A special thank you to all my patrons.
The List of My "Wandering Reader":
-Davis Nguyen
-Cain
-Jacob Mooe
-HADES
-Varun Madhu
-Gonzalo Sumalavia
-kevin Williams
-MIKE
-KD2001
-merp.
-Jose Carrillo
-Derek M
-DancingMonkey65
-Joseph
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
—————————————————————
Thanks to Ryūsei's mercy, Hyuga Neji did not sustain any serious injuries.
Under Ryūsei's treatment, his pale complexion quickly regained its rosy hue.
However, perhaps due to excessive chakra depletion, Neji did not wake up immediately.
Hayate called for medical personnel, who carried Neji away on a stretcher to a rest room.
As for Ryūsei, he returned to the spectator stands.
"Ryūsei, have you perfected that technique?"
The moment he returned to the company of Team 8, Shino was the first to speak up.
"Yes."
Ryūsei smiled and nodded. "I perfected it just a short while ago."
Just as Ryūsei had anticipated, after obtaining the Kekkei Genkai: Ice Release, he not only gained Wind Attribute chakra but also found that the difficulty of training in Wind and Water Release nature transformations had shifted from challenging to straightforward.
Coupled with the cheat-like capabilities of the Shadow Clone Technique, Ryūsei swiftly perfected Suiton: Rasen Suiryūkan and the true Suiton: Kōka Suijin.
Both of these Water Release techniques were seal-less.
Within Konoha, Ryūsei's mastery of Water Release already stood unrivaled.
Once Ryūsei learned—or developed—more Water Release techniques, he would become a master of Water Release in Konoha and the wider shinobi world.
Given his astonishingly vast chakra reserves, he would undoubtedly be hailed, much like Senju Tobirama, as the man who supposedly signed a contract with the ocean itself!
Colloquially known as—Ocean Release!
Meanwhile, the large screen, which had fortunately remained undamaged by the earlier water flow, flickered once again, displaying new names.
The seventh match: Haruno Sakura vs. Yamanaka Ino.
"Huh—My opponent is Sakura?"
Ino looked momentarily stunned, inadvertently voicing the truth: "What a coincidence! Could this be rigged?"
Sakura was equally astonished. Among the twenty-one examinees, across ten matches plus one bye, she had somehow ended up facing Ino.
Amidst the encouraging cheers of their companions, Sakura and Ino made their way to the hall, standing opposite each other.
"Ino, Sakura, do your best!"
At that moment, Ryūsei's voice echoed throughout the arena, drawing numerous gazes.
Just like Ino, Ryūsei paid no mind to the attention. He held a film camera in his hands—no one knew when he had picked it up—and was busy capturing the image of Sakura and Ino standing off against each other while cheering them on.
Witnessing this scene, several jōnin twitched their lips slightly.
Kurenai facepalmed gently, a look of helplessness on her face.
Ryūsei was exceptional in every way, except for his flirtatiousness.
Anyone who wasn't blind could see Hinata's feelings for him.
Yet, Ryūsei never responded to them and remained unusually close to two other girls.
Even more baffling was that Hinata didn't seem jealous at all. Her relationship with those two girls was genuinely excellent—and it wasn't an act.
This was completely different from the girls in their childhood who had nearly come to blows over the chance to pursue Kakashi.
Had times changed?
Asuma's eyes, however, lit up.
Was Ryūsei's unshakable composure due to his thick skin?
"Ryūsei, watch me perform!"
Ino flashed a toothy grin, responding to Ryūsei with a thumbs-up.
Sakura also smiled sweetly, then raised her index and middle fingers toward Ino, adding, "Ino, don't go easy on me."
"Well, don't cry when you lose," Ino teased, similarly forming the seal of confrontation with her index and middle fingers.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
In an instant, both girls drew three shuriken from their tool pouches and hurled them at each other, initiating a battle that, while similar to the original storyline, far surpassed it in quality.
Over the past few years, the two had engaged in countless taijutsu sparring matches, with wins and losses on both sides.
But an unrestricted duel like this was a first.
Knowing that Ino had already mastered her clan's secret techniques, Sakura kept her sensory technique active at all times, denying Ino any opportunity to cast her jutsu.
