"!!!" Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up abruptly, unable to believe what he was seeing, "Jiraiya, that guy, has gone too far!"
Such powerful Nine-Tails chakra, if it goes out of control... Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes were full of worry. Naruto was so young, and the Nine-Tails chakra so violent, if it were to lose control, most people in the arena would likely die.
Jiraiya had overdone it, how could he allow such a level of Tailed Beast chakra!
Not just him, Hyuga Hiashi, Kurenai, Asuma, and even Shiranui Genma at the sidelines, and Orochimaru disguised as the Kazekage, all stood up instinctively. Anyone with a bit of knowledge knew what this meant.
But, contrary to everyone's expectations, Naruto didn't lose control. He clasped his hands together in a seal, his eyes, no longer resembling his own, stared intently at Neji: "This is the strongest power I can wield."
Neji was shocked: "This chakra..."
"Here it comes!" Naruto roared lightly, and his figure vanished on the spot.
"So fast!" Neji could only let out a gasp, not even having time to remove the shuriken from his arm, he immediately used his strongest move, "Eight Trigrams Palm: Heavenly Spin!"
Boom!
A huge roar echoed in everyone's ears, followed by dust flying, a figure flew out as if from a burst bag.
That was Neji!
"He actually broke through the Heavenly Spin's defense!" Tenten covered her mouth in disbelief. Such a thing had never happened since Neji learned the Heavenly Spin.
"What a powerful force..." Hanabi looked on, somewhat dazed, her Byakugan activating unconsciously, "Father, can a Genin really possess such power?"
Hyuga Hiashi's face was stern, he no longer believed Neji could win: "If that power were to fully erupt, probably only the Hokage-sama could contend with it. Hanabi, remember, if in the future this power becomes your enemy, flee..."
Hanabi's mouth fell open: "..."
Mid-air, Neji struggled to open his eyes: "He actually broke through the Heavenly Spin's defense with his fist..."
In his line of sight, the blood-red figure was rapidly approaching, moving effortlessly between the walls, unable to defend, he could only watch as the figure drew closer, and he couldn't even land.
At that moment, he thought of the Sunagakure Ninja who was kicked around like a ball by Lee.
Bang! Bang!!!
Another sound, followed by another.
As Naruto caught up with the flying Neji,
a punch landed on Neji's chest, the first roar sounded out, and as Neji was struck mid-air, the powerful force made him spit out a mouthful of blood, and with the wall behind him shattered, Neji's entire body was embedded into the wall.
Blood trickled from the corner of Neji's mouth, his Byakugan closing uncontrollably, his vision blurred, and faintly, he could only see Naruto slowly standing up as the dust settled.
His gaze never wavered, firmly set on victory.
From the start, he came for victory. Even if he might lose, he would keep challenging, keep surpassing the winners, and then, become the winner himself.
Beneath Naruto, the ground had already cracked, unable to bear his current strength. It was as if endless crimson chakra kept rising around him, almost as though a second tail was about to emerge, yet for some reason, it was restrained.
Naruto took a deep breath, extended his right fist towards Neji, and declared, "I won."
His fist was covered in blood, and at that moment, it was as if time and space converged. Neji seemed to see that 'dead last' from the preliminaries, throwing a punch at him. Only this time, Naruto's fist was stained with Neji's own blood, not Hinata's.
"Is that so, I lost, huh."
Neji's body detached from the wall and plummeted to the ground, blood dancing in the air, sunlight filtering through, leaving bright red marks imprinted on his face. His pupils reflected Naruto's figure until the very last moment, when he crashed to the ground with a thud.
"Uzumaki Naruto, you... are strong."
The cloak of the demon fox gradually faded away, and Naruto stood still, watching the direction in which Neji fell. There, a figure held Neji in his arms.
Hyuga Hiashi, holding Neji, looked at him, who had clearly lost but still smiled, who had clearly passed out but had a relaxed face, and he sighed deeply.
Turning to face Naruto, Hyuga Hiashi showed perhaps the most relaxed smile he had in over a decade: "Uzumaki Naruto, you won."
Silence, a deathly stillness in the arena. Those who didn't know Naruto watched in disbelief, unable to believe that this demon fox actually won. Those who knew Naruto were even more incredulous, not that they couldn't believe Naruto won, but that they couldn't believe... this demon fox could actually control the power of the Nine-Tails.
It wasn't a rampage; it was true control.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag of his cigarette, and after blowing out a ring of smoke, he suddenly laughed, a very relaxed laugh.
He looked up at the sky, above the white clouds, above the blue...
Above the sky, shining down on Konohagakure, was the sun.
"I won..." Naruto, somewhat dazed, looked at Hyuga Hiashi and Neji not far away. If Shiranui Genma hadn't stepped down, he probably would have continued to maintain that chakra. But as the power completely dissipated, so did the fighting spirit in Naruto's eyes.
"I won..." Naruto clenched his fist, his voice growing from soft to loud, and he jumped up excitedly, "I won!"
Shiranui Genma's lips maintained a slight curve. He first nodded slightly to Hyuga Hiashi, then raised his right hand in the silent arena, pointing to Naruto: "The winner, Konohagakure's Uzumaki Naruto."
"Oh!!!" Cheers and screams erupted suddenly. If the arena had a roof, the cheers might have flipped it over.
For the first time feeling so much in the spotlight, Naruto looked around. People he knew, people he didn't, everyone was cheering at this moment. They cheered for the victor, and they cheered for Uzumaki Naruto.
"Stand tall, face these people with pride," Shiranui Genma stood behind Naruto, looking at the audience with him, "You are the victor."
"I am the victor." His heartbeat grew strong, and Naruto looked around at the audience with surprise and joy.
Asuma, with a cigarette in his mouth, leaned against the railing, his smile broader than usual: "Old man, this time I'm on this kid's side."
"He's probably the strongest Genin in this batch, right?" Kurenai stood next to Asuma, her smile as radiant as ever.
"This is youth!" Guy cried tears of emotion, his whole being seemingly ablaze with passion.
"Naruto-kun..." Hinata blushed, her hands clasped over her heart, "I know it, you're definitely going to win..."
"This guy, truly worthy of being my rival," Kiba and Akamaru barked in unison.
"He's quite handsome, this one," Ino's cheeks were slightly flushed as she looked at Naruto, her gaze no longer as indifferent as before.
Sakura was also happy, but her face showed more concern, "If Sasuke were here, he would probably be happy for Naruto too."
"Hey, it's Naruto's moment of victory, can't you be happy for him?" Ino said, exasperated.
"Of course, I'm happy for Naruto," Sakura replied, "I believe in Naruto. He may act silly, but I knew since the Land of Waves, Naruto and Sasuke are cut from the same cloth. In this team... the one who's been holding us back has always been me."
Ino was taken aback, "Sakura..."
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