Note: Don't Forget to join my Patreon.com/flokixy to get access to +50 Advance Chapters or unlock the full story from the shop support so I can bring more Chapters for you
Vote for Pãtreon Membership Ties Change
The large screen continued to flicker, cycling through names.
Ino, the little beauty, was silently praying. Now, only five contestants remained, three of whom were clearly older and didn't look like pushovers based on their appearances.
As classmates, she had some understanding of Shino—someone who played with bugs. The thought of fighting him sent shivers down her spine.
So she prayed that they would weaken each other in battle, leaving her with an easier opponent.
*Akado vs. Kankuro*
Ino exhaled in relief. [Sure enough, if I don't pick up the sword, I won't be called to fight…]
"Naruto, can I borrow the sword for a moment?" Ino didn't plan to save herself for the final match as the anchor. She knew she couldn't handle that kind of pressure. She was well aware of her own abilities—or lack thereof. Without teammates, her combat effectiveness was basically zero, even lower than the geese raised by the neighboring Tengawa family.
Asuma, standing nearby, gave a small smile and nodded in agreement. He understood Ino's decision and believed it was the right call. Being the last one to fight would have been too much pressure for her.
Naruto was speechless but handed over the sword anyway.
By this point, not only the group of friends but even the instructors had begun to believe in the sword's mysterious power. Earlier, they had analyzed its supposed principles quite seriously.
"Thanks, Naruto," Ino said happily, feeling confident that she had secured her position.
"If you're happy, then that's all that matters," Naruto muttered, having long given up trying to understand the situation. He could only focus on petting his dog Akamaru while mentally petting Kurama in his mindscape, enjoying double the satisfaction.
A tailed beast was indeed a tailed beast; its texture was far superior to any ordinary animal Naruto had touched in his two lifetimes. None could compare to Kurama's plushness.
Kurama was a fox of his word. If he said he'd sleep for a month, he'd sleep for exactly that long, never deceiving anyone.
Though, Naruto couldn't understand why Kurama occasionally sucked on a straw to drink cola while sleeping.
You've lived for thousands of years, yet you still eat and drink in your sleep? Are you secretly still a baby fox?
[Is Kurama actually a baby?]
What kind of mother could give birth to such a massive baby? Naruto wondered. Then he recalled the size comparison between Kurama and the Ten-Tails in the anime, realizing that yeah, the mom must be pretty big.
Back on the battlefield, the match began.
Akado vs. Kankuro
In the original storyline, Akado fought Sasuke, using his special ability to absorb chakra, which drove Sasuke nearly insane before he collapsed from exhaustion.
But now, Akado faced Kankuro, a puppet master from Sunagakure.
After exchanging test atory attacks, Akado managed to place his hand on Kankuro and activated his ability.
[Why does this guy have no chakra?] Akado thought in confusion.
Kankuro retaliated by spitting out several senbon needles from his mouth.
Akado couldn't dodge in time and was grazed by one of them.
He didn't think much of it at first, retreating and contemplating his next move.
"You've already lost," Kankuro interrupted his thoughts.
"???" Akado looked puzzled.
"My senbon are coated with poison."
A skilled puppeteer was often also a master of poisons. Most puppets lacked significant offensive capabilities, relying instead on small weapons or close-range combat to deal damage. This was where poison came into play—if the opponent couldn't counteract it, even a minor injury could render them incapacitated.
Of course, this rule applied only to ordinary puppets, not specialized ones.
Akado was still baffled. Though he was Orochimaru's spy in Konoha, he wasn't ignorant. Who spits out poisoned weapons without risking self-poisoning?
"If you surrender now, you can still get medical treatment. Wait too long, and I can't guarantee what might happen," Kankuro warned again.
Akado refused to trust him and stepped forward, preparing to attack.
However, after taking just five steps, he collapsed, completely drained of strength.
