Misumi Tsurugi vs. Kankurō
When their names appeared on the screen, both descended into the combat arena, stained with traces of old and fresh blood.
Facing his opponent, Misumi smiled confidently behind his mask.
"It won't be that easy to take me down. I don't lower my guard against a brat—I'm not like Yoroi. You'll have to try harder if you want to beat me... because I'm going to crush your little body until you scream."
"Let me warn you: if my technique catches you, surrender. I don't plan to drag this out."
Kankurō responded with a mocking smile.
"In that case... I'll finish quickly too."
Without another word, he unfolded the puppet strapped to his back.
From the stands, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura watched the fight begin.
"Who do you think will win?" Sakura asked, turning to them.
"Kankurō," the two replied in unison.
Sakura blinked, confused by their certainty.
"Don't look at us like that. Watch the arena, or you'll miss it," Sasuke warned her.
Naruto looked at her curiously.
Had she realized already?
[Pakura: Tch. A puppeteer, huh?]
Even from the Pure World, Pakura understood what was coming.
Sakura looked again at Kankurō and Misumi. She finally got it too.
"Oh," she murmured, surprised.
In the arena, after Hayate's signal, Misumi moved first.
He launched a straight punch that Kankurō blocked with his forearm. However, behind his mask, Misumi was still smiling.
Suddenly, his limbs stretched unnaturally, like snakes, quickly wrapping around Kankurō.
Kankurō was caught, though he didn't resist much.
Confident, Misumi began explaining his technique.
"I can dislocate my joints and control my body with chakra. I can squeeze until bones snap. If you don't surrender, I'll just apply more pressure."
In the stands, Naruto snorted with amusement.
Misumi hadn't exactly lied... but he had left out some important details about his technique.
It wasn't just dislocating his joints—his body had been modified by Orochimaru with the Soft Physique Modification, altering it unnaturally.
Everyone watched tensely as Kankurō, seemingly trapped, showed no signs of surrendering.
Then Misumi squeezed harder.
A dry crack echoed as Misumi presumably broke Kankurō's neck.
[Pakura: Would be great if that were true...]
[Tobirama Senju: This girl's bloodthirsty…]
[Pakura: You'd be too in my place!]
But when Misumi let his guard down, thinking he had won, he realized his mistake: what he was holding wasn't a human body.
It was a puppet.
From the ground, amidst loose bandages, the real Kankurō emerged with a crooked smile.
He had transmitted his voice through his puppet the entire time, hidden while controlling it with chakra threads.
Before Misumi could react, the disguised puppet shot upright, its arms opened wide, and it trapped Misumi in a brutal embrace.
Kankurō didn't even look at him.
"If I break your bones... you'll be even more flexible."
The puppet began squeezing tightly, its limbs creaking.
Misumi screamed. He tried to twist away, but the puppet's arms were stronger than they looked.
He felt his ribs give way.
The first crack was soft. The second was like dry branches snapping. Then came true horror: a muffled, wet, brutal burst.
CRACK!!
Misumi's spine snapped with a grotesque sound that made more than one person in the stands cover their mouths.
His legs gave out immediately. His body hung like a broken doll. The scream caught in his throat as he instantly lost consciousness.
Hayate, frowning, declared Kankurō the winner.
A squad of medical ninjas rushed down with a stretcher. Misumi was carried away without moving, his body completely collapsed.
Kankurō didn't say a word as his puppet returned to his back.
Hayate Gekkō gave the medical team time to remove Misumi from the arena.
A few minutes later, once they had left, Hayate didn't hesitate. He turned toward the screen, where two new names appeared.
Cough Cough "Next up is the fourth match."
Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka
In the stands, Sakura watched the screen with excitement.
"Awesome, I finally get to punch Ino-pig!"
Inner Sakura: "Shānnarō! Thank you, fate!"
She was more than ready to fight, thrilled at the chance to face Ino.
"You're not injured. You're not tired. And you're not low on chakra. So don't you dare lose," Naruto said seriously.
"I'll never lose to Ino-pig!" Sakura replied confidently.
Sakura and Ino exchanged a tense glance. Without a word, they walked down the steps together and entered the arena.
Sakura was much stronger than her original version.
Ino, on the other hand, was still worn out from the second test in the Forest of Death. She looked visibly exhausted.
Anyone with two eyes could see Sakura had the advantage.
But Naruto knew better than anyone.
Sakura hadn't trained enough. She had what it took to win, yes, but victory wasn't guaranteed.
Since the mission in the Land of Waves, he had only seen her train seriously a couple of times.
She spent almost every day at the hospital, focused on perfecting her medical ninjutsu.
But in close combat...
Naruto honestly wasn't sure who would win.
Kakashi, leaning against the wall behind him, watched closely. His only uncovered eye gleamed with a mix of interest and curiosity.
Even he didn't seem certain who would come out on top.
When Sakura and Ino took their positions in the arena, staring intensely at each other, Hayate stepped aside.
With his usual dry cough, he raised his hand and declared:
"Sakura Haruno versus Ino Yamanaka... begin!"
Ino smirked.
"Never thought I'd end up fighting you, Sakura."
Sakura didn't reply. Her eyes stayed locked on Ino, not underestimating her.
"You've changed," Ino continued, smirking as she stepped forward. "But not enough. You're still the girl who used to cry alone in the park. You can't beat me."
Sakura smiled amusedly.
"You'll know once you take one more step."
Ino tilted her head, narrowing her eyes.
"Did Sasuke help you train?" she asked, gritting her teeth with a hint of jealousy.
Sakura shook her head.
"No. Naruto did."
A short silence.
"Naruto?" Ino repeated, raising an eyebrow, as if the idea were absurd.
"He made me see how weak I was," Sakura said, clenching her fist. "And taught me that I didn't have to stay that way."
Ino let out a dry laugh.
"Never thought I'd see you take something seriously that wasn't Sasuke."
"And I didn't expect you to still act like we're in the academy, Ino-pig."
Ino's brow furrowed hard before she flashed a defiant grin.
Sakura slammed her fist into her open palm with determination.
"Get ready. Because I'm going to slam that smirk into the ground, Ino-pig."
And the silence shattered.
Both charged forward, straight at each other.