"The order of participation and the combat pairings will be as follows..."
The screen behind him came to life, and the names materialized in glowing characters that seemed to etch themselves into the air:
SASUKE UCHIHA VS. ZAKU ABUMI
The arena exploded in noise.
"SASUKE!" Naruto's shout echoed over the din as he pumped his fist in the air. "Show them what you're made of!"
Sasuke's jaw tightened. His hands clenched at his sides as eighteen pairs of eyes turned toward him. They saw me as weak, the thought stabbed at him. His team had protected him in the Forest of Death. Never again.
Sakura's hand shot out, grabbing Naruto's sleeve.
"Naruto, do you think Sasuke is ready? He just woke up a few days ago and..."
What am I doing?!, Inner Sakura's voice shrieked inside her skull. Let go of him! You're being clingy! He's going to think you're annoying! ABORT! ABORT!
But her hand wouldn't listen.
"Sasuke is stronger than that!" Naruto declared, completely oblivious to her internal crisis. His smile was contagious. "A simple coma isn't going to stop him! Just you wait, Sakura-chan, he's going to be incredible!"
From her position a few meters away, Hinata watched the scene with her pearl eyes. A small smile touched her lips; she liked seeing them like this. She liked that Sakura and Naruto were getting along better, that their family was united.
"Aww, how cute," came a mocking voice.
Ino appeared out of nowhere, sliding to Naruto's other side with a mischievous grin.
"Do you need someone to comfort you, Naruto-kun? Because I'm available."
"INO-PIG!" Sakura squeezed Naruto's arm so hard he winced. "Back off!"
"It's a free country, Billboard-Brow," Ino replied cheerfully, pressing her shoulder against Naruto's. "Besides, I'm nervous about the fights too. Right, Naruto-kun?"
"E-eh... yeah, sure..." Naruto looked between the two girls with a mix of confusion and growing panic. "Hey, can you guys not squash me?"
"All participants except for those in the first match, move up to the balcony," Hayate ordered. "Sasuke Uchiha, Zaku Abumi, remain in the arena."
The crowd began to move. Sakura reluctantly let go of Naruto, throwing one last warning glance at Ino before heading to the stairs. Hinata followed in silence, though her eyes drifted briefly toward Sasuke, filled with concern.
Naruto stayed for a moment longer, looking at his teammate.
"Hey, bastard."
Sasuke looked at him from the corner of his eye.
"Kick some ass."
The arena was left empty except for three figures: Sasuke, Zaku, and Hayate between them.
Zaku Abumi was an ordinary-looking Genin from the Sound, with short, dark hair. His arms were covered by long metallic gauntlets with small openings in the palms. He tried to maintain an arrogant expression, but something in his posture betrayed his tension. His eyes drifted briefly toward the upper stands, where Tsunade watched with her arms crossed. Sweat began to form on his forehead.
Damn it, Zaku thought, forcing himself to look back at Sasuke. She's watching. If I mess up here...
"An Uchiha," Zaku said with fake disdain, stretching his arms. His voice came out more forced than he intended. "Are you sure you can fight, prince?"
Sasuke didn't respond. He simply took his combat stance, his dark eyes fixed on his opponent.
"Very well," Hayate raised a hand. "Ready?"
Both nodded.
"Begin!"
Zaku moved first, trying to end this quickly. He raised both palms toward Sasuke, and pressurized air exploded from the ducts in his hands.
"Zankūha!"
The ground between them shattered in a straight line; stone fragments flew in every direction. The blast of air roared like a freight train heading straight for Sasuke. But Sasuke was no longer there. He had lunged to the side at the last second, his feet barely touching the ground as he evaded. The explosion of air passed by him, so close he felt the wind tear at strands of his hair.
Fast, Sasuke thought, landing on one knee. But predictable.
"Are you just going to dodge?" Zaku mocked, turning to follow Sasuke. "Zankūha!"
Another blast. Sasuke jumped back, then to the left. His movements were clean, though somewhat slower than usual.
This is costing me more than it should, Sasuke admitted to himself. He could feel it: the slight delay in his reflexes; the way his legs didn't respond with their usual explosiveness. But Zaku, despite his evident nervousness, was not weak.
"Zankūkyokuha!" Zaku slammed his palms together, trying to finish it once and for all.
