He defied every law of the world just like that, step by step, as though climbing invisible stairs, slowly and calmly walking through empty air toward the center of the arena.
"..."
Naruto's mouth fell open, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
Sasuke arrived with Kakashi just then. At the sight, the Chidori he had only just learned nearly went out of control in his hand.
In the VIP stands, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe fell from his mouth.
Beside him, the snake eyes beneath the hat of the "Kazekage"-Orochimaru in disguise-abruptly contracted, blazing with an unprecedented, terrifying light that mingled greed, fervor, and fear!
"Is... is this... the power of a god?!"
An eerie, deathly silence fell over the arena.
The wind stopped. The clamor stopped. Even the sound of breathing seemed to vanish. Tens of thousands of gazes converged into an invisible torrent, riveted on the figure walking calmly toward the center.
One step. Two steps.
As Toru Kujyo took his third step, there was nothing beneath his feet but empty air.
He did not fall.
In utter defiance of common sense and ninjutsu theory, he stepped on empty air and walked toward the center of the arena as leisurely as if he were strolling through a courtyard. There was no violent surge of chakra, no wind release supporting him, and no puppet strings pulling him along. He simply "walked" through the air as naturally as could be, as though an invisible path existed there for him alone.
"Wh... what..." Naruto Uzumaki rubbed his eyes hard, his mouth open wide enough to fit a ramen bowl. He was utterly dumbstruck.
"This has to be a trick..."
In the contestants' seats, Sasuke Uchiha, who had just arrived with Kakashi, had the three tomoe in his eyes spinning