Konan's paper shuriken, however, was aimed at the water crane that incessantly harassed her in the air!
This single paper shuriken possessed several times the power of a normal one! The moment it touched the water crane, it exploded!
The explosive damage from the exploding tag directly blasted the water crane into water droplets!
Yahiko was incredibly surprised; he didn't know when Konan had learned this technique.
It seemed like it had only increased in size, but the chakra control involved was far more precise!
However, he was currently facing the crisis of being enveloped in white paper and couldn't afford to worry too much.
If the water crane was gone, it was gone. It had already tied Konan down for so long; being shattered was no big deal.
But his true body was the most important thing.
Yahiko quickly formed hand signs, spitting out a large amount of water from his mouth, which then coalesced into his own likeness.
The water clone immediately exploded upon appearing, shattering a portion of the white paper around him, while a few pieces of white paper quietly slipped into the cracks of the arena floor during the commotion.
However, Yahiko couldn't hide in the water this time. The arena floor was leaking everywhere, and the residual water from the exploding water clone quickly drained away through the cracks.
Yahiko felt a headache coming on from this.
He continuously formed hand signs, spitting out a barrage of water bullets from his mouth, rapidly firing them at Konan.
Seeing that Konan's accumulated paper shuriken were exhausted, Yahiko once again created a water crane.
This time, the water crane was noticeably much larger, consuming a significant portion of Yahiko's chakra.
Its attack mode also shifted from long-range harassment to direct close-quarters assault.
A pair of sharp talons continuously tore at Konan.
Fortunately, Konan could quickly conjure white paper, making it difficult for the water crane to get close.
Konan was struggling to cope with the water crane, which once again stabilized Yahiko's mind. Konan's large paper shuriken earlier had clearly exceeded Yahiko's expectations.
It had also disrupted the situation he had established, but now, by expending a large amount of chakra, he had finally managed to pull the situation back on track.
Both of them had just used several techniques, so their chakra consumption was essentially equal. If they continued to wear each other down, Yahiko believed he would still be the one to win.
Now he just needed to keep a close eye on Konan, preventing her from making any major moves.
Just as Yahiko felt the situation was stable, another unexpected change occurred.
The water crane had just finished a round of attacks and was preparing to turn its body for the next assault.
At this moment, Konan seized the opportunity. A large amount of paper suddenly spun rapidly around her!
It was as if a spinning blade had formed around Konan! Konan controlled it, raising this paper wheel high, then throwing it towards the water crane!
This rapidly spinning paper wheel shattered the water crane in a single encounter, scattering it into countless water droplets that fell to the ground.
And when the paper wheel returned to Konan's hand, she threw it out again!
Its target was clearly Yahiko.
Yahiko was greatly alarmed! He hadn't expected Konan to have another trick up her sleeve. They were almost constantly together every day; it had only been three nights that he hadn't trained with Konan.
And Konan had already developed such a ninjutsu? It was unrealistic!
But he couldn't dwell on that now; his brain was rapidly thinking of a way to counter it!
His hands involuntarily began to form hand signs, but suddenly, he felt a sense of sluggishness.
It was as if he was being pulled by something.
He looked down at his hands and saw that his arms had been bound by white paper that had burst forth from underground.
Yahiko looked up at Konan; besides the paper wheel rapidly flying towards him, there was Konan's excited expression!
Konan was very weak at this moment, large beads of sweat streamed down her cheeks, and her entire face was somewhat pale.
This was clearly the result of expending a large amount of chakra.
However, it was all worth it; she had won this match!
The paper wheel bound Yahiko tightly; even a slight movement would cause a cut.
If they were on a battlefield, Yahiko might have desperately tried to fight back.
But this was just a competitive match, and at this level, he had already lost; there was no need to try.
He had lost to Konan.
"I surrender," Yahiko carefully wiggled his fingers, indicating that he couldn't raise his hand but wanted to concede.
Upon hearing this, a joyous expression appeared on Konan's face. She immediately dispelled the paper wheel and slowly descended to the ground herself.
Her smile was practically overflowing!
Yahiko felt no resentment at this moment; he just hadn't expected Konan to develop such a powerful ninjutsu in merely three days.
He had underestimated Konan somewhat, so his loss was not unjust.
Nara Anka walked onto the arena, her face also filled with joy. "I announce that the grand champion of the first Konohagakure Youth Tournament is… Konan!"
The moment Nara Anka made the announcement, the entire venue immediately erupted in thunderous applause and cheers!
All the villagers shouted Konan's name!
Even the Kage were very satisfied with Konan's performance, nodding in approval from the viewing platform.
Konan on the arena floor was beyond thrilled at this moment. Before this, Konan had continuously given herself confidence, saying she could definitely defeat Yahiko.
But in truth, she had always been unsure.
And now, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Her Master's teachings had not been in vain, nor had her arduous training over those three nights.
"Konan, you truly surprised me. I didn't expect you to develop such a powerful ninjutsu."
Although Konan was happy, she wasn't carried away by pride from having defeated Yahiko.
This victory was largely due to an information gap; Yahiko didn't know she had developed these ninjutsu.
That's why he was unprepared.
If Yahiko had factored these ninjutsu in from the start and developed a "Countering Konan Tactics Version 2.0," then she wouldn't have had a chance.
"Hehe, it's about time I won once. I'm the grand champion, you know. From now on, you have to greet me every morning."
Konan said playfully, hands on her hips.
Yahiko smiled knowingly at this; he was genuinely happy for Konan and felt no negative emotions from losing the match.
The cheers of the audience continued, and even the villagers outside the venue, seeing Konan win the championship on TV, ran out of their homes to cheer loudly.
"That Konan child, she's really impressive. I can't believe she actually beat Yahiko," Hashirama said, somewhat incredulously.
Mito also nodded. "Exactly. Torifu taught them both so well. It feels like Torifu and Naori back in the day."
Naori, hearing this, joked, "There's still a gap between us and them. After all, we were both pupils of the First Hokage. Everything they've learned was taught by Master."
Upon hearing this, Hashirama immediately sat up straight, puffed out his chest, looking incredibly proud. "That's right, Naori is absolutely correct."