Kankuro, the Sand Village ninja, was already eager to give his pre-fight declaration.
The Jonin leaders from the other villages smirked arrogantly.
They had long been annoyed by this blonde-haired "puppet master."
From the battle scars on his puppet, it was clear the kid had already given it his all during the previous exam stages.
Whether his puppet could still function was questionable, not to mention now having to face a Sand Village ninja, renowned for their puppet techniques.
Konoha was undeniably strong, but beating the Sand Village in puppetry? Impossible.
The foreign ninjas were ready for a good laugh, while the Konoha shinobi looked on, completely baffled.
Wait... was this Sand ninja out of his mind??
Uzumaki Naruto… since when did he become a puppet master?
And why did the foreign ninjas seem so excited to watch this?
The Konoha Jonin exchanged uneasy glances. Everyone in the village knew the blonde brat well—he'd practically grown up under their noses.
Breaking through the village barrier at six or seven, breaking Kakashi's arm at twelve...
His training methods were nothing short of insane. Even Maito Gai had begun incorporating Naruto's training regimens, which spoke volumes about their intensity.
Yet, these outsiders had somehow mistaken him for a puppet master...
Wasn't there going to be a disaster?
"Both contestants, please prepare!"
Naruto stretched his shoulders casually as he walked toward the center of the arena.
He glanced at the panda-eyed Kankuro, internally sighing. He'd just beaten this guy up the day before, giving him those raccoon eyes. How did he not learn his lesson?
Also…
I'm not even a puppet master!
"Uzumaki Naruto, is it?" Kankuro said, his voice brimming with excitement. "Let me witness the puppet techniques of Konoha!"
With one hand on his mummy-wrapped puppet, Kankuro's expression was full of zeal.
Fighting a regular ninja sparked his battle spirit, but battling a fellow puppet master was something else.
This fight was no longer just about personal victory; it was about proving that the puppet techniques of the Sand Village were unrivaled across the entire shinobi world.
For Kankuro, this fight was a must-win!
"I…"
Naruto opened his mouth to correct the misunderstanding but then thought better of it. There was no point in explaining.
Seeing Kankuro's excitement, Naruto absentmindedly pulled out a golden, human-sized totem from his system inventory.
Kankuro stood there with his puppet, wrapped like a mummy, while Naruto now held a golden statue...
From a distance, it really did look like a proper puppet master duel, and the tone of the fight suddenly synced up.
The Konoha Jonin watching were momentarily confused.
Wait... could it be? Could Naruto actually know puppetry?
They had never heard of that before.
All eyes turned to Kakashi, clearly waiting for some kind of explanation.
Noticing the sudden attention, Kakashi snapped his book shut with a 'clap,' glanced at Naruto holding the golden statue, and said calmly, "You're overthinking it."
"As someone who knows Naruto well... that statue is probably just his weapon."
Konoha Jonin: ??
The Jonin couldn't help but show strange expressions.
They had heard rumors that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki liked to use door panels as weapons. Now, tired of those, was he starting to use statues?
It was odd, but they could already imagine the fate of that poor Sand ninja.
The Third Hokage sighed, turned away, and pulled out three medicine bottles from his pocket, downing six pills in one gulp.
When he turned back and saw Naruto gripping the statue, it was like catching a glimpse of Konohamaru's future...
At the thought, the Third Hokage swallowed a few more pills.
Sigh—
Jiraiya... when are you coming back to the village?!
"Both contestants, form the seal of confrontation."
With a command from Hayate, the battle between the two "puppet masters" officially began.
Kankuro slapped the wrappings around his puppet, causing the bandages to unravel, revealing the true form of Crow.
To Kankuro, giving his all was the ultimate sign of respect for his opponent.
Sure, it was a bit sneaky...
Like the others, Kankuro planned to smash the puppet Naruto was relying on for strength. After that, the Uzumaki kid would be defenseless!
Kankuro raised his hand, controlling the chakra threads that moved Crow's limbs.
Whoosh—
At that moment, Naruto, now in the guise of a puppet master, hefted his nearly six-foot-tall golden statue and instantly appeared right in front of Kankuro.
The shadow of the statue loomed over Kankuro.
Turning his head in shock, Kankuro's eyes widened in disbelief.
Impossible! When did this guy get so close?!
And... why was he holding a puppet...?
Why does Konoha's puppet technique seem so different from what I imagined???
Despite his confusion, Kankuro reacted quickly. In the blink of an eye, he fired Crow's limbs at Naruto.
Each piece of Crow contained powerful explosives.
Kankuro's target was the puppet Naruto wore as armor.
Boom—
Crow's parts exploded, kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured the entire battlefield, making it impossible for the spectators to see what had happened.
A few seconds later, Naruto's figure emerged from the smoke.
However, the suit of Iron Man-style armor he had been wearing couldn't withstand the impact. It shattered into chunks of metal, clattering to the ground.
The keen-eyed Konoha Jonin noticed something...
The fallen fragments had left cracks in the floor.
At that moment, the Jonin finally realized what Naruto had been wearing—it wasn't just armor; it was weighted gear.
"Wait… that…"
"Naruto was wearing... weights???"
"What kind of monster is this guy?!"
"Did he go through the entire Chunin Exams wearing that?!"
"No wonder I've always had faith in this Genin! Lee! I've decided, tonight we'll train by dragging five trees for 100 kilometers!"
"Guy-sensei!"
While everyone was in shock, two bowl-cut shinobi in the corner were already crying and hugging, overwhelmed by Naruto's dedication to training.
"Wait! What is wrong with your training methods?!" Tenten blurted out, completely exasperated. "Isn't that training routine the one Naruto and Hebi-san came up with?"
She couldn't help but roll her eyes at her overly enthusiastic teammates. Their training was already absurd enough, but now they were imitating Naruto's methods too.
Tenten seriously worried that the entire village would soon adopt such crazy regimens.
Sasuke, sensing Tenten's comment, turned and glared at her angrily.
He was still bitter. If it weren't for her calling out to "Brother Hebi" back then, he wouldn't have fallen to his current state...
In the arena, Naruto had fully emerged.
Not only had his suit of armor shattered, but the golden statue he had been holding had disappeared as well.
Kankuro slowly stood up, his face full of confusion.
He distinctly remembered Naruto hitting him with that statue… so why didn't he feel anything?
Whatever. Must've been a genjutsu.
Kankuro shrugged it off, chuckling lightly before addressing the now unarmed Naruto.
"Uzumaki Naruto..."
"What are you going to do now?"
"Your puppet is gone."
The foreign ninjas watching couldn't help but sneer.
Finally!
Finally, they were going to see that brat get what he deserved!
They could already picture the scene of the blonde kid begging for mercy. But then, out of nowhere...
Naruto suddenly yelled, startling everyone watching.
"Sealing release!"