Chapter 792: Tobirama: Lord, He’s Framing Me!
Three hours later, all preliminary exams had concluded.
A total of 276 ninja participants passed the preliminaries and advanced to the next round.
The lowest among them was Special Jōnin, and over 90% of the rest were regular Jōnin.
Of course, the total number of Jōnin across the world must be higher than this.
However, outside the Five Great Villages, one shouldn’t underestimate what a Jōnin represents.
In smaller nations, a Jōnin was essentially the highest combat power in a village—strong enough to dominate an entire village or even control an entire city.
Consider Gato: despite running a shipping company capable of controlling the economic lifeline of the Land of Waves, and being able to hire numerous wandering samurai and thugs, he couldn’t even recruit a Chunin from a slightly stronger major village, and was ultimately killed by a nearly dying Zabuza.
This illustrates just how valuable a Jōnin is across the world.
Of the 276 participants who passed, ninja from Konoha itself made up more than half, while the rest came from various countries and villages.
If you exclude participants from mid-tier powers like Sunagakure, the Land of Iron, the Land of Grass, and remnants from the three destroyed villages, the number of standout competitors truly from minor nations and small villages was very small.
Their treasured, hereditary techniques ultimately couldn’t compare to standard A-rank jutsu from major countries or villages.
They simply weren’t on the same level.
Of course, this was exactly what most participants from minor nations aimed for—to stand out in the ninja championship, earn a high rank, and gain the opportunity to join Konoha Village.
Just like people in certain countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America desperately trying to immigrate into the five major nations.
Currently, in the ninja world, there were no longer five dominant great villages.
There was only one—Konoha—standing tall. Even if Sunagakure still existed, that poor, dangerous place was nowhere near as appealing as Konoha.
And this ninja championship was undoubtedly their only chance to enter this "paradise," so they had to give it their all!
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At two in the afternoon, the first round officially began in eight temporary arenas.
The rules were simple: two participants would fight after a random draw.
They would battle within a confined circular arena until one emerged victorious.
Voluntary surrender counted as a loss, losing consciousness counted as a loss, and exiting the arena counted as a loss.
Other than that, there were no restrictions.
In other words, if you refused to surrender—or simply didn’t have time to—you could even be killed by your opponent, and it would still be within the rules, not considered a violation.
As a result, the risk level and intensity of these matches increased drastically.
Keep in mind, this wasn’t the Chunin Exam.
Chunin Exam participants had limited strength, and even if a fight heated up, a group of Jōnin would immediately step in to stop and save them.
But this ninja championship, held for the entire world, featured preliminary matches with at least Jōnin-level combatants. Fierce battles between Jōnin—unless Tobirama himself intervened—were nearly impossible for anyone else to safely interrupt.
In short, this meant the tournament would be far more brutal and intense than any previous exam, and fatalities were almost certain.
Although before the tournament, many in Konoha worried that such rules were too extreme, and urged the Second Hokage to make slight adjustments. Unfortunately, in today’s Konoha, aside from Lady Mito, no one could change Tobirama’s decisions.
These brutal match rules were enforced unilaterally by Tobirama.
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Currently, the preliminary rounds had begun.
In the highest spectator seats of the newly renovated arena, the guest area was already packed.
The famously renowned Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, sat in the central area. As the organizer and founder of the ninja championship, his presence was required.
To Tobirama’s left sat the famed Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Uzumaki Mito. To Mito’s left sat the head of the Uzumaki Ashina clan, the head of the Ōtsutsuki clan on the moon, the head of the main branch of the Hyūga clan... and others.
To Tobirama’s right—the very center seat of the entire stand—was surprisingly empty, with no one seated.
To the right of this empty seat sat dozens of the highest leaders from various nations, including the daimyō of the Land of Fire, the daimyō of the Land of Wind, the daimyō of the Land of Water... and others.
