Chapter 517 A Strong Person Worthy of Attention (asking for monthly ticket)

After all the facilities required for the Martial Arts Tournament were completed, Muzuki announced the news of Hanzō’s attendance and various details about the Youth Martial Arts Tournament.

The Youth Martial Arts Tournament had undergone multiple rounds of promotion, and those interested had been waiting for specific news about the event. As soon as the news was released, people eager to participate or watch the competition rushed to the Land of Rain.

In Konoha, besides the geniuses Hiruzen Sarutobi proactively inquired about, there were also some young Ninja who wanted to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament to broaden their horizons.

After all, the registration fee was only 68,900 Liang, which was a small sum for Ninja. Even if they couldn’t win a prize, they could still get a glimpse of the legendary Ninja Master Sōsuke.

Thinking that leading one team was the same as leading two, Hiruzen Sarutobi gathered the other Ninja who wanted to participate and had Muzuki lead them to the Land of Rain.

“Your Ninja ranks are rising so fast, even Shisui is already a Jonin,” Asuma, still a Chunin, couldn’t help but exclaim.

He graduated when Shisui enrolled, yet Shisui became a Jonin while he was still a Chunin. This promotion speed was truly outrageous.

“Hehe, let me tell you our secret to promotion,” Obito chuckled.

Asuma immediately became interested, and Kurenai Yuhi and Raido Namiashi also leaned their ears towards Obito.

“First, defeat a Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, then complete a few S-rank Missions, and that’s it,” Obito replied.

Asuma’s team:…

If they encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and still got promoted to Jonin, they would be dead. Moreover, the Hidden Mist currently had no Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, only two.

The Hidden Mist showed no signs of seeking peace, so Konoha naturally couldn’t return the Ninja swords. In fact, to prevent the Hidden Mist from retrieving them through special means, the captured Ninja swords had been kept sealed.

Without Ninja swords, there was no way to have new members, so the Hidden Mist might only have two members for a long time, unless they were willing to forge new Ninja swords.

“The secret is good, but it’s a bit exhausting,” Asuma couldn’t help but pat Obito’s back.

“But with you guys participating, our Konoha might take all the prizes. I wonder if the Shinobi Sect will mind.”

Asuma knew how monstrous Obito and the others were. He had trained so hard, yet the gap kept widening.

When he participated in special training with Obito, Obito was only slightly better. By the Chunin Exams, Obito could already crush him.

Although Asuma hadn’t seen Obito fight recently, Obito’s ability to assist Kakashi in killing Suikazan Fuguki during the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist battle was enough to prove his strength.

“As long as we don’t have bad luck and run into our own people, we’ll definitely be in the top ranks,” Obito said confidently.

His experiences in various missions and on the battlefield gave Obito ample confidence.

“Don’t underestimate other Ninja in the Ninja World. The Youth Martial Arts Tournament’s restriction is that those over eighteen cannot participate, not twelve or eleven,” Kakashi reminded him.

While Kakashi wasn’t arrogant, he also wasn’t self-deprecating. He never denied that he was a genius among Ninja.

But Kakashi didn’t think he could easily defeat everyone in the Youth Martial Arts Tournament except Muzuki’s disciples, because he was still too young, only eleven years old.

Other contestants might not be as talented as him, but they had seven more years of training than him, so it was hard to say who was stronger or weaker.

“Kakashi, do you have any relevant information?” Obito asked curiously.

Obito also knew about the age factor, so he didn’t speak too definitively, only saying high ranks, not necessarily sweeping the top two or four.

“A little, but not much,” Kakashi shook his head and replied.

Very few Ninja become famous in the Ninja World around the age of eighteen, and the previous batch of Ninja who became famous around eighteen, like Minato Namikaze, had already passed that age.

“So you don’t know either? Then why did you act like you knew everything?” Obito complained.

He hated it most when Kakashi showed off, especially in front of Rin Nohara.

Kakashi chuckled and said nothing.

Since the Shinobi Sect’s base was not particularly far from Konoha, Muzuki chose a later departure time.

When Muzuki’s team arrived at Six Paths City, it was already very lively. There were many Ninja on the streets, with various forehead protector designs.

However, the Ninja who came here all had their own purposes. Only a few fools would cause trouble, but they were quickly dealt with by the Shinobi Sect, so it looked quite harmonious.

“So many people, and there are even Ninja from enemy villages!” Obito exclaimed.