The air around him trembled. A massive pressure wave exploded forward, much larger and more violent than the previous ones. The ground cracked under the force of the impact. Sasuke barely had time to cross his arms in front of his body before the wave hit him. The impact lifted him off the ground and threw him backward, rolling across the arena until he slammed into the wall.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed from the stands, her face pale.
Naruto gripped the railing so hard the wood creaked under his fingers.
"Come on, bastard..."
Sasuke stood up slowly, spitting blood. His shirt was torn, and he could feel bruises forming on his ribs. But his gaze hadn't changed; if anything, it had grown more intense.
"Is that all?" Zaku tried to sound confident, but his voice trembled slightly. He glanced quickly at Tsunade again, who was watching with an unreadable expression. Sweat was pouring down his face now. "I thought the Uchiha were something special. But it looks like you're just—"
He stopped. Sasuke's eyes had changed. Where there had been black irises, crimson now glowed. A single tomoe spun slowly in each eye: the Sharingan was active.
No, Zaku thought, feeling a chill. This complicates everything. If this gets too flashy...
"Finally," Sasuke muttered. "Let me show you just how special I am."
He lunged forward. His speed had doubled. Zaku barely had time to raise his hands before Sasuke was on him, his fist connecting with the Sound Genin's stomach with brutal force.
"Gah!" Zaku doubled over, the air escaping his lungs.
But Sasuke didn't stop. He spun, and his leg described an arc that struck Zaku's side, sending him rolling across the floor.
"The Sharingan..." someone whispered in the stands.
Zaku scrambled up, furious. I have to end this.
"Don't get cocky because of those weird eyes!" He raised both hands in a battle stance. "Zankūha! Zankūha! Zankūha!"
Three consecutive blasts of pressurized air exploded toward Sasuke from different angles. But with the Sharingan, Sasuke could see them coming. He could see the movement of Zaku's muscles and the flow of chakra before the technique even formed. He dodged the first, slid under the second, and jumped over the third.
And while he was in the air, his hands blurred through signs: Tiger, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
A massive fireball exploded from his mouth, lighting up the entire arena with an orange and red glow. The heat was so intense that the Genin in the stands instinctively recoiled.
"Shit!" Zaku dove to the side, but the fire was too large. The flames licked his left arm, scorching the fabric and leaving a red, blistered mark.
Sasuke landed on one knee, breathing heavily. The jutsu had cost him more chakra than usual; his body still wasn't completely in sync. But it doesn't matter. I'm not going to lose.
"You bastard..." Zaku stood up, limping slightly, his left arm hanging uselessly at his side. His eyes involuntarily drifted toward Tsunade once more. She had leaned forward slightly, watching with more attention. Panic began to rise in his chest. "I'll...!"
"You'll what?" Sasuke asked coldly, his red eyes fixed on him. "Defeat me with one arm?"
Zaku growled and raised his right arm, trying not to think about the Sannin watching his every move. Sasuke was already forming signs again: Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger.
"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!"
Multiple smaller fireballs exploded from his mouth, dispersing like deadly flowers. Hidden within each one, shuriken spun invisibly. Zaku tried to dodge, but with only one arm, his options were limited. The fireballs surrounded him, forcing him back directly against the wall.
And then the shuriken emerged. Clang. Clang. Clang.
One pierced his shoulder. Another, his thigh. A third thudded into the ground between his feet, missing by mere centimeters. Zaku collapsed against the wall, bleeding and panting. His mind worked frantically. The mission is compromised. With her watching and the Sharingan active, I can't do anything else without her intervening. Orochimaru-sama will have to find another way...
"Do you forfeit?" Hayate asked, appearing between them. Cough.
Zaku looked at him with eyes full of frustration, then at Sasuke with his crimson Sharingan, and finally, inevitably, his gaze moved to the stands where Tsunade watched with those amber eyes that seemed to see right through him. He spat blood and nodded.
"I forfeit."
"The winner: Sasuke Uchiha."
The stands exploded in cheers and shouts.
"YES! THAT'S IT, BASTARD!" Naruto jumped up, pumping his fist in the air. "I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU YOU'D CRUSH HIM!"
Sakura had tears in her eyes. "Sasuke-kun..."
Even Hinata smiled softly, her hands clasped in front of her chest.
