As Naruto and Sasuke tore through the battlefield, turning the competition into their personal hunting ground, the other Kage couldn't hold back their frustration any longer.
Raikage turned to Tsunade with an exasperated look.
"Come on, this is completely unfair!" he protested. "With those two around, this whole tournament might as well be their playground!"
Gaara, though outwardly calm, felt uneasy.
"They're already guaranteed to advance," he muttered. "This is getting out of hand."
Onoki scowled, visibly irritated. He had placed his faith in Kurotsuchi, expecting her to hold her own. But clearly, he had underestimated these two.
"This is ridiculous, Hokage! Are you seriously not going to address this?"
Mei Terumi remained silent, though her expression said enough.
Tsunade, however, smirked.
"Hmph~ If we're talking about unfairness, let's not forget that some of you sent elite jonin-level bodyguards disguised as competitors," she shot back. "Meanwhile, my two are pure prodigies—they reached this level on their own."
She leaned back slightly, her tone turning playfully smug.
"I didn't cheat. I didn't even let her enter. That should be more than fair."
At the mention of "her," the room fell silent.
The Kage immediately knew who Tsunade was referring to. Their minds drifted to her—the girl who once fought Madara Uchiha in that forsaken place known as Hell's Abyss.
Raikage and Onoki exchanged glances, momentarily speechless.
Seeing their reactions, Tsunade's smirk grew.
"Besides," she continued, "raw power isn't everything in this game. The rules allow for a comeback. The real question is—can anyone take advantage of it?"
Gaara narrowed his eyes and turned to the giant screen.
"A chance for a turnaround?" he echoed.
Just then, something caught the audience's attention.
A ninja from Takigakure, while hiding under a tree, stumbled upon something unusual—a hidden treasure chest buried within the roots.
Curious, he pried it open. Inside, a strange scroll lay atop a set of instructions.
His eyes widened.
"...What is this?"
---
[Fireball Scroll]
A powerful scroll that, when activated with chakra, releases a small fireball.
---
The Takigakure Shinobi stared at the description, momentarily stunned.
He remembered the rules mentioning various tools and items, but he had assumed they meant basic ninja gear—kunai, shuriken, or maybe explosive tags.
But ninjutsu scrolls?
Were these things really that effective?
Clutching the scroll, he darted out from his hiding spot. After checking his surroundings and ensuring no one was nearby, he turned toward a thick tree about ten meters ahead.
"Let's see how 'small' this fireball really is."
Taking a deep breath, he unrolled the scroll and channeled his chakra into it.
The moment his energy connected, the scroll glowed.
A bright pattern formed beneath him, and the parchment itself burned with an intense red hue.
Then—
BOOM!
A fist-sized fireball shot out at high speed, crashing into the tree.
The explosion was instantaneous.
Flames erupted, engulfing the target in a fiery burst. The shockwave sent dirt and debris flying, and before the Takigakure Shinobi could react, he was blown backward, slamming into another tree.
SLAM!
Dazed, he scrambled to his feet, gripping the now-partially scorched scroll.
He turned to look at the aftermath.
The tree he had aimed at? Gone. Reduced to ash. The surrounding area? Scorched. A crater had formed where the fireball had landed, and the entire clearing looked like hell itself.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"This… is the little fireball?"
A moment of stunned silence.
Then—excitement.
His grip tightened around the scroll, his body trembling with exhilaration.
"Little fireball! This thing is incredible!"
---
On the giant projection screen, the entire scene played out for the audience.
Gasps filled the stadium.
Among the Kage, Raikage's expression darkened.
"Ninjutsu scrolls? You actually included these?"
Onoki crossed his arms, scowling.
"So this is what you meant by 'a chance for a comeback'?" he muttered, casting a sideways glance at Tsunade.
If items like this existed in the game, they could dramatically shift the balance of power.
The gap between Konoha and the other villages was already wide—this would only make it worse.
The audience, however, didn't care about politics.
They were thrilled.
"This item is insane!"
"Was that really the first one they found?!"
And the Takigakure Shinobi wasn't the only one making discoveries.
All across the battlefield, more and more competitors stumbled upon treasure chests—realizing that powerful scrolls and other tools were hidden throughout the arena.
The hunt for game-changing items had begun.
--
More and more scrolls began to appear, and players gradually discovered that the color and appearance of the scrolls seemed to determine their power.
The most powerful scrolls were golden in color.
One of these golden scrolls was discovered by a wandering ninja.
[Almighty Guard]
By activating the scroll with chakra, an ultimate energy shield is formed that can withstand all attacks.
The shield lasts for three minutes, and within that time, the user can choose to detonate it.
Detonating the shield releases an explosion of energy, wiping out enemies within a ten-meter radius!
The five Kage were slightly taken aback by the description of this scroll.
"First, little fireballs cause devastation, and now... this?"
A shield that resists all attacks and can detonate with massive power? It seemed a bit too much.
But the golden scrolls kept appearing.
One was found by Hinata.
Her Byakugan helped her find it easily, and she was impressed by the scroll's power.
[Ruled Beam]
When the scroll is pulled and chakra is channeled, a beam of light is emitted, instantly eliminating any enemies it hits.
The speed of the beam is comparable to an average ninja's projection.
This scroll caused a stir. While the Kage acknowledged it was powerful, they felt it was still avoidably dangerous.
Then, the next scroll appeared, and it made the Kage uneasy.
...
This time, Ino found a brightly colored, eye-catching scroll. It was hard to miss, and naturally, Ino's curiosity led her to pick it up.
Beside it was a small manual, which she read aloud.
[Eye of Death Stand-In]
Activating this scroll will grant the ability to eliminate any enemy in sight instantly.
Ino blinked, processing the information.
She scratched her head, confused.
"What's going on here...?"
With that, she quickly closed the scroll, unsure about the power it held.
As soon as the special scroll appeared, the camera focused on it, and both the audience and the Five Kage saw the description.
"What is this…?"
"This has to be cheating, right?"
"Instant judgment? In sight?"
The Four Kage turned their gaze toward Tsunade with intensity.
Tsunade, sweating nervously, cleared her throat. "Ahem, luck is also a part of strength..."
Ohnoki muttered quietly, "You Konoha ninjas sure are lucky..."
The Fourth Raikage shot her a sharp look. "You think that's funny?"
Gaara and Terumi stayed silent, while Tsunade just sighed.
Sakiya, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but comment, "This is definitely not my fault. It's clear that the luck of the dark emperor is as strong as ever!"
With the situation unfolding like this, no one could predict how it would end.
The scroll was simply too overpowered!