It was his first time seeing so many Ninja from different Ninja Villages simultaneously. He saw many different forehead protectors at a glance.

In terms of numbers, the Ninja of the Ninja forces were more numerous and spectacular, but the Ninja forces all wore the same forehead protector, which was a different kind of sight.

“It shows that the Shinobi Sect’s capabilities are quite good,” Kakashi commented.

Given the current Ninja World situation, it was not easy to make so many Ninja from different Ninja Villages coexist peacefully without fighting.

Even if there were only one or two teams of Ninja, clashes were still very normal.

After settling their accommodation, Kakashi and the others formed a team to register.

The Shinobi Sect did a good job with the registration guidance, and Kakashi and his team easily found the Youth Martial Arts Tournament registration area.

However, looking at the assembled crowd, Kakashi felt that they could have easily found it without guidance. There were too many people gathered there, not only contestants who wanted to register but also their accompanying personnel.

“It’s Kisame Hoshigaki from the Hidden Mist before,” Might Guy spotted a somewhat familiar Mist Ninja in the crowd.

Kisame Hoshigaki had once cornered Kakashi and the others in the Death Forest stage of the Chunin Exams, and he had also introduced himself, so Might Guy remembered him.

“Are you talking about Kisame Hoshigaki?” Kakashi was momentarily stunned by Might Guy’s “Kisame Hoshigaki” and had to recall carefully to remember his real name.

“Ah, wasn’t it Kisame Hoshigaki? I should have remembered correctly. I remember we even exchanged a few words during the third exam,” Might Guy recalled again and felt he hadn’t made a mistake.

Might Guy’s confident demeanor made Kakashi a little unsure himself. Could he have remembered the name incorrectly?

“The Hidden Mist also came to participate in the competition. When the time comes, we’ll defeat them soundly again, just like on the battlefield,” Obito saw the Mist Ninja he had fortunately defeated once in the Chunin Exams.

Although he had already avenged himself during the third stage of the Chunin Exams, winning again would further prove his strength.

“Such powerful Chakra! Which Ninja Village is this Ninja from?” Kakashi, who had activated Transparent World, suddenly detected a powerful Chakra.

He had only thought that since so many contestants were gathered here, there might be some strong opponents. He didn’t expect to find an unfamiliar master as soon as he activated Transparent World.

Kakashi subtly changed his position and deactivated Transparent World, only to find that the Ninja with the powerful Chakra didn’t have a forehead protector.

“No forehead protector, or a Ninja from a non-Ninja Village?” Kakashi speculated.

There were strong individuals among non-Ninja Village Ninja, but they were too rare. If you added the condition of being under eighteen, they were even rarer.

“Lightning Fang Kakashi, Green Beast Might Guy, Shisui the Body Flicker, the Konoha geniuses are all here!” A Ninja noticed Kakashi and their arrival.

Although Kakashi and his group weren’t yet famous throughout the entire Ninja World, they had some reputation in the surrounding countries.

Obito looked around, searching for the speaker. They called Kakashi and the others but not him. Were they looking down on him?

Unfortunately, there were too many Ninja here, and many were chatting and talking. Obito searched hard but couldn’t find who was speaking.

Mei Terumī and Hohzuki Mangetsu’s group turned around when they heard these familiar names.

“It really is them. The competition pressure is immense,” Mei Terumī frowned slightly.

Aside from Obito, whom she could somewhat handle, Mei Terumī felt she would definitely lose against Kakashi, Might Guy, and Shisui.

“Might Guy,” Kisame Hoshigaki stared at Might Guy.

The crushing defeat Might Guy had inflicted on him during the Chunin Exams was still unforgettable for Kisame Hoshigaki.

“Are those the Konoha geniuses who once drove back the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?” Hohzuki Mangetsu showed an interested expression.

He considered himself capable of becoming one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist if the Hidden Mist still had Ninja swords, so he regarded Obito and his group as peers.

“It’s Baki from Sunagakure.”

At this moment, a Ninja from a small Ninja Village recognized the Sunagakure Ninja in the newly arrived Sand Village team.

“So many genius Ninja from the major Ninja Villages,” some Ninja from small Ninja Villages began to feel like retreating.

They had originally thought that during wartime, perhaps not many people would participate, and they could take advantage of it. But upon closer thought, sending a few young Ninja teams couldn’t really affect the situation.

