After Tsunade left the stage, Konoha's Anbu quickly rushed out, unleashing Earth-style ninjutsu repeatedly to repair the severely damaged arena.
Following the intense battle between Tsunade and the Third Hokage, the previously grand platform had been utterly shattered beyond recognition.
While the Anbu busied themselves, the audience grew even more excited. None of them had ever witnessed battles like this before, especially Tsunade's brutal, fist-to-flesh style, which had completely ignited their enthusiasm.
Their anticipation for the next fight rose even higher.
"You were right again, Sora! You predicted it perfectly. It's my turn now—make sure to cheer for me!" Jiraiya patted Sora's shoulder confidently, giving Orochimaru a smug glance as he walked toward the stage.
Sora wasn't particularly interested in this match. Among everyone present, Jiraiya was undoubtedly among the strongest, while Rasa was near the bottom. The result was obvious.
Sora even suspected that, at full strength, only the Fourth Raikage could briefly match Jiraiya in direct combat, or perhaps Minato with his Flying Thunder God to stall him. Otherwise, Jiraiya was basically invincible—excluding himself, of course.
As expected, after just ten minutes, Jiraiya leisurely walked back, repeatedly sending provocative glances toward Orochimaru as if to say, "I've already won. What about you?"
The third match was Killer B vs. Kushina, which Sora had been eagerly awaiting.
The clash between the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails jinchuriki—who would be stronger?
However, the match disappointed him greatly. Kushina didn't even need to use the Nine-Tails' power.
Immediately upon entering the stage, Kushina unleashed her Adamantine Sealing Chains without a word, swiftly wrapping Killer B into a golden dumpling.
Adamantine Sealing Chains were especially effective against Tailed Beasts; even the Nine-Tails had struggled helplessly against Kushina, let alone the Eight-Tails.
In less than a minute, including entrances and exits, Killer B was thoroughly defeated by Kushina.
Sora smiled wryly, realizing he had completely overlooked this point.
Nearby, Roshi witnessed Killer B's humiliation firsthand and gazed at Kushina approaching with sheer terror.
Getting tied up in chains in front of tens of thousands of spectators—and soon, all across the ninja world—would surely spell his social death!
He silently prayed he wouldn't face Kushina or wondered if he should just lose intentionally.
Fourth match: Orochimaru vs. Minato.
The moment these two stepped onto the stage, the crowd erupted into unprecedented cheers. This was a long-awaited battle.
Back when the Fourth Hokage was chosen, a match between them should have occurred but had been postponed until now.
So far, this battle had the highest spectacle value.
Orochimaru dazzled the crowd with his never-before-seen, strange ninjutsu, one after another.
Minato displayed his flawless mastery of Flying Thunder God, appearing in every corner of the arena, too fast for spectators' eyes to follow.
Minato's Rasengan repeatedly hit Orochimaru, but Orochimaru's "Oral Rebirth" allowed him to recover instantly each time.
Conversely, Orochimaru's powerful jutsu simply couldn't land on Minato. The match stalemated, with neither able to gain an advantage.
"At this rate, it's just about who runs out of chakra first," Sora shook his head, feeling helpless toward these two.
One couldn't be killed, and the other couldn't be touched. What else could be done?
The two on stage also understood the situation clearly. Just as Minato considered conceding, Orochimaru spoke first, "Referee, I surrender!"
Ever since Sora had introduced him to scientific thinking, victory or defeat no longer mattered much to Orochimaru.
Moreover, Orochimaru genuinely cared about Konoha. His best friends, teammates, teachers, and companions were all here.
As the Hokage, Minato couldn't simply lose—at least not this early—so Orochimaru's concession was the best decision.
Seeing Orochimaru's choice, Sora smiled warmly, showing adorable dimples. All his efforts in shaping Orochimaru's mindset had paid off; he had truly changed.
Fifth match: Mei Terumi vs. Roshi.
This match's outcome surprised everyone: the stunning new Mizukage, Mei Terumi, defeated Roshi, a jinchuriki.
Displaying two Kekkei Genkai alone opened everyone's eyes, and her extraordinary beauty captivated the spectators, who couldn't bear to blink.
Those in the know glanced meaningfully at Sora; he supposedly had the most Kekkei Genkai, didn't he? Though rarely seen, it was rumored he possessed at least five or more.
Sora simply smiled lightly in response, ignoring their curious gazes.
After her victory, Mei gracefully approached Sora once more, only to be blocked again by Tsunade.
"Why can't you two just sit separately? Why must you crowd around me?" Sora lamented inwardly, though his face remained upright and innocent.
Seventh match: Onoki vs. Uchiha Fugaku.
This battle was by far the most intense, frightening even some spectators into retreating.
Onoki's Particle Style possessed unparalleled destructive power; almost nothing could withstand it.
Fugaku summoned Susanoo, a towering skeletal giant about thirty or forty meters tall, equally terrifying.
Especially Onoki, whose legs momentarily weakened upon seeing Susanoo, recalling his trauma from encountering Madara Uchiha.
After an intense fight, the arena vanished completely, leaving only a massive crater.
Ultimately, Onoki's Particle Style pierced through Fugaku's Susanoo, narrowly securing victory.
Susanoo had four stages, and Fugaku had only reached the second stage. Losing at this level wasn't surprising. If he advanced further, he'd probably easily defeat the old Tsuchikage.
Now, only one match remained: A (Fourth Raikage) vs. Sora.
Even though the final match hadn't begun due to repairs underway, fear toward Konoha among the other villages had already reached its peak.
Of Konoha's eight Kage-level shinobi, even if they ignored Sora, none of the remaining seven were weak.
If placed in any other village, each one could become a Kage and dominate independently.
Yet in Konoha, such talents were abundant—truly terrifying.
As they glanced across the faces of Jiraiya, Minato, Kushina, Fugaku, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Sarutobi, everyone's hearts felt heavy.
Sora awkwardly rubbed his nose, thinking, "Am I just being ignored now?"
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