"WOW! What an explosive sequence of blows at the start of this battle! Tetsu's team has shown that it is capable of fighting Kurenai's team exceptionally well, Matsu!"

"You're right, Raido! These coordinated attacks are giving Kurenai's team no time to organize or counterattack. But I think we still have a lot of battle ahead..."

The tournament commentators continued to discuss each of the battle's events, while I just kept thinking about what to do next.

Sora and I were side by side, fighting Itsuki and Rie, who countered our attacks precisely while looking for openings to trap us in genjutsu and shadows.

On the other side, Renji attacked without giving Daigo any chance to retaliate, anticipating his moves and pressuring him with speed and exceptional kenjutsu control. The most his opponent could do was defend and try to avoid as many blows as possible.

Sora's timing with me was almost natural — when I advanced, she retreated to support me; when she attacked, I covered her back. Even so, the feeling that we were always one step away from falling into their trap was suffocating.

"If we just stay on the defensive, they'll trap us..." I muttered to Sora, without taking my eyes off Itsuki.

"Then let's turn this around," she replied, already charging ahead of me.

Itsuki's shadows advanced to intercept her, and at the same moment I created an opening, aiming directly at him.

"Mokuton: Wooden Pillars!"

Pillars erupted beneath him, breaking his concentration and preventing hand seals, so we advanced together, forcing them to retreat for the first time since our opening combo.

"MOKUTON?!?!" the two commentators shouted in unison.

"Matsu, did I see that right? Does Senju Riku possess the secret jutsu of the First Hokage?!" Raido exclaimed.

"Y-yes... that's right, Raido. Apparently he does..." His partner sounded incredulous but still analyzed the fight seriously.

"The Senjus never cease to amaze us! The legendary Sannin, Tsunade, and now Riku with Mokuton! Are they the future of Konoha?!" Raido hyped the crowd, which had fallen silent for a few seconds. After his words, they began to cheer nonstop.

"Urgh... my father is going to kill me," I thought as I listened to the commentary while continuing to attack.

Itsuki tried to retreat, but the pillars pinned him against the arena wall, forcing Rie to intervene. She formed quick seals and the ground rose in a block of stone that shattered my pillars on impact, freeing her partner. Their synchronicity was impressive, and although her first doton jutsu had been just an illusion, Rie was equally skilled with real jutsu.

"They protect each other very well..." I muttered as I dodged a kunai that nearly grazed my face.

Sora wasted no time, throwing shurikens with steel wires to trap Itsuki's legs, but again Rie intervened — she raised an earth barrier, blocking the blades at the last moment.

"Riku, if we just keep exchanging blows, they'll catch us in genjutsu..." Sora warned, already preparing more shurikens.

I nodded.

"Then we have to break their formation once and for all."

On the other side of the arena, a loud crash echoed — Renji had disarmed Daigo, who flew several meters backward from the impact of the energized fuuton blade. The audience roared, and the commentators nearly lost their voices describing Uchiha's advance. Everything was going according to plan, but with the slightest slip, Itsuki could immobilize us with his shadows, or Rie with her genjutsu.

I took a deep breath, activating another of my abilities.

[System Activated: Strategic Analysis]

"Sora, let's crush them together. I'll hold them — you explode."

"Finally speaking my language, Riku!" she said with a mischievous smile.

I made quick hand seals and slammed my hands onto the ground.

"Mokuton: Wood Prison!"

Thick roots rose from the ground and advanced like snakes, surrounding Rie and Itsuki on all sides. The girl tried to raise another wall of earth, but this time Sora was ready — she unleashed a rain of striped kunai directly against the barrier.

The shock was deafening.

Dust rose with the impact, and for a moment we didn't know if we had hit them.

When the dust settled, for a moment I thought we had won. The roots were still standing, burned by the explosions, but something was wrong. My body felt heavy and my hands wouldn't respond properly.

"What...?"

