Crack!
The sword aimed at Nagato was instantly shattered under the force of repulsion, as though broken by an invisible hand.
Bam bam bam!!
The seven puppets were all sent flying at high speed, deeply embedded into the walls of the arena.
This sudden reversal of the situation left Sasori momentarily stunned; he hadn't expected Nagato to resolve the siege in such a way and did not understand what Ninjutsu Nagato had just used.
"Heavenly Attraction!"
Nagato did not miss this perfect opportunity. He raised his right hand towards Sasori, and a powerful gravitational force erupted, instantly pulling Sasori's body into Nagato's grip.
The instant Sasori realized his body was out of control, his expression changed drastically. He wanted to control the remaining three puppets to intercept his own body.
But it was too late. As Sasori's puppets approached him, Nagato's Kunai was already aimed at Sasori.
"Nagato wins!" The referee announced the result of the battle.
Seeing the battle end, Nagato released Sasori, with a slight sense of apology: "Sorry, it seems I've damaged your puppets."
After all, it was just a competition; if conditions allowed, Nagato would try to minimize the opponent's losses.
Sasori shook his head and said nothing, still surprised by Nagato's strange strength.
"Even using the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, I'm afraid it wouldn't guarantee a win against him." Sasori realized something outrageous after a careful thought.
In a direct confrontation, he couldn't possibly defeat Nagato unless he had ample time for strategic preparation.
"This competition actually has such a genius." Sasori put away his inner pride.
Upon joining the competition, Sasori looked down on all the contestants equally. After all, he had killed a Kazekage, how could ninjas around his age be stronger than him?
But now Sasori had to admit, even when putting forth maximum effort, there were indeed opponents he couldn't win against directly.
Before leaving the arena, Sasori glanced back at Nagato, as if to imprint the figure named Nagato deeply in his memory.
"Though this Puppet Master has some skills, it seems our Ninja Sect's ninjas are still a bit better." Kakuzu said with a smile, his eyes unconsciously flicking over to the silent Hanzo.
Hanzo remained silent. During the assault against the Ninja Sect, Nagato had only briefly shown his strength, so Hanzo actually didn't know much about Nagato's current capabilities.
Only after this battle did Hanzo realize how much Nagato had grown.
"We can only see if Might Guy has any hidden powers." Hanzo thought to himself.
Currently, the only one capable of stopping Nagato's progress was Might Guy. Even Might Guy's previous performances fell a bit short.
At this moment, the resting room was filled with a strange silence.
Obito's mouth was agape, his mind looping the scene of Nagato's Almighty Push instantly defeating seven puppets.
If Mokgetsu were beside him, Obito would certainly tell Teacher Mokgetsu he wanted to learn that.
Compared to shooting fireballs, Nagato's Almighty Push was both cooler and stronger.
"Puppets repelled, main body attracted as if by a magnet." Kakashi contemplated Nagato's abilities deeply, his mind vaguely forming an idea.
"Kakashi, his Ninjutsu might be manipulation of gravity and repulsion." Shisui said softly.
"I think so too." Kakashi nodded, his expression somewhat grave.
The more he thought, the more he found Nagato's power incredibly abnormal.
Repulsion and gravity, such powerful abilities, yet Nagato could unleash them without Hand Seals, without any warning.
"Could this be the ability of that Sage Eye?" Kakashi thought of Nagato's Rinnegan.
If it was the eye of the Six Paths Sage, Kakashi thought it was reasonable, considering the Six Paths Sage left countless legends behind.
"Me too." Obito said, unwilling to fall behind.
Kakashi looked at Obito suspiciously, suspecting Obito was merely repeating.
"A truly terrifying powerhouse, though it has nothing to do with me." Asuma said with a smile, in a good mood.
With his strength, making it to the top eight was a decent draw, so Asuma hadn't fantasized about an epic battle in the finals against Nagato.
In the battle for the top four, his opponent was Shisui. Asuma was uncertain because he rarely fought Shisui, but had never won.
"There are over two hundred participating ninjas; ninjas from the Five Great Ninja Villages are participating. Reaching the top eight isn't shabby at all." Asuma felt this was a respectable achievement worth mentioning.
He was ready to seek Mokgetsu in the audience seats after his defeat; Mokgetsu would surely comfort and praise him rather than criticize him unjustifiably like some others.
"Even if we're close friends, I wouldn't leave such a powerful enemy to you." Might Guy said spiritedly, looking at Kakashi.
Their battle was about to start. The winner would not only advance to the next round but the next opponent would be Nagato.
"This isn't something I'm eager to fight over." Kakashi said honestly.
He's not a battle maniac; Kakashi is only slightly interested in battles among his disciples and doesn't possess a desire to fight stronger opponents.
"But I'll do my best to win."
Although not a battle enthusiast, Kakashi doesn't like holding back in fights, especially against other disciples of Mokgetsu.
After all, they were burdened with the responsibility to change history, and strength was vital to them.
"Hahaha." Might Guy laughed loudly, waiting for Kakashi to say those words.