Chapter 93 What? Heroes Always Appear Last!

Naruto said with a confused look, "You're really fast, in every sense of the word."

Naruto stared straight ahead and chatted with Shikamaru, who looked calm beside him.

Naruto said with an annoyed look, "Hey, you jerk! Stop saying ambiguous things, will you? It'll make people misunderstand!"

Naruto turned his neck mechanically. Shikamaru had been like this since they were kids, never showing any interest in anything, and his catchphrase was "What a hassle."

"If you find it so troublesome, why don't you just give up the match?"

"Shut up! I've got my own issues. If I just quit, Ino will nag me non - stop, and I won't know how to explain it to Teacher Asuma."

Naruto said with a confused look, "By the way, is it okay for you to be chatting nonsense with me here?"

He wondered, "The next match is Sasuke's, right? Where is he? If he doesn't come, he'll really lose his qualification for the test."

"Ah! I almost forgot about that."

Only then did Naruto remember that Sasuke hadn't shown up yet. He anxiously covered his aching head and paced back and forth, wondering where Sasuke was and what he was doing.

..............

"Sasuke Uchiha still hasn't arrived?"

The Hokage sat on the stands and glanced at the Kazekage sitting beside him. He always felt that the Kazekage was paying too much attention to Sasuke. He wondered if it was just his imagination.

"Kakashi."

"Yes, Hokage - sama."

"Why hasn't that boy shown up yet?"

"Huh?"

Kakashi, who was suddenly called up, looked totally confused. He wasn't Sasuke's bodyguard, so he couldn't keep an eye on him 24/7.

How would he know why Sasuke hadn't come? But if he answered like that, he'd definitely get scolded.

"Um... Could it be that he overslept?"

After hesitating for a long time, he finally came up with a really ridiculous excuse.

"Ah-----"

Looking at the completely clueless Kakashi, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long sigh. Everyone in Team 7, from the teacher to the students, seemed so unreliable. It really was a case of "if the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked."

"Don't be so anxious, Hokage - sama. The match has gone this far, and the arena is in a mess because of the previous contestants. How about waiting a bit while they tidy up the arena?"

After all, this was a conversation between peers. He couldn't possibly ignore the Kazekage's suggestion, so he agreed.

"Alright, we'll wait until the arena is tidied up. If he still doesn't come, cancel his qualification for the test."

"Yes, Hokage - sama."

.................

Naruto watched as the arena was being repaired piece by piece. Time ticked away second by second. He was so nervous that he was sweating all over, but there was still no sign of anyone in the empty arena.

Finally, after receiving an order from the Hokage on the stands, Shisui was about to announce that Sasuke had lost his qualification for the test when a large number of leaves slowly fell from the sky above the arena.

For a moment, the onlookers in the arena stared in amazement at the miraculous sight.

As the leaves fluttered rhythmically, they gradually formed a whirlpool and stood in the very center of the arena. The leaves fell one by one, and a clear figure made a grand entrance.

...

"This bastard really loves to show off. He even showed up just in the nick of time for such a crucial match," Naruto Uzumaki rushed up impatiently the moment he saw the figure.

"Hey! You're so late. You must have been doing some really hard cultivation, right!"

Seeing Naruto Uzumaki provoking him so boldly, Sasuke Uchiha thought that just because he hadn't paid attention to Naruto's cultivation for a while, this guy dared to talk big in front of him. It was simply outrageous! He shot a sharp look at Naruto, who instinctively took a few steps back.

"What... what are you doing? You're always teaching me. Can't I teach you a lesson now that you're late?"

"Naruto, have I ever told you something?"

"What is it?"

"Actually, I've always really wanted to have a battle with you!"

"Sasuke..."

Looking into Sasuke's shining eyes, Naruto's heart was filled with excitement. He knew Sasuke was serious about having a battle with him.

"Alright, I've already won the first match. See you in the finals!"

"Naruto, stop talking nonsense and get up there quickly. Don't delay the progress of the match anymore!"

"Ah, oh, okay, Aniki Shisui."

Watching Naruto's disappearing figure, Actually, Sasuke had arrived at the arena early, but he just followed the original plan and hadn't shown up.

Naruto really gave him a huge surprise. He didn't expect that Naruto had learned the Rasengan from Jiraiya in such a short time. It seemed that the Wind Release jutsu he had taught Naruto before had also laid a solid foundation for his later learning. His teachings weren't in vain after all.

With Sasuke's arrival, the sand on the arena began to stir, and Gaara walked towards the match arena. Although he looked calm, Sasuke could feel that the chakra in his body was extremely excited, as if it was about to burst out at any moment.

"The fifth match, Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara, starts now!"

Thunderous cheers erupted from the stands. As a well - known member of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke's match had attracted a lot of attention. It was a rare opportunity for everyone to see the level of the Uchiha clan.

...

The air in the arena gradually became tense. Gaara still had his arms crossed in front of his chest, and the sand in his gourd automatically searched for its target.

Immediately after Sasuke's figure flashed and he started to move at high speed, Gaara was forced to recall the scene when he had a battle with Rock Lee.

He didn't expect that, putting Rock Lee aside, Sasuke's Taijutsu was also so powerful.

He could only instinctively follow the figure that was too fast to see clearly and tightly control the sand around himself so that he could defend in time.

But the slow - moving sand couldn't catch up with Sasuke's Taijutsu. Sasuke flashed through the gap between the sand and the ground, leaped directly in front of Gaara from the ground, and delivered a spinning kick. Using the rotation to strengthen the power of his legs, he kicked Gaara more than ten meters away.

Damn it!

He had clearly been very cautious about Sasuke's Taijutsu, yet Sasuke still managed to succeed.

Gaara, whose body was lingering in the air, couldn't help but feel annoyed. Not long ago, he had gone to provoke Naruto and declared that he would twist off Sasuke's head.

Who would have thought that it was actually him who got knocked flying after just one encounter!

Unwilling to accept this, Gaara controlled the sand to catch Sasuke's lightning - fast figure. Sasuke's Taijutsu also broke down Gaara's defenses.

Although the Armour of Sand on the surface protected his body from harm, after his battle with Rock Lee, Sasuke should be aware that it was absolutely impossible to cause fatal damage to him with just Taijutsu!

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