Unlocking Ryujin Jakka's Shikai

Naruto's voice carried a trace of barely perceptible jealousy.

In the stands, the old Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, covered his face, looking as though he could not bear to watch.

He muttered under his breath, "Is this Konoha's future? It really is too painful to look at."

However, anyone observant enough could see the faint smile peeking through his fingers.

In a corner, Orochimaru, disguised as a Jonin from the Hidden Sound, watched everything with cold eyes.

He sneered inwardly, Konoha Village is finished. Even its next generation is this pathetic. A village like this will be destroyed by me sooner or later.

Even so, a flicker of interest in Su Bai passed through his eyes.

Surprisingly, even the usually indifferent Gaara had taken an interest in this farce.

With his arms crossed, he watched Sakura and Ino expressionlessly, as if studying a new method of combat.

Gaara of the Sand murmured, "Fighting for feelings... interesting."

Hayate Gekko quietly came to Su Bai's side.

This ANBU elite, Su Bai's uncle, wore a meaningful smile.

He gave Su Bai a thumbs-up, his eyes gleaming with approval and a hint of teasing.

"Not bad, Little Bai," Gale said softly. "Looks like my nephew has quite the charm. Want your uncle to teach you a few tricks for dealing with girls?"

Su Bai shot his uncle an expressionless glance and said coldly, "No need."

Gale did not mind and continued teasing him. "Don't be so cold. You know, back when I was in the ANBU, quite a few female ninjas fought over me too."

Su Bai sighed softly. "Uncle, this isn't the time for that."

He stood where he was with his arms folded, expressionless, as though the argument had nothing to do with him.

Yet beneath that calm exterior, Su Bai's heart was in turmoil.

This is ridiculous, he thought. What are you two doing? We're ninjas, not here to fall in love.

At that moment, Sakura and Ino turned toward the chief examiner, Hayate Gekko, at the same time.

"Uncle Gale, you're Su Bai's uncle," Sakura said firmly. "We've decided to use this match to determine who is more worthy of Su Bai!"

Ino nodded in agreement. "That's right! The winner will be qualified to become Su Bai's girlfriend!"

Su Bai's parents were gone, and his uncle was the person closest to him.

As long as they earned Gale's approval, they would gain plenty of points with Su Bai as well.

Gale raised an eyebrow and looked at Su Bai, seemingly asking for his opinion.

Su Bai gently closed his eyes and let out an almost imperceptible sigh.

"Do as you please," he said coldly. "But don't expect me to accept the result."

"I'm not an object. I'm a person with independent thoughts."

The moment he finished speaking, Sakura and Ino had already assumed fighting stances, ready to begin at any moment.

The atmosphere abruptly grew tense as the two girls stood in the center of the arena, their gazes blazing.

Sakura and Ino simultaneously reached out and solemnly tied the forehead protectors that had originally been fastened elsewhere around their foreheads.

Among ninjas, this gesture symbolized a serious duel, declaring that they would give it everything they had.

"For Su Bai, I absolutely won't lose!"

Sakura muttered, clenching her fists tightly.

Ino took a deep breath as well, determination flashing in her eyes. "I'll show everyone who is truly the best match for Su Bai."

At Hayate Gekko's command, the match officially began.

The two girls solemnly tied their forehead protectors around their foreheads, their fighting spirit soaring.

Unexpectedly, Sakura launched the first attack.

Her speed and strength clearly exceeded Ino's expectations.

The life-and-death trials in the Forest of Death, where she had desperately protected her companions, had brought Sakura's strength through a qualitative leap.

She nimbly evaded Ino's flashy taijutsu, seized an opening, and instantly closed in.

"Hah!"

With a soft shout, Sakura gathered chakra in her right fist and viciously struck toward Ino's abdomen.

Ino barely raised her arms to block, but the powerful blow still sent her flying backward before she crashed heavily onto the ground.

The spectators at the sidelines gasped. None of them had expected the ordinarily gentle Sakura to possess such fierce offensive power.

Sakura steadied herself and shook her slightly numb right hand, a confident smile curving her lips. "Well, Ino? Get serious, or Su Bai will be mine."

Ino struggled to her feet and wiped away the trace of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

There was not the slightest fear in her eyes. Instead, an even fiercer fighting spirit ignited within them.

"Hmph, don't get cocky too soon, Forehead," Ino said, rolling her shoulders before standing straight again.

Su Bai continued watching the battle expressionlessly, but with his sharp senses, he had already noticed the tense atmosphere filling the air.

It seems the real battle has only just begun, he thought.

The two girls faced off once more, and the tension reached its peak.

Then they launched into a fierce duel, every move ruthless and without mercy.

The battle lasted ten minutes. Their strength was evenly matched, and neither could gain the upper hand.

If they had not been fighting over Su Bai, Hayate Gekko would have stopped this prolonged battle long ago.

He secretly admired his nephew for making two outstanding female ninjas fight so desperately.

Another five minutes passed before the drawn-out battle finally reached its end.

Sakura and Ino simultaneously mustered their last strength and launched fierce attacks at each other.

However, both of them lost consciousness at the same time due to exhaustion.

Chief examiner Hayate Gekko announced the result. "A draw! Both contestants are eliminated."

Gale gave Su Bai a meaningful look, but Su Bai avoided his uncle's gaze.

And I thought I was the one picking up female ninjas in the ANBU and finding him an aunt. This kid is even more impressive than I am.

Although the process had been somewhat awkward, the result was an unexpected delight for Su Bai.

This prolonged battle had brought him a large amount of experience, bringing him another step closer to his goal.

Su Bai stood there expressionlessly, but inwardly calculated the gains he had received.

Although he wanted to pretend that the farce just now had nothing to do with him.

His gaze still unconsciously fell upon the unconscious Sakura and Ino.

After that interlude, the remaining matches resumed immediately.

The sixth match began: Temari versus Tenten.

Temari displayed the formidable strength of a Sunagakure ninja. Her masterful Wind Release ninjutsu easily neutralized Tenten's ninja tool attacks.

The match was completely one-sided, and Temari claimed victory with overwhelming superiority.

Su Bai watched coldly from the sidelines, silently calculating the experience he had gained.

This match contributed over a hundred thousand points, bringing him one step closer to his goal.

The seventh match: Shikamaru Nara versus Kin of the Hidden Sound.

Shikamaru displayed astonishing intelligence, defeating his opponent with clever strategies and the Shadow Imitation Technique.

Although this battle of wits was exciting, the experience it yielded seemed somewhat insufficient to Su Bai.

He frowned almost imperceptibly, inwardly anticipating a more intense battle.

Finally, the eighth match began: Naruto Uzumaki versus Kiba Inuzuka.

"It's finally my turn!"

Naruto shouted excitedly.

Kiba was full of confidence. "Great, I got the weakest opponent."

However, Kiba did not know that Naruto was no longer the same as before.

After countless trials, Naruto's strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.

The two engaged in a fierce duel. Naruto displayed astonishing growth and ultimately knocked Kiba to the ground.

This thrilling battle brought Su Bai several hundred thousand experience points.

At that very moment, Su Bai felt something inside his body being triggered.

[Ding! Nearby ninja battle detected. Obtained 25,000 experience points.]

[Ding! Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto template fusion progress: 10%. Current experience: 25,000/90,000,000.]

[Congratulations, Host! Fusion rate has reached 10%! Ryujin Jakka's Shikai has been unlocked!]