https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-519-Jonin-Teacher-and-Nagato-s-Dark-Transformation-/12558778/
Chapter 520: A Tale of Contrasting Fortunes
Chapter 520: A Tale of Contrasting Fortunes
"Ahem... Yahiko, long time no see." Deidara reluctantly stepped forward to greet him.
Hearing someone calling his name, Yahiko turned around.
"Long time no see, Deidara," Yahiko replied with a smile.
Although he had only met Deidara once, Yahiko had left a deep impression on him, as Deidara had once spoken of his dream to become the Hokage and end the wars.
Moreover, Deidara was also a ninja that Kisame deemed important in his intelligence report.
"What a coincidence to meet you here," Deidara said as he walked over to Yahiko's side.
"Mhm." Yahiko nodded, then suddenly thought of something and couldn't help but laugh.
"Haha, but it seems our reunion is a bit early. Neither of us has become famous in the ninja world yet."
During their previous encounter, Yahiko and Deidara had promised that the next time they heard of each other, it would be because they had already gained renown in the ninja world. Obviously, that promise had not been fulfilled.
Whether it was Yahiko or Deidara, they were only famous within their own circles and had not achieved wider fame in the ninja world.
"We're on our way to becoming famous; if we both make it to the finals, our names will spread far and wide," Deidara said with a chuckle.
The Youth Ninja Combat Tournament was very different from the Chunin Exams jointly held by the ninja villages. This tournament had truly sparked great interest throughout the ninja world, and the winner would undoubtedly become a household name.
"That's true," Yahiko agreed. With the popularity of the tournament, the top two finishers would undoubtedly attract a lot of attention.
"Lin, have you seen my photo? I hope I haven't lost it," Kakashi asked loudly, addressing Lin Yuan'er.
He noticed that Deidara seemed to be enjoying the conversation and had forgotten their original purpose of gathering intelligence.
"No, I haven't," Lin Yuan'er replied, turning her head to look around.
Deidara successfully picked up on the keyword "photo" and remembered Kakashi's order. He quickly asked, "Yahiko, do you know a ninja by the name of Sou Yuukei, the one hosting this tournament? He's been gaining quite a reputation in the ninja world lately."
"Teacher Sou Yuukei? Of course, I'm one of his earliest followers," Yahiko answered proudly.
"Under Teacher Sou Yuukei's leadership, the Rain Country is gradually improving and moving towards peace and stability."
Kakashi fell into deep thought as he listened to Yahiko's words.
It was clear that Yahiko was now a die-hard fan of Sou Yuukei and had even joined the Ninja Temple.
Based on Pain's expression when he looked at Sou Yuukei, Kakashi guessed that Pain's feelings were similar to Yahiko's.
"There's a high possibility that the Akatsuki will become that evil organization in the future, known for capturing Tailed Beasts, and it's likely related to Sou Yuukei," Kakashi speculated in his mind.
The current Akatsuki was vastly different from the one in the future, and such an extreme transformation obviously did not follow a normal development trend.
Kakashi believed that the leader or high-ranking members of Akatsuki must have experienced some life-altering event, leading to the stark contrast between the organization's past and future.
"Deidara, how's your journey towards becoming the Hokage going?" Yahiko asked.
Deidara scratched his head. "I'm still working hard."
Becoming the Hokage was Deidara's dream, but he didn't actually know how to make it come true.
He had never heard of a Hokage exam where passing would grant him the title.
"Keep at it! As long as you work hard, you'll definitely have a chance," Yahiko encouraged him.
Yahiko felt that it would be a great thing if Deidara became the Hokage. After all, how could a person who loved peace be a bad person?
"Competitors, please enter the waiting room to draw lots for your battles," a Ninja Temple staff member announced to the waiting competitors.
Upon hearing this, Yahiko and Deidara tacitly ended their conversation. Deidara returned to his team, and along with Kakashi and the others, they made their way to the waiting room.
As soon as they entered the room, a staff member brought out a large box and asked the competitors to draw lots one by one.
"Number one versus number two, number three versus number four, and so on. Defeat your opponent to advance to the next round," the staff member explained the rules.
The rules of the Youth Ninja Combat Tournament were straightforward and simple, so no one raised any questions. After all, with such clear and direct rules, any explanation would be redundant.
"Such a late number," Deidara muttered as he looked at the wooden lot in his hand, which bore the number thirty. This meant that except for the first round, all his subsequent battles would be the last match.
