Naruto and Sasuke, who were hunting, suddenly felt the ground tremble. A moment later, a deep rumbling echoed across the battlefield.
Both of them looked up, catching sight of a dazzling explosion in the distance—lightning, fire, and ice bursting together in a brilliant cloud.
"Something interesting is happening over there," Naruto said, his eyes lighting up.
Without hesitation, he grinned.
"Alright, I'm checking it out!"
Whoosh!
A golden flash streaked across the field, vanishing from sight.
Not far away, Sasuke had also noticed the explosion.
"Hmph…"
Curious, he flickered into a bolt of lightning and dashed toward the scene.
---
Meanwhile, the battlefield had turned into a wasteland of fallen warriors.
Not only was Shinoda Jiro's entire team down, but even Takigakure Ninja and the others had collapsed from the impact.
The only one still conscious was the shinobi from Hoshigakure, who struggled to sit up, then slumped back down with a deep sigh.
He scanned the wreckage, half amused.
"Hey… next time, maybe consider the blast radius before using a scroll like that?"
"If we were any closer, we'd be out too."
With that, he pulled out his badge—it was barely a third full, showing how much energy he had left.
The wandering ninja and Takigakure Ninja groaned as they struggled to their feet.
Takigakure Ninja looked at them apologetically.
"Sorry, I miscalculated."
The wandering ninja shot him a glare.
"Seriously? Try not to kill us next time!"
Takigakure Ninja rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed laugh.
"Yeah, yeah, my bad. Won't happen again."
---
The Hoshigakure ninja watched this exchange, but his expression shifted subtly.
His eyes narrowed.
A perfect opening.
He turned to the wandering ninja, only to catch a flash of something dark in his gaze.
A chill ran through him.
He's thinking the same thing.
Both had the same thought: Take Takigakure Ninja out now, before he recovers.
Keeping his voice casual, the Hoshigakure ninja sighed.
"I really can't stand you guys sometimes."
His fingers, however, were already gripping a kunai.
He stepped forward lazily, closing the distance.
Takigakure Ninja, still grinning apologetically, didn't seem to notice.
The Hoshigakure ninja's calm expression turned razor-sharp.
Now!
Kunai in hand, he surged forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
"Die!"
---
Just before the blade struck, Takigakure Ninja smirked.
A knowing, ice-cold smirk.
What?!
For the first time, hesitation flickered in the Hoshigakure ninja's mind.
Something felt wrong.
Too late.
Shing!
The kunai struck—
Clang!
Instead of flesh, it hit something impossibly hard, shattering on impact.
An instant later, an invisible shockwave erupted from Takigakure Ninja's body.
A crushing force blasted outward in all directions.
The very ground split apart, dirt and rock exploding into the air.
The Hoshigakure ninja and the wandering shinobi had no time to react.
The force hit them like a hammer, squeezing their organs and knocking the breath from their lungs.
Blood sprayed from their mouths as they were launched into the air—
Dozens of meters away.
Their badges flickered—then went dark.
They were out.
Two cold, mechanical voices echoed in their minds.
"Eliminated! You have been eliminated! The adjudicator is watching. Leave the field immediately!"
The life-threatening blow had been stopped by their badges, but the pain was still very real.
Groaning, the two struggled to their feet, glaring at the Takigakure Ninja.
The Takigakure Ninja grinned at them, his expression full of false sympathy.
"Oh, wow. My bad," he said with an exaggerated shrug.
He casually opened his cloak, revealing several scrolls strapped to his body, and smirked.
"Guess I'm just better."
"Damn it!"
"This isn't over!"
They clenched their fists, seething with frustration. But they had already been eliminated. There was nothing they could do—unless they were willing to break the rules.
Their badges glowed, hovering slightly above their heads, marking them as defeated.
But neither the wandering ninja nor the Hoshigakure ninja were willing to accept it.
With grim determination, they both reached into their pockets and pulled out scrolls.
The Takigakure Ninja's eyes widened.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing? You're out!"
The wandering ninja snarled, "Like I care! You smug bastard!"
The Hoshigakure ninja's grip tightened on his scroll. "I still have these. No way I'm just walking away!"
The Takigakure Ninja panicked and grabbed one of his own scrolls, but before he could act—
A sigil flared to life beneath their feet.
A glowing seal formed around the wandering ninja and the Hoshigakure ninja.
Whoosh!
A beam of light shot down from the sky, striking the ground in front of them.
Boom!
A shockwave rippled outward, kicking up dust and debris.
As the smoke cleared, a figure stood before them.
Sakiya.
The wandering ninja and the Hoshigakure ninja froze in place.
"The adjudicator?!"
Sakiya brushed a strand of hair from her face, her voice calm but firm.
"Are you planning to break my rules?"
The two eliminated fighters exchanged tense glances.
They could see the same fire in each other's eyes.
Then, with a shared determination, they gritted their teeth and yanked their scrolls open.
"The power of the scroll is absolute!"
"Even if you're the adjudicator, we'll take you down with us!"
The two scrolls gleamed with a blue hue, engraved with intricate patterns.
This was the source of their confidence.
Their actions were immediately broadcasted on the big screen.
The five Kage watched, unbothered, as the two eager ninjas prepared their attacks.
One of them chuckled. "They really have no idea what they're up against."
Another smirked. "Trying to use her own creations against her? That's just pathetic."
At that, the other Kage turned to Tsunade with surprise.
"She made those?"
Tsunade nodded calmly. "Of course."
The room went silent for a moment as they processed this information.
The girl in the image—carefree, always munching on candy—was the same person who created these powerful scrolls?
It was hard to believe.
But the evidence was right in front of them.
…
Wandering Ninja:
[Thunder Cannon: Judgment Strike]
Hoshigakure Ninja:
[Reversal Beam: Lightwave Annihilation]
BOOM!
As the sigils activated, a massive thunder blast surged forward, crackling with violent arcs of electricity.
At the same time, a brilliant rainbow-colored beam shot out, carrying overwhelming energy.
Together, they hurtled toward Sakiya.
But she didn't move.
She barely even looked interested.
With a lazy flick of her hand—
Levy.
A glowing ring appeared before her, spinning with intricate symbols.
The instant the thunder blast and the beam touched it—
They stopped. Completely frozen in place.
Sakiya sighed, resting her chin in her palm, her eyes half-lidded with boredom.
The two attacking ninjas stared in horror.
"Wha—?! It stopped?!"
"This can't be real!"
Behind Sakiya, another sigil appeared—this one forming a small platform. Casually, she sat down, crossing one leg over the other.
"This is getting dull," she muttered. "Using my own scrolls against me?"
She let out a slow breath.
"How annoying."
The two ninjas felt a chill run down their spines as Sakiya's gaze locked onto them, her eyes gleaming with a sharp, dangerous glint.
They stammered.
"W-wait…!"
"You're the one who made the scrolls?!"
Sakiya ignored them. Her eyes flashed red.
"Enjoy your own attacks."
Levy.
The sigil pulsed—
And in an instant, the thunder blast and the energy beam shot back toward their original casters.
The two barely had time to react.
"No way!"
Nearby, the Takigakure Ninja—who had been watching in stunned silence—suddenly realized what was happening. His face paled, and without a second thought, he turned and sprinted away.
Too late.
The thunder blast struck first, slamming into the wandering ninja.
The energy beam hit the Hoshigakure ninja dead-on.
BOOM!
Blinding white light erupted, swallowing the battlefield. Heat and pressure wiped out everything in range.
An invisible shockwave followed, leveling the land around them.
And then—silence.