Torifu nodded after hearing this. "It seems you're right. I'll call him this afternoon and ask if he agrees."
"Also, Kazekage-sama, I've made Sasori into a game character as well. You don't mind, do you? This is a small reward for the top three. Yahiko and Konan also have them."
The Kazekage was stunned for a moment, then a wide smile spread across his face. "Of course, I don't mind. Go ahead and do it."
This was indeed good news. Currently, all the characters in the game were influential Kage or powerful ninja. If Sasori entered the game, he would certainly become famous. This would be a great help when he inherited the position of Kazekage in the future. Although the selection of the Kazekage was entirely up to the previous Kazekage, if the villagers didn't approve, there was nothing he could do.
Soon, it was time for the competition to officially begin. Nara Anka was about to give the opening remarks and announce the contestants' entry. However, Torifu walked to the edge of the viewing platform, overlooking the entire arena. The villagers knew that the Hokage was about to speak, so the entire stadium quieted down almost instantly.
Torifu cleared his throat. "First, I want to thank everyone for their support of the first Youth Tournament. This was an impromptu idea that I briefly discussed with a few other Kage and rushed into production. I didn't expect the results to be quite good."
"It allowed me to witness many talented young shinobi. They are the future of the ninja world, the future of every village. I hope that even if these talented youths lose this competition, they will not be discouraged."
"It's normal to encounter twists and turns on life's path. Only by enduring pressure can one ultimately become a powerful ninja."
The contestants who had participated in the previous two days were now in the spectator stands, ready to watch the matches. Hearing the Hokage's words now, these eliminated young ninja felt re-motivated. Some ninja who had doubted themselves also regained their confidence.
"Your future isn't decided by a single match. This Tournament is mostly for entertainment. With the new year approaching, it's just for the villagers to enjoy a good time. There's no need to dwell too much on wins or losses."
Torifu then continued, "After three days of competition, a champion is about to emerge. To celebrate the first Spring Festival in Konoha Village, and to commemorate this inaugural Youth Tournament, I will be making the top three contestants into characters in the Naruto Mobile Game."
"These three characters should be officially available in the game by tomorrow. If you like them, you can purchase them freely."
With that, Torifu returned to his seat. He had delivered a simple speech and even slipped in an advertisement; quite effective. From the cheers of the audience, it was clear the effect was excellent.
"Did I hear that right? The top three contestants will be made into game characters, and they're purchasable! No gacha!"
"Yeah, that's really great. To be honest, I've felt the game lacked novelty recently. A few new characters might add a bit of fun."
The villagers' discussions mostly revolved around how much it would cost and the characters' strength. As long-time players, the strength of a character was immediately obvious. However, even if these three characters weren't strong, they would still choose to acquire them directly, simply for commemoration.
Meanwhile, Sasori, the person directly involved, still had his mouth agape in disbelief, looking in the direction where Torifu had just been. "I'm going to be in the game? I'm going to be in the game!"
His companions from Sunagakure enthusiastically congratulated him, and Sasori, caught up in the excitement, happily responded to their felicitations. Knowing this news, he felt even more eager to watch the upcoming matches. He had originally felt regretful about not achieving a higher rank. Now, Sasori felt incredibly fortunate!
"Thank you very much for the Hokage-sama's speech. Now, without further ado, I invite our two contestants, Yahiko and Konan, to enter the arena!"
Nara Anka chose not to give a long-winded introduction, directly inviting the two contestants to the stage. This thoroughly ignited the atmosphere of the entire arena, and the villagers loudly cheered Yahiko and Konan's names.
The two emerged from the stands and entered the arena. To be honest, it had been a long time since they had such a formal battle. Usually, it was just sparring, but today, they would truly determine a winner!
"I declare! The first Youth Tournament Grand Finals of Konoha Village, now begin!"
Nara Anka swiftly jumped down to the area below the stage, leaving the entire arena to Yahiko and Konan.
The moment the match was declared to begin, countless white papers surged from Konan's chest, enveloping her. The white papers spun ceaselessly around Konan like a storm. The next moment, she soared into the air, a pair of white paper wings behind her constantly flapping. The remaining white papers floated in mid-air above the arena, ready to be controlled with a single thought to attack Yahiko.
Yahiko watched Konan in the sky, her full power unleashed, but he showed no panic. Instead, he meticulously observed the position of each white paper in mid-air, to prevent any surprise attacks from Konan. Neither of them made any major moves, causing the situation to appear somewhat deadlocked for a time.
Finally, Konan made the first move. She rapidly dived towards Yahiko, all the white papers around her coalescing into paper spears. Just as the two were about to collide, Yahiko swiftly performed hand signs, and several water bullets shot from his mouth. They easily pierced through the paper spears and flew towards Konan's chest!
Konan dodged to the side, then clenched her right hand! Countless white papers converged around Yahiko! They were preparing to envelop him.
Konan controlled her chakra output, speeding up the convergence of the white papers considerably, but a change still occurred. Yahiko's entire body suddenly transformed into a puddle of water, spreading across the ground. His main body also merged into the water, making it difficult for Konan's paper to force him out.
The spectators in the arena were full of exclamations, astonished by Yahiko and Konan's strength. Torifu, however, showed no particular expression, eating fruit while watching the changes on the stage. He seemed rather unconcerned.
"What's wrong, Hokage? Are you not satisfied with the two children's performance?" Ōnoki asked, seemingly perceiving Torifu's thoughts.
Torifu waved his hand. "Not at all. These two children were both carefully trained by me. It wouldn't be right to show favoritism to either, so I simply don't care about either of them. It saves me from any troublesome emotions arising from their mistakes."
The others apparently hadn't expected Torifu to answer in such a way and were momentarily at a loss for words.
"The Hokage's explanation is quite interesting. As long as one doesn't care about either, there's no favoritism. That truly impresses me, hahaha."