Chapter 125: The Ninja Card Duel King Tournament Begins
"Hello everyone, and welcome to the grand opening of the Hydra Group! I'm J-Jar!"
"Hydra Group's got it all—whatever you're looking for, we've got it! Listen up while I lay it down. Our top recommendation: Ninja Cards! Fun and exciting! Each player starts with 4000 Life Points and there's a first-move/second-move system!"
Meanwhile, Naruto, who was getting ready to go on stage, turned to Sasuke, who wore his usual calm expression, and said, "What's Jar rapping about? Kinda catchy, actually."
"Mm," Sasuke replied curtly.
"Alright everyone, let's settle down. Allow me to give a brief introduction." After his little rap, Jar Merchant continued, "We're currently in the Hidden Leaf Village—which goes without saying—but what doesn't go without saying is this: for our Hydra Group's opening ceremony, we've invited heroes who once saved the entire ninja world! I don't even need to say their names—you already know. Let's give a round of applause for the Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, and his steadfast supporter, Sasuke Uchiha!"
"So many people!" Boruto, Sarada, and Tentō squeezed through the crowd to the front of the stands. "Dad! And Uncle Sasuke!"
"Why would Dad take part in something like this?" Sarada looked stunned.
"What's a Ninja Card?" Tentō was more focused on the Hydra Group's newly launched game.
Once Naruto and Sasuke stepped onto the stage, standing on opposite sides, Jar Merchant continued, "Why are these two old comrades standing apart today? Because! They're about to go head-to-head in an epic Ninja Card duel! I hereby announce the start of the very first Ninja Card Duel King Tournament! The winner will receive the prestigious title of Duel King, bestowed by the Hydra Group!"
As his voice fell, the center of the stage opened, and a trophy slowly rose up.
Of course, it wasn't actually made of gold—just painted to look like it.
"Next up, everyone's favorite part—the trash talk segment!" Jar Merchant said as he walked over to Naruto and handed him the mic. "Lord Hokage, any words for your former comrade, now your opponent?"
"Yeah—I'm the strongest!"
The audience erupted in cheers. No one thought Naruto was being arrogant—he was the Hokage, after all.
"Anything else?"
"Yeah, and I'm not singling anyone out here, but when it comes to Ninja Cards, nobody here can beat me. The title of Duel King is as good as mine!"
"Mm-hmm! Looks like Lord Hokage is feeling very confident! Now let's hear from our other competitor, Uchiha Sasuke." Jar Merchant moved to Sasuke and held up the mic.
"When does the match start?" Sasuke asked.
"Looks like Sasuke can't wait to throw down and rub the Hokage's face in the dirt! Without further delay, let's begin the first Ninja Card Duel King Tournament!"
Sasuke furrowed his brows slightly but didn't bother responding to Jar's antics.
"Hello everyone, I'll be your commentator today—Jar Merchant!"
"And I'm your co-commentator, Shunhi!"
"Let's take a moment to thank Shunhi's Ichiraku Ramen: Branch No. 2 in the Hidden Leaf for sponsoring today's event. Ichiraku Ramen—one bowl wakes you up, two bowls keep you going all day, and three bowls grant immortality! Ichiraku Ramen: tasty ramen, hearty ramen, ramen that feels just like home!" Jar Merchant spoke at a rapid-fire pace. "Alright, with our sponsor plug out of the way, let's go over the basic rules."
"First, the two players will be using different decks. Lord Hokage will be using a Hokage Deck, while Uchiha Sasuke will be using a Uchiha Deck."
"As we can see, Naruto and Sasuke are now shuffling their decks and flipping over the top card to determine who goes first. Each player may choose whether to reveal their card. If they choose not to reveal, they automatically go second. If they do reveal, they must explain the card's effect to their opponent."
"What if they both reveal?" Shunhi asked.
"Great question! If both players reveal their cards, they must both explain their effects. The one with the higher star rating goes first."
On stage, Naruto and Sasuke each drew five cards, then flipped over their first.
"This is…"
Naruto's card:
Four-star: Young Kushina
ATK: 1100
DEF: 900
Effect: When this card is destroyed, Special Summon Young Minato from the deck.
Sasuke remained as calm as ever. Technically speaking, his deck was less a "Uchiha Deck" and more of a "Sharingan Deck."
His draw was a Bloodline Limit card: Three Tomoe Sharingan
Effect: When your opponent activates a Ninjutsu card, negate and destroy it. The Sharingan then transforms into the opponent's Ninjutsu card and returns to the player's hand.
"I choose not to reveal," Sasuke said.
"I'll reveal mine," said Naruto, holding up his Young Kushina card.
"Ohh, so it's that card!" Jar Merchant exclaimed from the commentator's booth. "Young Kushina—four-star, 1100 ATK, 900 DEF. The stats may not be impressive, but the effect is top-tier: when destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, you can Special Summon Young Minato from your deck!"
Naruto and Sasuke pressed their duel disks mounted on their left forearms.
"These are the game discs developed by Hydra Group, also known as Duel Disks. Due to their complexity, they're only used in official tournaments like this one. In other situations, players can rent them for a fee," explained Jar Merchant. In reality, Shunhi had only managed to cobble together two of them.
"To commemorate the start of the Ninja Card Duel King Tournament, we've also prepared limited-edition promo cards—Seventh Hokage Naruto Uzumaki and Rinnegan Sasuke Uchiha! While not legal for use in competitive play, they're perfect for collectors."
The card artwork featured Naruto forming a Shadow Clone hand sign and Sasuke holding the Kusanagi Sword in a ready stance. There was no effect text, both cards were max-star, and ATK/DEF were represented with three question marks.
"After the tournament, these cards will be available at Hydra Group outlets," said Jar Merchant. "Now, let's turn our attention back to the match."
Naruto looked at Sasuke and gave a mischievous grin. "My turn—draw!"
Even though it was already known that he'd drawn Young Kushina, Naruto still had that I've got this in the bag look on his face.