Then I heard Rie's voice, which, despite being breathless, sounded confident in her victory.

"I got you."

She was standing, unharmed, forming hand seals that completely paralyzed me. The genjutsu she used was not through sight or sound — it was something else.

I tried to break the genjutsu, but the more I tried, the more it seemed like I was trapped.

The battlefield began to distort and the voices of the audience disappeared. The ground opened beneath me and shadow hands dragged me down.

'Genjutsu... damn it!'

My instincts screamed, but my body wouldn't obey. I was trapped. Despair struck for a second, until a loud bang pierced through the illusion.

"Wake up, Riku! I can't believe I'm going to have to save you this time."

Renji's voice.

A violent impact snapped me out of my trance. I felt the pressure on my chakra break and saw Renji standing between me and Rie, who had lost her concentration and freed me from the genjutsu.

Renji looked at me, seriously.

"Get up. You can't mess up now."

I got up quickly, avoiding any possible attack. Rie and Itsuki were already further back and at a disadvantage now that Daigo had fainted. Sora joined us, throwing one last kunai with a strip onto the ground, ready to explode at the slightest sign of attack.

Renji, Sora, and I stood side by side.

The entire arena vibrated with the thrill of the first-round finals, while the commentators analyzed every move we made.

"Time to end this," I said, with virtually no injuries from the fight, except for mental exhaustion caused by the strange genjutsu Rie had cast on me.

Sora and Renji were by my side, and our two remaining opponents finally began to show the tension of possibly losing the battle.

Itsuki gritted his teeth, stressed by the situation he was in, and his expression showed that the idea of being sensible and giving up had crossed his mind, but he didn't seem willing to do so.

"You know what to do. Let's go!" I said as I started running towards them, with Renji at my side.

"Matsu, this is unbelievable! The three of them together don't leave a single opening for Kurenai's team!"

"Yeah, Raido! It seems like it's only a matter of time before the final blow!" the commentators remarked.

Renji lunged forward like lightning, and Itsuki reacted instinctively, throwing his shadows toward him.

But I had already anticipated this move.

"Mokuton: Ascending Thorns!"

The ground exploded into wooden stakes, intercepting the shadows and forcing Itsuki to jump back.

At that very moment, Sora pulled her strings, and a net of shurikens cut through the air, completely blocking his retreat.

"Shit!" Itsuki cursed, trying to cut the strings, but then Renji appeared in front of him with his blade aimed at his neck.

"It's over for you," he said coldly.

On the other side, Rie tried to form seals, but I was already closing in on her.

"Not this time."

My roots emerged from the ground, trapping her arms and legs in a firm grip from which she couldn't break free quickly enough.

Renji, Sora, and I stood side by side again, victorious, while the two survivors of Kurenai's team were immobilized with no chance to counterattack.

"AND THAT'S IT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE HYUUGA TETSU TEAM ADVANCES TO THE NEXT ROUND! WHAT AN ABSURD FIGHT FOR THE FIRST ROUND!" The narrator announced in an almost hoarse voice.

I sighed, finally relaxing a little.

"We did it..." I murmured.

'And I didn't even have to resort to other techniques... I think I worried too much about these battles.'

"Just don't make me save you again, Riku." Renji sheathed his sword and smiled slightly.

"Guys... can we just enjoy the victory this time? We crushed them!!!" Sora said excitedly, pointing her finger at Rie's face, who looked frightened and let out a sad sigh over her loss.

And while the entire stadium was still vibrating with cheers, the three of us left the battlefield together, eager for the final that awaited us and the chance to become chunins.

…

PLEASE READ!

This message will be a little different...

I am entering my final semester of college, so my time to write has decreased considerably. Because of that, I decided to take a break from writing and focus on my projects.

Once I have more time, I will resume posting and finish the novel! Until then, I'll be reading all the comments and looking forward to your suggestions for what comes next!

If you've read this far, know that your support has been essential to keeping the novel going. Thank you so much, and see you soon!