Hey guys, here is the new chapter hope you will liked and read thru everything.
If we hit 100 PW I post a extra chapter.
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The cheers still celebrating Sunae's overwhelming victory over Kurotsuchi took several minutes to subside. The roar of the applause echoed through the vast vaults of Sunagakure's Great Colosseum, shaking the banners hanging from the stone walls.
However, instead of signaling the end of the event or allowing the battlefield to be fully cleared, the stadium's central display flashed abruptly once more. The luminous characters rearranged themselves within seconds, reconfiguring the tournament bracket to move on to the next phase without granting any pause to either the spectators or the fighters.
A massive wave of whispers filled with astonishment swept through every corner of the arena. According to the tournament's original logistics, the victorious competitors were supposed to be given a reasonable rest period to recover their chakra reserves and receive treatment from the emergency medical team. Nevertheless, the unexpected speed at which the previous duels had concluded led the military command to accelerate the official schedule. The main board glowed in brilliant golden letters: First Semifinal: Sunae vs. Naruto Uzumaki.
The crowd's reaction was instantaneous. In the upper stands, civilians and lower-ranking ninjas discussed the announcement with clear skepticism. It was common knowledge that Sunae had just emerged from an extremely demanding clash against Iwagakure's kunoichi.
Her tactical clothing still showed deep burn marks, traces of corrosion from Kurotsuchi's magma, and scorched patches caused by the extreme heat of her own jutsus.
Her breathing remained slightly heavy. In the eyes of the vast majority, forcing her to fight in that very instant against a fresh and devastating opponent like the son of the Fifth Hokage represented an abysmal and unfair disadvantage.
In the south access tunnel, the arena's supervising Jonin approached the young woman with a hasty step. Observing the minor wounds on the kunoichi's forearms and the almost imperceptible tremor in her hands from muscle fatigue, the referee stopped and crossed his arms with a stern expression.
"Sunae," the instructor spoke in a measured yet formal voice. "Since you have just finished your first-round match, you are well within your regulatory rights to request a thirty-minute delay to receive medical treatment at the central infirmary. The tournament officials can authorize the pause if you ask for it."
Sunae did not blink. She tightened the reinforced leather straps on her forearms with a sharp tug, straightened her back, and fixed her eyes on the bright light of the battlefield.
"It is not necessary," Sunae replied in a firm tone, devoid of any hint of hesitation. "On a real S-rank mission or in the middle of an enemy ambush, a shinobi never has the luxury of picking the exact time to fight or receiving breaks to heal their wounds. If the rules state the match is now, I am ready to step out."
Without waiting for the referee to respond, Sunae strode onto the combat floor with a resolute step. Each of her footprints left a firm mark on the sand, proving that her spirit remained unbroken despite the heavy physical demands of the preceding battle.
From the north tunnel emerged Naruto Uzumaki. The young ninja from Konoha leaped over the access railing with an acrobatic vault, landing on the stone floor with a broad, vibrant smile filled with boundless energy.
His orange and blue jacket looked pristine, and his blue eyes shone with genuine enthusiasm. Although he held deep respect for the status and intimidating reputation of the Kazekage's family, Naruto could not hide the raw excitement he felt at measuring his strength against one of the Hidden Sand's most prominent fighters.
Both contenders walked toward the center of the ring, coming to a halt exactly ten meters apart.
The ground surrounding them presented a devastated landscape: deep gouges in the stone, areas glassed over by the extreme thermal heat of Scorch Style, and massive pulverized rock fragments that the maintenance crew had barely managed to clear to the edges.
"Man, Sunae! I really thought you'd ask for a break after that awesome fight against the Stone girl!" Naruto exclaimed, adjusting his Konoha forehead protector with a lively laugh.
"I gotta say, you're super brave for coming right back out! But I'm really glad you accepted. I promise you I won't hold anything back and I'll give this fight everything I've got!"
