Chapter 444: Fend for Yourself
"Toneri facing Hinata? Hahaha..."
Masahiko's face was as dark as charcoal, and he shot a thoroughly displeased glare at Kushina and Karin who were roaring with laughter beside him.
"Big Sister Karin, Mom, what are you laughing at?"
"Hahahahaha..."
"Great Ancestor?"
Masahiko pursed his lips: "Karin, it's fine for Kushina to laugh, but you're laughing too? Don't you know that you and Toneri are companions in shared misery?"
Karin froze on the spot, realizing that actually made sense... That pierced right through her heart, Great Elder.
In the center of the arena, Toneri and Hinata stood fixed face-to-face.
Hinata, her face flushing slightly, offered a deep bow: "Toneri-kun, please guide me!"
"Ah? Oh!" Toneri hurriedly returned the gesture, scratching his head in quite a bit of distress. Fighting anyone else would have been fine, but crossing hands with Hinata was a different story. The pure-hearted young boy fundamentally had no idea how to hit her.
At moments like this, court-side guidance was required.
Masahiko's voice rippled into Toneri's ears via telepathy: "You can go easy on her, but do not lose. Little Hinata looks soft and cute on the surface, but her inner resolve is exceptionally firm. Letting her win will only produce the opposite effect."
Toneri was startled, nodding his head in partial comprehension.
In the stands, Masahiko let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this kid Toneri was easy to hoodwink, otherwise things would have been troublesome.
Up to this point, two of his predicted top eight contenders had already been eliminated: Neji and Rock Lee. Although the tenth round hadn't commenced yet, Lee stood virtually no chance against Gaara, so saying he was already eliminated was perfectly accurate. If Toneri 'lost' this match, Masahiko could just pack up his things and flee back to the Land of Whirlpools...
"For Toneri to be matched against Hinata, there must be some treacherous lowlifes plotting to assassinate the Great Ancestor." Masahiko knit his brows and looked back. Obito was currently chatting with the 'Fourth Kazekage' with a perfectly natural expression, but the others...
"Mmm?" Masahiko's brow creased tightly. The gaze Sakumo was directing at the Fourth Kazekage didn't seem quite right. You can actually see through a face-swapping technique that even a Mangekyo can't pierce? Is your intuition that razor-sharp? Orochimaru is in for a world of trouble, hehe.
"Great Ancestor's laugh looks so silly."
Masahiko pursed his lips, pinching both sides of Tsukika's cheeks—jiu, jiu, jiu.
In the center of the arena, an exceptionally sluggish duel commenced. The taijutsu utilized by both Toneri and Hinata was the Gentle Fist, which carried hidden lethality within its graceful movements, but the crowd of spectators couldn't make heads or tails of it.
They only saw Toneri and Hinata gently trading a palm swipe here and a soft push there... Discontented murmurs once again blanketed the arena.
But someone else was even more dissatisfied than they were. In the west-side stands, the loud-mouthed Naruto's howling suppressed everything else: "Hinata! Add oil! Didn't you say you were going to ruthlessly thrash that bastard Toneri?!"
Toneri's movements froze, nearly getting struck by Hinata. Hinata, meanwhile, hurriedly retreated a few paces: "T-Toneri-kun, I never said anything like that."
"I know. That bastard Naruto... I hope I run into him in the next round!" Toneri nodded.
Hinata was startled: "Toneri-kun, I'm going to be serious now. Byakugan!"
Masahiko roughly caught the dialogue between the two and helplessly rubbed his forehead. Saying he hoped his next opponent would be Naruto right in front of his current opponent, Hinata... This emotional intelligence was truly unparalleled, not taking after the Great Ancestor in the slightest. No wonder you haven't managed to catch Hinata after chasing her for six years; giving you another six years would still be borderline.
...
Time slipped away slowly. The duel between Toneri and Hinata successfully lulled the live audience to sleep, ultimately concluding with Hinata running out of physical endurance.
The battle had dragged on for nearly an hour. Many spectators couldn't endure it and slipped away early to grab lunch, leaving the stadium considerably roomier.
Masahiko and his group simply enjoyed a picnic right there in the first row of seats. Tsukika ate while smearing grease all over Masahiko's clothes... This little brat was definitely doing it as retaliation!
