Chapter 209. The Tsundere Chief Elder

Chapter 209. The Tsundere Chief Elder

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"You..." There was a sigh filled with both emotion and helplessness, followed by a long, drawn-out exhale. "Why not just stay here? Stop running around!"

With that, he shook his head and casually shut the door.

What kind of outrageous thing had this brat done to anger the heavens and earth?

Just beat him up, don't kill him!

"Creak."

The door closed.

"…"

Asuma silently gazed out the window.

The sky was still as blue as ever.

The clouds were still as white as ever.

The wind was still as cool as ever.

And yet—

Why did the world have to treat him like this?

He couldn't help but tilt his head up at a 45-degree angle.

Because this way… the tears wouldn't fall!

Enough. Enough. Once he was discharged, he was changing his online username!

Besides… it was all just tears anyway!

A moment later—

He wiped his eyes, lifted his head with renewed determination, and suddenly remembered—today was Kakashi and Obito's match!

Kakashi and Obito were carrying his dream, chasing after that ten million prize!

So…

How could he keep lying in bed?!

Asuma's entire body trembled with resolve. Looking at his heavily plastered, suspended legs, he didn't care in the slightest.

He shouted, "Someone! Bring me my wheelchair! I am… going to watch the Mahjong God Cup!"

Kakashi, Obito… wait for me!

…

Meanwhile.

The match continued with intense battles.

Of course—

Among all the different battlefields, the Tailed Beast Arena was the most exciting.

After all—

Three Tailed Beasts plus one regular person?!

Just imagining it was thrilling!

"Yo, yo! Konoha's Three-Tails, Konoha's Nine-Tails, and a Konoha Jonin! Today's opponents are terrifying—I was almost scared to death!" Under the watchful eyes of the crowd and in the face of this immense crisis, Killer Bee took the lead, ready to control the scene with his rapping: "But for me, I'll never lose! Oh yeah!"

"Shut up! So annoying!" Kushina pouted. "You're just as noisy as the Nine-Tails!"

Nine-Tails: …

But it didn't care.

This was its fight.

Eight-Tails, Three-Tails… aside from that woman, this was essentially a battle of Tailed Beasts.

And it, Kurama—the strongest Tailed Beast—had nothing to fear!

Without hesitation, it unleashed its massive chakra, surging forward like an unstoppable force.

As long as it could eliminate the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, it was guaranteed to win!

Overpowering with sheer chakra… this was something it excelled at!

"Oh oh, oh oh oh! Such terrifying chakra, it's enough to turn me pale! But guess what—I can do that too~"

The moment Killer Bee finished his rhythmic words—

Boom.

A chakra cloak enveloped him as well, instantly intercepting the Nine-Tails' assault.

The two Tailed Beasts began clashing, their tails striking against each other.

The battle had reached its peak.

Kakashi, watching from the sidelines, remained completely expressionless.

He… no longer cared.

Or rather—

From the moment the match started, he had already stopped caring.

After all—he called the Fourth Hokage "Minato-sensei." So whether he won or lost didn't matter to him at all.

However—

Would surrendering now seem too deliberate?

If he didn't surrender yet… should he at least take down the Kumo ninja first before giving up?

As he hesitated—

"Such an intense battle… yet Hatake Kakashi hasn't joined in and is just watching quietly from the side. Could it be that he's waiting for the right moment?"

"What a cunning guy!"

"…"

What kind of nonsense was this guy spouting?!

Kakashi's mouth twitched.

He sighed helplessly, but when he saw Kushina struggling, he didn't hesitate any longer—

He had to act.

He had no choice.

Compared to Killer Bee, Kushina had been in Konoha for so long that her combat experience was significantly lacking.

If she lost, that would be a disaster.

However—

Just as he made his move—

"He's making a move! He's making a move!"

The commentator's voice boomed. "Has he finally seen his opportunity?"

"…"

This bastard…

Kakashi's hand froze and suddenly stopped in mid-air.

But still—he activated his Earth Release!

As the audience watched his familiar dog-head, they couldn't help but admire him. As expected of Konoha's genius, Hatake Kakashi. Even his Earth Release is so unique!

At that moment—

At this chaotic table, two terrifying Tailed Beast chakras surged.

One person—silently assisting the Nine-Tails with ninjutsu.