Although they weren’t planning to participate in the competition, adhering to the idea of “since we’re already here,” the Ninja who weren’t competing decided to watch the competition before leaving.

…

On June 25th, the Youth Martial Arts Tournament began its preliminary rounds.

The preliminary rounds were not open to spectators. For the audience, the elimination rounds after the preliminaries were when the competition truly began.

Since the number of participating Ninja exceeded two hundred, Muzuki evenly divided the participating Ninja into eight sections. Each section had four slots to enter the elimination rounds. Preliminary contestants would fight round by round until only four contestants remained, which marked the end of the preliminary round.

After drawing lots, Obito and the others gathered to discuss.

“I’m number one in the second section, what about you guys?” Obito raised his number and said first.

“Number fifteen in the eighth section!” Might Guy said with a bright, wide smile.

Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief. If they were in the same section as Might Guy, it would be a matter of luck.

“I’m number one in the first section,” Kakashi replied next.

“I’m number ten in the fifth section,” Shisui said.

“I’m in the fourth section. We’re all in different sections!” Rin Nohara said with a smile.

According to the Youth Martial Arts Tournament’s format, being in different sections was a good thing. Otherwise, if they met in the first match of the same section, one person would definitely not make it to the elimination rounds.

However, Rin Nohara’s concern was unnecessary, because the section division was manually controlled by Muzuki.

The purpose of the preliminary rounds was to ensure the excitement of the elimination rounds. Muzuki separated the stronger Ninja to ensure that geniuses wouldn’t fail to enter the elimination rounds due to bad luck.

“Kakashi, Obito, you two should hurry to the second section’s battle arena. You’re both in the first match,” Rin Nohara gently reminded them.

The matches in all eight sections were held simultaneously, not in sequence after one section finished.

“Alright, Rin, you have to do your best! I’ll be there to cheer you on when you fight,” Obito encouraged Rin Nohara before he left.

“You too, Obito. Never underestimate your opponent. Even if a Ninja is weaker than you, you still need to give it your all,” Rin Nohara said, nodding seriously.

“After the battle, you can collect information on other Ninja.” Leaving that remark, Kakashi Hatake departed for the battle arena in the First District.

Because Kakashi Hatake was quick, the match only began a little while after he arrived.

“First round, competitor number one Kakashi Hatake against competitor number two, Daizo Ueoka!” the referee quickly announced after glancing at the list in his hand.

Whoosh!

Upon hearing his name, Kakashi Hatake used the Body Flicker Technique to arrive on the battleground.

Daizo Ueoka was instantly dumbfounded when he heard his opponent was Kakashi Hatake, the Lightning Fang. It took the referee calling his name a second time for him to walk to the battleground in a panic.

“What a terrible draw! They actually made me fight the Lightning Fang,” Daizo Ueoka cursed inwardly.

“Begin!” the referee shouted after seeing that both competitors were ready.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Daizo Ueoka quickly pulled out Shuriken from his Ninja tool pouch and threw them at Kakashi Hatake.

Although Kakashi Hatake, the Lightning Fang, had the record of killing a Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, since he was already on the battleground, Daizo Ueoka couldn’t just surrender.

Clang, clang!

Kakashi Hatake lightly swung his White Fang Short Blade, cutting down all the Shuriken. Immediately after, he concentrated his Breathing Technique, erupting with extreme speed.

Daizo Ueoka only felt Kakashi Hatake suddenly accelerate. Before he could make any more moves, the White Fang Short Blade was already pressed against his neck.

“The difference is that great…” Daizo Ueoka’s eyes widened in disbelief as he watched this scene.

He knew he couldn’t beat Kakashi Hatake, but he didn’t expect to lose after only throwing a single Shuriken. He originally thought he’d at least last two or three rounds.

“Number one, Kakashi Hatake, wins!” The referee immediately declared Kakashi Hatake’s victory upon seeing the situation.

Kakashi Hatake sheathed his sword and walked off the battleground. He first entered the Transparent World state to observe the Ninja currently in the First District. After not finding any Ninja worth noting, he left and went to the Second District.

“Number one, Uchiha Obito, wins!”

As soon as Kakashi Hatake arrived in the Second District, he heard the referee announce Obito’s victory.

Obito, who had won the battle, left the battleground in high spirits and happened to see Kakashi Hatake approaching.

Obito’s smile instantly lessened a bit. He had just been thinking of winning the match and going to Kakashi Hatake’s side to “cheer him on,” but Kakashi Hatake was even faster.