The final duelist pair didn't need to be drawn. Rock Lee directly executed a 1,234-degree spinning leap to land squarely in the center of the arena, flashing another thumbs-up at the remaining spectators: "Ohh-su!"
Another wave of spectators exited the venue...
Despite being the most intense and dramatic duel of the day, less than a thousand spectators remained within the stadium.
Lee, having opened the Fifth Gate—the Gate of Joy—was peerless within this age bracket. Neither Toneri, Naruto, nor Sasuke would be his match. Regrettably, he had crossed paths with Gaara, who possessed the ultimate defense.
Although the sand that moved with automatic defense couldn't keep pace with Lee's movements at all, and the Armor of Sand, hailed as an absolute defense, was thoroughly blasted through by Lee's fists and feet, Lee's physical durability wasn't high enough. After opening five gates, throwing just two punches caused his muscles to tear, and his final kick deformed in execution, failing to strip Gaara of his ability to retaliate. He could only end the match in defeat.
Masahiko looked back thoughtfully, finding that Obito, Hiruzen, and the others were currently escorting the 'Fourth Kazekage' out of the venue.
Didn't find an opportunity? Or did he back out? Masahiko knit his brows slightly. Or perhaps... he is waiting for my instructions?
"Great Elder, that green-skinned guy with exceptionally thick eyebrows seems to be in a pretty bad state," Karin whispered softly beside him.
Masahiko smiled and nodded: "The bones throughout his entire body are completely shattered, with not a single intact place left. It's highly likely he will lose his capability as a ninja. But it doesn't matter, don't we have you here? Go over and let him take a bite!"
"No way!!!"
"So heartless." Masahiko wore a face full of sentimentality.
"Sister Karin is watching someone die without helping..." the little brat added a stealthy stab from the side.
Kushina scooped Tsukika up into her arms: "Great-grandfather, you should still head over quickly. I truly can't stand the sight of Guy weeping and wailing..."
Masahiko was startled, laughing as he shook his head. This 'can't stand the sight' was meant in the literal sense...
"No problem! The Divine Doctor Uzumaki can cure a myriad of ailments!"
With his Medical Ninjutsu at Level 9, Masahiko could heal anything short of an immediately fatal wound, and the efficacy was exceptionally rapid, already matching the healing utility of having a wrist bitten.
Masahiko felt that after spending points to max it to Level 10, the effect would be roughly comparable to having a face, chest, or butt bitten—as long as the target wasn't dead, they could be restored to life.
However, he didn't plan on spending points on Medical Ninjutsu for the time being. After the Chunin Exams concluded, the opportunities to acquire Witness Points would be far too scarce...
Kushina ultimately still got to witness a tear-soaked Guy. After Masahiko finished healing the majority of the injuries on Lee's body, Guy completely failed to suppress his 'sincere emotions'... Fortunately, Lee had fallen into a coma due to mental exhaustion, preventing a master-disciple mutual crying session from playing out.
"Hey! Great Ancestor, did I win cleanly today or what!" Naruto wore a face that practically begged for praise.
Masahiko raised his eyebrows: "You watched that final match and you don't feel an immense amount of pressure?"
"...Thick-eyebrows is indeed very formidable, and Gaara is also very strong, but I am still the strongest!"
Masahiko spoke with a chuckle: "Calling him thick-eyebrows, are you envious of his eyebrows?"
Naruto's face slumped, casting a thoroughly resentful little gaze toward Haku. His own eyebrows had only just begun to sprout a fraction, looking exceptionally faint...
...
The first day's matches drew to a close, but undercurrents began to surge through Konoha Village.
A letter was delivered directly into Masahiko's hands: The Fourth Kazekage seems to have an anomaly. Please pay attention tomorrow.
"Sakumo actually discovered Orochimaru. I wonder how many people he sent this kind of letter to." Masahiko laughed and shook his head.
He only knew that Minato had received a similar letter; just Minato and Kushina alone would be more than enough to give Orochimaru a massive headache...
"Coming to Konoha was your own choice, the Great Ancestor certainly didn't force you... Fend for yourself, Orochimaru!"
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you