The spectator stands were abuzz with discussion.
Yagyu's sudden release of intense light made the Konoha villagers feel uncomfortable.
Infinite golden light shrouded the center of the stadium; the villagers couldn't see Yagyu or Fugaku at all.
"Why is it like this?" "Yeah! We can't see the match at all. We didn't buy tickets to stare at a light bulb!" "Refund! Refund!"
...
The commotion among the Konoha villagers made the Third Hokage lose face.
"Does anyone want to buy sunglasses? Put them on, and you can see the details of the match!"
"Relax! This battle won't end anytime soon. The truly exciting part will only start once you've all bought sunglasses."
A frivolous voice rang out in the spectator stands. The crowd then saw Yagyu standing in the middle of the seating area, enthusiastically hawking sunglasses to everyone.
Third Hokage: "..."
Looking at the golden light shrouding the center of the stadium, and then at Yagyu enthusiastically selling sunglasses in the stands, the Third Hokage's brain short-circuited for a moment.
The White Fang's expression shifted. As the ANBU Commander, he moved swiftly, appearing beside Yagyu in an instant. "Why are you here?"
Yagyu smiled. "Don't worry, this is just a Water Clone. Consider the chakra spent on this clone a handicap I'm giving him."
At the same time, the ANBU member who had been monitoring Yagyu earlier reported the situation to the Third Hokage.
Earlier, Yagyu had sent a Water Clone to buy up all the sunglasses in Konoha Village.
Yes, using the compensation money the Third Hokage had given him.
The Third Hokage had previously ordered a large batch of sunglasses to be procured. Now that Yagyu had swept the remaining stock, sunglasses were completely sold out in the village.
The sunglasses procured by the Hokage's order had already been distributed (to the ninja), so it was impossible to collect them back to sell to the villagers.
In other words, Yagyu currently held a monopoly on the sunglass trade within Konoha Village, so he shamelessly sold them at a high price.
Yes, the price of the sunglasses was exactly the same as the stadium ticket price.
The Third Hokage felt his eyelid twitching.
"Isn't this a foul?"
Watching the Konoha villagers reluctantly but inevitably
"bleed"
money to buy sunglasses one after another, the Third Hokage hesitated before speaking.
Although he knew Yagyu wouldn't make a fortune from this operation, this sleazy feeling made him uncomfortable all over.
"How can this be a foul? I haven't used any means outside the regulations to win."
"I just sent out a clone in advance. There are no specific rules against such things."
"Before the match, was it ever stated that participants must use their full strength to compete?"
Yagyu's clone heard the Third Hokage's words and flickered to appear beside him, speaking with a smile.
The ANBU ninja beside the Third Hokage tensed up as if facing a great enemy, staring sharply at Yagyu.
Yagyu, however, paid them no mind. With a nonchalant smile, he said,
"Third Hokage, do you know? I'm actually doing this for Konoha."
"Earlier, Terumi Mei's Hidden Mist Jutsu already made the villagers who came to watch feel dissatisfied."
"In the upcoming battle, I'll be flashing non-stop. Ordinary people won't be able to see the details of the fight at all."
"If that happens, they'll definitely take action after the match ends because your tournament disappointed them too much."
"You'd probably have to refund all the tickets sold to quell their anger."
"By selling sunglasses now, I'm allowing them to see the match clearly, saving them from ending up full of resentment."
Yagyu spoke lazily. His casual expression caused the Third Hokage to frown slightly.
However, the Third Hokage didn't say much more. After nodding, he calmly pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his own pocket.
Of the batch of sunglasses Konoha officials had procured earlier, most were distributed to ANBU members, and high-ranking officials like the Third Hokage also had a pair each.
Yagyu's sunglasses sold out very quickly, and soon the crowd put them on to watch the match.
With the sunglasses filtering the intense light, everyone could finally see the situation in the center of the stadium.
Fugaku Uchiha looked furious. The kunai in his hand passed through Yagyu's body repeatedly, but failed to cause him even the slightest harm.
Having used Elementalization, Yagyu's body had turned directly into light. He could control his physical state at will.
He could split apart and reassemble to toy with his enemies, or let attacks pass through him like Obito's Kamui intangibility.
"Useless!" "Such boring attacks can't hurt me, young Uchiha~"
Yagyu looked at Fugaku with a mocking expression, then thought for a moment and performed a comical face.
"Look into my eyes!"
Yagyu's naturally mocking expression made the anger in Fugaku's heart soar. He moved his body, retreating backward.
His hands formed seals rapidly. He opened his mouth and spewed out the Uchiha clan's signature move—the non-lethal (meme) Fire Style!
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball radiating high temperatures, easily over two meters in diameter, rumbled toward Yagyu.
However, Yagyu neither dodged nor evaded. The rumbling fireball passed straight through him.
"Is this a special ability, or Space-Time Ninjutsu?"
Fugaku stared at Yagyu with a solemn gaze. This elementalization ability was simply disgusting to deal with.
"Maybe it's a special ability, maybe it's Space-Time Ninjutsu." "Try your best to defeat me, young Uchiha~"
Knowing that his stockpile of sunglasses had sold out, Yagyu retracted the blinding light around his body and raised a finger, pointing it at Fugaku.
A cross-shaped light flashed at Yagyu's fingertip, expanding continuously as a ring of light appeared in its center.
Say what you will about the Glint-Glint Fruit, but its special effects were absolutely top-tier—Cool as Hell!
Especially the charging sequence at the fingertip with the rotating cross-flash; the visual effect was definitely among the best in the One Piece world.
"Not good!"
The three tomoe in Fugaku's eyes spun. He hurriedly dropped to the ground.
The cross-flash shot out from Yagyu's finger, slamming into the stadium wall with a loud boom. The solid, thick wall was blown to smithereens.
"Oh my, oh my... I made a bit of a mess!" "But in the end, it's just because this thing isn't sturdy enough."
Yagyu put on a surprised expression, then chuckled and spoke without a hint of apology.
Since he was here to flex his muscles, how could he not put on a good show?