Chapter 722: I'm Fighting the Hokage?
Chapter 722: I'm Fighting the Hokage?
The second Shinshu Martial Arts Tournament, with no age restrictions and even more enticing rewards than the previous one, coupled with the peace dividend, attracted an unprecedented level of interest.
Even the ever-expanding Six Paths City was suddenly inundated with a massive influx of people, making it feel somewhat crowded.
The sheer number of participants didn't fill the city, but the excitement drew a significant number of ordinary people.
Some sought reliable ninjas to complete missions, while others came to witness the thrilling battles of ninjas, and some saw this as an opportunity to make a fortune in Six Paths City.
In any case, due to various reasons, the population of Six Paths City reached its peak since its establishment.
"Wow, there are so many people. I hope there won't be over a thousand ninjas participating; otherwise, the preliminaries will take forever," Tobi couldn't help but exclaim as he entered the city and saw the crowds.
There were indeed many people in Six Paths City, including a significant number of ninjas.
"It's unlikely to reach a thousand ninjas, but there will definitely be more participants than last time. After all, the elimination round has doubled in size," Kakashi shook his head and said.
Even in the previous Youth Martial Arts Tournament, some ninjas with Jonin-level strength barely made it into the elimination round and were quickly eliminated.
This tournament had no age restrictions, so the competition would be even fiercer, enough to deter many ordinary ninjas with self-awareness.
Of course, since there were rewards for making it into the elimination round, there would still be a group of ninjas hoping to seize this opportunity, so the number of participants would undoubtedly increase significantly.
"Aren't those the Third Raikage and the Substitute Raikage of the Cloud Village? Were they also invited to watch the tournament?" Tobi asked as he randomly scanned the crowd and spotted a group of muscular, dark-skinned men.
"Maybe," Kakashi didn't pay much attention.
It wasn't a time of war, so if they met, they met. Besides, Yu Sheng Mu Yue was here, so what could go wrong?
Due to the large number of participants, Konoha had booked a hotel specifically for their ninjas to stay in.
They had made arrangements beforehand, so they could go straight to the hotel upon arrival.
After the team arrived at the hotel and the room assignments were completed, Yu Sheng Mu Yue, the Hokage, led the Konoha ninjas who needed to participate in the tournament to register.
There were numerous ninjas at the registration desk, and Tobi's eyes were spinning from looking at them all.
"Hey, isn't that the baby-faced ninja from the Mist Village who was captured by Yu Sheng Mu Yue?" Tobi recognized the familiar face of Kurugata Shizuka.
Kurugata Shizuka had led his team against Yu Sheng Mu Yue's forces twice, once being defeated so badly that they had to flee back to the Mist Village in the middle of the night, and the other time being captured.
Because Kurugata Shizuka had distinctive features, Tobi remembered him well.
Kurugata Shizuka looked like a young genius, but he was actually old enough to be Tobi's father.
Tobi continued looking in the direction of Kurugata Shizuka and soon spotted the Third Mizukage talking to the registration ninjas.
Just as Tobi was feeling curious, something even more captivating caught his attention from the Konoha side.
"No way, Old Man, are you participating too?" Asama couldn't believe his eyes as he saw Sarutobi Enma registering for the tournament.
He had thought that Sarutobi Enma was just accompanying Yu Sheng Mu Yue as the team leader, but he never expected that Sarutobi Enma would also be participating in the tournament.
Asama's words attracted the attention of many ninjas in the Konoha team.
Many of the participating Konoha ninjas were unaware that Sarutobi Enma was going to compete, as the assassination plan for Son Ryouka was top-secret.
"The path of the ninja is endless, and it's a rare opportunity to exchange skills with various powerful warriors," Sarutobi Enma said calmly.
Asama: ...
In other words, there was a possibility that he might encounter his father in the tournament.
Asama was speechless; what was going on?
"Tobi, do you still have confidence in winning first place?" Kakashi couldn't help but tease Tobi in a low voice.
"Well, the most important thing in a competition is to participate and give it your all," Tobi replied, feigning nonchalance.
However, the sweat on his palms betrayed his inner unease to Kakashi.
"Wait, if that's the case, then what about the Third Raikage and the Third Mizukage..." Tobi suddenly thought of something a little scary.
If Sarutobi Enma was participating, was there a possibility that the Third Raikage and the Third Mizukage were not just invited to watch but were also participating in the tournament?
Tobi's forehead began to perspire uncontrollably.
If his suspicions were correct, it would be a huge success just to make it into the top four, let alone winning first place.