"Lin, Kakashi, what numbers did you get? I got number thirty," Deidara asked as he walked directly over to Kakashi and Lin Yuan'er.
After each competitor drew their lot, the staff member would immediately register their number, so it was impossible to exchange or alter them. This information would be made public.
Tobirama's eyes widened as he realized that their numbers were so close; if they both advanced to the second round, they would face each other next.
"How could that white-haired, naturally evil person stop little Rin in the second round!" Tobirama complained inwardly.
Initially, Tobirama thought that there was a good chance for Nozomi Rin to make it to the top eight. Aside from the few disciples of Muzetsu, only Nagato had shown overwhelming suppression, and the puppet master was only suspected to be strong.
But Nozomi Rin's luck today seemed even worse than Tobirama's, as she was facing Kakashi in the second round.
"No, maybe it's Kakashi who's unlucky, dragging Rin down with him."
Recalling Kakashi's threat earlier, Tobirama cursed Kakashi again in his mind. How could the kind and beautiful Nozomi Rin be at fault? It had to be Kakashi's mistake!
"My number is eleven. Our bond as best friends is showing through, Kakashi!" Might Guy excitedly shouted after finishing his draw.
A simple calculation made Kakashi's expression turn serious.
If he and Might Guy both advanced to the third round, they would meet in the quarterfinals.
"I have too little chakra. If I had more, I'd have more tactical options," Kakashi thought, mentally simulating a fight with Might Guy, and then shook his head.
The One-Strike Void required too much from him; Kakashi couldn't even use it if his chakra was slightly depleted, but without it, creating attack opportunities would be difficult.
Might Guy, enhanced by the Eight Inner Gates and Rock Breathing, possessed absolute strength and incredible speed.
Contrary to Kakashi, Tobirama felt a glimmer of hope.
Might Guy was number eleven, and he was number thirty, which meant that Tobirama would only have to face Might Guy in the finals, if at all.
Kakashi could still gamble with the One-Strike Void, but Tobirama truly had no way of dealing with Might Guy at present. In a normal situation, his chance of winning was zero.
"I'm number nineteen," Hizashi reported as he walked over.
"The knockout rounds are about to begin. Contestants, please pay attention to the broadcast in the waiting room, and the screen will display the order of battles," a Ninja Temple staff member reminded them.
As soon as the staff member finished speaking, the large screen in the waiting room lit up, displaying the order of the first round's sixteen battles from top to bottom.
"So the first match is against that Nagato guy." Maki's expression changed slightly as he looked at the screen and then at the number '2' in his hand.
There had been a Sunagakure ninja in the qualifiers who was in the same block as Nagato, so Maki knew that Nagato was a formidable opponent.
Nagato glanced at the screen indifferently and then looked away.
He didn't care who his opponent was because he would keep winning until the end.
"Proficient in large-scale ninjutsu, mainly using Wind Release and Fire Release..." Maki began to think of countermeasures based on Nagato's intelligence.
"I can keep dodging and wait for him to expose an opening, then look for an opportunity to attack at close range."
Maki was a Wind Release ninja who focused on enhancing the jutsu's lethality rather than its range, aiming to take down his opponents in one strike.
Once he seized the opportunity to attack, no matter how disadvantaged he was beforehand, Maki was confident he could turn the tables.
Kakashi didn't look for his own opponent but started from the first match and continued down the list.
"Suna-gaki is number eight, so that's a good sign for us," Kakashi said as he spotted Suna-gaki's name in the fourth match of the first round.
If both Nagato and Suna-gaki advanced, they would meet at the latest in the quarterfinals, and by then, neither Nagato nor Suna-gaki would likely be able to hide their strengths anymore.
"First match, Nagato versus Maki! Contestants, please enter the arena quickly," the referee's voice echoed through the waiting room.
Nagato bid Konan and Yahiko farewell and left the waiting room, heading towards the central battle arena.
"Good luck, Maki!" Yuriah encouraged.
Sunagakure had sent very few ninjas, and only the two of them had advanced to the knockout rounds. If Maki lost, Yuriah would be the only one left, and the pressure would be immense.
"I'll do my best," Maki replied in a low voice and left the waiting room.
As soon as he entered the arena, Maki could feel countless gazes fall upon him.
"Perhaps the Kazekage should have paid more attention," Maki thought.
He felt that if he was going to participate, he should do so seriously; otherwise, he shouldn't get involved at all. This in-between state might give the impression that Sunagakure's strength was lacking, as only two ninjas had made it to the knockout rounds, and it was uncertain how long they would last.
