Speedrunning Naruto to the Top-Chapter 66: The Jealous Shinobi

"Sasuke Uchiha, I’m going to beat you and prove my worth."

As soon as Sasuke stepped into the arena, Zaku Abumi—standing across from him—delivered this bold declaration. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Huh?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Seeing such arrogance from a so-called "minor village" ninja, he couldn’t help but snort. "Keep dreaming. Maybe you’ll say that again when you’re actually asleep."

"Hmph. You’ll see soon enough."

Recalling the intel Orochimaru had given him, Zaku wore a confident smile.

"All right. Are you both ready? Then we’ll begin." Hayate Gekko retreated a few steps and officially started the second match.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Sasuke immediately pulled out three shuriken from his pouch and hurled them at Zaku, testing his opponent’s ability.

"Air Sound Wave!"

Confronted with incoming shuriken, Zaku neither dodged nor counter-threw his own. Instead, he held out his right hand, palm open, revealing a hollow tube at the center.

He formed a one-handed Seal of the Boar, channeling chakra into a special device that converted it into pressurized air. A blast of wind erupted from the opening, effectively bouncing the thrown shuriken back—and still roaring forward, straight at Sasuke.

Recognizing that this wasn’t the same sound-wave technique Dosu had used, the look in Sasuke’s eyes grew serious. His pupils shifted to the crimson color of the two-tomoe Sharingan, and he vanished into thin air.

"He’s fast!"

Many of the watching genin exclaimed out loud. Several jōnin squinted, sensing something subtle about his movement.

Zaku, however, broke into a delighted grin. "That’s exactly what I’ve been waiting for!"

With that, he crouched and slammed both hands on the floor. "Supersonic Slicing Wave!"

All the chakra in his body was now converted into sound waves, surging from the air vents in his palms. The distorted torrent of invisible energy swept through the entire chamber. Even Hayate Gekko, a Special Jōnin, felt uncomfortable. He quickly flickered to the second-floor balcony, tensing in case he needed to intervene.

Sasuke’s figure appeared a short distance behind Zaku, both hands pressing against his ears, a pained look on his face. Sensing Sasuke’s presence, Zaku turned at once. The pressure still pouring from his palms slammed into Sasuke, sending him flying. Luckily, most of the force was focused on the floor behind him; if Sasuke had taken the brunt of that attack head-on, it would have been ugly.

Even so, Sasuke felt his stomach lurch, and his head spun dizzily. Much like how Dosu had instantly taken down Choji earlier, sound traveled through the moisture in the human body and wreaked havoc internally.

Noting Zaku’s smug smile, Sasuke activated chakra in his feet, sticking to the wall to ride out the last of the pressure. When the force finally relented, Sasuke swiftly formed a hand seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Poof! Poof!

Two shadow clones materialized beside him, and in the next instant, all three Sasukes vanished.

Seeing this, Zaku’s face grew anxious. He tried the same tactic as before—planning to blast the floor again with Supersonic Slicing Wave to envelop Sasuke in another sonic field.

But he’d forgotten that ninja battles are battles of intel. He’d just revealed his moves, yet failed to finish Sasuke off, forfeiting his advantage.

"Supersonic Slicing Wave!"

Repeating the move, Zaku again planted both hands on the ground, releasing a massive burst of pressurized air and sound waves. The torrent of distorted energy churned through the hall. Sasuke’s two clones, racing around at high speed—and practically invisible—suddenly froze, holding their ears in pain. With two faint puffs, they vanished in clouds of white smoke.

But when Zaku only saw two Sasukes disappear, his expression changed drastically. A shout rang out from above him:

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Scorching air rained down. Zaku looked up just in time to see a massive fireball fill his field of vision. He barely had time to realize what was happening before it engulfed him. Nobody came to Zaku’s rescue—not even Orochimaru, who’d been encouraging him a moment ago.

As for Hayate Gekko, who’d been ready to intervene, his priority was to protect Sasuke. Since it was the other side’s ninja in danger, he had no obligation to step in.

"Aaargh!"

The fireball exploded on the floor, leaving a small crater as Zaku’s screams echoed. Just when he was about to be burned alive, a torrent of water finally doused the flames.

"Medic squad, come here at once."

Hayate spoke into his radio after using Water Release to save Zaku from a fiery death. Before long, two medical-nin in white uniforms arrived with a stretcher and carried him away.

Orochimaru, Dosu, and Kin displayed no emotion at all. Not even a flicker of concern over their comrade’s fate, which sent a chill down many spectators’ spines.

The jōnin, on the other hand, quickly formed an opinion of the Sound Village: clearly, it was a place where only the strong survive.

At this point, the screen of names flickered again, settling on the matchup for the third bout:

Hinata Hyūga vs. Kin Tsuchi

"Do your best, Hinata," Kurenai Yuhi encouraged. "Win, and I’ll treat you to a feast."

Izayoi didn’t say anything. He simply rolled up his sleeve to reveal a small scroll strapped around his wrist, formed a seal, and pulled out a camera from its storage. Grinning at Hinata, he said, "Show us some style, Hinata—I’ll snap a few photos to show Hanabi later."

"Mm." Hinata smiled sweetly and headed for the stairs. Along the way, the other rookies cheered her on.

Sasuke, just returning to the balcony, called out a warning: "Watch out for their gadgets; that’s how they produce their sound waves."

"Right."

Hinata nodded again, but her calm smile shone with confidence.

Waiting below was Kin Tsuchi, who dropped down from the stands and stood to Hayate Gekko’s left, ready to go. Seeing Hinata across from her, Kin felt an involuntary twinge of inferiority—similar to what Karin had felt. But instead of envy, what filled Kin’s eyes was pure jealousy.

They both had long black hair, but Hinata’s was silkier, more radiant; her outfit was crafted from expensive fabric that Kin probably could never afford; Hinata was about the same age, yet her figure was, in Kin’s eyes, almost criminally developed; and she projected the untouchable aura of a true heiress just by standing there.

Looks, heritage, upbringing—on every level, Hinata crushed her. It wasn’t even close. Kin felt like they weren’t even from the same world.

Which only inflamed her jealousy all the more. Why was she just an orphan, while Hinata was a noble daughter from a clan with a bloodline limit? Why did Kin have to kill or be killed just to earn a spot in these exams, while Hinata got here so effortlessly?

I’ll slice off that perfect hair of hers. I’ll cut her face up until she feels as worthless as I do.

The thought brought a twisted grin to Kin’s lips, though no one else knew what she was planning. Hinata, however, could see enough to notice the unsettling smile. Her previously gentle gaze turned sharp, veins bulging at her temples.

~~~

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