Yet, the five daimyō from the great nations sitting in the front row looked rather pale and exhausted, as if they’d been partying for days, making other nobles feel uneasy.
Of course, even more people were wondering why that central seat remained empty.
Could there possibly be a guest more honored than the Second Hokage in the entire world today?
Impossible, right?
It shouldn’t be, right?
Until they saw Tobirama place a photograph of his late older brother, Hashirama—the First Hokage—beside the empty seat. Only then did everyone understand, and find it natural.
Perhaps only Hashirama could make the proud Tobirama so obedient.
That empty seat was most likely reserved for Hashirama—even though the First Hokage was long gone...
But no one knew—or rather, no one could see.
In that empty seat, someone was already sitting.
Such rare entertainment—how could Lux possibly miss it?
He was already sitting comfortably, waiting for the show to begin.
Of course, special barriers had been activated, and apart from Tobirama and Mito, not a single person in the entire arena could see or sense Lux.
As a god surpassing even the Sage of Six Paths, such a small trick was effortless.
"Tch. Placing Hashirama’s photo here—you really miss your brother that much? Should I summon him right now so you can see him?"
Lux reached out and touched the photo of Hashirama on the table.
Honestly, it had a different feel to it.
"Lord, please have mercy! If my brother saw this, he’d beat me to death..."
Parallel World 2 Tobirama quickly pleaded.
His brother deeply loved him, but his brother’s punches were also incredibly painful.
He’d placed the photo there just as a decoy, not actually wanting to invite his brother to watch.
If Parallel World 1 Hashirama really showed up, the tournament would descend into chaos, and even that evil Uchiha currently on the moon might rush over in a panic.
Tobirama did not want to see that scene.
"What about Mito?"
Lux casually turned slightly and asked Mito, who sat to his left.
Mito was slightly startled, but quickly declined politely:
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord. But for now, it’s unnecessary."
Mito felt somewhat stiff.
She had never met this Tenshō Sennin before—she’d only heard of him frequently from Tobirama and knew the other party had given immense aid to Konoha.
In her mind, Tenshō Sennin was likely an ancient entity on par with the Sage of Six Paths. To now meet and sit beside him was like legend becoming reality—she couldn’t help but feel awkward.
"You don’t wish to see Hashirama again?"
Lux’s question made Mito’s heart ache. She silently clenched her fists. Clearly, inside, she wasn’t as calm as she appeared.
"Of course I do."
"But that Hashirama is from the past. He has his own family and relatives. He isn’t my Hashirama..."
"At least, he isn’t my husband now..."
"I hope he could come and see me, see this world... but I know I have no right to force him, nor the right to trouble you, Lord."
Having endured from the Warring States Period to the Fourth Hokage’s era, Mito’s wisdom and insight were extraordinary.
Of course, she loved Hashirama.
But she also understood where to place that love, when to express it, and when to suppress it.
For her, love was more like honey—something to be savored repeatedly in the heart, not a shackle demanding others to sacrifice for her sake.
Besides, Mito knew very clearly.
How could she, a middle-aged woman in her forties, compete with her younger, twenties-self from another world?
And even her younger self couldn’t compete with that other Uchiha demon!
"Sister-in-law..."
Tobirama murmured emotionally. His sister-in-law truly was his sister-in-law!
Her love ran deeper than his, and she saw things more clearly.
Tobirama still often missed his brother—he even hoped Lux would frequently bring his brother to visit. He never expected his sister-in-law to be more restrained and wiser than himself.
If only he’d let his sister-in-law become the Second Hokage back then?
Everything from the Second to the Fourth Hokage era would have gone smoothly...
Damn...!
Tobirama didn’t dare think further.
He feared that the more he compared, the clearer it would become just how foolish he’d been—believing in Kumo’s alliance lies and nearly dying at the hands of brothers like Kinkaku and Ginkaku. It was a lifelong shame!
He wondered—had his past self in this world successfully killed Kinkaku and Ginkaku?