Sunae offered a faint, lopsided smile. Even though her muscles were only gradually recovering from the strain of the Second Breathing, she set her stance firmly on the uneven ground and raised both fists, adopting an impeccable, feline combat posture.
"I appreciate you not taking pity on me, Naruto," Sunae replied, letting her voice ring clear across the space dividing them.
"I know very well that fighting back-to-back complicates things and puts me at a clear physical disadvantage, but don't think for a second that I'm going to let myself be beaten easily. If you really want to reach the grand final, you're going to have to earn it."
The supervising Jonin walked to the midpoint between both combatants. He noted the unyielding determination in Sunae's pink eyes and the indomitable spark in the Uzumaki's gaze. Assessing the tactical tension building in the air, he raised his right hand without wasting a single millisecond and brought it down sharply toward the floor.
"Begin!"
The judge vanished from plain sight via a high-speed Body Flicker Technique, taking up a monitoring position atop the stadium's perimeter wall.
Sunae did not waste time trying to analyze her opponent's intentions from afar. She knew perfectly well that in a prolonged battle of attrition, her bodily energy reserves would eventually give way before the Uzumaki's inexhaustible natural stamina.
Therefore, her only viable strategy was to apply maximum pressure from the very first second. She took a deep breath of hot air, tuning the rhythm of her lungs and channeling her Scorch Style chakra through her entire vascular network.
"Seven Heavens Breathing: Second Phase!"
The shift was instantaneous and violent. An incandescent halo of searing heat and pink chakra erupted from Sunae's pores, enveloping her figure in a dense thermal mantle.
The ground temperature around her rose drastically, causing the stone debris to crackle. Transformed into an orange blur that cut through the air with a sharp hiss, Sunae launched herself in a direct frontal assault toward Naruto.
"Woah! That speed is insane!" Naruto shouted, his eyes widening in pure defensive instinct.
Without hesitation, the blonde crossed his index and middle fingers on both hands into a cross, executing his signature technique at incredible speed.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
POOF! POOF! POOF! POOF!
Amidst a thick wave of white smoke, a dozen shadow clones materialized simultaneously around the original, building a human barrier to block the kunoichi's path.
Sunae crashed through the formation like a flaming comet. Her fists, surrounded by the searing aura of the Second Phase, shattered the duplicates with single strikes. Each impact generated a small thermal explosion; the shadow replicas could not even disperse normally, as the smoke of their destruction was instantly incinerated by the extreme heat radiation.
However, the real Naruto skillfully used the screen of sacrificed clones to maneuver toward the girl's right flank. As his copies were reduced to ashes, the Uzumaki extended his right palm, where a spherical mass of bright blue chakra began spinning at blistering revolutions, emitting the sharp hum of a caged hurricane.
"Rasengan!"
Naruto lunged violently toward Sunae's exposed side, driving the spinning sphere forward to land a direct hit on her torso. Sunae, alerted by the air displacement and the dense concentration of chakra to her right, reacted with superhuman reflexes thanks to the physical acceleration of her Breathing technique.
She pivoted on her axis in a fraction of a second and interposed her left forearm—fortified by her heavy armor of heat—to block the incoming strike.
BOOOOOOM!
The violent clash between the wild rotation of the Rasengan and the thermal barrier of Scorch Style unleashed a massive circular shockwave that cracked the stone floor for several meters around.
Sparks of blue chakra flew in all directions while the kunoichi's scorching heat began singeing the fabric of Naruto's sleeve. Sunae had to grit her teeth and leverage her amplified neuromuscular strength to endure the brutal centrifugal force threatening to fracture her arm.
The force of the energy recoil was so overwhelming that both fighters were thrown back in opposite directions.
Sunae skidded along the hard sand for ten meters before digging her heels in to arrest her momentum; Naruto flipped twice in midair and landed upright, immediately resetting his offensive stance.
Without taking a single second to catch their breath, both charged straight at each other once more in the center of the ring.
