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Chapter 51: Strange Scoring, The Individual Battle Begins
Hearing Yuichi's explanation, Sengoku still didn't quite understand.
Although Kizaru was swallowed by the giant snake, the creature had vanished into a cloud of white smoke. How could that count as Kizaru's loss?
"Yuichi, are you saying that Kizaru was taken somewhere else by that snake?"
Of course, he was taken elsewhere.
That snake was Orochimaru's Summoning: Manda.
The instant Manda swallowed Kizaru, Orochimaru dispelled the Summoning Technique. Naturally, Manda returned to Ryūchi Cave. This was equivalent to Kizaru being forcibly removed from the arena.
And it was impossible for him to return.
Therefore!
It was naturally a defeat.
Orochimaru was truly cunning to think of using such a method to deal with Kizaru. Was he not afraid that Kizaru would wreak havoc in Ryūchi Cave, one of the Three Great Sage Regions?
In fact, if such a situation occurred, it was exactly what Orochimaru wanted.
Orochimaru allowed Manda to swallow Kizaru for precisely that reason. He was deeply fascinated by the abilities of the three Admirals. To him, the outcome of the battle was secondary. If Kizaru could be brought back to his world, Orochimaru would immediately head to Ryūchi Cave to capture him as soon as the match ended.
Then, he would drag him into the laboratory for dissection and study.
Unfortunately for Orochimaru, the system's rules simply eliminated Kizaru instead.
[ Second World War ]
[ Group Battle ]
[ Winner: Ninja World ]
[ The Sannin! ]
[ Congratulations to the Ninja World. Three Points Awarded. ]
The image on the giant screen shifted. Three beams of light descended from the sky, enveloping the Sannin. In the blink of an eye, they were teleported back to the Ninja World.
Yuichi stared at the score displayed on the screen.
Ninja World: 3
Pirate World: 0
Three points for winning a game? Or did each person count as one point?
If a single victory was worth three points, the specific number didn't matter much. However, if the scoring was based on headcount, the implications were significant.
If one person equaled one point, the rules required deeper consideration.
This war was divided into a Group Battle and an Individual Battle. Such a structure was inherently problematic. If each side won one game, who would be the ultimate victor?
But now, it appeared that while there were two battles, the scoring method was based on the number of surviving victors.
Yuichi found it hard to believe it was a coincidence that the three points awarded matched the number of Sannin members perfectly. Such a scoring method seemed redundant unless... the number of winners determined the points.
But that didn't seem right either.
A total of four people were participating across the two battles—three in the group, one in the individual.
What if the final score was 1:1?
The winning side of the Group Battle had three members. The Individual Battle would result in one winner. If the scoring was purely per match, a tie would be inevitable.
While Yuichi pondered these rules, he suddenly felt a gaze land on him.
"It's fine to leave the next game to you, right? Yuichi!" Sengoku asked.
Hearing the question, Yuichi nodded. "No problem."
"So confident? Don't be too arrogant. If you lose, I won't let you off lightly!" Akainu barked from the side.
Despite his harsh tone, Akainu didn't want Yuichi to lose; he genuinely hoped for a victory. Akainu could clearly distinguish between personal grievances and the fate of their world. However, he hated Yuichi's attitude.
The boy acted as if victory was guaranteed. He didn't even know who he would be fighting, yet he answered 'no problem' so casually. How could such a mentality be reassuring?
Yuichi smiled back. "A loser isn't qualified to speak to me like that."
Akainu's forehead instantly bulged with blue veins. "You better be careful. I won't forgive you if you lose!"
At that moment, a Marine soldier approached Sengoku. "Fleet Admiral, the Five Elders are on the line!"
Sengoku smiled, nodded, and stepped aside to pick up the Den Den Mushi.
The Five Elders contacting him now was exactly what he had expected.
[ Individual Battle is about to start. ]
[ Please confirm the candidates. ]
[ The ten-second countdown starts now. ]
[ 10 ]
[ 9 ]
As the clock counted down, Sengoku looked at the candidate list that appeared before him.
"It seems I can't choose anyone outside of the Marines."
"Time is running out. Sending Garp would be fine, but Garp himself admitted he lacks long-range attack methods. It would be difficult for him to deal with a versatile enemy, and the result couldn't be guaranteed," Sengoku muttered with a faint smile.
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, the expressions of the Five Elders shifted rapidly.
"Fine!"
"As you wish!"
"But if this battle is lost, Sengoku, you will step down! It is time for you to retire!"
Hearing this, Sengoku's gaze sharpened.
"Agreed."
A brief agreement was reached between Sengoku and the Five Elders.
Sengoku was betting his position as Fleet Admiral on Yuichi's victory. If Yuichi lost, Sengoku would hand over his command, effectively returning total control of the Marines to the World Government. Since Roger's death, the Government had meddled more and more in Marine affairs.
Now that the seas were relatively more stable than in Roger's era, the World Government felt it was time to resolve the 'uncontrollable factors' within the Navy.
This battle between worlds was not just about survival; it was a political game for power within each world.
The same was true for Konoha.
The victory of the Sannin would naturally benefit Hiruzen Sarutobi immensely. The prestige of Konoha and Sarutobi himself would skyrocket. With the Sannin gaining fame in this battle, everyone in the Ninja World would marvel at Sarutobi's capability as the teacher who raised such powerful disciples.
As the Third Hokage, Sarutobi's position would become as stable as Mount Tai. Danzo wouldn't even dream of challenging him.
Simultaneously, this would impact the structure of the entire Ninja World. Konoha would once again be undisputed as the strongest village, carrying the expectations of the world. Other villages wouldn't dare move against them.
.....
"Lord Third, who shall we send for the next personal battle?"
The Sannin had been deployed to secure the first win. But for the second match, who in Konoha could compare to them? If a weaker ninja were sent and lost, wouldn't the Sannin's efforts be in vain?
At this, the Konoha ninjas looked around, but eventually, everyone lowered their heads in silence. Even Kakashi didn't believe his current strength could match the Sannin.
Sarutobi looked at his subordinates. "Don't worry. I've already decided on the candidate for the individual battle..."
"Who does Lord Third intend to choose?"
Sarutobi raised his hand and tapped the first name on the light screen in front of him.
[ Candidate Confirmed ]
[ Ninja World Individual Battle: Konoha, Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi ]
═════ To Be Continued ═════
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