, he let go of Hinata and followed Hayate down to the arena floor.

Hinata was slightly stunned. Feeling the warmth in front of her slowly fade away, she couldn't help but feel a bit lonely. However, as she watched Zeyu's retreating figure and touched her own forehead, she felt much more at ease.

Megumi watched from the side, frowning, and thought with a look of unbearable cringe, They really love showing off.

"Yay! I get to see Big Brother show off his skills! Woo-hoo!" Shota cheered excitedly from the side.

"Oh no, did I jinx it?" Nana covered her mouth, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"It's fine. No one here is a match for Zeyu," Shino suddenly said from behind.

Hearing this, the team members' lips curled upward, and they nodded.

Nana and the others were also curious, all turning their gazes toward Zeyu down on the arena floor.