The next morning — Konoha Stadium.
Akio arrived with Kimimaro and the others, meeting up with Kushina's family in the same seats as yesterday.
Naruto Uzumaki was already fired up.
"Great-Grandpa, I'm heading over to Kakashi-sensei's side, just wait till I flatten Sasuke!"
Akio chuckled. Naruto's confidence was always… something else. Whether you called it admirable or just plain clueless was up for debate.
"With ten people drawing lots, the odds of you facing Sasuke Uchiha right away are… well… pretty low. Don't get careless and lose to someone else."
"No way! Whoever I face, I'm taking them down!"
"Go, dummy big brother!" Tsukika cheered, pumping her tiny fist.
Naruto grinned and dashed off.
Akio scooped Tsukika back into his lap. The chubby little girl was dangerously addictive to hold and even more addictive to pinch.
She leaned back without resisting, fully resigned. Soon enough, Karin and Haku joined in, and Tsukika's cheeks were under full assault.
By the time the stadium filled up, she had actually fallen asleep.
"Grandpa, the Fourth Kazekage is here," Kushina said quietly.
Akio waved it off. "Got it. You all keep an eye on him; I'll focus on the matches."
"Grandpa, can't you tell if something's off about him?" she pressed.
Akio scratched his head. "Eh… some days my sensing's a little off. But yeah… he does feel a bit suspicious."
"Fourth Kazekage?" Karin turned to look, then immediately shivered and looked away. "Why does he give me such a… gross vibe?"
Akio blinked. "Call it intuition?"
"Hey! I'm still a girl, you know!" Karin snapped.
Akio shrugged. "Now that you mention it… yeah, I kinda feel it too."
Karin: "…"
Kushina kept sneaking glances back at the Kazekage until Minato finally stepped in.
"Just enjoy the matches. I'll keep watch," he said calmly.
Akio shook his head. Orochimaru's probably already noticed. He's likely planning his exit route as we speak.
The stadium gradually fell silent.
The screen began to spin.
"First match today is pff—cough!"
Tsukika jolted awake, a little drool still at the corner of her mouth.
"Wh-what is it, Grandpa?!"
Akio raised a brow. "Look at the screen."
"Naruto Uzumaki vs… Sakura Haruno? Oh! Big brother and Sister Sakura!"
Kushina instantly perked up, completely forgetting about the Kazekage.
Watching your son fight the girl he likes? As a parent, this was prime entertainment.
She burst out laughing.
Naruto walked into the arena like a man heading to his own execution, his face full of disbelief.
Akio's voice echoed in his ear:
"A man keeps his word. Didn't you say you'd beat anyone you faced?"
"…Damn it…"
Across from him, Sakura Haruno approached more steadily. She knew she was the weakest among the ten. Drawing Naruto was actually the best outcome she could hope for.
Even if she couldn't win, he'd give her the chance to show everything she had.
"Sorry, Naruto."
Naruto misread that completely.
"Sakura, I still need to beat Sasuke, so I can't lose here!"
"…Beat Sasuke?!" Sakura muttered, her earlier guilt instantly replaced with irritation.
In the stands, Karin stiffened.
"…Why does that brat even like her?"
Akio smirked. "You've got your eyes on Kimimaro. Naruto didn't have a shot, so he went looking for someone similar."
"…Wait, seriously?" Karin blinked, suddenly overthinking everything. "Did I traumatize him that badly?"
Down below, the fight had already begun.
Naruto didn't even use Shadow Clones, just taijutsu. And he got punched. Repeatedly.
"Big brother really does like her," Tsukika observed.
Akio patted her head. "You're still too young to get it."
Karin snorted. "Don't fool the kid. He's getting hit because he's caught in Sakura's genjutsu."
Akio nodded slowly. "Right… genjutsu interference. Sakura's talent there is impressive. Too bad she can't actually break his defenses."
Sure enough, her punches couldn't do real damage. And while Naruto fell for the illusion once or twice, he adapted quickly.
Before long, Sakura ran out of options and raised her hand in surrender.
Still, she'd shown everything she had: genjutsu, taijutsu, even medical ninjutsu.
Whether that was enough to make Chūnin… that was up to the examiners.
Next match:
"Shino Aburame vs. Gaara!"
Akio frowned. "No rigging after all. Obito's playing this straight… but how is Shino supposed to deal with Gaara? His bugs don't exactly eat sand."
It was a one-sided fight.
Half a minute later, Shino surrendered.
Next:
"Tenten vs. Shikamaru Nara!"
Akio sat up straighter, adjusting Tsukika in his lap.
"Now this one's worth watching."
"Natsuki, pay close attention. This is how a high-IQ fighter, like your great-grandpa does things."
Tsukika immediately shut her eyes tight.
"I'll watch very carefully!"
Karin snickered.
Akio leaned over, realized what she was doing… and said nothing.
Just pinched her cheeks again.
"Mmmph stop it, you're the worst!"
Down in the arena, the fight unfolded brilliantly.
Shikamaru used the uneven terrain to his advantage, layering trap after trap until
His Shadow Possession landed.
But the next second
A surge of chakra exploded from Tenten.
A visible red aura coated her body.
Snap.
The shadow broke.
"I forfeit," Shikamaru said instantly, raising his hand.
The crowd erupted in confusion. Many had bet on him, but losing to a top contender like Tenten was still acceptable.
Akio smiled.
People here aren't exactly great at losing gracefully… this is going to be profitable.
The screen spun again.
"Sasuke Uchiha vs. Uchiha Hoshino!"
Akio's smile froze.
"…You've got to be kidding me. Those two ended up facing each other?"
Then, slowly, his grin returned.
"Heh… looks like Sasuke's about to get a firsthand lesson in Chidori."
And after that… maybe he'll come begging me to teach him.
---
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