Chunin Selection Tournament: A Cringey Showdown

The air at the center of the arena was twisted into knots by two utterly opposing auras.

Rock Lee clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. His green training suit fluttered wildly, and the flames of youth burning in his eyes seemed capable of melting steel.

"Sasuke! Today, I will use these iron fists steeped in youth to shatter the halo of genius!"

"Eight Gates—the First Gate: Gate of Opening, open!"

This kid had no sense of fair play. He opened with two kings and four twos!

Sasuke sneered and slowly pulled his hand from his pocket. His crimson Two-Tomoe Sharingan spun steadily in his eye sockets.

"Shatter it?"

"That is merely an excuse weaklings use for their own incompetence."

"Your hard work is worthless in my eyes."

Before his words had even faded.

Rock Lee vanished from where he stood.

Boom!

The sonic boom made the eardrums of the front-row spectators ache.

Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply. His Sharingan frantically tracked the trajectory, but it caught only a blurry green afterimage.

A fist struck him squarely in the back, sending him crashing into the arena wall like a cannonball. Rubble clattered down all over him.

"Second Gate: Gate of Rest, open!"

"Third Gate: Gate of Life, open!"

Rock Lee's roars grew more impassioned with each shout. His skin flushed an unhealthy red, while sweat evaporated into white mist that enveloped him.

His speed tripled once more.

Sasuke had barely climbed out of the rubble when a storm of fists and kicks came crashing toward him.

Bang bang bang bang bang!

The dense collisions blended into one continuous roar, without even the slightest pause between them.

Sasuke could only cross his arms and block desperately. Every impact made his bones go numb and churned his blood.

The Sharingan saw everything clearly, but his body could not keep up at all.

That was the unreasonable terror of the Eight Gates.

In the stands.

Might Guy was so excited that tears streamed down his face. He clung to the railing, his fist moving so fast it left afterimages.

"Did you see that, Kakashi?! That is the charm of hard work! That is blazing youth!"

"You actually taught him that!" Kakashi said in surprise. Of course he knew what Rock Lee's Eight Gates were capable of!

Kakashi's expression darkened slightly, and the hand folded beneath his arm tightened unconsciously. Meanwhile, a secretive smirk curled across Might Guy's lips.

"Damn you, Guy. Don't get cocky. You should also see that my student isn't so simple either."

In the arena, black Cursed Seal markings crawled across Sasuke's neck and cheeks, while his Two-Tomoe Sharingan glowed scarlet.

His left hand rapidly formed seals: Monkey → Dragon → Rat → Rooster → Ox → Snake.

The lightning was tinged purple-black, its currents more violent as they coiled around his arm like venomous snakes.

His upper body leaned sharply forward, nearly parallel to the ground. His left leg braced against the floor while his right leg stretched forward, like a beast poised to pounce.

Might Guy suddenly turned his head, his eyes widening like bells.

"You taught him that too?!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't you teach that thing to Rock Lee too?!"

The two exchanged a look. The air was thick with the smoke of two fathers competing over their children, neither willing to concede.

Just then.

Sasuke suddenly stopped defending altogether and slowly raised his right hand, his palm aimed at the charging Rock Lee.

Azure lightning gathered wildly in his palm, producing a piercing crackle. Even the air around it was ionized, filling the arena with a scorched smell.

Kakashi instantly straightened up, his eyes lighting up.

It was here!

Chidori!

The peerless Lightning Release capable of severing lightning itself!

Sasuke took a deep breath, his chest swelling.

Then he let out a thunderous roar.

"Lightning Release—Justice Shock: Modified!!!"

"..."

The entire stands fell silent for three seconds.

The smug smile on Kakashi's face visibly froze.

Still leaning forward, he looked as though he had been struck by a bolt of lightning and petrified on the spot.

Asuma first froze, then erupted into earthshaking laughter. He slapped Kakashi's back so hard that he nearly made him cough up blood.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Justice Shock? Kakashi, this is the Chidori you taught him?"

"HAHAHAHA! I'm dying! Justice Shock?! Why didn't you call it Judgment of Light instead?!"

Kurenai covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking like a sieve.

Even Shikaku, who was usually so serious, could not help turning away, his shoulders twitching incessantly.

Kakashi felt his blood rush straight to his head, while shame washed over him like a tide.

He wanted nothing more than to dig a hole in the ground and crawl inside, never to emerge again.

My perfectly good Chidori!

My incredibly cool Lightning Cutter!

How did it become some damn Justice Shock?!

Sasuke Uchiha, you terminal chuunibyou! What I taught you was Lightning Cutter, something that could pierce a heart! Not some toy stun gun for preschoolers playing house!

At the center of the arena.

Rock Lee was also stunned for one-tenth of a second by that earthshaking shout of "Justice Shock."

And in that one-tenth of a second.

The victor had already been decided.

Crackle—!

Thick blue lightning, like enraged venomous snakes, instantly pierced through Rock Lee's left shoulder.

The agonizing pain made Rock Lee grunt as his charge came to an abrupt stop.

He staggered back three steps. Blood dripped from his arm onto the ground, blossoming into crimson flowers.

Yet the flames of youth in his eyes did not dim. Instead, they burned even brighter.

"Good, Sasuke!"

"Only this is worthy of me burning all my youth!"

"Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain, open!"

"Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit, open!!!"

A terrifying chakra storm erupted from Rock Lee's body.

The arena floor cracked inch by inch, while broken stones rose into the air.

