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"Cough, cough... Ugh..."
Naruto, who had been sent tumbling across the ground for over a dozen rotations, continuously coughed and dry-heaved.
Luckily, he had only eaten a bit of ramen today, and it was mostly digested by now. Otherwise, he would have surely vomited up his breakfast.
If not for his possession of the Sage's Body and being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, granting him extremely high damage resistance, Naruto would have likely been knocked unconscious by Choji Akimichi's palm strike.
Even now, the turmoil within his body prevented him from getting up immediately.
However, seeing Choji walking towards him, emanating an oppressive aura completely different from his usual self, Naruto gritted his teeth against the internal pain, quickly got to his feet, formed a hand seal, closed his eyes, and shouted inwardly, 'Stupid fox! Time to pay rent!'
Whoosh—
As if hearing Naruto's voice, within the mental space where the Jinchuriki and the Tailed Beast communicated, Kurama, lying inside the cage, suddenly opened his red, vertical-pupiled eyes.
Red chakra immediately surged from Naruto's body, swaying around him like fox tails.
This scene caused many ninjas in the spectator stands to show astonishment.
"This is…"
Both Hiruzen and Orochimaru, disguised as the Fourth Kazekage, widened their eyes.
The former was surprised that Naruto could somehow draw the Nine-Tails' chakra, while the latter was shocked that the Five Elements Seal he had placed on Naruto had actually been undone.
Judging by Hiruzen's reaction, it clearly wasn't his doing.
Could it be… that fool has returned?
Thinking of the guy who had been pursuing him all these years, Orochimaru's heart sank.
But then, thinking of the stage he had prepared for his old teacher, he relaxed slightly.
On the field, the battle continued.
Although it wasn't the full Tailed Beast Cloak, the Nine-Tails' chakra still caused Naruto's power to surge dramatically, much like Choji after taking his first pill.
Naruto felt the pain in his body vanish instantly, replaced by an intoxicating sense of strength.
He charged towards Choji, his body instantly becoming a red blur—a speed Naruto previously couldn't have hoped to achieve.
Choji also charged towards Naruto, his speed equally impressive.
A red and a blue blur collided, and then Naruto and Choji engaged in a taijutsu battle that was, to put it kindly, lacking in technique and full of openings.
Had any other top-performing genin possessed their current strength, they could have easily suppressed or subdued the other.
In the Ninja Academy, this would be considered a fight between two poor students, a classic case of 'the blind leading the blind' or 'a spar between incompetents'.
However, both were enveloped in blazing chakra auras, their speed and power boosted to astonishing levels. This made their clumsy exchange not seem pathetic at all, but instead gave it a raw, visceral, fist-meets-flesh intensity that was thrilling to watch.
Unfortunately, it didn't last long. The chakra flames around Choji's body gradually faded away.
The side effect of the first pill began to take effect, causing him to reveal an opening. Naruto seized the chance and kicked him away.
Sliding backwards several meters, sweating profusely and breathing heavily, Choji once again took out the transparent rectangular box from his tool pouch.
Looking at the two remaining pills inside, Choji suddenly hesitated.
Although he didn't understand the nature of the chakra surrounding Naruto, based on their recent exchange, Naruto's boost was only slightly inferior to his own after the first pill, with only speed surpassing his.
By taking the second pill, Choji was confident he could defeat Naruto in a single move.
After consuming the second pill, not only would his power surge, but he could also achieve full-body gigantification, transforming into a human mountain capable of crushing Naruto flat.
But then he remembered his father's teachings and the significance of these three pills…
Choji suddenly took a deep breath, put the box back into his pouch, and said to Hayate, "Proctor, I forfeit!"
"Huh?"
Before Hayate could announce the result, Naruto, whose blood was still boiling with battle fervor, felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him. The Nine-Tails' chakra around him vanished instantly. "Choji, why are you forfeiting?" he asked, utterly bewildered.