“I’m going to check out the Third, Sixth, and Seventh Districts. Are you coming?” Kakashi Hatake invited.

These districts were where Muzuki’s disciples were not present, and Kakashi Hatake wanted to go observe and see if there were any Ninja worth paying attention to.

The districts where disciples were present didn’t require much observation; they could just exchange information in the evening.

“No, I’m going to the Fourth District,” Obito refused.

Kakashi Hatake felt that he might have to occasionally observe the Second District as well; Obito didn’t seem like he could gather any information.

“That Mist Ninja.” When Kakashi Hatake arrived in the Third District, he saw Hohzuki Mangetsu currently in battle.

Kakashi Hatake stopped, preparing to watch Hohzuki Mangetsu’s performance. Hohzuki Mangetsu’s Chakra was also not weak.

“Fall!” An Iwagakure Ninja, dressed in Iwagakure attire, swung his long sword, thrusting it towards Hohzuki Mangetsu.

However, Hohzuki Mangetsu neither dodged nor evaded, standing calmly with a faint smile, watching the charging Iwagakure Ninja, allowing him to stab his sharp sword into his body.

“He turned into water?” The Iwagakure Ninja was astonished to find that Hohzuki Mangetsu had turned into a water person.

The Iwagakure Ninja quickly pulled out his sword. The spot where Hohzuki Mangetsu had just been stabbed rapidly regenerated, as if nothing had happened.

The Iwagakure Ninja, disbelieving, wanted to continue attacking Hohzuki Mangetsu. At this moment, Hohzuki Mangetsu formed his hand into a pistol shape and aimed it at the Iwagakure Ninja.

“Water Pistol!”

Bang!

A liquid shot out like a bullet, sending the Iwagakure Ninja flying backward, landing on the ground.

“Hohzuki Mangetsu wins!”

After Hohzuki Mangetsu left the battleground, he noticed Kakashi Hatake. In the Youth Martial Arts Tournament, Ninja of Kakashi Hatake’s build were few, and combined with his rare white hair, he was easy to spot.

“You seem to be Raging Sun Mu Yue’s disciple?” Hohzuki Mangetsu asked Kakashi Hatake.

“That’s right,” Kakashi Hatake nodded, admitting.

Being Muzuki’s disciple was a source of pride for Kakashi Hatake, so there was no need to lie.

“Then I didn’t remember wrong. Don’t lose before the elimination rounds, Kakashi Hatake,” Hohzuki Mangetsu said provocatively.

Kakashi Hatake’s expression remained calm. One of Hidden Mist’s Jinchuriki had been eliminated by Konoha, so it was normal for Mist Ninja to hate him.

Moreover, if Kakashi Hatake remembered correctly, Muzuki had killed a strong individual named Hozuki Mangetsu on the East Bank Battlefield. Perhaps he had some relation to Hohzuki Mangetsu.

“You must be very confused inside, right? I’m not a petty person, so I’ll just say it: Hozuki Mangetsu is my uncle,” Hohzuki Mangetsu said with emotion, answering.

“Although we didn’t meet many times, he truly is my biological uncle.”

Kakashi Hatake was a little speechless. Why would he be confused? This Hohzuki Mangetsu looked like a normal person, but his actual behavior was similar to Obito’s.

Kakashi Hatake, finding it troublesome, said nothing more and quickly rushed to the Sixth District.

“Competitor number three, Sand Crab, against competitor number four, Hisashi Uda!”

The first battle in the Sixth District was a bit slower. When Kakashi Hatake arrived at the Sixth District, they were only on the second match of the first round.

“So his name is Sand Crab,” Kakashi Hatake stopped, preparing to watch the match.

This Ninja named Sand Crab was the one he had noticed earlier using Transparent World. He possessed a powerful Chakra within his body.

“Begin!”

As soon as the referee’s words fell, Hisashi Uda took action, drawing his sword and charging towards his opponent.

Facing the attacking Hisashi Uda, Sand Crab unhurriedly pulled out a Kunai to counter.

Due to the significant difference in strength, Hisashi Uda was quickly caught off guard by Sand Crab and kicked to the ground.

Just as Hisashi Uda wanted to quickly get up and continue fighting, he suddenly discovered with surprise that his body was moving on its own.

“What’s going on?!” Hisashi Uda was shocked, watching helplessly as he stabbed the sword into his own abdomen.

