Konoha.
Hokage Building ago.
A huge notice was posted in the center of the bulletin board, and crowds from three floors inside and three floors outside almost blocked the entire street.
The content on the notice is simple and crude:
"Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist Contest."
"The participating age is under 15 years old and open to all Shinobi World."
"The winner will directly receive Seven Ninja Swords."
The crowd exploded.
"Seven Ninja Swords? Is it the seven legendary Ninja Blade Kirigakure?"
"Really or not? That kind of treasure is used as a prize?"
"The age limit is under fifteen years old... This is for young people!"
The news seemed to have wings, flying in all directions from Konoha.
In just half a month, the entire Shinobi World knew about this game.
Countries reacted completely differently.
Land of Earth Ōnoki was drinking tea when I received the message, and almost crushed the tea cup:
"What is she going to do? Pull the brats out to demonstrate?"
Land of Lightning The new Raikage was silent for a long time, and finally said only one sentence:
"Send someone to attend."
Daimyo of the Land of Wind hesitated to respond, but was woken up by Bunpuku's words:
"In this game, Konoha is telling everyone Shinobi World that if Tsunade's generation can win, the next generation of Konoha can still win."
"If you don't participate, you are admitting defeat."
As a result, the number of applicants came like a flood.
Nearly a thousand people, covering five major countries and more than a dozen small countries.
Tsunade stood in front of the window of Hokage's office, looking at the endless stream of ninjas from other villages in the direction of the village entrance, with the corner of his mouth slightly raised.
She turned her head and looked at Jiraiya and Orochimaru sitting on the sofa:
"Guess how many will be left in the end?"
Jiraiya crossed his legs. "It's hard to say. But since it's our Konoha home court, we have to score at least half of it, right?"
Orochimaru laughed lowly:
"What she wants is not who wins at all. What she wants is for everyone in Shinobi World to see with their own eyes that the new generation of Konoha, without her Tsunade, can still trample their peers from other countries under their feet."
Jiraiya was stunned for a moment, silent for a moment, and whispered, "... It's really domineering."
The audition is completed within one month.
There are two quotas for small countries and five quotas for large countries. Konoha, as the organizer, directly assigns seven.
A total of one hundred and twelve people finally came to the Konoha showdown Arena.
It was a one-on-one knockout match that lasted four days.
At sunset on the fourth day, fourteen people stood on the stage of the central training ground, lined up.
The audience was crowded with spectators, and delegations from various countries sat in special stands with different expressions on their faces.
Konoha Seven people.
Minato Namikaze stood on the far left, with her blond hair shining slightly in the sunset, and excitement under her eyes.
Senju Nawaki stood next to him, with his hands on his hips and a smile showing his white teeth:
Kushina Uzumaki's red hair was tied into a high ponytail, her hands were folded across her chest, and she had an expression on her face that said, "What's so difficult about this?"
Uchiha Fugaku stood next to her, folding his arms calmly, Sharingan glowed dark red in the sunset.
Hyuga Hiashi's posture was upright, his white eyes swept across the opponent with no unnecessary expression.
Might Duy is wearing a green tights, which is particularly eye-catching among the teenagers in formal attire.
He stood straighter than anyone else, and the fighting spirit in his eyes almost burned out.
Shikaku Nara was leaning at the back, looking lazy, but his eyes kept scanning the seven people opposite, as if he was calculating something.
The seven people on the opposite side are also not weak.
Land of Earth's Akatsuchi stands in the middle, a bit bigger than their peers.
He has short khaki hair and his thick arms crossed on his chest.
Behind him stood two talented teenagers from Kumogakure.
A man and a woman, with stern expressions.
Land of Wind came from a pair of Shayin twins. Iron Sand was not as proficient in using it as someone under the age of fifteen should be.
Land of Water Kirigakure was sent by a tall and thin boy with a pale face, a short blade stuck to his waist, and cold eyes.
The representative of Land of Iron is a girl holding Samurai Sword.
Standing as steady as a rock, his eyes were fixed on Might Duy, seeming to be very interested in that green suit.
In the audience, the expressions of delegations from various countries were already ugly.
The ones they sent to compete were the strongest young people under the age of fifteen from each village.
But during the audition, he was beaten by several monsters from Konoha and was unable to fight back.
The golden-haired Minato Namikaze was as fast as a flash, and the three auditions together did not take more than five minutes.
