Other side of Konoha.
Heguruma lay in bed, deep in thought.
Host, what if Uchiha Obito brainwashes Kisame again? The System's voice echoed in Heguruma's mind.
So he brainwashes him. What of it? Heguruma's tone was flippant. Just use the [Kotodama Jutsu].
Wouldn't it be better to just use [Kotodama Jutsu] from the start? The System sighed faintly.
How disrespectful! Heguruma lectured it. Activating [Kotodama Jutsu] strips a person of their entire personality. Such behavior is a violation of human rights.
…
The System's voice turned ghostly. Do you actually expect me to believe that?
…
Heguruma pouted. Fine. The real reason is, once [Kotodama Jutsu] is activated, the target's favorability growth slows down considerably.
So that's the true reason.
The System gave a light snort.
Heguruma had gradually discovered this issue through using the [Kotodama Jutsu]. Once activated on a target, pushing their favorability to the max became incredibly difficult.
So, Heguruma tried to avoid using the [Kotodama Jutsu] before maxing out a target's favorability.
As for any remaining reasons… maybe there was a sliver of respect for Kisame.
He did feel some genuine regret for Kisame's original fate.
This regret slowly lulled Heguruma into a deep sleep. A loud, chainsaw-like snore soon filled the room.
Listening to its host's barbaric snoring, the System did two things. It muted the audio. And it began browsing skills to cure snoring.
How could its host, a beauty, snore like a lumberjack? As the Alluring Conquest System, it could not allow this!
Come to think of it, the host was probably also about to start growing leg hair and a beard.
The System added a "Permanent Hair Removal" skill to its internal shopping cart.
It could trick the host into buying it later.
The Next Day. Training Grounds.
Once again, Heguruma gathered with the Raikage, Tsuchikage, and the others.
"Hahaha! How did you sleep last night, Hokage?"
"Very well. I trust Konoha's hospitality met your expectations, Tsuchikage?"
"Of course! Hahaha!"
The obligatory, cringe-inducing pleasantries were exchanged upon meeting.
"Today, this old man wishes to witness the brilliance of the Hokage's prized disciple!" Ōnoki chuckled, his tone laced with hidden meaning.
The preliminary rounds had ended. Those remaining were all skilled ninja.
Deidara. Haku. Uchiha Itachi. Hyūga Tenri. Akiaoi Shinya.
They had all become hot favorites to win the tournament.
Today's elimination matches meant, in all likelihood, these names would collide.
"Then you'd better watch closely, Tsuchikage." Heguruma smiled, taking his seat as Hokage.
Ōnoki frowned inwardly. Why wouldn't the Hokage offer some flattery in return? He was an elder, after all. Huffing, he floated to his own seat.
From the high platform, Heguruma's gaze swept the crowd and landed on Xiaoqing's massive form.
?
Seeing the blatant confusion in Heguruma's eyes, Shisui leaned in from behind to explain. "Hokage-sama, you may not be aware. Yesterday, all of Xiaoqing's merchandise sold out. To satisfy the fans who couldn't get any, a new 'Photo Op with Xiaoqing' service was launched today."
Heguruma: …
Xiaoqing had truly become the ninja world's top celebrity.
Click. Flash. The camera shutter snapped repeatedly. Xiaoqing struck pose after pose.
So… so sultry! The System couldn't help but comment in their mind.
Indeed. Sultry. Heguruma couldn't bear to watch. He felt the fusion of the Ancient Void Dragon's bloodline with Xiaoqing was an insult—a disgrace to the dragon's majesty and dignity.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Masako was in her element as host. Witty, eloquent, she effortlessly whipped the audience into a frenzy.
"Alright, enough chatter! Let's jump straight into the moment you've all been waiting for!"
With a grand wave of her hand, the giant electronic screen lit up. Names began to flash.
Finally, two names settled on the screen.
The audience erupted.
Deidara vs. Uchiha Itachi.
The Tsuchikage's prized disciple versus the Hokage's prized disciple.
The wielder of the Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai versus the bearer of the Sharingan.
This duel was destined to command everyone's attention.
"It's gotta be Uchiha Itachi!"
"Not necessarily!"
"That Deidara's Explosion Release was insane yesterday!"
"So what? Uchiha Itachi has the Sharingan and he's the Hokage's disciple and he's two or three years older!"
"Shut up and just watch the match!"
"Who are you to tell me what to do? Am I bothering you?"
"Yes, you are!"
The stands nearly descended into chaos. It was only the timely intervention of the beautiful attendants—hired by various Konoha conglomerates—that calmed things down.
Faced with beautiful women, no one wanted to lose their composure. They all shut up.
"Hahaha! How interesting!" Ōnoki's eyes sparkled with surprise. He hadn't expected Itachi and Deidara to face off in the very first match.
He, too, wanted to know: Who was stronger? His own prodigious little disciple? Or the Hokage's genius, already famous across the ninja world?
"Hokage, merely watching is dull. How about we place a little wager?" Ōnoki proposed, his spirits high. He wasn't entirely sure of the outcome himself, but that didn't dampen his excitement.
"Of course. What did you have in mind, Tsuchikage?" Heguruma smiled.
Losing to Uchiha Itachi… that was Deidara's fate. In the original story. And here, now. Deidara was destined never to beat Uchiha Itachi.
