As the members of the Aerial Combat Unit hastily changed out of their gear and headed to the arena, the first Konoha Sports Festival officially began.
Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, the young ninjas participating in the Sports Festival gave their all, eager to showcase their skills to the audience. The athletic events in Konoha Ninja Village had a strong ninja flavor. For instance, a regular race here was an obstacle course filled with numerous obstacles, all impossible for ordinary people to navigate. Only ninjas, who could run on walls and ceilings, could traverse these obstacle courses.
In addition, there were kunai throwing competitions, fighting competitions, and so on. Some retained their original form, while others incorporated ninja characteristics, adding more variables to the competitions and deeply captivating the audience with their excitement.
Even the Kumogakure delegation, after the initial shock brought by the Aerial Combat Unit, began to focus their attention on the competitions. Due to their traditions, Kumogakure Ninja Village was very passionate about anything spirited. They were enthusiastic about such traditions, and although there had been some control after the Kinkaku and Ginkaku incident, the passion ingrained in their bloodlines wouldn't simply disappear.
Seeing an engrossing moment, the Third Raikage couldn't help but cheer, showing his support for the participants. At that moment, he forgot that the opponents were young ninjas from Konoha Ninja Village and that he was the leader of another ninja village.
The next event was a soccer match. In the traditions of the ninja world, there were similar pastimes, but they were entertainments for nobles, lacking multi-person competition. Here, however, it was genuine competitive soccer, emphasizing teamwork and allowing the use of ninjutsu for assistance, making it very exciting to watch.
At the same time, the members of the Aerial Combat Unit also arrived. Kushina was very anxious, pulling Minato Namikaze and saying, "Hurry, hurry, I don't know how much we've missed."
Upon seeing the soccer match about to begin in the arena, Kushina's face instantly lit up with joy. She said to Minato Namikaze, "This is a good event. Our luck is pretty good. It would have been a real shame to miss it."
Minato Namikaze, unlike Kushina, didn't have access to first-hand information, so he had never heard of a soccer match. He looked on with some curiosity and said, "It looks like a multi-person competition. It should be very exciting, right?"
"Of course, that's what Father said anyway." Kushina wasn't sure if it was truly exciting, but since Fumori masaki said so, it must be. Then she pulled Minato Namikaze and sat down in a section of the spectator stands. This area was reserved for the Aerial Combat Unit and had been empty until now.
Soon after they sat down, the soccer match began. The members of each team bowed to their opponents, then, at the referee's command, took their positions. With a sound signaling the start, everyone began to move.
Ninjas possess immense physical prowess. Through specialized training, they can perform all sorts of incredible movements. Even with ordinary actions, they can make the ball travel in various arcs. Moreover, in Konoha Ninja Village's soccer matches, ninjutsu can be used!
According to the rules of the soccer match, three types of ninjutsu could be used: Transformation Jutsu, Clone Jutsu, and Substitution Jutsu. These were the basic ninjutsu taught at the Ninja Academy. Each ninjutsu could be used three times, but this was limited to the entire team. In other words, the whole team could use ninjutsu a total of nine times, which added a more complex dynamic to the game.
The Third Raikage could see how high the demands on tactics were. Although they were just the unremarkable Three Basic Jutsu, the reason why the Three Basic Jutsu were considered the foundational ninjutsu of the Ninja Academy was that they were the starting point for all ninjutsu training. If one couldn't master them thoroughly, it would be very detrimental to future ninjutsu training.
And arranging the Three Basic Jutsu as the usable ninjutsu for the soccer match was excellent. Firstly, the difficulty wasn't high, so all participating athletes could master them. Secondly, the damage wasn't great, so it was less likely to cause casualties during the competition. Finally, it allowed the young ninjas to hone their proficiency and tactical skills through the teamwork of the soccer match.
—It's truly not simple. This kind of athletic event, Fumori , to actually come up with something like this.
The Third Raikage sighed inwardly. Compared to traditional methods of training ninjas, this approach might be more suitable for current ninjas. No, according to Fumori masaki, today's ninjas could no longer be considered ninjas; only those in the Anbu could still be. Other ninjas were more like chakra-wielding warriors.
