When Izumi arrived at Yusuke's office with Kabuto and Ichikishimahime, Yusuke had just finished his daily spiritual training in his mental space.
Seeing Ichikishimahime still nibbling on dango beside Kabuto, Yusuke smiled and said to Kabuto, "Looks like your Senjutsu training at Ryūchi Cave is complete. I didn't expect you'd end up signing a contract with her. I never knew you were into cute friend."
At Yusuke's joke, Kabuto nervously started to explain himself, while Izumi looked at him with suspicion and scrutiny. Only Ichikishimahime, not understanding the term "cute friend," continued to enjoy her food.
Seeing his usually calm and composed disciple so flustered, Yusuke stopped joking and said seriously, "You can now seamlessly integrate the Senjutsu techniques of Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsu Forest. Now that you've also mastered the Senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave, do you believe you can achieve our initial goal of combining all three?"
Seeing that Yusuke was now discussing serious matters, Kabuto's expression returned to normal. "While there are some difficulties, I am still quite confident. It will simply require some time."
Yusuke nodded, "I haven't trained in Senjutsu myself, so I can't give you much advice. But if you successfully combine the three Senjutsu, then in the entire ninja world, aside from myself, the only ones who could truly defeat you would be ninjas who possess the power of the Six Paths."
Upon hearing Yusuke's words, a glimmer of anticipation flashed in Kabuto's eyes. As a ninja, the pursuit of greater strength is only natural.
Yusuke then informed Kabuto about the upcoming contest against the three allied villages. Kabuto, upon learning this, did not express any significant concern. He was acutely aware of Konoha's current strength; even if the three villages were to combine their forces, Konoha would undoubtedly emerge victorious.
After leaving Yusuke's office, Kabuto suddenly noticed Ichikishimahime looking at him with a deeply contemptuous gaze.
Kabuto asked curiously, "What's the meaning of that expression?"
Ichikishimahime suddenly assumed a defensive posture, her expression wary as she declared, "Izumi already explained to me the meaning of 'cute friend.' I never would have guessed, given your serious demeanor, that you would be such a person."
At this point, Kabuto was utterly despondent, realizing that he had been completely misunderstood!
"Furthermore," Ichikishimahime continued, delivering a further blow, "it seems as though every ninja in Konoha possesses some form of teleportation jutsu, yet you are still traversing the streets on foot. You must undoubtedly be the weakest ninja in Konoha! I am truly most unfortunate to have entered into a contract with you!"
Kabuto immediately responded with an explanation, "Space-time ninjutsu is exceptionally rare; it is merely coincidental that your teacher, Yusuke, and Izumi both happen to be masters of this particular type of ninjutsu."
Just as Ichikishimahime was wavering between belief and disbelief, a young boy with yellow hair appeared across the street, suddenly seizing the arm of a young boy with black hair.
"Sasuke," the yellow-haired boy announced, "I have left a Hiraishin mark in the small forest behind the mountain. Let us proceed to that location for our training session!"
As soon as the yellow-haired boy finished speaking, a flash of golden light illuminated the area, and both boys vanished from their original positions, having clearly employed some form of teleportation jutsu to reach the aforementioned forest behind the mountain.
At that very moment, Minato happened to be passing by. Upon encountering Kabuto, he greeted him and requested that he proceed to the Hokage Building at his earliest convenience, explaining that he wished to discuss matters related to the Research Institute's operations.
Following his brief exchange with Kabuto, Minato, with a flash of golden light, instantly returned to the Hokage Building by means of the Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique).
Ichikishimahime rolled her eyes, "The evidence is irrefutable; ninjas with teleportation abilities are ubiquitous throughout the streets. What further justifications do you have to offer?"
Kabuto: "…"
The day of the contest, as agreed upon at the Kage Summit, soon arrived, and Mifune, the Commander of the Land of Iron, had already made preparations for a vast arena.
Given that this contest differed significantly from previous encounters, it was understood that the participants representing the five major ninja villages would invariably be their most elite warriors, and the range and destructive potential of the jutsu employed would far surpass those typically witnessed in ordinary ninja confrontations. Consequently, the arena had been specially constructed for this event.
Simultaneously, ninjas specialized in barrier ninjutsu had been deployed to fortify the defenses surrounding the arena.
Participation in this contest was strictly limited to the five major ninja villages and the relevant coordinating personnel from the Land of Iron; no other factions or civilians would be permitted to serve as spectators.
Above the arena were three viewing platforms; the central platform served as the location for Mifune and his assistant, who acted as the judges for the contest.
To Mifune's left were the representatives from Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure; the three Kage were seated in a formal manner, their expressions reflecting a palpable sense of gravity.
On the platform to Mifune's right were the representatives from Konohagakure and Sunagakure; Yusuke, Hokage Minato, and Kazekage Pakura exhibited a noticeably more relaxed demeanor.
Yusuke and Minato engaged in lighthearted banter, creating an atmosphere more akin to a festive gathering than a contest of strength.
Although Pakura was not particularly loquacious, she occasionally participated in their conversations.
"Esteemed members of the assembly," Mifune announced, "the contest shall now commence. I request that both parties submit their respective lineups to me."
Observing that all participants were present and that the appointed time for the commencement of the contest had arrived, Mifune formally declared the beginning of the contest, instructing both parties to submit their rosters of participants along with their designated order of appearance.
This arrangement was implemented to ensure the fairness and impartiality of the contest.
By submitting the lineups and order of appearance directly to the judge, the possibility of one party gaining access to advance information regarding their opponents' strategies was eliminated, thereby precluding the opportunity for preemptive tactical planning.
At this juncture, the representatives of the three-village alliance could only offer silent prayers for favorable fortune, hoping for a fortuitous outcome in which their superior ninjas would be matched against their opponents' weaker ninjas, their mid-level ninjas against their opponents' inferior ninjas, and their inferior ninjas against their opponents' superior ninjas.
Following the submission of their respective rosters, complete with the designated order of appearance, by Tsuchikage Ōnoki and Hokage Minato, Mifune promptly announced the commencement of the first match.
"The first contest shall be between Yusuke Uchiha of Konohagakure and Ao of Kirigakure."
Upon hearing Mifune's announcement, Ōnoki, Mei Terumī, and Darui exchanged furtive glances, and a look of elation could be detected in their eyes.
They had reasoned that, given Konohagakure's reputation for strength, they would undoubtedly seek to secure a victory in the opening match, and that the first participant selected by Konohagakure would inevitably be one of their most formidable ninjas.
Consequently, they had strategically positioned Ao, whose combat prowess was relatively modest in comparison to the other members of their team, as their first contestant, thereby anticipating that they would concede this initial match while simultaneously depleting Konohagakure's pool of powerful combatants.
However, to their utter astonishment, Konohagakure's initial selection was none other than Yusuke, their most formidable warrior, thereby rendering their carefully devised plan perfectly effective.
What the three Kage failed to anticipate, however, was that Konohagakure had not engaged in any form of strategic planning whatsoever; they had simply deployed their most powerful combatants at the outset. Their strategy was straightforward: secure six victories, and the remainder of the contest would become entirely superfluous!
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