Naruto: Reincarnated as a Demon King

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"The team battle will take place in the arena. Only four participants will advance from each stage. Explosive tags are prohibited, and all kunai and shuriken have been replaced with wooden versions."

"I assume you've already collected your ninja tools from the front desk."

Since each arena held over a hundred participants in a chaotic brawl, this was different from a one-on-one duel.

In a direct duel, combatants could fight seriously, and in the event of an accident, the proctors could intervene in time.

But in a massive free-for-all, if real weapons were used, the hospital would be overflowing by the end of the day.

That's why explosive tags were banned, and all ninja tools were replaced with wooden versions.

"The match ends when only four participants remain standing in the arena."

"If you're thrown out of bounds, unable to continue fighting, or surrender voluntarily, you are eliminated."

Simple rules.

But also brutal ones.

This team battle was essentially a microcosm of real war in the shinobi world. In a chaotic battlefield, survival required ruthless tactics.

With only four slots available, even allies couldn't be fully trusted.

The weak would be eliminated before they even realized what was happening. Only the strong could endure this kind of harsh combat.

Being a ninja is not a game.

Even for first-year students who had only been in the Academy for three months, the instructors intended to teach them what it truly meant to be a shinobi!

"If there are no further questions, the next bell will signal the start of the battle!"

With that, the Chūnin instructor flickered away, vanishing in a puff of smoke.

The other three arena instructors followed suit.

A few moments later...

DONG!

The bell rang again!

The team battle had officially begun!

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As soon as the match started, C Arena split into multiple battle groups!

One of the most notable ones centred around Raiden and Izumi.

The moment the battle began, the students around them scattered as if avoiding a plague.

They ran—

They outright fled—

They disappeared.

"...What the hell is this?"

Raiden clenched his fists, awkwardly standing in place. It was one thing to dislike him in daily life, but this was a battle!

"Well, you did punch Shuu so hard he had to take a leave of absence," Izumi said matter-of-factly, though she wasn't surprised in the least.

In the first round of combat training, Raiden had obliterated the Academy's second-ranked student, Shuu, in a single punch.

Now, Shuu was still in the hospital. Word had it that he had even applied for a temporary withdrawal from the Academy.

Just thinking about it sent shivers down the spine.

Who in their right mind would willingly face a monster like that?

Outside C Arena, one of the Chūnin proctors spat on the ground in disgust.

"This generation is too weak to handle me..." he muttered under his breath.

Besides the empty space surrounding Raiden and Izumi, another battle zone had been left untouched.

It was where Sarutobi Sancha stood, flanked by Inuzuka Rō and Aburame Shusei. There was no doubt that this trio formed the strongest team in C Arena.

"This is boring. Are we just going to stand here and watch?" Inuzuka Rō growled, clearly frustrated. He preferred tearing into his enemies, not waiting around.

Running away at the start of a fight? What kind of nonsense was this?

"Save your chakra," Aburame Shusei said calmly. "The real fight is coming soon."

In C Arena, only two teams were worth keeping an eye on: the Ino-Shika-Chō trio and that bull-headed freak with Uchiha Izumi.

Everyone else was just background noise. If they stayed out of the way, all the better.

"The four advancing spots will come from these three teams," Sarutobi Sancha rumbled.

His tone was cold but factual.

Only those of similar strength could be considered allies.

If Inuzuka Rō wasted too much chakra now, Sancha and Shusei wouldn't lift a finger to help him later when things got tough.

After all, there were only four slots.

Rō understood, but that didn't mean he liked it.

"Hmph!" He snorted and stayed quiet.

Just then, a violent storm erupted from within the chaotic melee.

A thick, black aura engulfed half the arena.

A terrifying figure rampaged across the battlefield, sending participants flying through the air one after another.

The sheer spectacle instantly caught the attention of the spectators outside.

"What's going on in C Arena? Are they throwing a dance party?"

"What's with those black flames?"

"Wait… those horns… isn't that—"

The students watching from the sidelines were stunned.

At the same time, within the Hokage's Office…

Hiruzen Sarutobi and a group of Jōnin were monitoring the battle through the Third Hokage's Telescope Technique.

By using a crystal ball as a medium, Hiruzen could observe the entire village at will as long as he knew the target's chakra signature.

The moment the disturbance in C Arena caught his attention, Hiruzen immediately focused on Raiden.

The first thing everyone noticed was the distinctive pair of horns on Raiden's head.

Then, they saw the pitch-black, heavy flames flickering around his fists.

"That bull-headed kid again?"

"His fists are burning? What kind of jutsu is that?"

"Black flames? Is it a kekkei genkai? But it doesn't seem to have the usual combustion properties of fire release."

The room buzzed with discussion.

Hiruzen, however, narrowed his eyes.

He took a slow puff from his pipe, then exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. A sharp glint flickered in his seemingly aged gaze before vanishing behind the haze.

He had been aware of recent happenings in Konoha. He just hadn't paid much attention before.

Sure, a six-year-old had beaten a Hyūga prodigy but that alone wasn't enough to warrant intervention on behalf of the Hyūga clan.

But if this kid did have a kekkei genkai…

That changed everything.

There was an enormous gap between an ordinary shinobi and one with a kekkei genkai. Their growth potential was worlds apart.

As someone who had mastered all five chakra natures, Hiruzen was an expert in recognizing talent. Even through the crystal ball, he could tell Raiden's black flames were extraordinary.

Though they lacked the usual burning effects of fire, the sheer power behind each punch was terrifying.

Just watching it made his own body ache.

"Looks like some kind of strength-enhancing ability…"

Even from a distance, Hiruzen could analyze the nature of the ability.

"If this boy performs well in the ranking matches, he might be worth training. As for the Hyūga clan's concerns, I'll leave that to Danzo."

After all, if there was anyone good at handling "delicate matters," it was Danzo.

---

Back in C Arena—

Raiden, his horns glinting under the sunlight, tore through the battlefield like a black hurricane. From left to right, he bulldozed his way across the entire arena!

Anyone who got in his way was sent flying with a single punch. His sheer power was like that of a demon king descending upon the battlefield.

"Damn it! We were trying to avoid him, and he still came after us?!"

"That bull-headed freak is going too far!"

"Screw it! There are so many of us! Why should we be afraid of him?!"

Weaklings didn't challenge the strong unless they had no other choice. Many of the students had hoped to avoid direct combat.

Maybe, if they got lucky, they could just survive until the end and advance. After all, those "monsters" would eventually fight each other, right?

And if they all wore each other down…

There were four advancement slots, after all!

That had been their plan But what happens when one of those monsters comes after you first?

They were left with no choice.

Their only option was to fight back!

Did Raiden care?

No.

In this entire arena, there was only one person no, one and a half people he was interested in fighting.

One was the physically powerful Sarutobi Sancha.

The "half" was the Akimichi kid.

As for everyone else?

Heh…

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