The first batch of nine groups finished their battles quickly.
Then, it was time for the second batch.
Among this batch, two of the top contenders had appeared.
And they were matched against each other!
Without a doubt, this was another globally anticipated match, drawing the attention of almost everyone, including Hui.
Konan was someone he had brought back to Konoha. Over the years, he had often guided her, but truth be told, even he wasn’t entirely sure how strong she truly was.
Because Konan had never gone all out before.
It wasn’t that she had never faced an opponent who could push her to her limits,
It was simply that Konan never sought competition or conflict, and thus, she had never fought with her full strength.
But this time, this battle might finally reveal her true power.
Hui watched with interest.
While he was merely intrigued, the rest of the world was already completely captivated.
People’s excitement surged.
A was the son of the Third Raikage from the old era.
After the old era collapsed, the title of Raikage had ceased to exist, because there were no more Kage.
Even so, A still chose to inherit the name, becoming the last "A" of the world.
At first, his goal had been to take revenge on Hui for his father’s death.
But his closest friend had stopped him.
As the world changed, as villages evolved and people transformed, the hatred in A’s heart gradually faded.
The death of his father was an unforgivable blood feud.
However, the fact that he had survived was already a mercy granted by others.
Not only had he been spared, but he had also become a high-ranking official governing his village.
And even more importantly, he had embarked on the path of evolution.
Now, he was no longer the avenger "A",
But A, the high-ranking administrator of the Region of Lightning, A of the Sage Shinobi Nation.
A was incredibly strong.
He was one of the older participants in the tournament, his age giving him both experience and power.
His strength was at the Kage level, and not just any Kage, but a truly powerful one.
In the previous two preliminary rounds, he had dominated his opponents with overwhelming strength, securing his place in the main tournament with absolute ease.
However, his first opponent in the main event…
Was none other than the one people called "Angel".
Over ten years ago, during Hui’s travels across the ninja world, he had met a girl in the Land of Rain, and brought her back to Konoha.
Because of her unique affinity with paper, she often formed pure white wings from paper, earning her the nickname:
To many, Konan was an incredibly fortunate girl.
Countless people envied her, jealous of her position.
And her records were also among the most closely examined.
Because unlike Minato, whose strength was so terrifying that it crushed all hope, Konan’s power still seemed beatable.
Her only known achievement was defeating an elite jōnin in the final battle of the old era.
Now, four years had passed.
Though no one knew exactly how strong she had become,
Surely, she couldn’t be stronger than Minato… right?
"Do your best, Konan!"
Kushina cheered for her.
After all, her opponent didn’t seem weak at all.
Konan’s voice was calm yet confident.
Her strength was far beyond what people imagined.
And more importantly.
This was a match that Brother Hui was watching.
She absolutely would not allow herself to lose.
Behind her, wings of white paper unfolded.
With a flap of her wings, Konan lifted off from the contestant platform and swiftly descended onto the battlefield.
Seeing this, A’s body erupted forward, his speed leaving afterimages as he landed directly opposite Konan.
The two locked eyes, each seeing the same unyielding determination reflected in the other.
They both knew, this battle was one they had to win.
"I will be the final victor!"
A declared as if to himself.
Without waiting for a response from Konan, his body surged with blue chakra. Lightning flickered across his entire form, making even his hair stand on end.
It was the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the ultimate lightning technique he had inherited from his father.
In the next instant, A moved.
His speed was insanely fast, far beyond what the naked eye could track.
Just moments ago, people thought that Morokaseti’s speed had been astonishing.
But now, they realized A was even faster, and by a huge margin.
His fist plunged directly into Konan’s body, only for her to disperse into countless sheets of paper.
It was a Paper Clone.
A technique unique to Konan.
Failing to hit the real Konan, A didn’t feel disappointed.
If she were so easy to defeat, she wouldn’t have earned the title of "Angel."
And an angel’s domain was in the sky.
Lifting his head, A saw Konan had already appeared above him.
Suspended in mid-air, Konan extended a single hand downward, aimed directly at A.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Like a torrential flood, countless sheets of paper rained down from the sky, each one spinning rapidly.
Paper was normally soft and fragile, but it could also be razor-sharp.
And these were deadly blades of paper.
Even before seeing the results, just from the whirring sound of the rapidly spinning sheets, the spectators could already tell that this attack was terrifying.
If an ordinary person were caught in this attack, their body would be shredded to pieces.
But A was no ordinary person.
His strength far surpassed normal shinobi, and his defense was monstrous.
Against an attack that would force a normal shinobi to defend with everything they had,
A simply bent his knees…
Instead of dodging, he charged directly into the razor-sharp paper storm, using only his forearms to slightly shield his eyes.
A collective gasp swept through the world.
At that moment, everyone watching the match sucked in a cold breath.
Damn… that guy is insane!
In the blink of an eye, A closed the distance, arriving right beside Konan with explosive speed.
He swung his fist forward with full force,
Only for Konan to once again dissolve into scattered sheets of paper.
A’s brows furrowed slightly—
And then his pupils contracted sharply.
Because he finally noticed the truth about these paper sheets.
They were explosive tags.
These weren’t just ordinary pieces of paper, they were paper bombs!
Without hesitation, A instantly flooded his body with Lightning Release Chakra, reinforcing his defenses to the maximum.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of massive explosions erupted in the sky, the terrifying blasts completely engulfing A’s body.
From below, one particular sheet of paper unfolded and expanded, revealing Konan.
She gazed at the fireball descending from the sky, her hands spreading apart.
From the ground, an ocean of paper surged upward like a tidal wave, rushing toward the blazing inferno that contained A.
Konan didn’t believe that explosion alone was enough to defeat A.
Just as A didn’t believe he could easily defeat Konan.
After all, they were both among the top contenders for this tournament.