Hiruzen Sarutobi's Gaze

"Hey! You up there hugging your girlfriend, look at the electronic screen! Is that you?!"

A man shouted at Kanami from the arena.

Only then did Kanami remember that the preliminaries were not over yet...

He looked up and saw his name displayed on the electronic screen: Kanami versus Funaba Yuta.

He turned to Hinata and said, "I'll come hug you again in a moment."

Hinata nodded, her face red.

What kind of thing was that to say?

He would come back and hug her again in a moment?!

Could he please consider everyone else's feelings?

The others in the stands heard Kanami's words and nearly ground their back teeth to pieces.

Kanami leaped down from the stands.

Gekko Hayate coughed twice and said, "Since everyone is here, the match will begin."

Funaba Yuta had long since run out of patience.

Seeing Kanami flirt with his little girlfriend before finally coming down only made him more irritated.

"Die!"

Funaba Yuta wore a vicious expression as he raised a kunai and charged at Kanami.

Kanami lifted his eyes and looked.

Well, damn. You were even more eager than I was.

As Funaba Yuta rushed toward him, Kanami suddenly leaped backward.

A cold glint flashed through Funaba Yuta's eyes. "Let's see how you dodge in midair!"

Dodge?

Did I even need to dodge?

Suspended in the air, Kanami rapidly formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu."

Whoosh!

In an instant, four or five flames wrapped around shuriken and flew toward Funaba Yuta.

At that moment, Funaba Yuta had only just thrown his shuriken.

What?!

My directly thrown attack was slower than the ninjutsu he had to form seals for?!

Funaba Yuta's expression changed drastically.

He hurriedly retreated while forming hand seals at the fastest speed of his life.

"Hiding in Mist Technique."

A faint white mist instantly filled the arena.

Funaba Yuta concealed himself within it.

Naruto, watching the battle, immediately widened his eyes. He remembered this jutsu vividly.

During the Land of Waves mission, Zabuza Momochi had used this ninjutsu. If Kakashi had not been there, they would have died in that thick fog.

Yet before Naruto could use Talk no Jutsu to buff Kanami—

Kanami broke his opponent's technique first.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."

He expelled an overwhelming blast of wind pressure from his mouth, dispersing the dense mist in an instant.

Funaba Yuta's figure was completely exposed.

He was now plastered against the wall, looking utterly dumbfounded.

Was this the power of a jutsu a Genin could use?

Just moments ago, he had used the thick fog to sneak up beside Kanami with his kunai.

Just as he was about to secure victory with a single strike—

A fierce gust instantly blew away the fog and hurled him into the wall behind him.

If the wind had not stopped, he would still have been hanging on that wall.

Seeing that Funaba Yuta appeared completely uninjured, Kanami shook his head and sighed.

"Looks like I still have too few finishing moves."

Only after taking this exam did he realize that although he was proficient in every aspect, aside from his fists and kunai, he seemed to have no ninjutsu capable of killing with a single blow.

"I'll just use my fists."

Kanami charged at Funaba Yuta, moving so fast that he resembled a hummingbird skimming the ground.

Funaba Yuta's eyes nearly popped out at the sight of his speed.

He hurriedly pressed his hands together and shouted, "I—"

Kanami had already closed in before him.

"SURRENDER!!!"

Kanami threw a punch.

Boom!

A huge hole immediately opened in the wall, cracks rapidly spreading upward before stopping at a length of two meters.

That shout seemed to have drained every last bit of Funaba Yuta's strength.

He was now leaning against the wall, trembling uncontrollably.

Kanami glared at him viciously.

"Can't you surrender more decisively next time? I almost failed to hold back and punched you in the head."

"I... survived."

Having escaped death, Funaba Yuta could only hear ringing in his ears. His mind was blank as he collapsed onto the ground.

The surroundings fell silent.

Gekko Hayate was the first to recover.

"Cough, cough. I announce Kanami as the winner... cough."

Kanami's destructive power had even left Gekko Hayate momentarily stunned.

Once he announced Kanami's victory, everyone finally came back to their senses, and the venue instantly erupted into an uproar.

"Gasp... That punch was way too powerful!"

"The speed at which he formed seals earlier was so fast I could only see afterimages."

Sakura looked at Kanami with complicated feelings and muttered, "Kanami... was he really this strong?"

"Why could he be at the top in both ninjutsu and taijutsu?"

Rock Lee, who was also watching, clenched his fists resentfully.

"With that kind of strength and such a beautiful little girlfriend, he's truly enviable!"

"Exactly. They're a perfect match, made for each other!"

Those who had previously resented Kanami for flaunting his relationship no longer felt jealous.

The strength he displayed was far beyond anything that could inspire jealousy in them. All that remained in their eyes was admiration.

Kanami's figure flashed, and he arrived beside Hinata.

"Did you wait long? Come here, let me hug you!"

He spread his arms and pulled Hinata into his embrace.

Hinata's face flushed crimson as she said helplessly, "I didn't wait... no, I did wait for you... no, that's not right..."

The more she spoke, the more flustered she became. The steam rising from her head grew hotter and hotter, as though it could boil eggs.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated in the stands across from them, narrowed his eyes as he studied Kanami.

Red hair? An Uzumaki?

He said calmly, "Anko, do you have any information on that red-haired boy?"

"Let me look through it, Hokage-sama."

Anko pulled out a stack of ninja records and muttered as she flipped through them, "Kanami..."

"Kanami?!"

She suddenly remembered that the red-haired brat rumored to have killed Orochimaru was named Kanami!

Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed her sudden reaction and asked, "What is it?"

Anko quickly shook her head and said awkwardly,

"I encountered him in the Forest of Death before. He killed a Grass Ninja disguised by Orochimaru. Since I went after Orochimaru afterward, I forgot to report it to you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "No matter."

As she rapidly flipped through the files, she finally found Kanami's image in the last few pages.

"Hokage-sama, his file says that he is an orphan. During his time at the Ninja Academy, he often failed to meet the standards, and he only barely passed his exams."

"After graduating, he had no teacher leading him. According to the records of the nine D-Rank Missions he completed, he acted together with Team 8."

Team 8? Was he the child Kurenai Yuhi mentioned before?

And he actually possessed such power.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I understand. You may leave."

Anko lowered her head. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

The highly regarded Byakugan genius had surrendered, and Kanami's power far surpassing that of a Genin had followed immediately after. The crowd's excitement surged even higher.

Hearing the lively discussions still echoing around them,

Gekko Hayate coughed several times and said,

"Cough, cough. Everyone, the matches are still continuing..."

As the electronic screen began scrolling again,

Gaara and Rock Lee's names appeared on it.

A ring of fine sand swirled across the arena, and Gaara's figure appeared within it.

He looked coldly at Rock Lee in the stands.

"Come down quickly."

Kakashi rested a hand on his chin and muttered, "Sand Body Flicker?"

Gekko Hayate said, "The tenth match will be Gaara versus Rock Lee. Cough, cough, contestant Rock Lee, please enter the arena."