Some ninjas noticed the unusual nature of this tournament and quietly collected their registration fees and materials before turning around and leaving.
Although the elimination round had doubled in size, there were too many skilled ninjas, making it difficult to take advantage of the situation.
Any ninja who had participated in the previous tournament could easily recognize this fact.
Due to the limited participation of the Five Great Ninja Villages in the previous Martial Arts Tournament, most of the competitors were from various ninja organizations in the smaller villages.
This time, it was different. A quick glance at the registration area revealed numerous headbands from the Five Great Ninja Villages.
"Are the Five Great Ninja Villages planning to divide the tournament rewards among themselves? There are so many ninjas here," a ninja who had been persuaded to withdraw muttered to himself.
In fact, when the registration deadline passed and the list was submitted, the related personnel from Shinshu were shocked. They hurriedly contacted the registration area to inquire if there had been any mistakes.
There was no other way; the list was intimidating.
The Five Kage had all gathered, except for Enma, who was the previous Hokage. Ra Sha and the others were all the current Kage of their respective villages.
Moreover, in addition to the Kage, the list included many renowned powerful ninjas from the Five Great Ninja Villages.
For example, there was Yakura, the hero of the Sand Village; Yellow Earth, the Rock Fist of the Stone Village; the AB Pair from the Cloud Village; Shizuka, the Mist Village's Kurugata...
The Shinshu ninjas at the registration area confidently assured the verification personnel that there were no errors, and the Kage themselves had come to register.
Due to the high-profile identities of the participants and the presence of numerous powerful ninjas, the competitor list was escalated to the upper echelons of Shinshu.
"What are the Great Ninja Villages up to? Why are they all swarming to participate in the tournament?" Kakudo stroked his chin, sensing a conspiracy.
The Five Kage had informed Shinshu before their departure, so Kakudo was aware of their arrival.
However, Kakudo did not believe the Kage's reasons for participating. From any perspective, the current Martial Arts Tournament did not seem worthy of the involvement of ninjas at the Kage level.
The presence of a Substitute Kage would have been more appropriate.
"Perhaps our arrangements in the River Country have made them wary, and they've secretly united to deal with us."
Although it sounded unbelievable, with Kakudo's experience, nothing was impossible.
"That's probably the case, but there's no need to worry. This will be a successful tournament," Yu Sheng Mu Yue said, gazing out the window.
With his current strength, the gathering of the Great Ninja Villages would still require some of Mu Yue's attention.
"With you here, they won't be able to stir up much trouble," Kakudo nodded.
With Son Ryouka's composure, there was no need to worry.
"
He had hoped to achieve good results, but he never expected the Five Great Ninja Villages to come together for a team-building exercise at the tournament.
"Just do your best," Chojiro smiled and consoled.
If anyone in the office had confidence, it was Chojiro, who, besides Mu Yue, had the most faith in Shinshu.
The alliance of the four great ninja villages might have been a concern for Chojiro, but the five great ninja villages coming together made him want to laugh.
After all, the Hokage of the Leaf Village was the leader of their Shinshu.
...
The preliminary tournament officially began on February 4th.
Considering the large number of participating ninjas, Shinshu had expanded the preliminary tournament grounds in advance and conducted a new planning layout.
The current preliminary tournament grounds consisted of four major areas, each containing four competition zones.
The advancement rules remained the same as the previous tournament, with the top eight from each zone advancing to the elimination round.
After the draw, Kaito and the other familiar Leaf Village ninjas gathered for pre-tournament discussions.
"Which zone are you in? I'm in Zone A1, number thirty," Kaito waved a white strip of paper.
"Zone A4, number twelve," Kakashi replied briefly.
"I'm also in Zone A4," Haruno Rin said, somewhat surprised.
"Fortunately, I'm number twenty-five, or I definitely wouldn't make it to the elimination round this time."
Since there were thirty-two competitors in each zone, according to Shinshu's tournament system, every eight numbers would produce one elimination round spot, such as one to eight and nine to sixteen.
Haruno Rin's number was far from Kakashi's, so she didn't have to worry about being eliminated by him.
"Kaito, you and I are in the same zone, but I'm number eight, so we won't meet," Asama said, thumping Kaito's chest.
"That's good. Let's go over there together," Kaito said with some regret.
It was great to be in the same zone as a good brother, but he would have been happier if Haruno Rin were in the same zone, provided their numbers weren't too close.
The others also announced their zones; Shizuka and Asuma Sarutobi were in Zone A3, while Might Guy was in Zone B1.
