Early the next morning, the massive arena constructed outside Konoha was filled to capacity, drawing crowds of around thirty to fifty thousand spectators.
Among them were not only Konoha villagers but also citizens of the Land of Fire who came to watch the excitement—even the Daimyō himself attended.
Seeing it was about time, Minato stepped onto the stage, clearing his throat before announcing the rules:
"Today marks the opening of the First Ninja Way Conference. Konoha is honored to host this grand event and welcomes everyone who has come to participate! As you all know, the first-place winner will receive one billion Ryō. Second place will be awarded five hundred million, and third place three hundred million!"
"Long live Konoha—! Long live the Hokage—!"
"Did you hear that? There really is a one-billion-Ryō prize! It wasn't just a rumor!"
"Incredible! Only Konoha could easily put up such a huge reward!"
"Hahaha! That's our Konoha—those outsiders must be stunned!"
As soon as the prize announcement was made, the entire arena erupted into excited cheers, electrifying both participants and spectators alike.
Once everyone settled down a bit, Minato continued with the rules:
"There are 186 competitors this time, including 16 Kage-level ninja, who will automatically advance to the top 32. The rest will compete against each other in pairs for the remaining 16 spots, after which they'll face off against the Kage-level shinobi. Matchups are randomly determined, guaranteeing fairness and impartiality, and will be overseen by the Kage of the five great ninja villages."
Minato's clear explanation was understood perfectly by all. Once he stepped down, the draw officially began, with the five Kage simultaneously taking the stage.
Everyone nervously stared at the large screen, silently praying they'd get matched against weaker opponents—ideally independent shinobi.
Apart from the most confident participants, many broke into cold sweats, eyes wide open, barely daring to blink. Even the ordinary spectators found themselves affected by the tense atmosphere, speaking quietly among themselves.
"Match one: Hatake Kakashi vs. Tenguzō Tenguki!"
"Match two: Baki vs. Ichirō Uemura!"
"Match three: Might Guy vs. Kohan Mitsui!"
With each announced matchup, some faces lit up, while others drooped in disappointment.
Those whose names hadn't yet been called gripped their fists tightly, palms damp with nervous sweat.
However, in the northeastern corner of the spectator stands, a rather odd scene unfolded.
Sora cheerfully moved through the crowd holding a large betting board, happily collecting money until his face nearly cramped from smiling.
Here sat nobles and Daimyō from various countries, each one obscenely wealthy.
Konoha offering such huge prizes wasn't merely about prestige and intimidation—it was only right to recoup their losses with ample interest. Thus, Sora had initiated gambling.
Betting odds were simple: the five great villages' Kage-level leaders at 1:1, other Kage-level shinobi at 1:2, and below Kage-level shinobi at 1:5.
Naturally, no one was foolish enough to place bets outside the five major Kage. The Fourth Raikage, Third Tsuchikage, and Fourth Hokage attracted nearly equal attention, followed closely by Kazekage Rasa, the Legendary Sannin, and Killer Bee.
As for Sora himself—not a single soul placed a bet on him. They didn't even bother sparing him a glance.
Yet after one pass through the stands, Sora had gathered a full three billion Ryō—enough to hold two more tournaments comfortably.
Smiling broadly, he instructed Konoha's Anbu to open more betting pools elsewhere, then returned to his seat, utterly content.
He ignored the curious stares directed at him, pretending not to notice.
Glancing around, Sora secretly calculated his profits from this clever scheme.
He'd already pocketed three billion Ryō in bets. Considering nobody bet on him to win first place, once he clinched victory, the entire four billion Ryō would be his!
On top of that, he'd personally arranged for countless small businesses around the spectator area. With tens of thousands of visitors spending money, profits would certainly be immense.
Not to mention, those who had both the leisure and funds to attend weren't exactly poor—truly prime customers to fleece.
All accounted for, even after awarding 1.8 billion Ryō as prizes, he'd still walk away with around four billion Ryō. Absolutely delightful!
Just as Sora savored his triumph, the announcer called Kakashi's name, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Kakashi and Tenguzō Tenguki stared intensely at each other, both determined to win.
Checking the participant list briefly, Sora quickly recognized Tenguzō as one of the eleven independent shinobi and instantly knew the outcome.
A rogue ninja—even at Jonin-level—would hardly have mastered many techniques. Without Konoha's deep heritage and training resources, their strength was inevitably limited.
As expected, the moment the referee announced the match's start, Kakashi swiftly unsheathed his White Fang tanto, coating it instantly with lightning chakra.
With cells accelerated by lightning chakra stimulation, Kakashi appeared in front of Tenguzō in an instant, pressing the glowing blade against Tenguzō's neck.
A thin line of blood trickled down as Tenguzō's shaky voice called out, "I—I surrender!"
"Winner of match one—Hatake Kakashi!"
The referee's voice echoed powerfully throughout the arena, immediately followed by thunderous applause.
"Kakashi is amazing! His opponent couldn't even react!"
"As expected from Konoha's genius. I hear he's only fifteen or sixteen."
"Konoha truly is the cradle of geniuses. First Kakashi, and now the prodigy Sora."
"Speaking of Sora, he's competing too, right? Do you think he'll even make the top ten?"
"No way. There are sixteen Kage-level opponents. He's likely the weakest among them—he's not even ten years old yet."
"I agree. He might even lose to a Jonin—that'd be hilarious!"
Discussions continued fervently, hardly pausing for breath. Sora, being the most sensational figure present, naturally became the hot topic.
Aside from those from the Land of Fire, practically everyone hoped for Sora's humiliating defeat, preferably at the hands of an ordinary Jonin.
Such a result would severely bruise the pride of the Land of Fire, wiping away the smug looks on their citizens' faces.
Even numerous ninja agreed with this sentiment. Jealousy at Sora's youth and talent made them desperately wish for his downfall.
Sora felt the unfriendly gazes around him, but merely smirked contemptuously, completely uninterested in responding.
After this tournament concluded, they'd finally realize who the real fools were!
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