That red-haired Uzumaki girl, Sealing Jutsu used it to make people's scalp numb.
And the guy in green clothes punched a big hole in the ground...
And now, those monsters on the opposite side are all standing in the finals.
On the high platform, Tsunade's figure appeared beside the railing.
She glanced at the fourteen people in the audience and spoke:
"If you can stand here, you are already the best of your kind."
The audience fell silent, and everyone looked up at her.
"But today we have to compete. The rules are very simple - two against each other, the winner will advance. The remaining seven people will get Seven Ninja Swords."
She paused, her voice lowered a bit, but with an undoubted sense of oppression:
"This Seven Swords is not a decoration."
"Those who can afford them must have the ability to do so. If you think you are not worthy, it is still too late to quit now."
No one moved.
Tsunade raised the corner of his mouth. "Then, let's begin."
In the audience and in the stands, the expressions on the faces of delegations from various countries varied.
Team leader Land of Earth looked in the direction of Akatsuchi and cursed in a low voice:
"That blond Minato Namikaze can't be stopped at all. It's too fast."
The people next to him were silent and did not refute.
The representative of Land of Wind stared at Kushina:
"The most terrifying thing is the red-haired girl. Sealing Jutsu is like weaving a web, forcing people into a blind corner step by step."
Representative Land of Iron's eyes never left Might Duy: "That boy in green clothes, every punch is like hitting a mountain..."
Konoha In the stands here, the patriarchs and wives of the major families sat together.
Yamanaka Sora clutched the fan and stared at Shikaku nervously:
"Shikaku Come on..."
Ria Nara is quite leisurely, holding a cup of tea:
"He is already making calculations. He can tell at a glance who is easy to deal with and who is difficult to deal with among the people on the opposite side."
Hoshina Hyuga held his little daughter in his arms and looked at Hiashi's tall back, his eyes slightly red.
Uchiha Mikoto was sitting in the corner, his eyes falling on Fugaku.
No sound was made, but the fingertips gently grasped the cuffs.
Mako Hatake was sitting on the edge, looking at the teenagers on the field, and whispered to her husband beside her:
"Sakumo, who do you think can win?"
Hatake Sakumo looked at the blond figure in the field and said concisely, "Minato."
The first duel started immediately after Tsunade announced the start.
Minato is facing Akatsuchi from Land of Earth.
Akatsuchi is huge in body, and Earth Release's skills are thick and solid. As soon as he takes the stage, a layer of rock armor condenses around his body.
He grinned. "I heard you are very fast? Then come and break my defense."
Minato No nonsense.
He bent down, took out a Trident Kunai from Ninja Tool Pouch, and held it in his hand.
The next second, Kunai disappeared.
No - it's not disappearing.
It was his figure that shot forward together with Kunai, leaving an almost impossible to capture afterimage on everyone's retinas.
Akatsuchi's pupils shrank suddenly, and he subconsciously punched the afterimage, but when the fist fell, there was no one in front of him.
Minato appeared behind him, and Kunai lay across the side of his neck. The tip of the blade stopped on the skin and did not penetrate.
"... concession."
Akatsuchi froze in place. After two seconds, he slowly lowered his fist.
The audience was silent for a moment, and then there was an explosion of exclamations.
The Land of Earth team leader's face was ashen.
On the other side of the stands, Ōnoki's voice came from behind the delegation, hoarse and heavy:
"Three footprints... He completed the circle after stepping on three footprints. The whole process took less than one second. This is not speed, this is teleportation."
The whole place was quiet for a moment.
When he looked at the blond figure again, his gaze had changed from appreciative to fearful.
Tsunade stood on the high platform, looking at Minato's crisp victory, the corners of his mouth raised slightly.
This is her disciple, the next generation of Konoha - Yellow Flash.
The second game.
Nawaki came on stage and faced Land of Iron, the girl holding Samurai Sword.
The girl's swordsmanship was very sharp. As soon as she came forward, she pressed down on Nawaki and slashed three times in a row.
Nawaki was forced to retreat continuously, staggering a little, which made the Konoha crowd in the audience nervous.
"What is this kid doing?" Jiraiya frowned.
But Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly:
"He's adjusting to her Iaido rhythm."
As soon as she finished speaking, the girl slashed out with her third sword.
Nawaki suddenly stopped retreating, and his body disappeared instantly like Minato Namikaze.