His speed had already surpassed the limits of the naked eye. Even the Two-Tomoe Sharingan could only catch fragmented afterimages.

"Reverse Lotus!"

Rock Lee instantly appeared above Sasuke and kicked him viciously toward the ground.

Immediately afterward, countless fists and kicks rained down like meteors.

Bang bang bang bang bang!

The earth shook violently.

A massive crater three meters deep appeared at the center of the arena.

Dust shot into the sky, obscuring everyone's vision.

Rock Lee landed beside the crater. Every muscle in his body trembled uncontrollably as he gasped for breath, each inhalation carrying a thick scent of blood.

The side effects of opening five gates had begun tearing his body apart.

"It's over..."

he said softly, his voice trembling slightly.

"Sakura, did you see that?"

"I... I did it..."

Before he could finish.

An icy voice slowly drifted out from the dust.

"Only you would like a woman like that."

The dust cleared.

Sasuke slowly rose from the bottom of the crater.

His clothes had been shredded into strips, and his body was covered in wounds of varying depths.

But his eyes shone with a terrifying brightness.

Black Cursed Seal markings spread from his neck, covering half his face like grotesque tattoos.

Empowered by the Cursed Seal, his Two-Tomoe Sharingan gave off an eerie crimson glow. He stared coldly at Rock Lee, his tone completely flat.

"You are fast."

"Unfortunately, you are not faster than the Sharingan."

"And your body has already broken apart."

Rock Lee's expression changed drastically.

He wanted to attack again, but he discovered that his legs had completely stopped obeying him.

Piercing agony surged from every muscle in his body, as though countless small blades were slicing him apart at once.

The side effects of the five gates had fully erupted.

Sasuke slowly raised his right hand.

Azure lightning gathered once more in his palm.

"Lightning Release—Justice Shock: Modified!"

"Enough!"

Might Guy instantly appeared between them, spreading his arms to shield Rock Lee. His voice trembled slightly.

"We surrender!"

"Sasuke wins this match."

Sasuke curled his lips and dispersed the lightning impatiently.

The Cursed Seal markings slowly faded away.

"Boring."

He turned around and headed toward the contestants' passage without looking back.

In the most secluded corner of the stands.

Naruto let out a huge yawn.

"That was decent. Just so cringey it hurt my eyes."

With a thought, he summoned the system panel.

[Darkness Value Balance: 22000]

"Better stock up first."

"Exchange for [Leaf Style Swordsmanship: Dance of Death]."

[1200 Darkness Value consumed. Exchange successful]

[Basic Sage Body] (S-Rank Physique · Upgradable)

Exchange Price: 5000 Darkness Value

Can be fused with the Uzumaki Clan physique. Prerequisite: None. After obtaining it, 10000 Darkness Value can be spent to upgrade it to Intermediate, or 15000 Darkness Value to upgrade it to Ultimate.

"Upgrade [Basic Sage Body]."

[5000 Darkness Value consumed. Upgrade successful]

"Exchange for [Impure World Reincarnation]."

[3000 Darkness Value consumed. Exchange successful]

Naruto moved his fingertip and secretly used the Nine-Life Demon Tail Blade to make a small cut across his palm.

The instant blood seeped out, the wound healed at a visible speed, leaving behind not even the faintest trace.

With the Basic Sage Body stacked with the Uzumaki Clan bloodline, his self-healing ability had become monstrously inhuman.

He looked at the panel again, where all the information was displayed in a neat row.

Ultimate Talent Enhancement (S), Multiple Shadow Clone Technique (A), Nine-Life Demon Tail Blade, Harem Technique, Wind Release: Storm Technique (C), Rasengan (A), Kagura Mind's Eye (A), Nine-Tails Chakra Golden Two-Tails, Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Wind Release: Vacuum Wave (B), Wind Release: Great Breakthrough (C), Fūma Shuriken: Shadow Windmill (D), Wind Nature Transformation, Wind Release: Spiral Wind Thrust (A), Impure World Reincarnation: Release (S), Impure World Reincarnation (S), Summoning Technique (A), Flying Thunder God (S), Eight Gates (S), Basic Five-Element Ninjutsu (B), Sage Mode (S), Leaf Style Swordsmanship: Dance of Death (A), Basic Sage Body + Uzumaki Clan Bloodline (S)

[Darkness Value Balance: 12800]

Naruto nodded in satisfaction.

The following matches were indeed completely uneventful.

Shikamaru used a bit of playing hard to get to deliberately lose to Temari, yet inadvertently captured the heart of the Hidden Sand princess.

The other matches were equally ordinary.

As for Naruto and Gaara's match, because both their chakra reserves far exceeded the limit, the referee feared that the arena would be demolished and directly declared them both promoted to Chunin.

The Chunin Selection Tournament was about to come to an end.

Just when everyone thought everything was about to be over.

Without any warning.

A white feather drifted slowly down from the sky.

Then came a second, a third...

Feathers filled the sky like falling snow, impossibly gentle.

The spectators in the stands began to look dazed. One after another, they slowly closed their eyes and collapsed into their seats.

The stadium, deafening just moments ago, instantly fell silent.

Even the sound of the wind became clearly audible.

A large-scale genjutsu covering the entire Konoha Stadium activated without a sound.

Naruto raised his head and watched the feathers dancing across the sky, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly spun, effortlessly seeing through the clumsy genjutsu.

The Konoha Crush Plan had begun.