"Now then, for the first match: Naruto, Neji."
"These two stay; everyone else, return to the waiting room."
In the center of the circular arena, Genma Shiranui, acting as the referee, announced the start of the match.
The first match would be Naruto vs. Neji.
With only those two remaining, the other contestants—Shikamaru, Shino Aburame, Kankuro, Gaara, and Temari—all left the field.
In the spectator stands, Kalifa whispered, "That yellow-haired kid in the tacky tracksuit is Naruto?"
"Yes," Luo Chen nodded with a smile. "Within him resides one of the nine Tailed Beasts, the most powerful of them—the Nine-Tails."
Previously, he had told Kalifa about some of the powerhouses in the Shinobi World.
Among them, the unique existence of the Tailed Beasts had piqued Kalifa's interest. Thus, she remembered Naruto, the Jinchuriki.
Kalifa looked at Neji and asked further, "What does that Byakugan kid have inside him?"
Luo Chen shook his head.
Seeing this, Kalifa's eyes narrowed slightly. "The Nine-Tails is one of the strongest beings in the Shinobi World. What does Neji have to fight Naruto with?"
Luo Chen smiled but said nothing. There was actually no suspense in this battle.
The winner would undoubtedly be Naruto.
"The relationship between Tailed Beasts and humans is not friendly; one could even say it's based on hatred."
"If Naruto cannot subdue a portion of the Tailed Beast's chakra, he won't be able to borrow its power."
"So, as long as Naruto can activate the Nine-Tails' power, the winner will definitely be him."
Luo Chen acted as a commentator, explaining things to Kalifa.
Kalifa kept her eyes on the field, showing a look of interest.
"Ninjutsu really is quite interesting."
"Compared to them, the ninjas of Wano Country are worlds apart."
Inside the arena, Naruto performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu, launching an offensive from all directions.
Neji, however, spun his body rapidly like a top.
A massive amount of chakra surged from every acupuncture point on his body, forming a dense, airtight defense network with no blind spots.
Naruto's dozens of clones made contact with Neji's chakra shield and were immediately sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.
Kalifa suddenly thought of something and turned her head. "Is your Wood Clone also a Ninjutsu?"
Luo Chen nodded. "Discovering the Shinobi World was no accident."
"Some of my abilities share the same origin as the Ninjutsu of this world."
Kalifa and the others would naturally see this later.
If someone were to use the Impure World Reincarnation to bring back the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, or Minato Namikaze in the future...
They would discover that the techniques of these legendary figures were identical to the ones he displayed in the Pirate World.
In the arena, the outcome was about to be revealed.
Battles between ninjas are very short, and every move is a killing stroke.
Furthermore, except for those with special constitutions or Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, a ninja's chakra can rarely support a long, drawn-out battle.
Victories, or even life and death, are often decided in a very short amount of time.
Using the Eight Trigrams Palms developed from the Byakugan, Neji had sealed many of Naruto's chakra points.
Consequently, Naruto could no longer mobilize the chakra in his body at will.
Nearby, a spectator shook his head and said to his companion:
"Neji is guaranteed to win. That fox demon brat can no longer use chakra."
The companion did not argue.
Most of the audience held the same view.
Most of them had received basic ninja training as children, so it wasn't difficult for them to understand a match between Genin.
Kalifa observed seriously.
According to Luo Chen's judgment, as long as Naruto could trigger the Nine-Tails' power, Neji would definitely lose.
The problem was, Naruto had yet to be seen using the Tailed Beast's power.
In the front row, Hinata was coughing incessantly, her hand covering her mouth stained with blood.
Watching Naruto being pummeled by Neji in the arena filled her with worry.
This caused her previous, unhealed injuries to flare up again.
Kiba Inuzuka couldn't care less about the match anymore, saying worriedly, "Hinata, are you okay? You're coughing up blood."
Hinata's slender, soft eyebrows knit together in what seemed like great pain; she was coughing so hard she couldn't speak.
Kiba stood up anxiously, looking around for anyone who could provide help.
He spotted Kakashi and Might Guy in the aisle behind the next section.
Although both were Jonin, they did not possess medical knowledge.
"We need to get to the hospital immediately," Kiba said, moving to help Hinata up.
"Do you need help?" A gentle male voice reached his ears.
Kiba turned his head and saw a strange young man.
He had semi-long black hair, eyes that were dark and bright, and handsome features that were absolutely flawless.
Kiba had noticed this man before.
He had followed behind him and Hinata, choosing a seat in the row behind them, accompanied by a strikingly beautiful blonde woman.
Furthermore, this young man was wearing a long black trench coat similar to that of Ibiki Morino, the proctor of the first stage of the Chunin Exams.
Kiba observed him for a moment and frowned. "Do you know Medical Ninjutsu? Hinata's injuries are internal."
Luo Chen stood in the aisle with his hands in his coat pockets and nodded. "Bring her out here."
Kiba supported Hinata as she stood up, slowly walking toward the aisle.
The surrounding spectators paid them no mind, as they were all focused intently on the match.
Naruto suddenly erupted with a massive, blood-red surge of chakra energy.
It directly tore through the blocked chakra points.
The match once again became suspenseful.
Luo Chen already knew the outcome, so he didn't feel much curiosity.
He raised a single index finger, condensing a cyan-green light.
The cyan-green light, the size of a firefly, flew toward Hinata.
Seeing this, Kiba stared intently at Luo Chen.
The white ninja dog on his shoulder also assumed a pouncing stance.
He couldn't feel at ease with a stranger treating Hinata.
But if they went to the hospital now, it might be too late.
Moreover, this was Konoha; it was impossible for someone to be bold enough to harm the village's ninjas right under the Hokage's nose.
Hinata sat on the ground, leaning against a wall of the spectator stands, breathing with great difficulty.
Her eyelids fluttered open slightly, looking at Luo Chen and the speck of cyan-green light.
When the cyan-green light entered her body, a wave of warm energy instantly traveled through her entire being.
In her chest, the place where the pain was most intense, the warm sensation was most prominent.
As the warmth flashed by, the pain vanished in an instant.
Hinata's pale face turned visibly rosy, her furrowed brow smoothed out, and she instinctively took a deep breath.
After exhaling a long breath, a look of surprise appeared on her fair, tender face.
"It doesn't hurt anymore..."
Hinata touched her chest, her voice low but filled with wonder.
Seeing this, Kiba breathed a sigh of relief, his mind finally at ease.
He gratefully thanked Luo Chen.
Hinata stood up from the ground, lingering amazement still in her white eyes as she looked at Luo Chen.
"Th-thank you, sir."
"It was nothing," Luo Chen smiled and glanced back.
In the aisle at the back of the spectator stands, an Anbu ninja was observing him.
The other's mask was completely unable to block Luo Chen's vision.
Behind the mask was a young face with grey-white hair, wearing circular glasses.
Luo Chen had a very deep impression of this person.
It was Kabuto Yakushi, the one who would use the Impure World Reincarnation on Madara Uchiha during the Fourth Shinobi World War.
He was a loyal subordinate and admirer of Orochimaru.
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