When he appeared again, the knife was already pressed against the opponent's neck.
"Concession!"
Nawaki clapped his hands and gave a thumbs up in the direction of Konoha with a smile.
The girl fell to the ground, froze for a few seconds, bowed her head with a complicated expression and left the scene.
The third game.
Kushina is paired with one of the twins Land of Wind.
The boy controlled Iron Sand, forming a protective layer around him, trying to drag Kushina to death with remote consumption.
But Kushina didn't follow his lead at all.
With both hands Hand Seals, she threw out a few Sealing Tags from her cuffs, and the talismans burned themselves out in mid-air.
The next second, Iron Sand lost control.
The boy's face changed suddenly, and he found that his control over Iron Sand was being interfered with, suppressed, and taken away by some stronger Chakra.
Within a few breaths, those Iron Sand not only stopped listening to his orders, but instead condensed into a wall in front of him, trapping him in the middle.
"You lose."
Kushina's voice is dull.
The boy struggled several times and finally let go.
Game 4.
Uchiha Fugaku faced Land of Water Kirigakure that pale boy.
The young man was known for his speed, and his figure flickered like a ghost, trying to use illusions to disturb Fugaku.
But Fugaku's Sharingan has already had a panoramic view of all his moves.
When the boy tried to get around for the third time, he suddenly turned around and kicked him in the abdomen, sending him flying out of the line.
Cleanly and neatly, without even giving the opponent a chance to fight back.
Under the stage, Uchiha Mikoto exhaled slightly and loosened his clenched fingers.
Game 5.
Hyuga Hiashi faced off against the other of the twins Land of Wind.
Gentle Fist vs. Iron Sand.
Hiashi's speed and footwork make up for its lack of attack range.
He used Byakugan to accurately capture every gap in the opponent's Iron Sand defense.
After getting close, he tapped his palms several times in succession to block the opponent's Chakra flow. The person's body became stiff and fell to the ground on the spot.
He twitched a few times and lost his fighting ability.
Game six.
Shikaku Nara faced off against another player sent by Land of Water.
That player was good at suppressing Water Release. As soon as he came up, he was bombarded with water bombs and swept towards Shikaku.
Shikaku was unhurried and Shadow Imitation Technique spread silently under the opponent's feet, seizing a rhythm gap and launching instantly.
The player's body froze in place uncontrollably, and the water bullets lost their accuracy and hit the empty space.
Shikaku yawned. "Shall we admit defeat?
"The player suppressed his blush, struggled for a long time, and finally lowered his head.
Game 7. Might Duy faced off against the knife master Land of Iron.
The young man's swordsmanship was superb, and every strike carried a fierce killing intent. He drove Might Duy to the edge of the sideline with several consecutive strikes.
The Land of Iron delegation in the stands was about to show joy, but their expressions froze in the next second.
Might Duy opened Eight Gates th Five Gates.
Chakra surged, his figure skyrocketed, and he punched out, the wind of the punch directly knocked the boy's Samurai Sword away.
The boy was thrown out of the line by the remaining force and rolled several times on the ground. He couldn't get up for a long time.
Land of Iron delegation looked pale.
Konoha In the stands, thundering cheers erupted.
The sun sets in the west, and only seven of the fourteen people remain.
Konoha Seven people, all advanced.
No one loses.
The expressions on the delegations' faces were extremely ugly.
Land of Earth leader sat in his seat and cursed in a low voice:
"Seven people entered... all belonging to Konoha? This is a joke!"
The person next to him pulled his sleeve, and he reluctantly closed his mouth.
On the high platform, Tsunade looked at the seven figures standing under the sunset.
Golden hair, fiery red ponytail, Sharingan's red light, Byakugan's transparency, green tights, and a lazy shadow jutsu ninja.
That's the next generation of Konoha.
She walked to the edge of the high platform step by step. The wind blew her blond hair and Hokage Robe's clothes, and the lavender Rinnegan swept across the whole place.
"The victory or defeat has been decided."
Her voice carried in the wind.
"Seven Ninja Swords, belongs to the seven of you."
Under the stage, the crowd was silent for a moment, and then there was an explosion.
Cheers broke through the sky, and the flag of Konoha flew in the sunset.
Those seven young figures stood together, standing in the gaze of the entire Shinobi World, forming the next insurmountable line of defense for Konoha.