154 Naruto Mobile Game

"He's still outputting his ultimate! Still outputting! It's lasting even longer than expected!"

"Let us congratulate Orochimaru on advancing to the second round!"

"Unfortunately, Ōnoki, Ao, Naraka Path, Rasa, and Killer Bee are the first contestants to be eliminated!"

"Oh oh! Both sides are jinchūriki! But even among jinchūriki, there are differences!"

"He did it! He successfully seized the opportunity and turned the tables! Tobi advances to the third round!"

"My god! Darui used his own destined ninja to complete a reverse three-kill! At that moment, he was not fighting alone!"

"After Mei Terumī has been eliminated, among the major village leaders still queued in the rounds waiting to fight, only one remains—Namikaze Minato!"

"It's soul possession again! Soul possession is happening once more! Kakashi is aided to victory by triple soul possession from the past, present, and future!"

"What a bold maneuver—Chōjūrō, the big-hearted contestant, wins! He is currently the only Kirigakure-side contestant still remaining on the field!"

"The competition continues! These will be the final few matches of the Unlimited Class Tournament losers' bracket!"

"Take a short break—we'll be right back!"

Kuroda put down the microphone, picked up his cup, and took a sip, easing his slightly dry throat.

Truth be told, watching matches live in person was something he never had the chance to do before. Now not only could he come here, he could even provide commentary himself.

The matches could be described as extraordinarily intense—more intense even than the winners' bracket.

Because today's matches allowed no margin for error.

Lose, and you're eliminated.

It would declare that all the effort from the preliminaries to the main tournament to the finals… all of it would be wasted.

Win, and you still wouldn't dare relax.

Because after winning, every opponent you face is a master—there isn't a single weak one.

In a sense, losing is the easiest thing, because those who lose can finally relax completely.

Whether watching matches or doing something else, anything is fine—you are no longer qualified to compete.

But winning is different. After defeating the opponent in front of you, it's still far from over.

This process will continue, until there is no one left who can stand in front of you!

No one dares to be careless, no one will let down their guard—this is a one-on-one war!

The smoke of battle is spreading in everyone's hearts.

"The rewards for the competition still haven't been announced, and many people are curious about what they are."

"It's only natural to be curious. It won't be long—after the losers' bracket ends, the Unlimited Class Tournament rewards will be announced."

"Sounds quite extraordinary?"

"As for that, what I can reveal is that they won't be inferior to those of the Organization Dominion Tournament."

"Is that so..."

"Heh heh~ I also want to ask something—Deva Path, is there wire embedded in the collar of your Akatsuki robe? How does it stand up so straight?"

"About that—Yahiko once said that pulling the collar zipper up higher looks cooler, so it's a special feature."

At the commentary desk, Deva Path and Kuroda chatted intermittently, their dialogue revealing quite a bit of information to the audience.

The most excited, of course, were the contestants who had not yet been eliminated and could continue fighting.

In the contestants' backstage area, the atmosphere was extremely heavy.

Compared to the beginning of the Unlimited Class finals, there were far fewer people—reduced from thirty or forty to fewer than ten now.

Those who were eliminated could remain at the venue to watch the matches, but they could not return to the contestants' backstage area.

Three rounds had ended, but the losers' bracket was not finished yet. Next would be the fourth round, the fifth round…

The rules were especially simple: one-on-one, win until the end—until only you remain.

Outside, it was already past eleven at night.

The competition had gone on for several hours, yet everyone's enthusiasm remained undiminished, full of anticipation.

...

Konoha, Hokage's Office.

"Acting Hokage-sama, this is the entire progress of the losers' bracket. Please take a look."

"Mm. You may leave."

After the reporting ninja left, Danzō slowly leaned back against the chair, feeling that this seat was comfortable no matter how he sat in it.

Minato had gone to participate in the competition, but Sunagakure and other major and minor villages had been in frequent contact with Konoha recently, requiring a highly respected figure to handle matters.

