Before Naruto could continue thinking, the screen emitted another sharp beep, causing everyone's heart to jump once more.
Some people feared provoking a powerful enemy, while others longed for a fierce, exhilarating battle. Holding their breath, they began scanning the crowd, weighing every possibility.
Ding!
The list stopped scrolling.
[Uzumaki Naruto VS Akado Kai]
"Hm?" Naruto immediately felt the coincidence. He glanced at Guy beside him—only to find Guy staring back with open hostility.
The crowd suddenly erupted into whispers.
"Is that the one who was shouting at us earlier?"
"That blond kid?"
"Haha, let's see how arrogant he is now."
"Good luck, Naruto-kun…"
Most people here didn't know Naruto, but having just been scolded by him, many felt secretly dissatisfied.
It was like everyone complaining about too much homework, only for the class monitor to jump out and criticize them on the teacher's behalf. You couldn't say he was wrong—but it still felt unpleasant.
People like Kankuro took this very seriously. A smug smile appeared on his face as he eagerly anticipated Naruto's humiliation.
Yet many others had eyes gleaming with anticipation—Neji, Rock Lee, and even Hiruzen Sarutobi among them—clearly looking forward to Naruto's performance.
"Looks like you've made quite a few enemies," Sasuke chuckled softly beside him. "Can you handle it?"He was genuinely curious about Naruto's true strength.
How dare you say that? Naruto complained inwardly. This guy's clearly used to fighting you…But he didn't voice the thought.
In the original story, Kai—who possessed chakra-absorbing abilities—had once pushed Sasuke into a desperate situation. Sasuke only escaped by suppressing the Curse Mark and using his Sharingan to copy Rock Lee's Front Lotus, turning it into the Lion Barrage and breaking the deadlock.
Coincidentally, Naruto now faced similar concerns.
He couldn't make physical contact with Kai—otherwise his chakra would be absorbed, and he might lose control and turn into the Nine-Tails at any moment. That would be disastrous.
Not only that, Naruto added mentally, I can't use the Rasengan in public either. I have no way to explain where that technique came from.
In other words, he had to eliminate the risks posed by both the Nine-Tails and the Rasengan, defeat Akado Kai using only conventional means, and do so decisively—beautifully enough to earn Hiruzen's approval.
It wouldn't be easy.
"Heh. That's exactly what I want," Kai said, striding confidently onto the battlefield and shooting Naruto a provocative look.
Naruto stared back impassively, intense calculations already racing through his mind.
Hayate stood between them, his pale face tense. "The first match is Uzumaki Naruto versus Akado Kai. Any objections?"
"No."
"No."
"Then all non-participants, please move to the sidelines to observe."
The arena quickly descended into motion as people took their seats, chatting and laughing. Quite a few offered Naruto faint, encouraging smiles as they passed.
Kakashi walked over and spoke quietly. "Naruto, don't use the Nine-Tails' power."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. So he knows about it too?
His expression soon returned to normal. "Don't worry, boss…"
"You don't need the Nine-Tails to beat him."
Kakashi nodded slowly without further explanation and followed Sasuke upstairs.
"Hehe… Naruto-kun, I'm really looking forward to your performance."Already seated in the stands, Orochimaru watched Naruto with a sly smile.
After confirming everything was in order, Hayate looked at the two fighters with a solemn expression.
Perhaps due to the intense battles he'd experienced recently, Naruto already had several combat plans in mind.
His eyes fixed calmly on his opponent.
"All right—first match, begin!"
"Come on!"Kai formed the Tiger hand seal, then spread his hands. Blue chakra instantly gathered in his palms.
He lunged toward Naruto in a flash!
Ninja combat consists of three stages: probing, planning, and killing, Naruto thought. Kai's ability is similar to the Preta Path. I can't act recklessly. First, I'll feint to gather information—then make my move.
In the blink of an eye, Naruto pulled three purple smoke bombs from his ninja pouch and slammed them to the ground.
Bang!!
Kai skidded to a halt as his vision was completely obscured. Instinctively, he retreated several steps to widen the distance, wary of any underhanded tactics.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just as he prepared to withdraw, three massive Fūma shuriken came screaming toward him—one above, two below—sealing off every escape route.
Kai's eyelid twitched, but he didn't panic. Instead, he redistributed his chakra, dropped to all fours like a hunting hound, and leapt straight into the narrow gap between the spinning blades—
Barely avoiding their razor-sharp edges!
Bang!!
Just as he thought he'd escaped, all three shuriken transformed simultaneously—into Naruto's shadow clones!
The clones drew their kunai and stabbed toward Kai's heart, throat, and groin!
Attacked from three sides!
Still, Kai's combat experience was undeniable. He kicked one clone into pieces, seized another and smashed it with a brutal headbutt, then re-gathered blue chakra in his free hand and crushed the third by the throat.
Snap!
Kai and the last clone collapsed to the ground together, the kunai skittering away nearby.
"Th—this…"Naruto, whose neck had been seized, instantly felt his strength draining away.
"Not bad," Kai said coldly, sensing the surge of power flowing into him. "But your clone's strength is mine."
He completely shattered the clone in his grasp.
As the purple smoke dissipated, five Narutos slowly emerged from within it.
The one in the center spoke calmly. "Solid fundamentals. By the way—your ability lets you absorb other people's chakra, right?"
"Hmph…"
Kai narrowed his eyes. He suspected the central Naruto wasn't the real one. Judging by Naruto's earlier actions, the true body was likely hiding elsewhere, creating chaos.
"It's nothing special."He placed one hand behind his back while gathering chakra in the other.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
He hurled shuriken at Naruto. The clones scattered in all directions, while the central one calmly deflected every incoming blade with a kunai.
"Wait—"The Naruto on the far left suddenly felt a chill behind him.
He spun around—only to find Kai's hand already locked around his throat!
Yet Naruto didn't look angry. Instead, a mocking smile tugged at his lips.
"Your instantaneous taijutsu is impressive. The more you absorb, the stronger that strange power of yours becomes. But if that's all you've got—cough—then—cough…"
"Oh?"
The shadow clone dispersed.
Not him, Kai thought, as the other four Narutos charged at him from different directions.
"Next, I'll capture all of you in one move!"
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