The other competitors watching the match were also surprised, not knowing why Hisashi Uda suddenly started self-harming.

“Sand Crab wins!” To prevent the competitor from getting seriously injured, the referee immediately declared the battle over.

The moment the referee shouted, Hisashi Uda felt control of his body return. He quickly pulled out the sword and covered his wound.

“Chakra threads, could it be a Puppet Master?” Kakashi Hatake, in Transparent World state, observed several thin threads touching Hisashi Uda’s body after he fell to the ground.

If one were to talk about the Ninja who played with Chakra threads the best and most elaborately, it would undoubtedly be the Puppet Master of Sunagakure.

Powerful Puppet Masters could control multiple puppets to attack, making them difficult to counter.

Kakashi Hatake was somewhat unsure because this Ninja named Sand Crab was not wearing a Sunagakure forehead protector.

The Youth Martial Arts Tournament had immense popularity, with many Ninja Villages participating. Winning at the Youth Martial Arts Tournament was beneficial to the Ninja Village, potentially attracting missions, so there was no reason for Ninja from a Ninja Village not to wear their forehead protector.

“I’ll have to come back and watch again when the second round ends,” Kakashi Hatake thought to himself.

With the current trend, if he defeated his opponents quickly, he should be able to reach the Sixth District before Sand Crab’s battle begins.

Next, Kakashi Hatake went to the Seventh District.

It was a good thing he went; it gave Kakashi Hatake a huge scare.

“What terrifying Chakra!” When Kakashi Hatake observed Nagato’s Chakra using Transparent World, he was instantly startled.

Nagato’s Chakra wasn’t a matter of how much there was; aside from Jinchuriki, Kakashi Hatake had never seen any Ninja with such strong Chakra.

Kakashi Hatake felt he should use a different adjective; among the Ninja he had sensed, none were as abnormal as Nagato.

Because Konoha had so many strong individuals, and Kakashi Hatake wasn’t a pervert who used Transparent World to observe everyone he met.

“It’s that Akatsuki Organization member.” Kakashi Hatake looked at Nagato’s appearance, and some memories gradually resurfaced in his mind.

Kakashi Hatake had a deep impression of the Akatsuki Organization because, according to Naruto, the Akatsuki Organization was a terrifying organization that stole Tailed Beast. However, after investigating in the Land of Rain, they found that the current Akatsuki Organization was not only not terrifying but also very positive.

“Number nineteen, Nagato, against number twenty, Kurosawa.”

Kakashi Hatake seriously looked at the battleground. Kurosawa was a Mist Ninja he had encountered during the Chunin Exams. Although he couldn’t compare to Kisame Hoshigaki and Mei Terumī, he was still quite good.

“Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!”

As soon as Kurosawa entered the arena, he quickly retreated, then exhaled a thick mist that enveloped the entire battleground.

“Wind Release: Pressure Damage!”

Nagato calmly formed hand signs and exhaled a high-pressure wind sphere.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The moment the wind sphere landed, it transformed into a huge storm. The thick mist exhaled by Kurosawa was instantly blown away by the powerful storm.

However, the power of Pressure Damage was not limited to that.

A powerful high-pressure wind mass raged across the field, causing the ground to crack. Kurosawa had not expected Nagato to unleash such a terrifying Ninjutsu from the start. He was caught in the high-pressure wind mass and instantly vomited blood, flying backward.

Kakashi Hatake: …

They were quite fierce when fighting them during the Chunin Exams, but why were they so weak now, getting instantly killed by one move?

“The Ninjutsu is strong, but if it’s only this level, it can still be dealt with,” Kakashi Hatake analyzed in his mind.

Compared to Nagato’s exaggerated Chakra, Nagato’s Ninjutsu level didn’t particularly impress Kakashi Hatake.

Obito and Shisui’s Fire Release, and Kakashi Hatake’s own Lightning Release, they could all achieve this level, and even stronger in the Breathing Technique Chakra state.

“I’ll come back and check during the second round.” Kakashi Hatake decided that today, besides his own district, he would stay in the Sixth and Seventh Districts to study Nagato and Sand Crab.

Sand Crab’s current performance was too limited to say much, but Nagato was truly not to be underestimated with just his Chakra and Wind Release.

PS: A bit of writer’s block, 6k today, but the plot has finally transitioned.

Also, asking for monthly votes, double monthly votes have started.