What followed was a breathtaking display of high-level Taijutsu. Sunae unleashed sharp, precise, and devastating combinations of punches and rising kicks, attempting to utilize the heat radiation of her armor to scorch her opponent's skin and wear down his endurance.
Naruto, showcasing unpredictable tactical ingenuity, counteracted the disadvantage of close-quarters combat by summoning shadow clones in short bursts as living shields or launch pads, constantly seeking a gap in the girl's guard to land a decisive Rasengan. Neither side yielded an inch; the speed of their exchanges was so rapid that to most of the civilians in the stands, the fight blurred into streaks of orange and blue light colliding furiously in the air.
Naruto leaped backward, putting a safe fifteen-meter distance between them. His breathing was growing ragged, and sweat trickled down his forehead. His forearms bore light first-degree burns caused by mere proximity to Sunae's scorch aura during their hand-to-hand collisions.
'Man, this girl is absurdly tough...' Naruto analyzed in his mind, tightening his fists as he felt the stinging pain on his arms. 'Her heat armor is almost unbreachable up close. If I keep trading blows with her Scorch Style like this, I'm going to take way too much damage before I can even reach the next rounds against the other dangerous guys. I have to step up my power right now.'
Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing his consciousness deep into his inner world, where a colossal cage with golden bars held an ancient, formidable presence. Moments later, the Uzumaki's eyes snapped open: his blue pupils were gone, replaced by a glowing red iris with a slit cat-like pupil.
FOOOOSH!
A wave of dense, heavy, dark crimson chakra with a visceral, malignant nature began pouring out of Naruto. The Nine-Tails' energy enveloped his entire body in a fluid, bubbling shroud, manifesting two chakra ears atop his head and a tail lashing furiously behind him.
The atmospheric pressure within the colosseum dropped abruptly; the arena floor started trembling and cracking from the sheer weight of the energy emanating from the Konoha youth.
In the stands and the VIP box, the mood shifted drastically. A cold shiver ran down the spines of the diplomats and nobles representing the Five Great Nations. Several elite guards placed their hands on the hilts of their katanas, instantly recognizing the oppressive presence of the legendary Kyūbi no Yōko.
Sunae, witnessing Naruto's drastic transformation and sensing the tide of malicious chakra flooding the arena, showed not a single trace of fear. On the contrary, she set her jaw with absolute resolve.
Deep within her own chakra pathway system, Chōmei's energy surged violently in response to the Nine-Tails' raw power.
'I am not falling behind,' Sunae thought, reaching a firm decision inside. 'If he's going to use his Tailed Beast's strength to crush me, I will answer in kind.'
Sunae focused her mind and consciously permitted the Seven-Tails' chakra to stream through her body.
VRRRRRRR!
A tide of brilliant, warm, brownish-orange energy as dense as molten lead erupted from the Sand kunoichi. The Nanabi's energy merged seamlessly with the heat armor of her Second Phase Breathing, creating a hyper-concentrated aura that shaped the silhouette of multiple chakra wings behind her back. The mass of power radiating from Sunae rose until it matched the exact density of Naruto's crimson shroud.
Both Jinchūriki had laid their ultimate cards on the table.
BOOOOOOM!
The collision that followed far exceeded the boundaries of a standard shinobi duel.
Sunae and Naruto slammed into one another at a speed that rendered them invisible to less-trained spectators, forcing even experienced ninjas to focus their sight to track the movement. This was no longer a tactical martial arts match; the clash between the Kyūbi's and Nanabi's chakra transformed the arena into a literal hellscape of destruction.
The shockwaves generated by their blows blasted house-sized stone slabs into the air, pulverizing them on impact.
Naruto, driven by the ferocity of his crimson mantle, lashed out with extended chakra claws that slashed through the air and carved incandescent trenches into the ground.