Danzo heaved a soft sigh. It wouldn't have been a complete failure, but he still would have lost because even if he went back and tried again, he wouldn't be confident in killing Sou Yuukei for certain.
Going up against someone like Sou Yuukei was only asking for trouble. If he truly had the chance to be reborn, Danzo would most likely kick Fugaku Uchiha out and then give Sou Yuukei a title to help him gain fame.
In that case, they wouldn't have become enemies, and Danzo might have even considered himself half a level above Sou Yuukei, after all, he would have given him the title.
Root members in the audience quietly took out their notebooks, preparing to record intelligence on Nagato.
Huang Tu shook his head, knowing from witnessing that assassination attempt that Nagato's strength was unusual; Nagato had surpassed ordinary ninjas by far too much.
After learning that Nagato was among the participants, Huang Tu knew that the First Reward, the Ninja Sect, would not be taken away by any other force.
The contestants in the waiting room, seeing that the match was about to begin, focused their full attention on the combat arena.
Intelligence played a crucial role in ninja battles, and for competing ninjas, watching the matches was also part of the competition.
Whoever could gather more intelligence from the combat details would gain a greater advantage in the upcoming battles.
"Begin!" the referee shouted as soon as both ninjas were ready.
Shhhhh!
Maki didn't rashly advance or retreat; instead, he chose to draw out a shuriken and throw it at Nagato.
"Wind Release: Compression Destruction!"
Nagato opted to employ the same strategy he used in the preliminary rounds, taking advantage of his vast chakra reserves to use large-scale ninjutsu for suppression.
A large amount of Wind-attribute chakra was compressed into a small spherical shape and expelled from Nagato's mouth.
Whoosh!
As the wind ball was expelled, a fierce gale swept through the arena. The high-density wind ball erupted, causing a destructive storm with terrifying force, tearing up the ground and sending rocks and dust flying in all directions.
"He's so strong," Maki thought in shock.
Hearing about someone's strength was one thing, but witnessing it firsthand was another. In that moment, he understood why the Sunagakure ninja seemed slightly fearful; this Wind Release technique was indeed intimidating.
Maki activated his chakra to the fullest and swiftly retreated. In this situation, he could only avoid the brunt of the attack and look for an opportunity to strike back. After all, his original battle plan was to do just that.
Fortunately, the combat arena was spacious enough, and Maki's decisive actions allowed him to successfully escape Nagato's attack range.
"Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique!"
Unfazed by his first attack missing, Nagato continued performing hand seals. Mu Zhu had taught him many high-level elemental ninjutsu, and this was just the beginning.
Boom!
Maki felt the ground shake as the earth on both sides suddenly split open and rushed towards him at incredible speed.
Maki had no choice but to flee, unleashing speed beyond his limits to escape being crushed into a pulp.
"Mountain Earth Technique isn't very useful in this situation," Huang Tu commented.
Mountain Earth Technique was Huang Tu's specialty. Unless the opponent was significantly larger in size or had teammates to distract him, the Mountain Earth Technique's accuracy was questionable.
Of course, its power was undeniable, and Huang Tu believed that very few people in the ninja world could withstand it if they were hit.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
As Maki escaped the crushing pressure of the Mountain Earth Technique, he found himself surrounded by a fierce blaze, pushing him further into a dire situation.
"Nagato wins!" the referee announced Nagato's victory.
Maki wiped the sweat from his face, feeling no hint of dissatisfaction. He had lost this battle fair and square.
Their strength differed too greatly. From the start of the fight, Nagato had chased him relentlessly, and the idea of finding an opening in Nagato's techniques seemed unrealistic. Responding to Nagato's ninjutsu had already exhausted all of Maki's energy.
PS: Oh no, I've truly become a half-baked monk now. Today, for some reason, my back and waist ache, and I'm experiencing writer's block.
It's all because I set that flag; it's Lao Wu's fault (not really).
Let me give you an update on the extra chapter's progress. Currently, the framework and outline are complete; I just need to fill in the specific content.
I'll try to write a portion of the Naruto extra chapter by mid-May (the main story will still be updated daily, and the extra chapter will be a bonus).
The extra chapter for May will be about the Pain arc, probably something like Yang Release Naruto vs Pain.
I'm considering whether to combine the extra chapters into one chapter. Having a bunch of extra chapters in the main story table of contents doesn't look very nice.
(End of Chapter)
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