Heguruma had taught Itachi numerous jutsu. With Itachi's comprehension, who knew how many he'd mastered by now? This was a perfect chance to gauge his progress.
"Hahaha! Count me in! Something this fun, I can't miss!" The Raikage boomed, joining Ōnoki and Heguruma.
Mei Terumi's beautiful eyes danced. A seductive smile played on her lips. "Then I shall try my luck as well."
"Kazekage, won't you join us?" The Raikage asked, puzzled by Rasa's detached, almost otherworldly calm.
Rasa shook his head serenely. "You enjoy yourselves. I shall abstain."
Behind him, Chiyo nodded in approval. Correct. Such matters were not for Sunagakure. Not from lack of desire, but from lack of resources to frivolously wager.
"Let us bet on which child will win. The loser provides the winner with some of their village's local specialties," Ōnoki laid out the rules.
Using village specialties as stakes preserved harmony and even fostered friendly ties between villages.
"Agreed," Heguruma nodded.
The Raikage and Mei naturally had no objections.
"As for me? I, of course, support my disciple!" Ōnoki's gaze fell on the two children now entering the training ground, his expression sentimental.
Deidara had been so obedient lately! So proactive in his training. It warmed Ōnoki's old heart. Even if Deidara lost today, it wouldn't be a tragedy. The boy was proud, arrogant even. A taste of defeat might do him good.
"I, too, support my disciple," Heguruma smiled. Knowing the outcome, backing Itachi was the obvious choice. Even if he did have a soft spot for a naive brat like Deidara.
The Raikage's expression turned grave. His eyes darted between Deidara and Itachi. Compared to Itachi, who fought with a certain refined elegance, the explosive, visceral artistry of Deidara's style yesterday appealed to him more.
"I choose Deidara!" His hatred for Ōnoki wouldn't extend to a child. He had that much dignity.
Behind him, Killer Bee leaned forward. "Yo! You sure, bro? That Itachi feels stronger to me."
The Raikage shook his head. "We'll see." Losing a bet was no big deal.
Mei shot Heguruma a smoldering glance. "The Hokage prefers women. Naturally, I'll support his choice." Her gaze was loaded, her entire being radiating mature, irresistible charm.
The Hokage is a lucky man, the Raikage thought to himself.
"Yo! Bro, if you were a woman, maybe the Mizukage would look at you like that too!" Killer Bee, ever the mind-reader, whispered in his ear.
"BEE!" A faint, suspicious blush colored the Raikage's dark cheeks. He wanted to punch his brother right then and there.
"Let the match… BEGIN!"
As Masako's voice rang out, the Kage on the high platform fell silent, their attention fixed on the arena.
"Hmph! So you're Uchiha Itachi?" Deidara stood opposite him, chin lifted, eyes full of disdain.
"I believe you are literate," Itachi replied, perfectly calm.
The four large characters for "Uchiha Itachi" were quite prominent on the big screen.
"You—!" Deidara caught the sarcasm. His small face scrunched up in anger. "Hmph! Quick with your words! Let's see if your skills are as sharp as your tongue!"
He was parroting phrases he'd heard teachers use back at the Iwa Academy.
… Itachi felt an odd sense of guilt, like he was bullying a child.
"No need for more words. Let's finish this quickly." Itachi thought of Sasuke, waiting at home. He needed to end this match fast.
"You—!" Deidara was so angry his head spun. "Today, I'll show you! I'm the ninja the Hokage-sama truly approves of!"
Itachi: …
That sounded… strange. Wasn't this child's teacher the Tsuchikage? Did he misspeak? Did he mean Tsuchikage, not Hokage?
Explosive clay rapidly took shape. A flock of pure white birds soared towards Itachi.
Deidara's eyes were locked on his target, but his hands never stopped moving, continuously molding more clay.
Wind Style: Wind Wall!
A pale green wall of wind, several meters high, stretched across the training ground.
Katsu!
The command and the explosion were one.
Smoke cleared. Itachi stood unharmed.
Seeing this, a smile finally appeared on Deidara's face.
Itachi looked down. His feet were surrounded by a dense swarm of white spiders. Some had already begun climbing his clothes.
"Surrender now, and I'll let you go!" Deidara's eyes shone with triumph.
Itachi sighed inwardly. In both mind and skill… he was truly just a child.
Itachi, saying this, completely failed to realize he himself was only a few years older. Such is the mindset of a mature teenager.
Katsu!
Seeing Itachi's stubborn silence, Deidara frowned. A lesson was in order.
Blinding fire and shattered stone swallowed Itachi's form.
A wave of disappointed sighs rose from the stands. What? Is Uchiha Itachi that weak?
Behind Heguruma, Shisui merely smiled. It seemed Itachi had mastered that technique quite well.
Black feathers drifted through the air.
"Where'd these feathers come from?"
"What kind of feathers are these?"
"They look like…"
Caw. Caw. Caw.
Jet-black crows beat their wings, circling the spot where the explosion had occurred.
Deidara stared at them. What the hell? Whatever. I'll just blow them all up!
White doves flew from the pouches at Deidara's waist, chasing after the dark crows.
On the high platform, the Kage had already sensed something was wrong.
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