Battle Royale

Danzo frowned and lowered his voice.

"If you're worried about pressure from the Daimyo and Mito Uzumaki, I can send Root. I guarantee they'll leave no trace."

"Danzo! Have you lost your mind?!"

Hiruzen couldn't take it anymore. How could Danzo say something like that out loud?

"Danzo, shut up! You've gone too far!"

"Danzo, how could you?!"

Koharu and En were stunned. Both glared at Danzo, furious and alarmed.

He really would say anything. If Teacher Tobirama were still alive, he would tear the lot of them apart.

"Enough. That's the end of it. We'll do as I said!" Hiruzen cut the discussion short. "And you, Danzo! Go back to the Shimura Clan Grounds and keep reflecting on what you've done. I don't want to see you right now!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stormed out of the Hokage's Office and slammed the door, leaving the other three staring at one another.

Wait, why are you doing Danzo's job for him?

After his match, Eiji chose not to return to the Rest Room. He had fought first, so the next fifty-odd matches had nothing to do with him. He headed to the Spectator Seats to find Kushina and Minato.

The moment Eiji entered the Spectator Area, Kushina, who had been waiting for him, threw herself into his arms.

"Eiji, you were amazing! You beat your opponent in no time!"

Kushina was as enthusiastic as ever. She pulled Eiji back to her seat, where Minato waved hello.

"That was a great fight. You even beat an Uchiha. No one will underestimate you now."

Minato smiled as he spoke, but privately resolved not to let Eiji leave him too far behind.

"My opponent didn't seem that strong. You could've beaten him in an instant too, Minato. I was hoping to fight someone stronger."

Eiji frowned, a little disappointed.

An opponent like that won't do. He barely gave me any Fusion Rate. At this rate, I'll only get six or seven fights, and it'll be hard to find fights like these again before the Shinobi World War. If only there were some way to get more opponents.

"No way. You're too strong, Eiji. How could any of them be a match for you?"

Kushina didn't think Eiji was exaggerating at all. As far as she was concerned, he was sure to become strong enough to be Hokage one day.

But my dream is to become Hokage too. What am I going to do?

She glanced at Eiji beside her, and the corners of her mouth lifted.

Grandma Mito said that even though Grandpa Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, was stronger than anyone in the Shinobi World, he was hopeless at administration. He often had to rely on his younger brother Tobirama Senju and her to help him.

Eiji doesn't have a younger brother. When he becomes Hokage, I can help him with the administrative work!

Oh no. I don't know anything about that stuff either!

Eiji didn't notice Kushina lost in her daydream. He was still weighing whether to use his days off to Teleport outside the Village with Azure and hunt Rogue Ninja at the Exchange.

The problem was hiding it from Kushina and Tsunade. If Tsunade found out, she'd give him a sound beating.

If nothing else works, I could earn Experience Points by sparring with Tsunade. I got quite a lot from our last fight.

But fighting the same person over and over gives diminishing returns. That would be pretty hard on Tsunade, too. I wonder if she'd agree.

"Ryuuzaki Eiji, Lord Hokage would like to see you."

The unfamiliar voice pulled Eiji from his thoughts. He looked up at the newcomer, who wore standard Anbu attire and a Cat-Faced Mask.

"You bad guys aren't tricking us again!"

The outfit must have reminded Kushina of what had happened last time. She jumped down from her chair and stood between Eiji and the newcomer.

"Uh... what?"

The Anbu Ninja scratched his head, caught off guard. Eiji looked him up and down, confirmed that he really was Anbu, and pulled Kushina back.

"It's okay. This time, it should be real."

Why would the Hokage want me now, though?

The likeliest explanation Eiji could think of was that he wanted to ask about his Ninjutsu.

Unfortunately, Eiji couldn't hand it over even if he wanted to. It wasn't Ninjutsu at all, and it required the Six Eyes to use.

Eiji followed the Anbu Ninja to the lowest level of the central VIP Area. As soon as he entered, he saw Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi standing alone with his back to the door.

Hearing them, Hiruzen turned around. Once he confirmed it was Eiji, he waved the Anbu Ninja away.

Eiji noticed something odd about the way Hiruzen looked at him. Hiruzen rubbed his brow before speaking.

"Eiji, you're a clever boy. Sometimes personal glory is nothing compared with the interests of the Village..."

Here it comes. Does he want me to hand over Azure, that "Ninjutsu"?

"The Daimyo enjoyed your match so much that he finds the rest of the competition boring. He wants us to switch to an Arena Match. You would defend the arena while the other contestants fight you one after another."

Eiji's eyes widened.

"I know it's unfair. But the Daimyo said that if we agree, he'll add another hundred million ryo to Konoha's funding this year."

Good grief. If Kakuzu heard that, he'd rush to Konoha overnight to enter the arena.

Still, thanks to the Daimyo, I'll have plenty of chances to rake in Experience Points. Perfect.

Eiji nodded. "I understand. For Konoha's sake, I'll do everything I can."

Pleased with his answer, the Third Hokage nodded and told Eiji to prepare for the grueling fights ahead.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Eiji leave with a gratified smile.

What a good boy. I can see the Will of Fire burning in him. He's willing to sacrifice himself for Konoha's benefit. That's what makes an outstanding Ninja!

Eiji returned to the Rest Room and felt countless eyes turn toward him.

The matches had been suspended without explanation, leaving everyone on edge. When Eiji walked in, they looked at him with even greater wariness.

None of them dared underestimate their younger opponent now. They regarded him as a threat on par with Uchiha Yo.

Uchiha Yo and Uchiha Yamashiro looked grave too. Both were trying to work out how they would withstand Eiji's attack if they faced him.

Just as the tension in the arena grew suffocating, the Jonin refereeing the competition stepped into its center and called out.

"The rules have been changed to an Arena Match! Second Year Ryuuzaki Eiji will begin as Arena Champion. The remaining contestants will draw lots and challenge him in order. The first to defeat him becomes the new Arena Champion! Whoever remains standing at the end wins the competition!"

The arena erupted.

"What the hell? What happens to my bet? You can't just change the rules like that!"

"Give us our money back! This is rigged!"

Kushina cried out that it was unfair. They clearly didn't want Eiji to win!

There were still a hundred or so contestants left. How could he possibly last to the end? He'd run out of stamina!