Sarutobi could not possibly take on a third term as Hokage, so the role of Acting Hokage fell to Danzō.

Minato agreed to this.

Truth be told, letting Danzō act as Hokage was a good thing. At the very least, Danzō had a huge appetite and an extremely tough diplomatic stance—he could open his mouth wide when cooperating with other villages, without any psychological burden.

Although Minato's time as Hokage had been short, his methods were by no means weak, and he wasn't afraid of what Danzō might do.

When Minato returned, he could slightly adjust the policies and show that he was different from Danzō. Wouldn't all those big and small villages be overflowing with gratitude then?

Ah, that's what you call political wisdom!

Even though Danzō would take the blame, he was used to it anyway. Getting to savor being Hokage for a while was worth it.

After all, if Minato hadn't agreed, even if Danzō went to plead with the Second Hokage, it would have been useless. How could a former Kage manage a current one?

What does being Hokage feel like? How should one put it… exhilarating!

Danzō wasn't in a hurry to read the report. Even though he had ordered someone to compile it, he first took an unhurried sip of sweet tea. Only then did he casually pick up the report, his movements extremely relaxed.

At first glance, Danzō was fairly satisfied, because relatively speaking, Konoha's contestants had a higher chance of victory.

The general development of the competition was greatly influenced by which round each contestant entered.

First round: Orochimaru.

Second round: Tobi, Killer Bee, Kitsuchi, Nara Shikaku, Ao, Naraka Path, Rasa, Ōnoki, Uzumaki Naruto.

Third round: Uchiha Sasuke, A, Chōjūrō, Darui, Hatake Kakashi, Mei Terumī.

Fourth round: Namikaze Minato, Nara Shikamaru, Kurotsuchi.

Fifth round: Uchiha Itachi, Yakushi Kabuto.

This was the order of appearance in the losers' bracket for everyone except the insignificant contestants from small villages and countries, as well as the winners' bracket victor, Deva Path.

Starting from the first round, contestants who advanced would continue to fight those who were originally waiting in the corresponding round. Those who won would keep advancing to the next round.

For example, if Orochimaru won the first round, he would automatically enter the second round and become an opponent to those in the second round, competing against them.

After the chaotic brawl of the second round, only one person advanced to the third round, while all the others in the second round were eliminated.

Next, matches of the same nature repeated.

Orochimaru did indeed advance from the first round, but he quickly fell in the second round.

In the second round, he defeated Rasa and Ōnoki, but still lost to Killer Bee. Killer Bee then lost to Naruto, and Naruto finally lost to Tobi.

After Tobi advanced to the third round, there was one more person in that round, and Chōjūrō received a bye.

Darui temporarily exploded in power and reverse three-killed Mei Terumī. A was cut down by Sasuke. Kakashi and Tobi fought through all five matches, with Kakashi narrowly winning.

After that.

Kakashi versus Darui—victory!

Sasuke versus Chōjūrō—defeat!

If Kakashi's victory was within most people's expectations, then Sasuke losing to Chōjūrō was shocking enough.

One was famous throughout the ninja world, with an exceptionally complex identity that was neither wholly black nor white, stirring up the winds and clouds of the plot.

The other was merely Mei Terumī's attendant, neither in appearance nor personality the type to draw attention.

But there was no helping it—competition was like this. Whoever was in better condition and could maintain it would win.

The strength Chōjūrō displayed in those two matches was eye-opening, making people suspect for a moment that he had achieved sudden enlightenment. But in the end, he regrettably lost to the more determined Kakashi.

The fourth round had not yet begun.

At this moment, only six people remained backstage.

Some closed their eyes to rest, others clutched their phones to practice. None of them had any intention of chatting with each other, even if some came from the same village.

When the Unlimited Class Tournament reached this point, the contestants who remained no longer had any other relationships. Compared to everyone else, they had only one identity left.

That was… opponents!