In the contestant waiting area, Son Goku glanced at Piccolo's retreating figure, his expression remaining solemn.
At the same time, Lin Xuan also cast a glance in Piccolo's direction, silently wondering, Did that guy leave the venue entirely, or is he hiding nearby to continue watching the matches?
Knowing Piccolo's personality, he's almost certainly staying close by, Lin Xuan thought to himself.
After all, Piccolo's primary goal in participating in this tournament was to seek revenge on Son Goku. Yet, before he could even cross hands with Goku, he had been eliminated by Madara Uchiha.
However, Lin Xuan felt that even though Piccolo's plan had been disrupted, he certainly wouldn't give up so easily. In fact, after being defeated by Madara, that Namekian had likely added Madara to his list of targets.
Of course, none of this mattered much to Lin Xuan. Piccolo's current strength wasn't particularly threatening and wouldn't have any major impact on his plans.
Following the conclusion of the previous battle, the next match began quickly.
Lin Xuan scanned the tournament bracket and realized it would be quite some time before his own turn. He couldn't help but feel a bit bored.
After the match between Madara Uchiha and Piccolo, the schedule was essentially dominated by internal battles within the Ninja Guild.
Among those who had successfully advanced to the Round of 16, aside from Son Goku, Master Roshi, and Piccolo, everyone else was essentially Lin Xuan's subordinate.
Now that Piccolo had been defeated, the only outsiders left were the two practitioners of the Turtle School: Son Goku and Master Roshi.
Son Goku looked at the members of the Ninja Guild, his expression grave as he asked, "Master Roshi, the strength of these people is incredible. Where exactly did they come from?"
Through the previous battles, Son Goku had witnessed the capabilities of the Ninja Guild members, as well as the power of Whitebeard and Roger. Their varied and miraculous combat techniques had been an eye-opening experience for him.
Naturally, he became increasingly curious about their origins, as he had never heard of them before.
Beside him, Master Roshi wore a conflicted expression. To this moment, he still hadn't told Goku and the others about the true origins of Lin Xuan and his group. He felt that if he told them the truth directly, they wouldn't believe him—they might even think he had gone senile.
After all, if he hadn't experienced the existence of other worlds personally, even he would have found such a thing hard to believe.
However, after pondering for a long time, Master Roshi decided to speak up. "They are not people of this world!"
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Goku and the others widened their eyes.
Krillin exclaimed loudly, "Master Roshi, are you saying that Uncle Whitebeard and the others are aliens? As expected of Master Roshi, your knowledge is truly vast!"
"No wonder they're so powerful. So, they're aliens? Are all aliens this strong?" Yamcha asked, full of astonishment.
Bulma, on the other hand, looked toward Lin Xuan, cupping her face in her hands. "That alien is so handsome!"
Master Roshi: "..."
Did I say they were aliens?
But watching Goku, Krillin, and the others excitedly discussing the theory, Master Roshi thought about it and ultimately decided not to explain further.
Meanwhile, the arena, which had been thoroughly shattered during the previous battle, was being rapidly reconstructed through the combined efforts of Hashirama Senju and the Second Tsuchikage, Mū.
Although the audience had seen this before, witnessing the arena being rebuilt so quickly still felt magical, whether they were watching live or via television broadcast.
Son Goku and his friends were even more excited, marveling endlessly. In their minds, "aliens" were indeed impressive—not only were they powerful, but they also possessed all sorts of miraculous abilities!
Master Roshi felt a bit mentally exhausted. As expected, the people from the Ninja Guild are just like that kid Lin Xuan—they love to show off!
Soon after, the second match of the Round of 16 began: Tobirama Senju vs. the Fourth Kazekage.
This battle didn't last very long. In truth, there wasn't much suspense. While the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was not weak and possessed the Kekkei Genkai of Magnet Release Gold Dust, there was still a significant gap between his strength and that of Tobirama Senju.
In the end, after a fierce exchange, the second match concluded with Rasa's defeat.
However, the spectacular process of the match still left the audience's blood boiling with excitement. The clash between Water Release and Magnet Release was another eye-opener for many.
Then came the third match: Hashirama Senju vs. Might Duy.
One was the founder of the Hidden Leaf Village, known as the "God of Shinobi," while the other was the Hidden Leaf's "Eternal Genin." It was certainly an interesting combination.
Lin Xuan knew there was no suspense in this match either; the difference in power levels was fundamental. Even if Might Duy opened the Gate of Death, he wouldn't be a match for Hashirama.
At this moment, even Might Duy hadn't expected that he would one day face the First Hokage in combat. As a ninja of the Hidden Leaf, he worshipped the First Hokage from the bottom of his heart.
However, even though Duy knew he couldn't possibly defeat Hashirama Senju, he didn't choose to forfeit. instead, he prepared to give it his all.
After all, youth means never retreating!
Both sides soon stepped onto the arena. The moment the referee announced the start, Might Duy immediately activated the Eight Gates Released Formation. He opened the seventh gate, the Gate of Wonder!
Blue steam erupted from his body as he instantly unleashed the "Daytime Tiger" (Hirudora)!
Facing Might Duy with the Seventh Gate open, even Hashirama Senju put away his casual attitude. He quickly entered Sage Mode and engaged in rapid combat.
The arena once again became the stage for a fierce battle. The audience's expressions shifted from shock to excitement. Even though they had watched so many ninja battles by now, they never got tired of it.
After fighting intensely for over ten minutes, Might Duy suddenly let out a roar.
He opened the Gate of Death!
Instantly, his body began to emit red steam created by the evaporation of his own blood, and he exploded with terrifying speed and power.
"What is that technique? It's so powerful!"
In the waiting area, the expressions of Son Goku, Krillin, and the others changed drastically. They were all visibly shocked.
In that instant, they felt Might Duy's aura skyrocket by nearly tenfold. It astonished them that a human could achieve such a thing—displaying such overwhelming power purely through their physical body.
Especially since this man, Might Duy, didn't seem to have magical abilities like the others. He relied entirely on raw physical limits.
It was precisely because of this that Goku and the others were so stunned. A mere human body could explode with such heaven-defying power.
However, something even more shocking was about to happen.
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T/N:
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