The Third Raikage couldn't help but wonder if ninjas would be called 'nin-shi' in the future. This title seemed to carry some meaning, but... before he could ponder it further, the Third Raikage was drawn in by the exclamations from the field. One of the teams had used up their quota of three ninjutsu first, employing a Substitution Jutsu to successively leap past several players' defenses. The timing of its use was so clever that the opponents didn't even have a chance to use ninjutsu to compensate.
The audience gasped in surprise. In truth, they couldn't quite discern the cleverness of the Substitution Jutsu's usage, but the visual effect it created was still very impressive.
However, it was somewhat regrettable that when the shot was taken, the goalkeeper used a Clone Jutsu to deceive the opponent and catch the ball, causing the audience to once again make a sound, this time one of disappointment.
"What a shame," Fumori masaki said. Even before ninjutsu was used, the match was already exciting enough. The moment they started using ninjutsu, the field immediately underwent a different transformation.
"Indeed," the Third Raikage nodded involuntarily.
"Since it's the first time they're using it, they might still be a bit unaccustomed. It might become even more exciting later," Fumori masaki said.
"I'm really looking forward to it," the Third Raikage smiled.
The subsequent matches did not disappoint the two of them. After a precedent was set, both sides became less restrained, and the frequency of ninjutsu appearances increased significantly. After the rapid consumption of ninjutsu uses, both sides also became more cautious, and the battle grew more intense.
Neither side scored in the first half. After the halftime break, the second half of the match began. This time, the pace of the game was much faster, making one feel as if they would miss something if they blinked. What was unusual was that from the start until now, neither side had used ninjutsu.
At this point, both sides' ninjutsu limits had dropped to around three, which was very tight. It was no longer something that could be used casually. If it truly had to be used, it would undoubtedly be at a critical moment, especially in a situation where neither side had scored. The use of ninjutsu might be for shooting the winning goal.
As the match time drew closer, the audience's mood became increasingly tense. Then, five minutes before the end of the match, one side made its move. They didn't just use one ninjutsu, but a combination technique based on the Three Basic Jutsu: Transformation Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu, and Clone Jutsu were used together, instantly changing the tide of the battle.
First, a Clone Jutsu deceived the enemy, getting the ball to their side. Even if the opponent retaliated with a Substitution Jutsu, it was still broken by the Substitution Jutsu. Just as the shot was taken, the goalkeeper was surprised to discover that the supposed incoming ball was merely an illusion created by Transformation Jutsu. The real ball had been hidden on the other side all along, and with the wrong judgment, the opponent scored a goal.
"Good!"
"Goal!"
The audience stood up and applauded. In the next five minutes, the other side was clearly powerless to turn the tide and could only accept defeat. The match ended with a score of zero to one.
The victorious young ninjas embraced each other excitedly, bowing to the audience, looking very happy. The losing side was somewhat dejected, but thinking that there would be opportunities for revenge in the future—the Sports Festival wouldn't be held only once—they quickly cheered up, determined to get their revenge in the next competition.
Under the referee's guidance, both sides first bowed to each other, then bowed to the audience, before slowly exiting the field.
"I really didn't expect that a match between young people who haven't even graduated from the Ninja Academy could be as exciting as the Chunin Exams," the Third Raikage said with a slight sigh of relief.
Because young people don't have much chakra, battles at the genin level are somewhat boring. Ninjutsu and genjutsu are basically unusable, relying mainly on taijutsu, which usually doesn't produce a pleasing aesthetic. This time, however, it was an eye-opener for the Third Raikage.
"As an entertainment activity for Ninja Academy students, this Sports Festival is quite good. While having fun, they can also train the skills they've learned," Fumori masaki said.
"Perhaps we can also try such an activity in our Kumogakure Ninja Village. It's indeed good for Ninja Academy students," the Third Raikage said.
"Then let's continue watching."
"Mhm."
As dusk approached, all the events had concluded. During the closing ceremony, Fumori masaki personally presented awards to the winners of each competition. For the Ninja Academy students, this might have been their first time interacting with the Hokage so closely, and each face was beaming with excitement.