"You were... stalling for time..." Akado finally realized. The other side really had poisoned him, and their conversation was merely a tactic to delay until the poison took effect!
[If only I had...] These were Akado's final thoughts before he passed out.
"The winner is Kankuro!"
Akado was carried off the field, and Kankuro returned to the stands.
Kankuro didn't intend to reveal his puppet yet. He knew this was only the preliminary round, with the finals still ahead. He wanted to save this secret for Naruto—to repay him for that kick.
The large screen continued cycling through names.
Yamanaka Ino vs. Jin-Do
Naruto sneered at Akado being carried away.
You extras really have low poison resistance. Look at Shino—he resisted the poison and still defeated Kankuro.
[Oh yeah, there's still Shino!] Naruto smacked his forehead, finally remembering that one of his buddies hadn't fought yet.
Holding the sword Ino had returned, Naruto asked, "Shino, do you want to use it?"
Shino didn't respond but gave Naruto a glare. Unfortunately, with his sunglasses on, Naruto missed it entirely.
"No thanks. I don't need fate's arrangement. Besides, there are only two people left."
Deep down, Shino wanted to curse. Out of twenty participants, eighteen had already fought. With only two remaining, did it matter whether he used the sword or not?!
Ino's match went smoothly—so smoothly that she found it hard to believe.
Before stepping onto the field, Ino had worried about how to accurately use her Mind Transfer Technique on a moving target since the technique required some time to activate.
Once the match began, she realized her opponent was practically handing her the win.
At the start, Jin-Do pinned senbon needles with bells attached to the wall behind Ino, connecting them with strings.
Ino almost laughed. You've set up the strings for me—I'd feel bad not using them!
Jin-Do grabbed the strings and manipulated the bells, boasting, "I can control these bells to emit sound. They're specially designed to cast genjutsu through eardrums. You can't even control your body now, can you?"
Ino nearly burst into laughter. While she wasn't particularly skilled in genjutsu, she was a Yamanaka. The Yamanaka clan's ancestral techniques focused on powerful mental abilities, granting unparalleled resistance to genjutsu. Unless someone possessed a bloodline limit like the Sharingan or Byakugan, no one in the ninja world could rival the Yamanaka clan's genjutsu resistance.
Suppressing her laughter, Ino pretended to fall under the illusion, swaying unsteadily. She placed her hand on the string and silently activated her technique.
[Mind Body Switch Technique!]
Without hesitation, Ino successfully took control of Jin-Do's body.
Using Jin-Do's own hand, she raised it and declared, "I forfeit."
"The winner is Yamanaka Ino!"
Hayate announced the result. He was familiar with the Yamanaka clan's techniques, but it didn't matter to him. As long as someone verbally conceded, he didn't care whose body was being controlled.
Ino skipped back to the stands, feeling like the goddess of fate herself had blessed her. Her opponent seemed tailor-made for her. That sword truly was magical.
Hmm, she'd have to thank Naruto properly later.
[I heard from Sakura that they're going to visit Iruka-sensei. I'll bring some flowers along.]
Earlier, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had discussed visiting Iruka. After all, Sasuke had kicked him, and Naruto felt partially responsible for passing the ball. Sakura wanted to thank Iruka for assigning her such great teammates.
Though Sakura considered her teammates aliens, one was devilishly handsome, and the other handled all her needs—perfect to the point that she fantasized about announcing it to the world with a megaphone.
Thus, Ino learned about their plans.
Finally, the last two contestants entered the arena, ready to fight.
However, the large screen kept cycling through names because the list had already been inputted. Skipping the remaining pair wasn't an option.
Kenmei vs. ?~%&
"This is completely messed up," Hiruzen sighed.
"Indeed," Mitarashi Anko, standing beside him, agreed.
Naruto was laughing so hard tears were forming in his eyes. Serves you right for refusing the sword.
Even Shino felt frustrated.
Could this sword really be cursed? If you refuse it, do you not even get your name displayed, even when you step onto the field?