*****
"Second match," Hayate announced, as medical assistants carried Zaku away on a stretcher. Cough. "Get ready."
The board came to life again. Click. Click. Click.
SHINO ABURAME VS. KANKURO
Shino adjusted his glasses. His bugs buzzed softly under his skin, sensing his anticipation. Kankuro, on the opposite side of the stands, smirked behind his hood.
"Finally, some action."
"Shino is going to win," Kiba declared confidently, crossing his arms. "He's a genius."
"Don't underestimate the puppeteer," Kurenai warned from her position. "The Sand ninjas are no ordinary adversaries."
In the stands, as the two competitors headed down, Naruto noticed Temari standing alone, watching the arena with a serious expression. Her arms were crossed, and her giant fan rested against the wall behind her.
"Hey, Temari!" Naruto called out, walking over without thinking. Tenten, who was nearby, followed him automatically, recognizing Temari as well.
Temari turned sharply, surprised. "What do you want, blondie?"
"Your brother looks super strong," Naruto said with genuine enthusiasm, leaning on the railing next to her. "Those puppets are cool. How do they work exactly?"
Temari looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "Are you... making casual conversation? Now?"
"Why not?" Naruto shrugged. "We're all ninja here, right? Besides, after that time at the weapons shop, I figured we could, you know, chat."
Tenten smiled, remembering that encounter. "You have to admit it was fun. And your brothers do seem strong."
Temari opened her mouth to respond with something sharp, but... she stopped. There was something about Naruto's casual way, about his honest smile, that disarmed her automatic hostility.
"Kankuro is... talented," she finally admitted, her voice softening just a bit. "He's been training with puppets since he was little."
"And you?" Tenten asked with genuine interest. "Is that fan your main weapon?"
"Yes," Temari glanced at her. "Wind. Long-range techniques."
"Incredible," Naruto's smile widened. "You have to show me sometime!"
"Maybe," Temari muttered. "If you aren't too annoying."
Down in the arena, Shino and Kankuro faced off.
"Ready?" Hayate asked while coughing.
"Always," Kankuro replied, his hand moving to the bundle on his back.
"Affirmative," Shino said, his voice as monotone as ever.
"Begin!"
Kankuro moved first, hurlng the bundle from his back. The bandages unfurled in the air, revealing a puppet. Karasu emerged with a sinister wooden creak. It was humanoid but clearly artificial, painted black with red markings. Its hollow eyes stared blankly, but there was something deeply disturbing about the way it moved, as if it had a life of its own.
"Puppet, huh?" Shino murmured. "Fascinating."
His fingers moved imperceptibly. The insects under his skin responded, crawling silently down his sleeve. Kankuro sent Karasu lunging forward, its joints moving with unnatural precision. Chakra strings shimmered faintly in the air, nearly invisible. The puppet raised an arm and launched a rain of poisoned senbon.
Shino threw himself back, his insects forming a shield in front of him. The needles thudded into the cloud of Kikaichū; the impacted bugs fell, but there were thousands more to replace them.
"Interesting defense," Kankuro commented, making Karasu spin. "But let's see how long it lasts."
The puppet opened its mouth, and a cloud of purple gas exploded outward.
"Poison gas," Shino identified, retreating quickly. "An effective tactic."
But as he moved, his insects dispersed. Some flew directly into the gas, absorbing it and sacrificing themselves to analyze its composition. Others circled the arena in patterns that seemed random, but that Shino controlled with precision. Kankuro frowned behind his painted hood; the way those bugs were moving bothered him. He had Karasu launch more senbon, then smoke bombs. The arena filled with gray and purple clouds, reducing visibility to nearly zero.
"Do you think hiding will help you?" Kankuro called out, his voice echoing strangely in the smoke.
"I am not hiding," Shino's calm voice replied from somewhere in the mist. "I am observing."
Suddenly, Karasu jerked violently. Kankuro blinked, confused. He tugged on the chakra strings, but something was wrong. The puppet wasn't responding correctly; its movements were clumsy.
"What...?"
"My Kikaichū have been feeding on your chakra since the match began," Shino explained, emerging from the smoke. His insects completely covered Karasu like a black, buzzing mantle. "The chakra strings you use to control your puppet are a delicious source for them."
"Shit!" Kankuro pulled harder, trying to free Karasu, but the bugs were relentless. Every string of chakra he generated was immediately consumed.
