"It seems you have people who care about you."
Naruto's words brought Gaara back to his senses, and he temporarily abandoned his thought about why the sand inside his body had taken on the shape of his mother.
"Why are you so strong?"
Gaara expressed his confusion about Naruto's strength.
"Because for those who care about me, for my friends, I must move forward without hesitation!"
Naruto's answer was completely nonsensical, yet it still made Gaara think about it seriously.
Talking nonsense is nothing particularly magical. As long as you can confuse someone, they will listen to whatever you say and believe it without question, while filling in the blanks in their own minds.
"The person who cares about me, does that mean my mother?" Gaara had just caught.
I have no friends.
Gaara said to Naruto.
"Is that so? Then let me be your first friend, but only after I defeat you!"
Naruto smiled, a smile he had practiced for many years, and spoke softly to Gaara.
Will you be my friend?
Gaara stared blankly at Naruto, as if trying to etch the Naruto of Naruto, with his radiant golden smile, deep into his heart.
However, in the next instant, Gaara lost consciousness.
"Bang!"
Naruto punched Gaara hard, and the Sand Shield arrived late once again.
Simply because, throughout their journey, even when he attacked Gaara, Naruto showed no malice whatsoever, only empathy, compassion, and affection.
I'm so sorry, my friend!
Naruto added a sentence in his mind, then raised his hand and said.
"Referee, the battle is over. The opponent is incapacitated!"
When the referee blew the whistle and announced Naruto's victory, the arena erupted in a deafening roar of cheers.
Many people were also chanting the victor's name.
"Naruto Uzumaki! Naruto Uzumaki! Uzumaki..."
As the match ended, spectators who hadn't purchased tickets for the next game began to get up from their seats and head out of the stadium.
Ren waved his hand, and immediately an Uchiha Clan ninja walked out from behind the wall behind the village leader on the platform and came to Ren's side.
After whispering a few words in his ear, the ninja left.
Ōnoki and Darui each summoned someone and whispered instructions to them.
Rasa raised his hand, then lowered it again, finally leaving a puddle of Gold Dust on the seat before disappearing.
10:50.
The audience had already taken their seats for the second show, and Rasa, who had disappeared, reappeared in his seat.
His gaze was no longer as sharp as before, appearing much calmer; perhaps something good had just happened.
The second match began soon after.
Kurotsuchi vs. Hidden Cloud Village, 20 million.
The battle was almost entirely one-sided; Kurotsuchi was powerless against the 20 million Genin from Hidden Cloud Village.
The entire match was purely a showcase of individual skills by the Hidden Cloud Village, featuring a dazzling array of Lightning Release Ninjutsu and impressive swordsmanship.
Cheers erupted within the castle, as everyone marveled at the power of the Hidden Cloud Village.
No one questioned why such a powerful Hidden Cloud Village hadn't been able to defeat his opponent after more than twenty minutes.
There's no victory without a win, and the audience is happy with that. As long as the game is entertaining, that's all that matters. What more could they want?
Do you expect to see someone instantly killed in one move? Most people are just there for the spectacle.
Finally, at 11:30, thirty minutes after the start of the battle, the Hidden Cloud Village defeated Kurotsuchi, who had been outplayed for half an hour, in one move.
The clean and decisive final strike drew cheers from inside the city hall.
The audience began to leave in an orderly manner, leaving only those in the main stage and the private viewing rooms.
Ninjas from various villages delivered food to the Kage, including Ren, and to the daimyō's viewing room.
The competition started again at 1 p. m.
The third event was an internal war within Iwagakure).
The Kage and ninja village leaders on the platform all stared intently at the exhibition match in the arena, appearing very interested.
In reality, his mind had already wandered off to who-knows-where.
For example, Ren was thinking about when Tobi was going to make his move, and the best time would be during the competition.
The same goes for Ōnoki; no one has contacted him yet to start the operation. After this round, there are only two more matches left.
Could it be that those two guys chickened out?
The competition on the field continued, with endless displays of Ninjutsu attacks and defenses, and all sorts of unexpected tactical designs.
This caused the onlookers to blush and their hearts to rise and fall with each turn of events.
This kind of pure Iwagakure Ninjutsu show is only considered incredibly exciting by those who are just there for the spectacle.
All the Ninjutsu and tactics displayed were recorded in great detail in the archives of the other four major ninja villages besides Iwagakure.
After all, the Shinobi World has already experienced several major wars, and what has been revealed is what Iwagakure has demonstrated on the battlefield.
The five Kage, including Ōnoki, showed almost no interest whatsoever.
Although some leaders of smaller ninja villages knew it was an exhibition match, they still watched and felt the power of Iwagakure.
The boring time passed little by little, and soon the fourth match arrived.
[Uchiha Natsuri VS Chojuro]