The smoke swirled violently, slowly clearing, drifting upward in gray curtains.
Every pair of eyes in the stadium focused on the center, the crater carved into the stone by the sheer force of Naruto's attack.
Kakashi's Sharingan widened. 'Naruto… please be okay.'
Shikamaru's eyes trembled as he looked at the center of the arena.
Even Gaara paused mid-step, the hum of his sand quieting.
Then, the wind shifted and the dust parted.
A figure walked forward through the haze. He was calm, unhurried, and untouched.
Alex walked out from the cloud of dust with not even a single burn or scratch. There was not even a crease out of place.
And he wasn't holding only his own weight.
Because cradled against his chest like something fragile was Naruto, unconscious but breathing, as though he had simply fallen asleep. Aside from the right sleeve of his clothes, which hung in tatters, there was no wound on Naruto's body.
A collective exhale rippled across the arena.
Alex glanced down at the boy in his arms and let out a low, warm chuckle, a surprising sound amid the battlefield tension.
"Not bad, kid," He murmured, his voice deep, amused. "Flying Thunder God and a Rasengan… at your age? Hmph. You really are Minato's son."
He lowered Naruto gently, almost reverently, onto the scorched ground. His fingertips brushed the boy's whiskered cheek before he stood again, eyes scanning the arena with a calm authority that made shinobi far older than him shiver.
"But…"
A smirk curled at the corner of his lips. "…you're still too young to challenge me. I'll wait for you to grow up. Then you can try to take me on again."
The casual confidence in his tone sent a ripple of disbelief through the stands.
Even Kakashi, who had trained Naruto, who knew the boy's limits better than anyone, felt a jolt in his chest.
'He caught Naruto's rasengan… and twisted it apart. Like he was handling a toy.'
Alex exhaled lightly, as though brushing off the entire battle like dust from his shoulder.
"But for now…" His eyes narrowed, a sharp glint passing through them. "I'm still busy."
And then his chakra surged just briefly. Enough to distort the air around him and to make seasoned jonin snap to alert.
His body flickered, and he just vanished from his spot.
After he was gone, Kakashi was the first to move.
He darted to Naruto's side, dropping to one knee and checking the boy with the practiced precision of a veteran ninja. His fingers trembled despite himself as he checked the pulse, the breathing, the injuries.
A few seconds passed, and then Kakashi sagged slightly, relief washing over him as his shoulders softened.
"He's fine," He whispered, letting out a quiet, grateful breath. "Just unconscious."
Of course, he knew that Alex had held back for Naruto, and that fact alone sent a strange chill down Kakashi's spine.
'He had full control through every second… every movement… even when destroying that massive technique head-on.'
He adjusted Naruto carefully and turned toward the proctor.
"Genma," Kakashi called out, his voice calm but firm, the tone of someone who had slipped fully back into command mode. "Ensure all the students are accounted for. The battle is not over yet."
Genma nodded sharply and sprinted into action.
Kakashi stood, lifting Naruto into his arms with careful ease. But just as he took a step toward the exit, he froze as his gaze shifted to the far-left side of the arena, where Might Guy was lying
The taijutsu master lay sprawled against the shattered stone wall, his chest rising and falling in uneven breaths. Even from a distance, Kakashi could sense the harsh tremor of pain shaking through him.
Guy had used the Seventh Gate, and still, Alex overwhelmed him with a single strike.
Kakashi's jaw tightened. He placed Naruto gently on a stretcher carried in by medics and then flashed forward, landing beside Guy.
Guy lay there unconscious, his body still smoking faintly from internal friction burns. His green jumpsuit was ripped open at the chest, revealing the bruised, twisted imprint where Alex's fist had landed.
But even unconscious, Guy's face held a strange expression.
Kakashi let out a soft sigh. "You idiot… even now you're excited?"
He checked Guy's vitals. Despite the brutal internal impact, his life force was stable.
Alex had controlled the strength behind his blow. It was devastating, but not lethal.
A strike powerful enough to crush mountains but held back at the last instant.
The realization sent a cold shiver down Kakashi's arms.
'That wasn't him fighting seriously... Not even close.'
He stood slowly, the weight of the moment settling into his bones.
Naruto was injured, and Guy had been beaten with one hit.
Kakashi himself was unable to even sense the moment Alex had disappeared.
And all of the overwhelming power, the casual dominance, had been displayed by someone who had spoken with amusement, and left as though he were simply bored.
"This… is the level we're dealing with." Kakashi closed his one visible eye, took a deep breath, and exhaled. His voice was quiet but heavy.
------
Far from the chaos he left behind, Alex soared across the rooftops in a blur of motion. His eyes locked onto a single direction, toward the compounds where his targets were located.
He could almost smell their fear already.
The explosions behind him, the screaming, the collapsing stadium, he ignored all of it with absolute disinterest.
"That's Orochimaru's mess," He muttered, flicking dust from his shoulder. "He wanted drama. He can clean up the pieces."
With a flicker, he vanished into the chaos.
Meanwhile, atop the rooftop inside the barrier.
Orochimaru's lips curled into a sinister crescent as he spread his arms dramatically, letting serpentine chakra slither around him like coils of shadow.
"Shall we continue our little reunion, Sarutobi-sensei?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in the center of the glowing purple barrier, his breath steady yet heavy. The beads of sweat glistened on his brow.
Before him stood two legends twisted by forbidden jutsu: Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama.
Their bodies regenerated slowly by the Edo Tensei.
Orochimaru chuckled. "Sensei… your face looks so pained. Are you disappointed in your beloved student?"
Hiruzen's expression hardened. "I failed you, Orochimaru. That much is true. But I will not let that failure destroy Konoha."
Orochimaru licked his lips, eyes gleaming with pleasure at Hiruzen's despair.
"Well then… let's make you dance."
The First and Second Hokage blurred into motion.
The First clasped his hands together, his voice calm but chilling. "Wood Release… Deep Forest Emergence."
The ground cracked, and enormous roots burst upward, twisting like serpents, thick enough to crush a boulder.
"Even weakened…" Hiruzen muttered. "…he's still overpowering."
The Second Hokage appeared in front of him, water chakra condensing in his palms like vibrating blades.
"Don't hesitate, Hiruzen," Tobirama said with a faint smirk, despite his controlled state. His voice carried an ironic fondness.
Hiruzen's heart twisted. 'Tobirama-sama… you're being controlled, but even your arrogance remains.'
The two Hokage struck simultaneously.
Hiruzen's fingers blurred. "Shadow Clone Technique!"
Two perfect clones popped into existence beside him, and all three Hiruzen surged forward.