Rasa did not pay it much attention.
To Sunagakure, it was not important.
As for Hozuki Castle, there was only one thing Rasa cared about.
That was the Fire Release: Heavenly Prison technique.
The three Kage sat upright in their chairs, looking toward the arena.
Mui took out the results of the draw and announced,
"First match, Sunagakure versus Iwagakure."
"Sunagakure shinobi, Maki."
"Iwagakure shinobi, Gari."
Rasa shook his head.
This result was not a good draw for Sunagakure.
Gari was an Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai shinobi.
Against an ordinary elemental shinobi like Maki, he naturally had a certain advantage.
Even if Maki now possessed the Twin Peacock Swords.
In a narrow arena like this, Wind Release was not especially easy to use.
And on top of that, Gari was an Iwagakure shinobi.
Aside from Explosion Release, he was definitely skilled in Earth Release ninjutsu as well.
Strong Earth Release meant strong defense.
Onoki revealed a smile.
"Kazekage, I'll accept this victory."
It sounded as if Iwagakure had already won.
The two contestants quickly entered the arena.
They were not shinobi from the same village, so there was no need to form the Seal of Confrontation or the Seal of Reconciliation.
Once they stepped into the arena, it was simply a matter of deciding victory and defeat.
It concerned how much of Kusagakure's compensation their respective villages would receive.
Gari grinned.
"The Kazekage's disciple?"
"But if all you know is Wind Release, do you really count as the Kazekage's disciple?"
"Your teacher specializes in Magnet Release."
"How much can he teach you?"
"And how much can you even learn?"
Maki looked at Gari coldly.
Both of his hands tightened around the hilts of the Twin Peacock Swords.
"That is none of your concern."
But Gari's words had indeed struck Maki's sore spot.
As Rasa's disciple, he did not know Magnet Release. He only knew Wind Release.
"Begin!"
The moment Mui's voice fell, Gari charged fiercely toward Maki.
On the raised platform, Rasa frowned slightly.
From the very beginning, the tone of the battle was set.
Gari attacked relentlessly.
Every attack carried a massive explosion. Even if he failed to hit Maki, he struck the ground beside him. Under the violent blasts, the arena floor caved in.
Large amounts of earth and stone were sent flying.
Before long, under Gari's attacks, the entire arena had become broken and uneven, covered in pits and cracks.
Facing Gari's fierce assault, Maki could only fight while retreating, trying to drag the battle out.
But the terrain damage Gari caused to the arena also limited Maki's Wind Release to a certain extent.
One side gained while the other lost.
Rasa could tell that Maki was desperately trying to reverse the situation.
But Gari gave him no opportunity at all.
"Winner, Iwagakure, Gari!"
Gari raised both hands high.
The Iwagakure shinobi erupted in cheers.
"Teacher, I'm sorry."
Maki lowered his head, his fists clenched tight, filled with self-reproach.
Rasa did not blame him.
This was not something that could be blamed on Maki.
The shinobi world was simply like this.
Weak was weak.
Strong was strong.
High talent was high talent.
Low talent was low talent.
Even someone like Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin who had worked hard for decades, was instantly defeated by thirteen-year-old Uchiha Itachi with a single glance.
Could that be blamed on Orochimaru?
Gari was a bloodline shinobi. Against an ordinary elemental shinobi like Maki, he did indeed have the advantage.
"Don't overthink it. Prepare properly and win the next match."
"Yes, Teacher."
Onoki's smile was completely undisguised.
Mui took out the second name list.
"Second match, Iwagakure versus Sunagakure."
"Akatsuchi versus Kisame Hoshigaki!"
Onoki looked at Kisame Hoshigaki as he stepped onto the arena, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Kisame Hoshigaki? That name clearly isn't Sunagakure's style. It sounds more like Kirigakure."
"And that appearance too."
"I've never heard of this name among Sunagakure's younger generation before either."
"Still, Akatsuchi will definitely win."
"After all, Akatsuchi is this old man's disciple."
Soon, the match began.
"Earth Release!"
"Water Release!"
As the two used ninjutsu, Onoki became even more certain of his guess.
"That Kisame Hoshigaki is definitely not a Sunagakure shinobi. He's a Kirigakure shinobi."
"They actually sent someone who isn't from Sunagakure? Does Sunagakure have no talent among its younger generation?"
Beside him, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to recall something.
"One of the people Kirigakure sold out to Sunagakure before?"
"I didn't expect Sunagakure not to kill him."
"Or did he defect to Sunagakure?"
"But if Kirigakure sold him out, defecting to Sunagakure would make sense."
"Not only did Rasa accept him, he also values him?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flickered uncertainly.
Onoki snorted coldly, his confidence unchanged.
"Earth Release counters Water Release."
"And this is Akatsuchi's Earth Release."
At first glance, Akatsuchi did seem to hold the advantage.
But Rasa did not panic in the slightest.
The current Kisame Hoshigaki was skilled in Water Release.
But what he excelled at most was not Water Release.
It was chakra absorption.
He did not have Samehada in hand, but he possessed the Infinite Hole Armor.
With the abilities of man and ninja tool stacked together, his chakra absorption ability was not weak at all.
Akatsuchi had the advantage, but gradually, he sensed something was wrong.
Because Kisame Hoshigaki showed no signs of defeat whatsoever.
More importantly, Akatsuchi felt that his chakra consumption was far greater than usual.
The ninjutsu he used looked impressive in momentum, but in reality, they did not pose any threat to Kisame.
By the time the techniques reached Kisame Hoshigaki, there was hardly any power left.
"Chakra absorption?"
Akatsuchi's pupils shrank.
"What a powerful chakra absorption technique!"
"He's greatly weakening my ninjutsu and forcing me to consume even more chakra."
"From the start until now, I haven't posed any threat to him."
"I've even been replenishing his chakra."
Akatsuchi's expression turned solemn.
"I can't use ninjutsu against him anymore."
"If I want to win, I can only use taijutsu!"
The next instant, Akatsuchi abandoned hand seals and charged fiercely toward Kisame Hoshigaki with his slightly plump body.
Kisame raised a brow.
"So you finally noticed?"
"But if you're not going to use ninjutsu, then I will."
"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
A massive current of water surged out violently. In an instant, it filled the entire arena, turning the stage into something like a lake.
Both Kisame Hoshigaki and Akatsuchi were caught inside the water.
But the effect it had on the two of them was completely different.
Kisame Hoshigaki was a Water Release shinobi. In water, he was like a fish returning to the sea.
Akatsuchi, however, was an Earth Release shinobi. The underwater environment became a massive restriction.
At this point, the outcome of the match was already extremely clear.
Akatsuchi had no means left to deal with Kisame Hoshigaki.
"Winner, Sunagakure, Kisame Hoshigaki!"
Onoki's face turned ugly.
This time, the one smiling was Rasa.