"Are all the ninjas from the same village grouped in one area?" Kakashi wondered, noticing that most of the Leaf Village ninjas were in Zone A.
To confirm this, Kakashi asked some other Leaf Village ninjas about their zones, and indeed, most of them were in Zone A.
"To ensure that the Great Ninja Villages don't have a huge gap in their elimination tournament spots?" Kakashi, as a representative of the Shinshu, came up with a possible solution.
Just then, the arena's broadcast sounded, reminding the participants to head to their respective areas to prepare.
"See you later," said Kaito, waving goodbye to his teammates as he headed to Area A1 with Asama.
Since it wasn't a big deal, Kakashi didn't think too much about it. After waving goodbye, he headed to Area A4 with Haruno Rin.
As soon as they arrived at Area A1, Kaito and Asama came to a halt.
"It seems our luck isn't great today," Asama said helplessly as he recognized the all-too-familiar figure.
Kaito nodded in agreement.
There were a total of sixteen areas, and coincidentally, Enma was in the same area as them.
"Please don't let it be number twenty-five or higher," Kaito prayed in his heart.
He didn't want Enma to be eliminated in the preliminary round; otherwise, Kakashi would surely laugh at him.
He had boldly declared his intention to fight for the top spot, but if he didn't even make it past the elimination round, it would be embarrassing.
Soon, the preliminary round officially began.
"In the first round, contestant number one, Enma, will face contestant number two, Ishida Kenji," the Shinshu referee glanced at the list in his hand and respectfully added an honorific to Enma's name.
After all, he was at the pinnacle of the ninja world and deserved some respect.
The referee's words instantly shattered the hopes of several ninjas.
Upon hearing the name 'Enma' as contestant number one, Asama's vision went dark.
Damn it!
Those who weren't contestants numbered one to eight breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless of their ranking, they at least had a chance to make it to the elimination round.
Enma stroked his long beard and, without using his Flash Step, slowly walked onto the combat field.
Ishida Kenji, a Grass Ninja Jonin, took steady steps towards the field.
But everyone present was a ninja, with observation skills far surpassing ordinary people. They instantly noticed Ishida Kenji's slightly trembling hands and the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Undoubtedly, Ishida Kenji was under immense pressure at that moment.
When he officially stood on the combat field and faced Enma, Ishida Kenji felt dazed.
No one had told him beforehand that he would be fighting the Hokage. He had come because he heard that advancing to the elimination round would earn him a Jutsu Scroll.
"Begin the fight!" the referee shouted as he saw both contestants ready.
"I concede!" Ishida Kenji quickly bowed.
He would have to be crazy to actually fight Enma.
If it were some young, powerful ninja, he might have tried his luck, but this was the Third Hokage, the pinnacle of the ninja world, and an ultimate genius.
If Enma accidentally used a little more strength, Ishida Kenji might not even survive.
There was no need to fight for the sake of the participation fee; it wasn't worth it.
Enma retracted his hand, which he was about to extend.
"Enma wins!" the referee promptly announced the result.
And so, the first match in Area A1 ended in the blink of an eye.
None of the spectators found Ishida Kenji's concession odd; conceding to the Hokage was not shameful.
Normally, a ninja of Ishida Kenji's caliber wouldn't even have the chance to concede to Enma; they were not from the same world.
Similar scenes unfolded in other areas.
In Area B1, facing the intimidating Third Raikage, his opponent wisely raised his hand in surrender.
In Area C1, the Third Mizukage had just stepped onto the stage when his opponent directly forfeited the match without even starting.
In Area D1, as soon as the referee shouted 'begin,' Daimoku's opponent left the field and conceded.
In Area D4, Ra Sha's opponent cleanly forfeited.
As the pinnacle of the ninja world, the Shadows brought an overwhelming sense of pressure. Since all the Shadows were contestant number one, many ninjas in the same area as the Shadows, and those numbered eight or lower, directly forfeited, opting to go to different areas to watch the ninjas they were interested in.
After all, opportunities to watch high-level ninjas fight were rare, and the entry fee was worth it just for the viewing.
Since most of the ninjas numbered eight or lower had forfeited, Asama also enjoyed the same treatment as Enma, advancing directly to the third round without even needing to fight.
Although this was a battle he was destined to lose, Asama didn't have the intention to forfeit.
His years of training weren't for nothing. If Enma underestimated him, he might even catch him off guard.
PS: Please vote at the end of the month. If I can secure a spot in the top 100, I'll have the funds to reward you next month...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
