Chapter 736: Prosperity

“Uchiha Obito wins!”

Seeing the outcome on the battlefield, the referee announced Obito’s victory.

It was another instance of a young genius defeating a Kage, and an even younger Obito at that, sparking a heated discussion among the spectators.

“The Ninja World truly has hidden talents. Without this competition, who would have imagined that two young geniuses would possess the strength to defeat a Kage?”

Some lamented the flourishing power of Ninja in the contemporary Ninja World, with geniuses surpassing each other.

“I wonder who is stronger, Uchiha Obito or Nagato.”

Some were curious about who was more formidable between Obito and Nagato.

“They will meet in the next round, and we’ll know then. But Nagato should be stronger, after all, he’s several years older.”

Most people favored Nagato.

Although both had defeated Kage, it was clear that Nagato’s victory was more composed than Obito’s, as he suppressed the Third Mizukage from beginning to end.

“I’m really looking forward to the quarterfinals five days from now. I wonder if there will be any more upsets like today.”

Some spectators already wished they could fast-forward time to the start of the next round.

Compared to the third round, the intensity of the quarterfinals increased by another level, with all ordinary renowned powerhouses being eliminated.

Those who made it to the quarterfinals were either peerless powerhouses like the Third Raikage, Third Hokage, and Third Tsuchikage, or super dark horses like Obito and Kakashi, making it incredibly exciting.

“Lord Fourth actually lost!”

The Sand Ninja in the stands looked extremely grim.

They no longer had any interest in the competition; they all looked as if the sky had fallen.

The only thing that could comfort them was probably the Hidden Mist, who were in the same predicament.

At least they weren’t the only ones who lost; they weren’t alone in their embarrassment.

The Mist Ninja shared the same thoughts as the Sand Ninja.

The Mist Ninja, who had originally looked grim, couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when they saw Rasa defeated by Obito.

It wasn’t that their Kage’s strength was lacking, but that the current geniuses were too monstrous.

“The Third Mizukage lost because he was old and weak; he’s stronger than the Fourth Kazekage of Hidden Sand Village.”

The Mist Ninja immediately found an excuse for their Mizukage, and incidentally, took a jab at Sunagakure.

However, the Third Mizukage himself was not as optimistic as the Mist Ninja. Looking at Rasa, who had been defeated by Obito, the Third Mizukage remained expressionless on the surface, but felt a little troubled in his heart.

“Konoha has so many powerful geniuses; I’m afraid Hidden Mist will soon no longer be needed to balance the three great Ninja Villages.”

The Third Mizukage sighed in his heart.

Currently, Hidden Mist and Konoha have a good relationship, occasionally co-hosting Ninja activities and appearing as friendly allies.

But the Third Mizukage knew that such a relationship would be difficult to maintain long-term.

Once Konoha becomes strong enough to suppress other great Ninja Villages without Hidden Mist, Hidden Mist’s position will become very awkward.

“What should I do? Where is the path for Hidden Mist…?”

The Third Mizukage fell into deep thought.

“No matter what, Sōsuke cannot die!”

Seeing Rasa’s defeat, Ōnoki made a decision in his heart.

Whether or not to ally with the Shinobi Sect to stab Konoha in the back could be put aside for now, but the plan to assassinate Sōsuke must be thwarted.

Konoha’s new generation of geniuses was simply too monstrous. If the Shinobi Sect were to perish, then Konoha would be unstoppable, and at that point, Iwagakure would be in a terrible predicament.

“After returning, I’ll first discuss it with the Kazekage and Raikage, and then sound out the Mizukage’s thoughts.”

Ōnoki subtly glanced at the other Kage.

Sunagakure and Kumogakure were both part of the Shinobi Alliance; they had common interests and were relatively reliable.

As for the Mizukage, that required careful testing, after all, the Mizukage had a history of backstabbing.

If it weren’t for the Mizukage leading Hidden Mist to betray them during the Third Shinobi World War, they wouldn’t have lost so badly.

“Konoha will become stronger than ever before!”

Hiruzen Sarutobi tried his best to maintain a Ninja’s expression management, keeping his face in a slight smile.

After all, allies were watching, and smiling too happily was not conducive to unity.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was truly happy now; he had toiled for Konoha for so long, wasn’t it precisely because he wanted to develop Konoha and make it more prosperous and strong?

The current Konoha was no longer just about restoring its glory; he saw an unprecedentedly strong Konoha in the future.

The Fourth Hokage, Muzuki, was like a combination of the First Hokage and Second Hokage, possessing peerless strength while also being able to handle political affairs well.

The Hokage Assistant, Minato Namikaze, although not as outstanding as Muzuki, was also a rare talent.

The Sannin were in their prime and could continue to shine for Konoha for a long time.

The new generation of Ninja, led by Might Guy, Obito, Shisui, and Kakashi, possessed even greater vitality, instilling full confidence in Konoha’s future.

The Kage had various thoughts, but none showed their inner feelings on their faces. Overall, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Only Rasa became slightly awkward after returning.

However, Ōnoki and the others couldn’t do anything.

If they truly comforted Rasa, it would only make Rasa more embarrassed; needing comfort after losing to a junior would only add to his awkwardness.

Fortunately, this was the last match of the day, so the awkwardness didn’t last too long. After reading out the list of qualifiers, the third round of the Martial Arts Tournament officially ended.

“Rin, were there any mistakes in my battle just now?”

As soon as he reunited with Kakashi and the others, Obito eagerly asked Rin Nohara about his performance in the match.

“Perhaps my skill level is limited, but I couldn’t see any mistakes. I think Obito was very impressive this time.”

Rin Nohara replied with a gentle smile.

“Hehe, is that so? That’s good then.”

Obito could no longer control his expression and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Didn’t he know if he had made any mistakes? For this battle, he had read Rasa’s data countless times and rehearsed the potential difficulties he might encounter in the battle countless times in his mind.

He just wanted Rin Nohara to praise him.

He couldn’t just go up and directly ask, ‘Was I handsome just now?’ That would damage his humble image in Rin Nohara’s heart.

Just as Obito’s smile grew increasingly smug, Kakashi spoke:

“When Rasa used the Gold Dust Net to attack you, you consumed too much Chakra. You actually could have escaped without using that Fire Release.”

Obito’s smile stiffened slightly, thinking, ‘Were you asked? Why are you speaking?’

“Tsk, you’ll be unhappy if I tell you.”

Kakashi sighed and shook his head, looking like a hopeless case.

“Damn Kakashi, why didn’t I get to fight you? Otherwise, I would have personally…”

Obito was frantic internally. This inherently evil white-haired brat always ruined his good mood when he was happy.

Seeing this, Kakashi’s mood instantly became incredibly comfortable. Sure enough, he just couldn’t stand Obito’s smug, idiotic smile.

PS: Stayed up too late yesterday, a bit overwhelmed today, so fewer words.