"Smeir!"
"Celestial Shadow!"
Smeir returned to Chen Xing's side, accompanied by his teammates.
Chen Xing nodded. "Well done."
He then glanced at the others. "Focus on advancing. Reaching the finals is enough."
"Yes!" they replied.
---
Second Match
The screen stopped:
Naruto Uzumaki vs Kiba Inuzuka
Naruto grinned. "Perfect!"
The match began quickly.
Kiba, alongside Akamaru, overwhelmed Naruto at first with speed and coordination.
However, Naruto endured and turned the tide with an unexpected trick, defeating Kiba and advancing.
---
Following Matches
The preliminaries continued:
Shino Aburame defeated Zaku Abumi using his insects.
Sakura Haruno fought Ino Yamanaka—ending in a double knockout.
Sasuke Uchiha defeated Yoroi Akado, suppressing his curse mark.
Shikamaru Nara outsmarted Kin Tsuchi.
Choji Akimichi lost to Dosu Kinuta.
Rock Lee defeated Gaara's teammate Dosu Kinuta? (Adjusted to canon: Lee actually fought Gaara and lost after opening the Gates.)
Neji Hyuga defeated Hinata Hyuga decisively.
---
Final Preliminary Match
The last matchup appeared:
Temari vs Tenten
Both stepped forward.
From above, Kurenai Yuhi watched silently.
"Do your best," she said.
Tenten nodded and entered the arena.
Temari smirked, lifting her giant fan.
---
Battle: Tenten vs Temari
The fight began instantly.
Tenten launched a barrage of weapons, filling the air with kunai and shuriken.
Temari remained calm.
With a single swing of her fan—
A powerful gust swept everything away.
Tenten's attacks were completely neutralized.
"Is that all?" Temari said coldly.
She countered with Wind Style, forcing Tenten back and ending the match decisively.
---
Aftermath
With the final match concluded, the preliminaries ended.
Those who remained would advance to the finals.
Above, Chen Xing watched quietly, his expression unchanged.
The real battles were yet to come.
—