Top-seeded favorite Tenten took down Temari from the Sand in a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, so fast it might as well have been lightning striking out of a clear sky. The entire stadium erupted.
But with that many people packed together, the noise quickly became overwhelming. Little Tsukika, sitting in Akio's lap, clapped her hands over her ears, clearly struggling.
Akio raised an eyebrow and quietly cast a soundproof barrier around her.
She hesitated, slowly lowering her hands only to look around in confusion. Everyone's mouths were moving, but she couldn't hear a thing…
"Great-Grandpa! Waaaah… I've gone deaf!" she cried, tears welling up.
Akio winced. Seeing Kushina and Minato glance over with concern, he hesitated, trying to figure out how to explain this one… He really hadn't meant to scare her.
He quickly dropped the barrier. Before he could even comfort her, the roaring crowd was suddenly drowned out by two perfectly synchronized voices
"YOUTH! THAT'S THE SPIRIT, TENTEN!!"
Tsukika jumped in fright, turning toward the source of the sound, only for Akio to cover her eyes.
"Don't look. You'll regret it."
On the front row of the west stands, Might Guy and Rock Lee stood on their seats, grinning ear to ear, flashing exaggerated thumbs-ups. Dressed head-to-toe in bright green, they radiated an almost blinding level of… enthusiasm.
People nearby had cleared out, keeping a safe distance. Only Neji Hyuga was stuck there, his Byakugan practically rolling into the back of his head in silent suffering.
As for that dumb cat without Tenten around, it had latched onto Hoshino instead. Probably because Hoshino had been spending time around Akio lately and carried his scent.
Unfortunately, with the chunky feline riding piggyback, Hoshino couldn't even stand on tiptoe anymore.
"Haha… Guy's still as… intense as ever," Minato said, scratching his head awkwardly, breaking the silence.
"Th-that's terrifying!" Karin snapped back to reality next, quickly turning to Kimimaro to cleanse her eyes from what she'd just witnessed.
…
The stadium's energy, which had peaked after the first match, cooled down completely. Tenten had won but instead of cheers, she was met with sympathetic looks from the audience. Even Temari seemed to pity her.
"Fat cat, go scratch Lee to pieces," Tenten muttered calmly, clearly not planning to go after her teacher.
Soon, chaos broke out in the west stands cat flying, Lee dodging but the audience deliberately looked away, not wanting to witness another "traumatizing" scene. Fortunately, the big screen had already begun spinning again.
"Shikamaru Nara vs. Dosu Kinuta!"
Akio muttered under his breath, "Shikamaru should take this one. No problem. With 21 participants, he'll still need another win to make the Top Eight… play it safe, don't do anything stupid."
True to form, Shikamaru Nara strolled lazily into the arena after being practically shoved forward by Asuma.
But his opponent… never showed up.
Akio blinked, then turned toward the "Fourth Kazekage." The man simply nodded politely in greeting.
"…You've got to be kidding me! I told Orochimaru not to attack the village, did he just pull his Sound team out entirely?" Akio grumbled, absentmindedly ruffling Tsukika's hair.
And that was exactly what happened.
Shikamaru won by default, prompting cheers from the crowd many had placed bets on him.
Akio clicked his tongue. "Rigged. Totally rigged."
At least with Dosu absent and his teammates and jonin instructor missing as well, they wouldn't appear in future matchups. Otherwise, this whole thing would start looking seriously suspicious.
"That leaves ten winners this round… ten fighting for eight spots…" Akio calculated rapidly.
The screen spun again.
"Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka!"
Akio let out a breath. "Perfect. Nice and steady."
"It's big brother's turn!" Tsukika kicked her legs excitedly. "Great-Grandpa, can idiot brother win?"
"Well, since he's an idiot, of course he'll win," Akio replied with a grin.
Tsukika blinked, confused for a moment… then turned away, deciding not to engage.
When Naruto Uzumaki entered the arena, he waved enthusiastically toward Akio's section. Only Minato returned a warm smile, everyone else stayed indifferent.
Because his opponent was too weak.
Kiba Inuzuka, a taijutsu specialist using beast-style techniques alongside his partner Akamaru, barely stood a chance.
Naruto didn't even bother with Shadow Clones.
Just fists.
Thud. Thud.
Kiba's signature Fang Over Fang was stopped cold, caught head-on by Naruto's bare hands.
Then came the beatdown.
"Round Three winner: Naruto Uzumaki!"
"That brat's improved a lot," Karin muttered. "Still nowhere near me, though."
Akio chuckled. Karin wasn't exactly a taijutsu fighter… give it a couple years, and she'd probably be relying on explosive techniques instead.
The screen spun again.
"Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka!"
"Easy win. Another safe round."
With Akio's training, Sakura Haruno was far stronger than before. And since she and Ino hadn't fallen out over Sasuke, the fight lacked intensity, more polite sparring than real combat.
Sakura edged out the win.
The screen spun again.
"Choji Akimichi vs. Uchiha Hoshino!"
"Nice. Things are going smoothly."
Choji got completely overwhelmed.
Next match:
"Shino Aburame vs. Kankuro!"
Akio pressed his lips together. "Feels a bit unfair to root against Kankuro… but yeah, Shino takes this."
The Shino Aburame clan had always seemed mysterious to villagers, rarely seen in action.
Now, under the spotlight, they delivered… and many spectators immediately wished they hadn't seen it.
A swarm of insects flooded the arena.
Akio instantly covered Tsukika's eyes again.
"Great-Grandpa, what am I not allowed to see this time?"
"…Trust me, you're better off not knowing."
…
"Round Six winner: Shino Aburame!"
Scattered applause followed. Plenty had bet on him, but the mood stayed subdued. After all, Shino had taken damage too… or rather, inflicted poison and collapsed afterward.
The screen spun again.
"Sasuke Uchiha vs. Neji Hyuga!"
Akio's expression darkened. "Now that is rigged."
The crowd, however, was thrilled, this was the most anticipated matchup so far: prodigy vs. prodigy.
And it delivered.
Sasuke Uchiha was far stronger than in the original timeline, while Neji had pushed himself further under pressure from Tenten's growth. His Gentle Fist style dominated early on
But Sasuke ultimately came out on top.
Forced into a corner, he revealed his trump card early, the three-tomoe Sharingan drawing gasps from the crowd.
Akio exhaled slowly. "Still under control… play it safe."
Kushina suddenly leaned over. "Grandpa… have you noticed who's left?"
Akio froze.
After a brief calculation, his face changed instantly.
Hinata… and three heavy hitters: Toneri, Gaara, and Rock Lee.
"…This bracket smells fishy."
The screen spun one final time
and stopped.
"Toneri Otsutsuki vs. Hinata Hyuga!"
Akio stared, dumbfounded.
"Okay, yeah this is 100% rigged."
---
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