The preliminary tournament rounds were swift and brutal—almost all fights ended in instant eliminations. Within ten minutes, the competition had already reached the fifth round, where matchups finally stretched beyond mere seconds.
This round featured one of the most anticipated matches: Ino Yamanaka vs. Sakura Haruno.
Just like Naruto, who had mastered Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, Sakura Haruno had also made notable progress since the original timeline. She learned Kakashi's C-rank Genjutsu—Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique—which forces the opponent to relive their greatest fears. And indeed, during training, Kakashi had instantly overwhelmed Sakura with it.
If Sakura's opponent had been Minako, she might have emerged victorious. But she was facing Ino Yamanaka, a specialist in Yin Release. Ino effortlessly broke through Sakura's illusion. Although Sakura attempted to respond with a secret ninjutsu passed down from the Yamanaka line, Ino used her signature Mind Transfer Jutsu—only to be repelled by Sakura's hidden second persona.
One Genjutsu countered, one clan secret denied. Left with nothing but Academy-taught basics, the two former best friends relied on standard moves: Three Body Technique, shuriken and kunai skills, taijutsu. Their fundamentals were flawless, making it a technical yet unstimulating spectacle—boring for most Jonin spectators, and even Izanami and others nodded in agreement.
Only Minako found herself drawn to the display. These two honor students reminded her of herself—pure, earnest, relentless. Eventually, Sakura and Ino both collapsed from exhaustion simultaneously, eliminating both from the tournament. By the time they revived, the fights had progressed to Round Nine.
Round Six: Tenten vs. Temari
Temari, with her mastery of Wind Release, utterly dominated. Tenten stood no chance and conceded quickly.
Round Seven: Nara Shikamaru vs. Sawano Genichi
Sawano came from a ninja family and had unlocked a C-rank Water Release: Wild Water Wave. It was a basic yet versatile technique—effective if fueled by ample chakra. However, experience and intellect favored Shikamaru. As Sawano unleashed his Water Wave, Shikamaru used Shadow Imitation Jutsu and a kunai hidden in his mouth. Gripped and surprised, Sawano conceded.
Round Eight: Minako vs. Hyuuga Neji
Faced with Neji's prodigious skill and reputation, Minako surrendered immediately, yielding to defeat without a fight.
That brought the tournament to Round Nine: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Kiba Inuzuka.
Naruto beamed upon seeing Kiba's name. "This is great! It's that idiot Kiba—I'll crush him!"
Kiba grinned in return, ridiculing Naruto. "Idiot Naruto, that's what I should be saying!" he snapped, flaunting confidence born from teaming with Akamaru. "Say something nice now and I might let you lose with some dignity—or just concede."
Naruto responded with equal arrogance. "Watch me beat you in one move!"
Their gloating drew cheers and scoffs from spectators. Their match was called. Naruto launched into four seals and shouted:
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Despite lingering chakra restrictions from the Five Elements Seal, Naruto could still create dozens of clones—though not hundreds.
With a bang and a puff of smoke, over twenty Narutos surrounded Kiba and his canine companion.
"At least twenty clones?!" Kiba gasped.
Among the spectators, both Genin and Jonin gasped. The Jonin, recognizing the forbidden technique, tensed:
"This isn't just Shadow Clone—it's Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Before Kiba could react:
"Wind Release…"
Naruto and his clones formed seals. The Jonin braced themselves, anticipating the next attack.
They shouted together:
"Great Breakthrough!"
A loud whoosh cut through the arena. A giant, invisible hand-like gust grabbed Kiba and Akamaru, flinging them skyward. They were caught in a tornado-like vortex, slamming chaotically against stadium walls. Even spectators in the stands felt the violent wind, clutching railings and shielding their eyes. The Coordinator of Team 6 urgently teleported in to rescue Kiba and Akamaru, ending the round.
"Winner of Round Nine: Uzumaki Naruto!" Gekkō Hayate announced, having steadied himself and shielded his face.
Naruto laughed arrogantly, hands on hips. "You saw that, idiot Kiba? Amazing, right?"
His gloating only grew—he fantasized about fighting Izanami, kicking Sasuke, forcing "the bushy‑browed one" to kneel. His laughter turned shameless, drool spilling down his chin—until Gekkō Hayate snapped him back to reality. He sauntered toward the second-floor bleachers, arrogance radiating in every step.
The screen flickered, updating entrants. Suddenly, everyone leaned forward. Izanami vs. Rock Lee read in bold letters.
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