Naruto: Reincarnated as a Demon King

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Raiden smirked coldly, his icy gaze sweeping over the dozens of students charging at him.

"Good, saves me the trouble of chasing you down!"

No fear. No hesitation.

With a roar, he swung his fist and launched himself into the fray like a tiger descending from the mountain one punch for one, one kick for three!

WHOOSH!

Another chaotic scene unfolded as bodies flew in every direction. The sky above C Arena was filled with airborne students before they crashed down outside the ring in perfect unison!

Occasionally, a stray wooden kunai or shuriken struck Raiden, but his body didn't even flinch.

He simply tanked the hits with pure physical endurance.

"What the hell is this guy…?"

Less than ten minutes later, C Arena was cleared out! The only ones remaining were Sarutobi Sancha's team, flanked by Inuzuka Rō and Aburame Shusei, standing in formation at one corner.

In another corner, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio had also formed up, prepared for battle.

At the centre of the arena, a horned boy stood with a casual, arrogant stance like a king waiting for challengers to step forward!

Of the four arenas, a total of sixteen people would advance, meaning that all qualifiers were guaranteed a spot in the elite class.

However, the elite class wouldn't be limited to just sixteen. In other words, even those who lost in the team battle still had a chance to enter, as long as they stood out.

And what did it mean to stand out?

It meant getting noticed by the higher-ups!

Without a doubt, C Arena was the most watched battlefield.

Arena A was too dull no one could last a single move against Itachi.

Arena B was equally uninspiring most of the civilian kids had only recently learned how to mould chakra and weren't capable of flashy techniques.

Arena D was straightforward the heirs of prestigious clans would take the top spots without question.

But C Arena?

Would Konoha's noble clans hold their ground, or would a dark horse trample them underfoot?

---

"Which side do we handle first?"

Izumi stepped forward, standing beside Raiden. She eyed the Ino-Shika-Chō trio before shifting her gaze to the Sarutobi-Inuzuka-Aburame team.

From her perspective, those three were the bigger threat. The best strategy would be to ally with the Ino-Shika-Chō trio and eliminate them first!

Raiden glanced at her without a word…

Honestly, he wanted to tell her, You can just sit back and watch.

But since they were technically teammates, he had to consider her feelings.

"You hold off the Ino-Shika-Chō trio. I'll take care of these three as quickly as possible."

After a brief pause, he added, "Just focus on protecting yourself."

Yes.

From the start, Raiden had no intention of letting a third person qualify.

C Arena only needed two people to advance...

He and Izumi.

"What the hell are you planning?"

Izumi's composure wavered.

She could handle getting into the elite class, but holding off the entire Ino-Shika-Chō trio on her own?

It was too much, even if it was just to stall them!

She could handle one of them.

But three? No way.

"Hey, horned freak! You think we didn't hear that?"

Raiden hadn't bothered lowering his voice. Not just those in the arena, even the spectators in the front rows, had heard him clearly.

Rō stepped forward, his expression cold, standing face-to-face with Raiden.

"So what if you heard?"

Raiden wanted to fight Sancha and Rō, but that didn't mean he considered them worthy opponents.

He just wanted a benchmark for what a "normal genius" looked like.

Itachi was already beyond that category he was inhuman, a prodigy among prodigies, a complete monster.

But these three?

They represented the standard of what elite students should be.

"Alright, you've got some nerve!" Rō sneered.

He spat to the side before throwing a glance at his teammates.

"You two just gonna sit there and watch?"

Sancha and Shusei exchanged looks and came to an immediate agreement.

They had been holding back to conserve chakra, but now—

With only eight students remaining, four had to be eliminated.

More importantly…

Raiden had already targeted them.

Backing down?

Not an option.

"I'd like to see what kind of strength it takes to take down Hyūga Shuu!"

Sancha stretched his arms before pulling out a heavy wooden staff.

"There's no running from this fight. Let's go!"

As soon as Shusei spoke, a wave of insects surged from his sleeves!

---

Hokage's Office – Crystal Ball Surveillance

Hiruzen and several Jōnin closely monitored the scene.

"This bull-headed brat is really overconfident, isn't he? He's taking on three major clan heirs by himself?"

"That's not even the craziest part. Look at that Uchiha girl!"

"What about her?"

"Look closely she's not fighting the Ino-Shika-Chō trio. She's keeping them from interfering!"

"...Oh."

"She's guarding the battlefield?"

"Exactly!"

"Aren't these kids afraid? Or are they just reckless?"

"Reckless? Being overconfident isn't a crime as long as you have the strength to back it up."

The Jōnin watched with growing curiosity. They wanted to see who had given this bull-headed brat the confidence to act this way.

Taking down Hyūga Shuu in one punch didn't mean he could ignore the rest of the Academy's top students.

Battles were unpredictable.

Even a Genin could kill a Chūnin under the right conditions.

Hyūga Shuu had been ranked second in the entrance exams but that didn't mean he could definitively defeat any of these three opponents in a one-on-one fight.

In a one-on-one, any of them would be a challenge.

In a three-on-one?

To the watching Jōnin, Raiden had lost his mind.

...

"You placing bets, Kurenai?"

Asuma Sarutobi, cigarette dangling from his lips, exhaled a puff of smoke as he grinned at the black-haired, red-eyed kunoichi beside him.

"You think the kid's gonna win?"

Kurenai arched an eyebrow. Instead of answering, she countered with a question.

"Oh? So you think he will?"

Asuma smirked slyly.

He wasn't necessarily betting on Raiden's victory But just the other day, while returning from a mission, he had run into Guy at the village gates.

Guy had been bragging nonstop about discovering a "promising young talent."

That kid?

Raiden.

"I don't know if he'll win," Asuma admitted. "But I'd say he has a decent chance."

"Oh? Sarutobi Sancha, Inuzuka Rō, and Aburame Shusei these kids aren't pushovers."

"Sure, they're just first-years, but even the second and third-year students would struggle to beat them."

Kurenai was referring to the average upperclassmen, not the truly gifted ones.

Sancha's team would likely rank in the upper-mid level of second-years and lower-mid level of third-years.

"Alright, let's bet on it."

Asuma's grin widened.

"I found a great hot spring inn recently. Their seafood course is top-notch."

"If Raiden advances, you take me there for dinner."

Kurenai gave him a sceptical look.

"And if he loses?"

"I'll buy you dinner."

"Deal!"

SMACK!

They high-fived to seal the bet.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen, still watching the crystal ball, chuckled to himself.

"Not bad, brat. You've got some of your old man's charm."

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