Shino raised a hand, and more insects surged from his sleeve, forming a sphere around Kankuro. "Surrendering would be the logical choice."
Kankuro smirked. "You think that's all I've got?"
His fingers moved in a different pattern, and suddenly, Karasu exploded. The puppet's limbs detached, flying in different directions. Arms, legs, the torso... everything scattered, taking the insects with them.
"Separation Technique!" Kankuro had the parts of Karasu attack from multiple angles simultaneously.
Shino was forced to retreat, his insects trying to intercept the puppet pieces, but there were too many. A leg struck him in the side; an arm whizzed past his head.
"Impressive adaptation," Shino admitted, blocking another attack. "But useless."
Because while Kankuro was focused on controlling all the separated parts of Karasu, Shino had been sending a steady stream of insects directly toward the puppeteer himself. And now, finally, they reached their target. Kankuro felt the first sting on his ankle. Then on his wrist. Then on his neck.
"What...?" He looked down and saw dozens of tiny black insects crawling over his clothes and skin.
"My Kikaichū feed on chakra," Shino repeated. "Controlling a complex puppet requires concentration and a constant flow. What do you think will happen when your chakra is drained directly?"
Kankuro tried to shake the bugs off, but for every one he crushed, two more took its place. He could feel his chakra being sucked away, a constant pull that weakened his reserves. The parts of Karasu began to fall to the ground, inert, as the chakra strings vanished.
"Damn it..." Kankuro fell to one knee, breathing heavily. His vision was blurring. The drain was too fast.
He could counter. He had other techniques and hidden tricks. But... I can't show my whole arsenal. Not before the invasion. Father was clear.
With a grunt of frustration, he raised a hand. "I forfeit."
The insects stopped immediately, retreating from his body and returning to Shino in a black tide.
"The winner: Shino Aburame," Hayate declared.
The crowd erupted in murmurs and applause.
"That's it, Shino!" Kiba yelled, whistling. "I told you you were a genius!"
Hinata clapped softly with a small smile on her face. Naruto whistled, impressed. "Wow! Those bugs are terrifying!"
Temari had watched everything with a serious expression. When Kankuro climbed the stairs, looking exhausted and annoyed, she threw him a look that clearly said: We'll talk later. Naruto turned to her with a smile.
"Your brother fought great! He almost had him!"
"Yeah," she murmured, looking at her younger brother. "Almost."
The electronic board hummed to life again.
"Third match..." Hayate announced. Cough.
The names began to flash once more. And up in the stands, the Genin watched with racing hearts, wondering who would be the next to go down to that arena and prove their worth. The preliminaries had only just begun. And the most epic battles were still to come.
*****
AUTHOR'S NOTE — Sunday Bonus Drop
Hey, Hey Heyyy beautiful readers.
Yes, I'm talking to you — the ones who've been here since the beginning, reading this cursed little fanfic and somehow keeping it alive chapter by chapter. You're the reason this story still exists, and I genuinely mean that.
I've been reading through the comments, and I noticed something: a lot of you mentioned how frustrating it is to watch the Power Stone goals almost get reached every week without quite making it. You've been putting in real effort, and I see that. So today, as a Sunday gift, I'm dropping a free bonus chapter — no conditions, no goals, just because you've earned it.
But now let's talk about this week's challenge, because I might have lost my mind a little.
Every 150 Power Stones this week = 1 extra chapter released next Sunday.
Read that again. For every 150 stones, I release another chapter. Am I scared of running out of advance chapters? Honestly, a little. But I built a comfortable stockpile exactly for moments like this one, so let's find out together how far we can push it.
We have over 2,000 collections on this story. If every reader who collected this novel voted just once this week, we'd hit that goal without breaking a sweat. One vote. That's it.
For those of you who can't wait — who read today's cliffhanger and immediately thought "there's no way I'm waiting seven days" — the next chapters are already live over at patreon.com/shurazero Every chapter comes with a custom cover. Early access or the weekly schedule: that choice is yours.
One last thing. Share it. Drop it in a Discord server, send it to a friend who reads fanfic, post it wherever. Every new reader is another person who might fall down this same rabbit hole we're all in together.
Thank you for being here. Now go vote.
150 PS = 1 extra chapter.
— Zero