Almost all of Konoha's citizens were walking toward the tournament to watch the matches. Among the crowd were leaders from several countries and other influential figures. At the gate, Rock Lee and Might Guy were waiting for Akuma.
"Rock Lee, let's go inside. Akuma said he'll come later—let's pick a good seat for him before the others take them. Tenten should already be inside. Let's go," Guy suggested.
Finding that reasonable, Rock Lee nodded and followed him toward the gate.
Not far from them, Ino and Sakura stood together, each holding a flower in their hands, clearly waiting for someone.
"I can't wait to give this flower to Sasuke. But do you see him anywhere, Sakura?" Ino asked eagerly.
There was no reply. She turned to see Sakura deep in thought, her gaze distant. Frowning, Ino tapped her shoulder, snapping her out of it.
"What were you thinking about, Sakura?" Ino asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing… I was just wondering why that kid wasn't with Rock Lee and Guy-sensei," Sakura said, a trace of curiosity on her face.
"Are you talking about Akuma?" Ino tilted her head.
"You know him?!" Sakura asked in surprise.
"Not much, but he visits our flower shop often. That's how I know his name. Why? Are you looking for him, Sakura?"
"I'm not looking for him! I don't even want to see him. That kid freaks me out," Sakura replied firmly.
"I never found him freaky. Honestly, he reminds me of a tiger cub—scary eyes and sharp teeth, but still kind of cute," Ino said with a small smile.
Hearing someone call Akuma "cute" left Sakura dumbfounded. Every time she saw him, she only felt uneasy and afraid. Not wanting to think about him any longer, she snapped, annoyed, "Why are you copying me, you shameless pig?"
"You big forehead! You're not the only one who can give flowers. And don't forget, I was the one who gave you that flower you're holding right now!" Ino shot back angrily.
"When did you give me this flower? I bought it with my own money, you pig!" Sakura retorted.
And just like that, the two of them started bickering at the gate, drawing the attention of several passersby who turned to watch their argument.
Akuma, who was nearby, glanced at the commotion for a moment before heading inside—the tournament was about to begin. Inside, he found Rock Lee and Tenten and sat down beside them. As for Might Guy, he had taken up watch duty.
Moments later, the first match finally began: Neji versus Naruto.
The first to attack was Naruto, launching his Shadow Clone Jutsu. But Neji swiftly dismantled every clone with ease. Seeing this, Rock Lee shook his head.
"Naruto, I admire your guts to face Neji, but this alone will not be enough beat him."
"Forget about beating him. Naruto will be lucky just to survive," Tenten added grimly.
Down below, Naruto was quickly overwhelmed. Neji unleashed the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, striking Naruto's pressure points one by one until his chakra was sealed, leaving him unable to fight. But instead of finishing the match, Neji began talking about his tragic past—something that nearly made Akuma facepalm.
After a while, Naruto struggled to stand, trying desperately to call upon his chakra.
"Don't you understand? I've blocked all your chakra points. You've already lost. You and Lady Hinata cannot escape destiny, no matter how much you try," Neji said coldly.
"Shut up! I'll defeat you and prove you wrong!" Naruto shouted.
Realizing his chakra was sealed, Naruto reached deep within and began drawing on the Nine-Tails' power.
"It's useless. Give up already. Why do you even try to go against your destiny?" Neji demanded, watching the red chakra flare.
"Because I was called a loser too!" Naruto roared as the Nine-Tails' chakra exploded outward, cloaking his body.
"What kind of chakra is that?" Tenten gasped.
"I don't know… this is my first time seeing it," Rock Lee admitted.
The battle grew fierce as both Neji and Naruto fought with everything they had, neither willing to give in.
"If you can't change the destiny of the Hyūga, then I'll do it for you—when I become Hokage!" Naruto declared, slamming his fist into Neji with explosive force. Dirt and debris flew everywhere.
When the dust finally cleared, only Neji was standing—barely.
"At least you tried. But nothing has changed," Neji muttered, looking down at Naruto's fallen body.
But suddenly, that "body" vanished in a puff of smoke. A clone!
Neji's eyes widened in alarm, but before he could react, the ground beneath him cracked open. Naruto burst from underground with a powerful uppercut. Neji crossed his arms to block, but the force still sent him flying across the arena.
Lying on the ground, he looked up to see Naruto standing tall. Both were exhausted, their bodies battered and struggling to move. Still, they pressed on, fighting until they collapsed. Yet somehow, Naruto managed to rise again.
"I should have been more careful… with your Shadow Clone Jutsu," Neji said bitterly. If not for that mistake, he might have won.
Naruto glared at him. "I failed so many times because I couldn't make a proper shadow clone. It was always my weakest ninjutsu. But now—it's my strongest! So stop whining about stupid destiny like a loser. Since you're not like me."
With those words, Neji lay defeated.
The proctor declared Naruto the winner, and the crowd erupted in cheers, but Akuma only crossed his arms.
"Neji lost… how is that even possible?" Tenten whispered in shock.
Even Rock Lee, though surprised, couldn't help but smile at Naruto's victory.