After hearing that juicy gossip, Naruto was obviously still unsatisfied and continued shouting:
"Uncle, uncle! Then..."
However, before he could finish, a young voice interrupted him.
"Naruto-kun, you can't call him uncle!"
"Huh? Then what should I call him?" Naruto asked back.
"I don't know what you should call him either, but Rinjin-sama is from the grandfather generation," Shisui answered.
On the other side, Rinjin stroked his chin and nodded seriously.
"Naruto, I remember telling you before—your old man was kind of like my half-disciple!"
Saying this, Rinjin waved his hand casually.
"Well~ doesn't matter, call me whatever!"
While they chatted, the battle below reached its conclusion. Kankuro from Hidden Sand Village defeated his opponent through puppet techniques, claiming victory.
Next, the examiner announced the contestants for the following match.
Haruno Sakura versus Yamanaka Ino.
Seeing this, Rinjin immediately stopped chatting and focused his gaze on the arena. As Lu Xiabu once said, women fighting was more entertaining than watching pigs climb trees—Rinjin wholeheartedly agreed with both hands and three feet.
The battle began. Although civilian ninja Sakura lacked family jutsu, she still managed to fight Yamanaka Ino to a draw using basic techniques.
In the end, both girls punched each other's pretty faces and collapsed simultaneously, ending in a tie.
Next, pairs of opponents continued battling.
The fights proved quite exciting, and Rinjin watched with genuine interest. In Naruto and Inuzuka Kiba's battle, despite absorbing countless hits from Kiba, Naruto remained standing and ultimately defeated him—clearly demonstrating this kid's physical constitution far exceeded normal limits.
The fight between Hyuga Neji and Hyuga Hinata nearly made Rinjin burst out laughing.
You hit the prince's consort, kid—your future's looking pitch black! Even someone as powerful as Nagato got talked to death after hitting Hinata. Neji, you've really narrowed your path!
While Rinjin muttered silently, Shisui quietly sidled up beside him and whispered:
"Grandpa Rinjin, look across the way."
Following Shisui's indicated gaze, Rinjin spotted the three Sand siblings and asked puzzledly:
"What about them?"
Hearing this, Shisui's eyes darted away briefly before leaning close to Rinjin's ear.
"Grandpa, don't you think those three kids look remarkably like you?! Especially that cold kid with 'Love' written on his forehead—he's practically identical to young you in that family photo hanging in the village chief's office!"
Upon hearing this, Rinjin's face instantly darkened.
What do you mean they look like me?!
"You brat! You can eat carelessly, but you can't speak carelessly!"
Nearby, Shisui immediately shrank his head in apparent terror, though a sly smile flashed through his eyes.
"Grandpa Rinjin, I'm just stating facts—why are you so nervous?!"
Why am I nervous?! You trying to get me murdered, kid?!
Most infuriatingly, he actually couldn't refute it, since he really had spent an extended period in Hidden Sand Village back then.
Unable to focus on the battle below, Rinjin grabbed Shisui's neck and hissed menacingly:
"You better forget everything you just said! Otherwise I'll tell your grandpa about you joining the NTR Alliance! Plus, I'll have Aunt Mikoto arrange blind dates for you! Ten times a day! You hear me?!"
"I... I hear you..." Shisui's legs trembled violently.
Damn it! I'm still too young! Should've quit the alliance first before threatening Grandpa Rinjin—now I'm completely screwed.
Watching Shisui break out in cold sweat, Rinjin satisfyingly raised his fist and cracked his knuckles loudly.
"You brat, trying to outwit your grandpa? Go back and train for a few more years!"
Saying this, he irritably kicked Shisui's rear, sending him flying.
However, walls have ears. Kakashi, positioned far away, felt his mouth curve upward beneath his mask.
Though he wasn't stationed in Hidden Rain Village, he understood its power structure quite well. Many unreasonable people populated the Rain Village, but the most unreasonable was definitely Lady Tsunade. This daimyo's wife possessed the passive skill of believing any rumor immediately. Once he shared this secret with his old man, father and son could swagger through Rain Village from then on!
Contemplating this, Kakashi smiled wickedly.
The battles continued, soon reaching the second-to-last match: Rock Lee versus Gaara.
With the referee's thunderous shout, combat commenced. Then Rinjin was completely dumbfounded.
Why does this kid's sand look so dark and similar to iron sand?!
Did I lose my memory? What the hell did I do in Hidden Sand Village?
With a twisted expression, Rinjin frantically leaned over the railing for a better view.
After clearly observing the sand's appearance, Rinjin patted his chest and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Good, good—the sand was stained with blood that had oxidized black, making it resemble iron sand. That scared me to death.
However, Rinjin's behavior was completely observed by Kakashi, who lurked in a corner pretending to chat with Guy.
Now he was certain! His Uncle Rinjin had definitely committed some shady deeds! This was solid evidence!
Below, the battle raged on. Opening consecutive gates from the Third to the Fifth, Lee exploded with unimaginable speed, his relentless attacks continuously shattering Gaara's sand armor.
Above, the relaxed expression on Rinjin's face gradually grew serious.
Lee was indeed a taijutsu training genius, but he shared Guy's fatal weakness—his body was too fragile.
The Eight Gates was a technique that killed a thousand enemies while sacrificing eight hundred of yourself. Without powerful physical support, sustaining it proved nearly impossible. Simply put, the Eight Gates was a warrior's sustained output skill, but Konoha treated it like an assassin's burst technique.
Moreover, with Lee's current physical condition, forcibly opening the Fifth Gate was far too much of a stretch!
As expected, Lee didn't last long and soon displayed signs of severe exhaustion.
Seeing this, Rinjin waved toward Guy nearby.
"Guy, prepare to rescue him!"
Even without knowing the original plot, after so many years of combat experience, he could analyze the situation clearly. Gaara was at the peak of his bloodlust—teenagers this age weren't outstanding in anything except not knowing their own strength.
Warned by Rinjin, Guy appeared motionless on the surface but applied subtle pressure with his feet. Lee's battle embodying ninja way and unwavering will shouldn't be interrupted, but ultimately life remained more precious.
However, even with Rinjin's warning, Lee was still ensnared by sand around one arm and leg. A series of low, sickening bone-cracking sounds echoed through the arena. The crushing sand instantly pulverized Lee's limbs, and the next second, Guy burst forward radiating killing intent, swept away the sand, and positioned himself protectively before Lee.
Observing the carnage below, Rinjin sighed softly.
"Well~ still couldn't save him."
Saying this, he shook his head and departed the preliminary venue.
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