"Brother Naraku, what are you doing? I still have something to say to Sasuke."
Uzumaki Naruto struggled to turn back, but Shihouin Naraku firmly guided him to the viewing stands. Beside them, Haruno Sakura opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't bring herself to speak.
There was no way around it. The psychological impact of Naraku's Conqueror's Haki on Sakura had been too strong.
So Sakura silently looked back at Sasuke, silently encouraging him in her heart as she followed Naraku up to the stands.
"Hey, Naraku-sama. Why is Kakashi-sensei gone? I saw him here just now."
"He had something important to do, so he left."
"Typical..."
Uzumaki Naruto grumbled. As their team leader, Kakashi was never around when needed and was often nowhere to be found.
"Brother Naraku, Sasuke will definitely win, right?"
Looking at Uchiha Sasuke and Akado Yoroi standing opposite each other in the center of the arena, Uzumaki Naruto felt concerned. It wasn't that he didn't believe in Sasuke's strength, but mainly because none of them had recovered from their battles in the Forest of Death.
After arriving at the Tower of Trials exhausted both physically and mentally, the three had no time to rest before the preliminaries started. Having Sasuke fight in the first match was indeed troublesome.
Haruno Sakura nervously clasped her hands in front of her chest, temporarily forgetting her fear as she looked at Shihouin Naraku with hopeful eyes.
Shihouin Naraku was not only a Jōnin but also an important figure in the village. He could easily predict the outcome of a Genin-level fight. Both Naruto and Sakura looked at him expectantly.
"I thought you weren't nervous at all," Shihouin Naraku said. His next words reassured them: "Don't worry. Uchiha Sasuke may struggle a bit, but he'll have no problem winning this battle."
"That's good!"
Haruno Sakura sighed in relief and watched Uchiha Sasuke in the arena with wide, attentive eyes.
"I told you not to worry. Sasuke wants to battle me," Uzumaki Naruto grinned. "He won't fall before he gets to face me."
"You're quite confident. Think carefully about whether you can win your own battle."
Shihouin Naraku said with a hint of sarcasm, then continued, "How was your journey through the Forest of Death? You arrived at the Tower last of all the teams."
Uzumaki Naruto immediately frowned and replied unhappily, "If we hadn't met a super scary guy, we would have arrived much earlier."
Both Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura couldn't help but shudder at the memory of Orochimaru.
It seemed that Orochimaru had left quite an impression on them.
"So how did you escape?"
"Hmph, of course we defeated the enemy," Uzumaki Naruto straightened his back proudly, but then deflated, "Actually, I think I passed out. Sakura said that Bushy Brows and his teammates helped us fight off the other enemies."
"Naruto, Lee and the others helped us a lot."
So that was how it happened. It seemed that thanks to Rock Lee and his teammates, Naruto and the others hadn't lost their chance. This made sense—after all, they had prior knowledge of the situation.
There had been a discussion between Shihouin Naraku, Hatake Kakashi, and Might Guy, and besides Haruno Sakura, five other people had witnessed it. Since they knew each other in advance, it wasn't surprising that they would offer help.
As they were talking, the battle between Uchiha Sasuke and Akado Yoroi had already begun.
Just as Shihouin Naraku had predicted, Akado Yoroi used his ability to absorb chakra through physical contact and quickly gained the upper hand, putting Uchiha Sasuke in a difficult position.
Although Uchiha Sasuke suffered initially, he soon mounted a successful counterattack. He used his Sharingan to copy Rock Lee's taijutsu and modified it to better suit himself, defeating Akado Yoroi with a decisive move.
From the stands, Uzumaki Naruto stared at Uchiha Sasuke with shining eyes, committing the impressive taijutsu technique to memory.
Uchiha Sasuke, despite his victory over Akado Yoroi, was completely exhausted. As he was about to collapse, Hatake Kakashi suddenly appeared and took him away.
"Hey? Where is Kakashi-sensei taking Sasuke?"
Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura watched in confusion as Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke disappeared.
"Don't worry. Kakashi is taking Uchiha Sasuke to get medical treatment."
"I see. That's too bad. Sasuke won't be able to see my amazing fight. What a shame."
Uzumaki Naruto scratched his head, feeling relieved but also disappointed. He had been eager to show his skills in front of Uchiha Sasuke and earn his recognition.
The first battle concluded.
The following preliminary matches proceeded one after another. Except for Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino who eliminated each other in a draw, the other winners emerged one by one.
Then came the seventh battle, another match between Konoha ninjas.
Uzumaki Naruto versus Inuzuka Kiba!
"Hehehe... Naruto, I'm really looking forward to your battle. Let's see where all that confidence comes from."
Shihouin Naraku smiled as he watched Uzumaki Naruto confidently prepare to enter the arena.
Uzumaki Naruto adjusted his forehead protector and said with serious determination:
"Don't worry, Brother Naraku! I will definitely win!"
Uzumaki Naruto's guarantee of victory certainly did not disappoint.
However, the battle itself was so hilarious that it was hard not to laugh.
At the critical moment, the power of a fart proved more effective than any punch or kick!
Especially since Inuzuka Kiba's sense of smell was enhanced by chakra, making it thousands of times more sensitive than an ordinary person's. Smelling Naruto's unexpected attack was simply overwhelming for him...
Uzumaki Naruto didn't care about the unusual method of his victory. As long as he won, that was all that mattered. He walked back to the stands happily, ignoring everyone's reactions.
On his way, Hyūga Hinata approached hesitantly and offered him some medicinal ointment. Just as Naruto accepted it, he spotted Hatake Kakashi and immediately ran over to him.
"Thanks, Hinata."
Shihouin Naraku shook his head. Naruto was such an oblivious idiot.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei is back! I just won my match. Did you see that? Did you see it?"
Hatake Kakashi nodded and said agreeably, "Well done, Naruto."
"Hehehehe..."
Uzumaki Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly but couldn't contain his happy grin.
Shihouin Naraku gave him a thumbs up and praised, "Naruto, that fart technique you used was truly impressive."
"Yeah, yeah..."
Uzumaki Naruto, who rarely received compliments, was so happy he was practically beaming with pride.
The Jōnin around them couldn't help but exchange knowing smiles as they watched Uzumaki Naruto.
Although the fart had played a significant role in his victory, the determination, skill, and quick thinking that Uzumaki Naruto displayed during the battle were genuinely impressive and worthy of praise.
Before Uzumaki Naruto could continue boasting, the next match was announced: Hyūga Hinata versus Hyuga Neji.
Apparently, Hyuga Neji was unaware of something well-known throughout the ninja world: anyone who harmed Hinata never had a good outcome.
The result of this battle remained unchanged—Hyūga Hinata fell to the ground seriously injured and lost the match.
Shihouin Naraku helped stabilize Hyūga Hinata, who was in critical condition, before medical staff rushed her to the hospital.
Setting aside Uzumaki Naruto's fury toward Hyuga Neji, the next battle was what Shihouin Naraku had been most eager to see.
Rock Lee versus Gaara!
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