At this stage, Ino, who had only mastered the Mind Body Switch Technique, truly had no way to overcome Sakura.
In the original storyline, her success had been due to Sakura's lack of sensory abilities.
But now, she could only rely on her fundamentals to compete against Sakura.
The two girls continuously hurled tools at each other, occasionally mixing in smoke bombs and employing the Three Basic Techniques and Body Flicker Technique to feint and evade. Their performance left Doto and Yumiko in the stands utterly dumbfounded.
Was this really how the basics taught at the academy were meant to be used?
Even the jōnin found the match far from boring; instead, they regarded it with deep appreciation.
For girls of their age to possess such solid fundamentals was a talent in itself.
Both exhibited exceptional chakra control, marking them as ideal candidates for medical ninjutsu and sealing techniques.
It was now certain that Yamanaka Ino would undoubtedly become a prominent figure in the Interrogation Unit in the future.
After exhausting their tools, Ino and Sakura transitioned into close-quarters combat. Their rich combat experience once again impressed many onlookers.
After an unknown number of exchanges, Sakura, pushed to the limits of her stamina, finally collapsed, subdued by an equally breathless Ino.
"The match is over. The winner is—Yamanaka Ino."
Hayate announced the result while checking his pocket watch.
This duel had undoubtedly been the longest of the elimination rounds so far.
Whoosh—
Having captured the entire battle on film—using several rolls in the process—Ryūsei instantly appeared in the hall. He scooped up the thoroughly disheveled Sakura and Ino, one in each arm, and flashed back to the spectator stands to administer treatment.
The elimination rounds continued.
The eighth match: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba.
"Awesome! My opponent is Kiba! I'm definitely winning this!"
"What? That's my line!"
Naruto's joyful exclamation echoed through the arena immediately drew Kiba's ire.
It had to be said—Naruto, the child of destiny, possessed incredibly good luck.
Because, at this point, Naruto was genuinely weak.
Afflicted by the Five Elements Seal, the only technique he could reliably use was the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
He possessed vast chakra reserves but lacked powerful techniques to utilize them.
Had his opponent been Shino, Kankurō, or Temari, he would have undoubtedly lost.
Even against Inuzuka Kiba, Naruto struggled immensely. His shadow clones were little more than balloons, easily popped.
In the end, just like in the original storyline, Naruto used a fart to seal Kiba's sense of smell, dealing significant psychological damage. He then copied Uchiha Sasuke's Lion Combo with his shadow clones, executing his own version, the Naruto Combo, to defeat Kiba.
Defeating Kiba in such a comical manner involved a great deal of luck.
Yet, no one could have predicted that within a month, Naruto would transform from someone who needed luck to defeat Kiba into a shinobi capable of defeating a Jinchūriki of the One-Tail.
Had Ryūsei not defeated Neji, Naruto might have still risen to fame by triumphing over the previous year's top rookie.
Such was the privilege of a protagonist!
Either they showed no growth for extended periods, or they soared to unprecedented heights, their power increasing explosively.
With the conclusion of Naruto and Kiba's battle, the match Ryūsei had been most anticipating finally arrived.
The ninth match: Gaara vs. Rock Lee.
Before the reincarnations of Asura and Indra began leveraging their protagonist advantages—specifically, before the conclusion of the Valley of the End battle—who was the strongest among the Konoha 12?
Without a doubt, it was Rock Lee!
Earlier, when Might Guy shattered Ryūsei's Hard Vortex Water Blade with a single kick, he had utilized the fifth gate of the Eight Inner Gates Formation, the Gate of Closing.
Upon activating the fifth gate, chakra manifests as green flames, and the user's speed increases to the point where they can run through the air by kicking it, similar to the superhuman physical skill Geppō in the world of One Piece.
Executing the Reverse Lotus with the fifth gate open yields power even more exaggerated than some S-rank ninjutsu.
Just as he coveted the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, Ryūsei also deeply desired the Eight Inner Gates Formation.
He couldn't even imagine the immense amplification someone with a Sage Body could achieve by using the Eight Gates.
*****
T/N: This month discount Code!
CODE: SKULL
Use that code for 30% discount for your first month. The code can can be use for all tiers.