Fumori masaki presented trophies to each winner, offering his congratulations and wishing them continued effort in the future to contribute their own strength to the village.
After the closing ceremony, everyone gradually left. After Fumori masaki accompanied the Third Raikage for dinner, he returned to rest. Tomorrow would be the day the delegation departed, and this welcoming reception would also come to an end.
The Third Raikage and Sora returned to their room together. The Third Raikage immediately sat down on the sofa and let out a long sigh. Hearing this sigh, Sora asked, "What's wrong? You seem a bit unhappy."
"You look quite happy," the Third Raikage glanced at her.
"Of course, I'm happy! This Sports Festival is truly amazing. It's my first time seeing something like this. As expected of Fumori ," Sora said with a smile.
"Indeed, as expected of him, always coming up with these novel things. But have you forgotten that besides the Sports Festival, he also came up with something else?" the Third Raikage asked.
"Ah!" Reminded by the Third Raikage, Sora suddenly remembered. Because of the surprise brought by the Sports Festival, and during the recent dinner, Fumori masaki repeatedly discussed the prospects of the Sports Festival, immersing her in it. She had almost forgotten what Fumori masaki had shown the delegation during the opening ceremony.
"Remembered it? Sigh, I almost forgot too, but now that I think back, that Fumori fellow really gave us a huge surprise." The Third Raikage shook his head slightly, "Flight, even for us ninjas, is a very rare thing. Now Fumori can cultivate it on a large scale. It's terrifying."
"Can it really be cultivated on a large scale?" Sora asked.
"Since it's created by special ninja tools, even if controlling it might be troublesome now, and the user's aptitude is relatively high, it will further decrease in the future. Ninja tools, unlike innate bloodlines, can be artificially improved and can get better and better." The Third Raikage poured himself a glass of water and gulped it down in one go, but the cold water couldn't calm his inner agitation.
Sora sat down beside the Third Raikage. She understood the Third Raikage's worries. Being able to fly wasn't very scary; the Third Tsuchikage could also fly, and Kumogakure Ninja Village could also come up with ways to fly. What was truly terrifying was an Aerial Combat Unit that could be cultivated on a large scale.
Although the Third Raikage couldn't fully grasp the advantages of three-dimensional combat, he vaguely sensed that the emergence of this Aerial Combat Unit might have a significant impact on the mode of ninja warfare.
"Fumori made it very clear that if the ninja world can maintain peace in the future, these Aerial Combat Units might not become our enemies. But it's not that simple," the Third Raikage put his arm around Sora's shoulder, confiding his inner thoughts to her. "I'm not so easily defeated. In the future, we'll definitely have to settle a score with Konoha Ninja Village, so war is inevitable. But since the other side already possesses such a combat unit, our disadvantage will be very great."
"We can also cultivate them. Aren't we researching explosive tags now? Isn't it to bridge the technological gap with Konoha Ninja Village?"
"But only now do I realize how big our gap is. While we are still deciphering explosive tags, Konoha Ninja Village has already developed ninja tools that can fly." The Third Raikage frowned tightly, "It seems we must speed up our pace, and if possible, we need to slow down Konoha Ninja Village's development, otherwise, if the gap widens further, we won't have a chance to compete anymore."
"A, I support your idea, but I hope you can calm down and carefully consider your measures, so as not to make too serious mistakes, like what happened to Sunagakure Ninja Village. If that were the case, Fumori 's suggestion of healthy competition, I think, wouldn't be a bad idea," Sora called the Third Raikage by his past name, comforting him.
The Third Raikage understood Sora's meaning. Sunagakure Ninja Village had become what it was today precisely because it had mistakenly challenged Konoha Ninja Village. His agitated mood stabilized slightly, and he strongly agreed with Sora's words. He indeed shouldn't lose his composure. For a leader, one important quality was calmness, otherwise, one couldn't make clear and accurate judgments.
"Healthy competition has some merit, but sometimes, it's not as easy as we imagine. I will do my best to make the optimal choice for Kumogakure Ninja Village," he said.