Sunae, propelled by the combined force of Chōmei's chakra wings and the accelerated metabolism of her Seven Heavens Breathing, dodged the wild swipes with impossible aerial maneuvers and countered with high-pressure heat strikes that drilled through the air like artillery shells.
The exchange of blows was brutal and relentless. Naruto landed a chakra claw strike across Sunae's hip that tore her tunic and sent her tumbling across the ground; Sunae bounced back in a fraction of a second and delivered a rising strike straight to Naruto's face that singed part of his red shroud and launched him crashing into the perimeter wall.
Neither showed any intention of backing down. Their innate Jinchūriki healing factors, combined with their shared, stubborn resolve, kept them standing through the pain, feeding a escalating spiral of violence that threatened to spin entirely out of control.
The battle reached a point of no return. Desperate to break the lethal stalemate and fueled by the adrenaline of combat, both fighters leaped backward at the exact same moment, establishing a thirty-meter distance between them.
Naruto was about to charge forward again, but seeing Sunae cross her forearms over her chest stopped him. The brownish-orange chakra of the Seven-Tails and the heat of her Scorch Style began spiraling around her fists, compressing a hyper-condensed, glowing green sphere of chakra.
Realizing what was happening, Naruto responded in kind. He anchored his feet into the ground, opened his mouth wide, and began drawing in chakra on a massive scale. Blue and black energy particles belonging to the Nine-Tails' pure chakra gathered at a fixed point before his lips, compressing at terrifying speed into a dense, dark, unstable sphere.
Both competitors were charging a Bijūdama.
Panic erupted through the stands instantly. Civilians scrambled from their seats with terrified shouts, while the Jonin squads on duty rushed toward the edge of the upper balcony to erect emergency defense barriers.
The simultaneous launch of two Tailed Beast-level projectiles at point-blank range inside a closed colosseum would not only obliterate the ring, but cause catastrophic damage to the surrounding structures and cost thousands of innocent lives.
The two spheres of destructive energy kept expanding, vibrating with a volatile and lethal power, ready to be unleashed in a direct clash that would crush everything in its path. Both Naruto and Sunae had their eyes locked entirely on their target, blinded by the urgent drive to claim victory.
Yet, at the very instant both prepared to fire their Tailed Beast Bombs...
A figure materialized in the exact center of the space separating them.
It was Daigo.
Daigo did not waste a single microsecond on words or dramatic gestures. With terrifying composure amidst the chaotic glare of the Tailed Beast chakras, he snapped his palms together into a single hand seal and drove a massive surge of Earth Style chakra into the ground.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Rampart!"
CRACK... BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The arena floor fractured with a deafening roar. Two massive pillars of dense, reinforced stone erupted from the earth at lightning speed.
The rock formations molded midair into immense confining stocks, instantly trapping Naruto's torso and left arms, and locking Sunae down in the exact same manner on the right side.
The violent physical restraint shattered both fighters' focus. The stone grip severed their chakra flow and concentration, causing the masses of energy accumulated for both Tailed Beast Bombs to lose molecular stability. The energy spheres collapsed on the spot, dissolving into harmless clouds of heat and glowing particles that dissipated into thin air.
A heavy, absolute silence fell over the entirety of the Great Colosseum.
Naruto and Sunae, firmly pinned by Daigo's massive earth pillars, remained frozen in place, staring at Daigo with a mix of shock and deep confusion. The chakra auras of both the Kyūbi and Nanabi faded rapidly until they vanished completely, returning both youths to their normal physical states.
Daigo surveyed both competitors with a stern gaze. Then, speaking with the full weight of his authority as Kazekage, he addressed both Genin and the entire crowd.
"This match is over!" Daigo declared without hesitation.
"The official winner of this match is Naruto Uzumaki!"
The announcement hit the crowd like a bucket of ice water. A massive wave of murmurs, surprise, and confusion spread across the thousands of spectators in the stands.
