There was a lot of chatter in the audience.
Zenkichi suddenly shone brightly, making the Konoha villagers feel uncomfortable.
Endless golden light enveloped the center of the stadium, and the villagers couldn't see Zenkichi or Uchiha Fugaku at all.
"Why is it like this?"
"Yeah! We can't even see the fight. We didn't buy tickets just to stare at a wall of light!"
"Refund! Refund!"
…
The crowd started to get restless, causing the Third Hokage to furrow his brows in confusion.
"Anyone want to buy sunglasses? Just put them on and you'll be able to see everything!"
"Relax! This fight's just getting started. The real show begins once everyone's got their sunglasses!"
A playful voice called out from the stands. Everyone turned and saw Zenkichi standing in the audience—selling sunglasses enthusiastically.
The Third Hokage: "..."
Looking at the golden light shrouding the center of the stadium, then back at Zenkichi—who was smiling and selling sunglasses among the spectators—the Third Hokage was momentarily speechless.
Konoha's White Fang narrowed his eyes. As the head of the ANBU, he moved swiftly and appeared next to Zenkichi.
"Why are you here?" he asked sharply.
Zenkichi grinned. "Don't worry, this is just a water clone. It's doing what I told it to do earlier."
At the same time, the ANBU members who had been monitoring Zenkichi earlier reported his activity to the Third Hokage.
Zenkichi had created a water clone in advance and sent it to buy out every pair of sunglasses in Konoha.
With the money compensated by the Third Hokage, no less.
The sunglasses that had originally been ordered by the Hokage's office were meant for crowd distribution. Now, thanks to Zenkichi buying out the remaining stock, they were sold out across the village.
The sunglasses that had been officially distributed couldn't be recalled, and no new pairs could be issued to the spectators.
In other words—Zenkichi now held a monopoly on all available sunglasses in Konoha. Shamelessly, he sold them at inflated prices.
He priced them the same as the original ticket price.
The Third Hokage's eyelid twitched.
"This must be a violation, right?"
Watching Konoha villagers reluctantly paying Zenkichi for sunglasses, the Hokage opened his mouth but hesitated to speak.
Even though Zenkichi wasn't profiting much from this, the sheer nerve of it all made him deeply uncomfortable.
"How could this be a foul? I didn't use anything extra to gain an advantage in the fight," Zenkichi's clone replied with a smile as it suddenly appeared beside the Third Hokage.
"I just made a clone in advance. There are no rules against that, are there?"
"Before the tournament, did anyone say we're not allowed to prepare in advance?"
The ANBU tensed up beside the Hokage, treating Zenkichi like a potential threat.
Zenkichi, of course, didn't seem to care at all. He smiled nonchalantly and said, "Lord Hokage, you know… I actually did this for Konoha."
"Terumi Mei's Hidden Mist Jutsu earlier already upset the spectators."
"In the next round, I'm going to be flashing around constantly. There's no way regular people can follow that kind of speed."
"If that happens, the audience will be disappointed. They might demand refunds after the match."
"But now I'm selling them sunglasses—so they can actually enjoy the fight instead of going home angry."
He sounded casual, but the logic made the Third Hokage pause.
The Hokage didn't say much more. After a moment, he nodded slightly and took out a pair of sunglasses.
Most of the batch bought by the village had been issued to ANBU and senior officials. Naturally, the Hokage had a pair himself.
---
Back in the arena—
Zenkichi split and reformed effortlessly, engaging Fugaku while letting enemy attacks phase right through him. With his body transformed into light, he could slip through attacks or shift his condition at will.
Uchiha Fugaku looked grim. The kunai in his hand kept passing through Zenkichi's body, doing no damage at all.
With the sunglasses filtering out the glare, the audience could finally see the battle unfold in the center of the stadium.
Zenkichi's sunglasses sold out quickly, and soon everyone was wearing them, watching with excitement.
"It's useless."
"Those attacks are too boring. You can't hurt me, Uchiha boy."
Zenkichi gave Fugaku a playful look, then paused thoughtfully.
"Here, let me show you something fun."
"Look into my eyes!"
Zenkichi's teasing expression pushed Fugaku's anger to the edge. The Uchiha heir leapt back.
His hands formed seals rapidly, and he exhaled:
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball surged forward, easily over two meters wide, blazing with intense heat.
It roared toward Zenkichi—
—but he didn't dodge.
The fireball swept straight through his glowing body, hitting nothing.
"Is that… a special ability? Or space-time ninjutsu?" Fugaku's expression grew tense.
The ability to become intangible and phase through attacks—it was infuriating.
"Maybe it's a special ability. Maybe space-time. Who knows?"
"Work harder if you want to beat me, Uchiha boy!"
Now that his sunglasses stock was sold out, Zenkichi raised a glowing finger and pointed at Fugaku.
A brilliant cross of light gathered at his fingertip and began to spin. A glowing circle formed in the center.
One thing's for sure—the Pika Pika no Mi would rank top-tier in visual appeal. Especially the way it gathers energy at the fingertip before launching. Cool, flashy, and totally over-the-top.
"Not good!"
Fugaku's three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly as he threw himself flat against the ground.
The cross-shaped beam shot forward with a sharp whoosh, striking the stadium wall.
BOOM!
A massive explosion shook the arena. The reinforced wall cracked and buckled.
"Yikes… that might've been a little too much."
"But honestly, this attack's still kind of weak."
Zenkichi blinked in surprise, then chuckled with no intention of apologizing.
"If we're here to show off our strength…"
"Then why not go all out?"
____________
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