"I'm no match for you… And I can't use lethal force on a comrade."
The last part was left unsaid, spoken only in his heart. Choji, dragging his exhausted body, began walking towards the passage leading to the contestants' area.
"The winner of the first match is—Naruto Uzumaki!" Hayate announced loudly, after giving Choji's retreating back a deep, appreciative look, a slight smile touching his lips.
The spectator stands erupted into a wave of surprised chatter, followed by thunderous applause.
The audience members who had traveled from other parts of the Land of Fire or from neighboring countries cheered for these two excellent genin.
The first match had been so intense and spectacular; their trip was already worth it.
The nobles present also took note of Naruto, who could create so many clones, and Choji Akimichi, who was stronger than a wild beast. They might remember these two when commissioning missions in the future.
"Choza, you have an excellent son."
Even though Choji had lost, Nara and Inoichi looked upon their best friend's son with immense admiration.
They weren't alone. Hiruzen on the VIP platform, and numerous Konoha ninja like Hayate who understood what the three Akimichi pills represented, shared the same sentiment.
Much like the original story's evaluation of Shikamaru, Choji's decision to forfeit showed the Konoha leadership the traditional kindness of the Akimichi clan and the embodiment of the Will of Fire within him.
This generation's inheritor of the Butterfly was truly outstanding.
Naruto, of course, was unaware that Choji had gone easy on him.
Basking in the cheers—his first time receiving such acclaim—he was immersed in joy, waving to the audience as he ran back towards the contestants' area.
"Ryūsei, do your best! Beat Shikamaru soundly!"
"Hey, hey... I'm right here, you know. We're teammates."
"Ryūsei-kun, good luck."
Amidst the cheers from Ino and Hinata, Ryūsei and Shikamaru walked out from the contestant passageway. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, they arrived beside Hayate and stood facing each other.
"Father, is he Big Sister's teammate?" asked Hanabi, sitting beside Hiashi Hyuga in the audience, her curiosity piqued. "Is he the one who defeated Brother Neji?"
"Yes."
Hiashi nodded, his face expressionless, but his heart was a turmoil of complex emotions.
Like Inoichi and Hiruzen, Hiashi had noticed Ryūsei many years ago.
Initially, he hadn't paid much attention to Ino's frequent visits and invitations for Hinata to go out.
But as Hinata began actively training in the dojo after each return, practicing basics that were typically only taught to genin and not at the Ninja Academy, Hiashi grew suspicious.
A bit of tailing led him to discover Ryūsei.
As an adult, Hiashi immediately recognized the hazy affection Hinata held for Ryūsei.
However, he didn't stop Hinata from associating with them. Hiashi found that Ryūsei's presence provided Hinata with powerful motivation to train.
Furthermore, Ryūsei was a genius among civilians of this era. Maintaining the position of top student amongst such a special generation of newcomers spoke volumes about his talent and potential.
If Ryūsei could maintain this excellence and if Hinata truly loved him, Hiashi wouldn't mind having Ryūsei marry into the Hyuga clan.
As Hanabi grew older, Hiashi realized her talent and personality were more suited than Hinata's to inherit the Hyuga clan's main family.
If it ever came to making that choice, he would be willing to have Ryūsei marry into the Hyuga family as a form of compensation for his eldest daughter, Hinata.
But then, it turned out Ryūsei was a descendant of the Senju clan.
Mastering powerful genjutsu and Water Release secrets at such a young age—this kind of talent was practically a miniature version of the Second Hokage.
This was… excellent!
This bloodline and talent made him a prime candidate for future Hokage.
If Ryūsei were to become the future Hokage, Hiashi would have a valid reason to allow Hinata to marry outside the clan, allowing both his daughters to avoid the fate of the Caged Bird Seal!
Therefore, Hiashi now regarded Ryūsei with great expectation and importance.
He hadn't brought Hanabi to watch the final matches primarily for Hinata's sake, but for Ryūsei's!