No one in the stadium could understand why the Kazekage had intervened to stop a match reaching its absolute climax, much less why he had awarded an automatic victory to Konoha's fighter, openly ruling against his own daughter.
Sunae, pinned against the stone pillar, gritted her teeth in contained anger. A spark of deep annoyance and frustration flashed in her pink eyes as she looked up toward her father.
"What is the meaning of this, Dad?!" Sunae protested, her voice tight with agitation as she tried in vain to break free from the rock constraint.
"Neither of us was down! We were fighting on equal footing and the match hadn't been decided yet!"
Daigo looked at his daughter with unyielding severity. Though she was his daughter, in this moment he was acting not as a parent, but as the Kazekage.
"It means neither of you understood the true purpose of this evaluation," Daigo replied. His voice, amplified through the chakra-infused speaker system, echoed with crystal clarity across the colosseum.
"Sunae, I declared you the loser because your tactical decision to resort to a Tailed Beast Bomb in this setting demonstrates a complete lack of control, maturity, and judgment," Daigo continued, locking eyes with his daughter.
"This tournament is designed to test your leadership potential as a Chūnin, not serve as an open battlefield for mutual destruction. A true shinobi leader must assess their environment, protect the lives of the ninjas around them, and weigh the lethal consequences of their jutsus. Launching a Tailed Beast Bomb inside a stadium packed with thousands of spectators shows you lack the prudence and experience required to lead a team as a Chūnin."
Sunae felt her face burn from the severity of the public reprimand before the Five Great Nations. Nevertheless, she set her jaw stubbornly and turned her head to point toward the young Konoha ninja.
"But Naruto was doing the exact same thing!" Sunae countered, desperation bleeding into her voice. "He was charging a Tailed Beast Bomb right in front of me!"
Daigo did not soften his tone in the slightest.
"Naruto only reacted by gathering his energy to neutralize or defend against the massive-scale attack that you initiated first," Daigo declared, shutting down any room for argument.
"You were the one who took the initiative to escalate the destruction unnecessarily in a closed venue. As a kunoichi of the Sand—and as the Jinchūriki of the Seven-Tails within this village—a far higher standard of responsibility and self-control is demanded of you."
Sunae opened her mouth to argue her case once more, but her father's cold, unyielding gaze froze her in place. The Kazekage's eyes left no room for doubt: the supreme authority of Sunagakure had spoken, and his ruling was final.
The young kunoichi slowly lowered her head. She closed her eyes and clenched her fists against the stone surface, swallowing her pride and silently absorbing the bitter lesson delivered by her father.
Daigo executed a release seal. The two massive earth pillars broke down into a harmless shower of dust, freeing both combatants.
Naruto, still stunned by the abrupt turn of events, looked at Sunae with a mix of sympathy and confusion, scratching the back of his neck without finding the words to break the silence.
Sunae did not utter a single sound. She silently adjusted the tactical straps on her forearms, wiped a trace of blood from her face with the back of her hand, and turned around.
She began walking toward the competitors' tunnel with a firm, composed stride, keeping her head held high despite the bitterness of defeat as she disappeared into the shadows of the hallway.
The supervising Jonin stepped into the center of the damaged ring and raised his right hand.
"By decision of the Kazekage, the winner of the match is Naruto Uzumaki!" the referee announced in a booming voice.
"This concludes the first match of the semifinal phase!"
The crowd in the colosseum, though deeply impressed by the severe tactical and political lesson delivered by the Kazekage, erupted into respectful applause, acknowledging the incredible effort displayed by both Jinchūriki.
Immediately, medical teams and maintenance crews from Sunagakure flooded onto the battered floor to begin emergency repairs on the shattered arena surface.
"Attention to all attendees!" the head instructor's voice announced over the stadium speakers.
"An official one-hour intermission is now in effect for the full restoration of the battlefield. Following the break, we will proceed with the second semifinal match: Gaara vs. Kimimaro!"