Another person—carefully trying to play the game amidst this overwhelming pressure.

Yakushi Nono: This is too scary… maybe I should just surrender?

She hesitated.

But…

It was as if everyone had already forgotten about her.

Meanwhile, Hatake Kakashi truly lived up to his title as Konoha's genius—he had never relied on a Tailed Beast's power from the very start.

He was using his own true strength!

As for the other Konoha genius…

Konoha's Ass-aulter.

Right now, he was barely holding on with his own ninjutsu. There was no other choice—his genjutsu had long been noticed and was no longer effective.

Besides, he wasn't particularly skilled at genjutsu to begin with.

Under the combined assault of Hanzo of the Salamander (Ame ninja), Pakura (Suna ninja), and the mysterious Green Bean-Eyed Man, the fact that he was still holding out was already impressive.

Meanwhile, at the other two tables—

Things were much calmer.

Especially at Suzune's table…

Elder Hana and Elder Setsuna were still in play, but the third participant had already been eliminated!

"I didn't expect to run into you again."

"Boring! Hurry up and play!"

"Hmph, I'll play this Nine Circles tile—let's see what you do now!"

"It's not a Six Circles tile, so what use is it to me?"

"Oh? Then how about this—Six Circles!"

"Pung!"

At this moment, Suzune…

( )

Stared expressionlessly, suddenly feeling the urge to surrender.

But—

"Suzune, little girl, hurry up already!" Elder Hana urged her to make a move.

Honestly, this match…

It was neither as intense as expected nor as boring as imagined.

It was just…

Could the Chief Elder stop being so tsundere?!

Didn't he notice even Fugaku's mouth was twitching?!

The entire Hyuga clan was probably collectively rolling their eyes right now!

With a sigh of resignation—

It looked like Elder Hana was going to win this table!

Tch! Dog Licker!

As for Yakushi Nono's table… It seemed like Kushina was the likely winner.

Which meant the final round would be—

Konan, Elder Hana, Kushina, and… an unknown fourth player.

After all, the situation at Obito's table was unclear. The likely winners there were either Hanzo, Pakura, or Kakuzu.

Even without using Earth Grudge Fear, Kakuzu's four-heart ninjutsu arsenal was more than enough for him to hold his own.

As for Obito…

His ninjutsu had too many limitations. Unless he had a sudden power spike, his chances of winning were slim.

Otherwise, what was he going to do? Phase through the table and poke each opponent one by one?

If that happened—

Then this year's Mahjong God would be Obito, hands down.

Who would even dare challenge him?!

With a sigh filled with emotion, he continued watching.

At this point… winning or losing didn't matter to him anymore. His goal had already been achieved—this Mahjong God Cup was something no one would ever forget.

However—

Suddenly—

"Uzumaki Kushina… eliminated!"

The announcer's voice rang out, and everyone—even Yuto—stared in shock.

What the hell?!

Did Kabuto run off to gamble against Tsunade or something?!

No!

She was right there, looking just as stunned as everyone else!

Kabuto didn't believe it.

So… what exactly happened?!

At that moment—

Even Kakashi was bewildered. He turned to look at Kushina, who had casually pushed her tiles forward, revealing them.

After a moment's hesitation, he muttered, "Misplay…?"

But—

Kushina seemed completely unfazed.

Instead, her eyes gleamed, and she looked… strangely excited?

She immediately rushed off, darting past the red line and throwing herself into Minato's arms. She whispered something to him—

And in the next instant, the Fourth Hokage himself lit up with excitement, hugging her tightly.

"???"

What just happened?!

Everyone was utterly confused.

Even Kakashi had no idea what was going on.

But judging from the situation… it didn't seem like a bad thing.

Just as he was about to relax—

Suddenly.

"That's right! As expected of Konoha's genius—Hatake Kakashi!"

The announcer's voice rang out again, filled with excitement, enthusiasm, and disbelief.

"Such perfect timing! Did he do it on purpose? Of course he did! There's no doubt! We don't know exactly how, but he has successfully eliminated the strongest player in the match! He's now even closer to becoming the Mahjong God! Let's all congratulate him!"

The words had barely fallen—

And the entire stadium erupted into applause.

Everyone—except for Kakashi.

"…"

I didn't do anything! I swear! You're making things up!

I have no idea what just happened!

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