"What? Another explosion? But we didn't use any explosive tags!" Retzu felt his sanity slipping—was there something wrong with his eyes?
"Exclusive explosive tags from Tentsuzan Armory. We've ditched the old method of tying explosive tags behind kunai. These can be wrapped around the handle or stuck directly onto the surface of a shuriken. Then just coat the tag in paint, and no one will ever notice! Superior quality, unbeatable price—only available here at our shop!"
Tenten pulled out an explosive tag painted black on the back, wrapped it around the handle of a kunai, and no trace of the explosive tag was visible. She even slipped in a quick plug for her family's store.
"You're so sneaky," Retzu growled, practically spitting with rage. Everyone usually tied explosive tags to the back of kunai—it wasn't hard to spot if you looked close enough. But Tenten's version left absolutely no signs on the outside. It was just plain underhanded.
"Overpraising me, I must say."
Tenten grinned, effortlessly flipping Retzu's insult into a compliment—making his head practically steam.
"I'm gonna get you for this!"
With a furious yell, Retzu leaped up from the ground and charged recklessly toward Tenten.
"Art."
Sighing theatrically, Tenten hurled two summoning scrolls into the air. As they unfurled, countless ninja tools rained down like hail, completely covering the battlefield. [Summoning: Great Twin Circles – Patty-Bomb Human Art]
The falling weapons began exploding nonstop, fireballs engulfing the entire arena.
"Oh crap!"
Standing at the exit passage, Hayate Gekko, Haku, and Zabuza all felt their scalps crawl. Without hesitation, they turned and bolted—they were caught right in the blast zone.
"I knew this would happen—as soon as Tenten starts fighting, everything goes kaboom."
Sakura also felt uneasy. With all those ninja tools detonating at once, the arena could easily turn into rubble. Without thinking twice, she poured chakra recklessly into Earth Release techniques, desperately repairing the arena floor and walls.
Other spectators were equally startled—the shockwaves affected everyone. Ignoring everything else, people scrambled to deploy defenses.
As the Central Tower's arena trembled, everyone felt the earth shaking beneath their feet. Countless small stones flew through the air while only one towering column of flame shot skyward, spreading powerful shockwaves outward.
Those who had Earth Release immediately raised protective barriers, while those who didn't ducked wherever they could find cover. In seconds, the spectator stands had descended into complete chaos.
Meanwhile, Gaara, who was chatting off to the side while holding his sister's hand, simply shifted his focus slightly. From the gourd on his back floated a cloud of sand that shielded both him and his sister, blocking flying debris and the force of the explosion alike.
Baki, hiding in a corner, really wanted to go over and ask Gaara to shield him, but as soon as he thought about Gaara's personality, he immediately abandoned the idea. Although he didn't understand why Gaara would protect Temari, Baki was certain that if he dared to approach, he'd be turned into mush by Gaara long before even getting near the explosion.
"This ungrateful brat! He's playing favorites!" Baki muttered, biting onto his face-covering headscarf. The bitterness in his eyes nearly took physical form.
After about ten seconds, the fireball from the explosion finally faded away. By then, the entire battlefield looked like a wasteland—massive hand-shaped statues shattered into pieces, the ground charred black as though plowed through.
"Cough! Cough! Is Tenten trying to blow up the whole arena?"
Sakura and her group were all covered in dust, their faces smeared with soot. The explosion cracked the spectator stands, sending countless specks of dust raining down. Everyone focused solely on defense; no one cared about appearances anymore.
"You still have the nerve to talk?" Sasuke shot back bitterly, his teeth clenched tightly. "If you hadn't gone on and on about that stupid artistic explosion thing with her, do you think she'd have ended up like this—obsessed with blowing things up all day?"
"I just mentioned it offhandedly! Who knew Tenten would actually get into it?" Sakura scratched her nose awkwardly. She had simply been chatting at the time, mentioning something about Deidara's art to Tenten—and somehow Tenten became someone who shared that exact passion, the kind of person you couldn't shake once they got attached.
At that moment, not only Sasuke but practically everyone glared at Sakura with killing intent. So the culprit had been right here all along.
"Ahem… Let's focus back on the match."
Extremely embarrassed, Sakura tried changing the subject. If things kept going like this, she could feel those glares drilling straight through her.
"Thud!"
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
The sound of bricks falling mixed with coughs burst out together. In one corner of the battlefield, Tenten shoved aside the shattered remains of her shield while Retzu emerged heavily injured from underground, barely standing.
"You're basically a madwoman," Retzu stared at Tenten like she was insane. The explosion had hit both of them—even Tenten herself, the one who caused it all. If not for using Earth Release: Hardening Jutsu beforehand and burrowing underground afterward, he probably wouldn't have left behind even ashes.
[Praise Received.]
Tenten gave a slight bow with her hands pressed together in front of her chest, smiling cheerfully. Truthfully, she had momentarily forgotten that setting off such a massive blast in an enclosed space would definitely pull her into the blast radius. Luckily, she always carried many ninja artifacts and used her shield to block part of the damage.
"Want another round?" Tenten stood up and asked. She wasn't too badly hurt—at least not enough to stop her from taking on a Genin.
"No way, absolutely not—I surrender!"
Lying on the ground panting, Retzu declined quickly. He wasn't crazy. Another round? He'd literally be blown into dust—gone without a trace. "Honestly, I never wanted to take the Chunin Exams in the first place or fight anyone at all. That violent nonsense is just boring. But life is unpredictable—I ended up joining after all." And ended up facing a girl this crazy!
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