Parallel World 2 Tobirama, on one hand, hoped his past self suffered great losses too, but on the other, didn’t want him to make the same stupid mistakes as he had.
This conflicting emotion was truly unpleasant.
Fortunately, the preliminary matches in the arena below had begun, diverting some of Tobirama’s attention.
Just as expected from the start.
The intensity of this ninja championship, with no restrictions on lethal actions, far exceeded any previous tournament.
Only two rounds of preliminaries had passed.
After a total of sixteen matches involving thirty-two participants, eleven were severely injured, and one had died.
The intensity was nearly on par with life-or-death battles.
Most participants fought with a determination to win, and among them were several extremists.
The deceased was a Special Jōnin from the Land of Hot Water, and his opponent was a Jōnin remnant from Kumogakure, disguised as a wandering ninja.
He attacked with extreme brutality, giving his opponent no chance to surrender—driven solely by revenge, seeking to kill any ninja from Yugakure who had first joined Konoha.
Of course, none of this could be hidden from Tobirama’s eyes.
From the moment that man stepped onto the stage, Tobirama had known his identity.
What could be done? Tobirama, born from the battlefield, was on a completely different level from these remnants who couldn’t even conceal their murderous intent and hatred.
But Tobirama didn’t rush to act. He allowed the opponent to continue participating.
These lowly remnants weren’t his primary target.
He could deal with them all at the end.
Letting them last longer could also pressure Konoha’s slightly arrogant ninja.
Recently, with Konoha becoming the sole dominant power, some ninja in the village had grown increasingly arrogant!
This was the perfect opportunity to discipline them through the ninja championship.
"You’re letting that Kumogakure ninja stay—do you plan to use these remnants to discipline Konoha’s ninja?"
Lux saw through Tobirama’s intent and asked with a smile.
"Yes."
"Their hatred toward Konoha is real. Combined with rules that allow lethal force, aren’t you afraid they’ll fight to the death and cripple your beloved young ninja?"
"A true ninja’s path includes the courage to face life and death, and the wisdom to give their all even when chasing a rabbit. If they lose in the arena due to carelessness and underestimating their enemy, or even lose their lives—then trash like that, even if allowed to live, would only bring greater harm to the village."
No one understood the destructive power of a foolish teammate better than Tobirama!
Every fierce battle happening now was enough to shake the arrogance and pride deep within Konoha’s ninja hearts.
If any still didn’t wake up—lacking even the wisdom to surrender in the arena to save their lives—and got choked out by their enemy?
Ninja teammates like that—Konoha was better off without them!
"Tobirama, you’re playing quite the game here! But your body is far more honest than your words. You’ve prepared emergency plans, haven’t you?"
"I... It seems I can’t hide anything from you, Lord..."
Tobirama paused, realizing he couldn’t conceal anything from Lux, and thus decided to be honest.
Though his words were harsh, Tobirama’s body was far more truthful. As the Hokage who most protected his disciples, how could he not be prepared?
He had already placed Hiraishin seals on several Konoha ninja and sent eight shadow clones to disguise themselves and hide among the spectators, monitoring the matches in real time.
If a serious, unexpected accident occurred with fatal consequences, he could instantly teleport in and intervene to save the lives of his talented young ninja.
Because the nature of death caused by foolishness and death caused by accident were different. Tobirama didn’t want to lose a group of gifted young ninja pointlessly.
"But honestly, I didn’t expect you’d also steal the idea of a martial arts championship."
Lux sighed slightly. The concept of a "World’s Greatest Martial Arts Championship" was something he’d only mentioned once to Minato of Parallel World 4.
He never expected Minato hadn’t managed to organize it yet, nor did he know that Tobirama, the Second Hokage—a teacher of a different generation—had somehow heard of it and swiftly organized it himself.
Tobirama’s ability to copy ideas was no less impressive than his original creativity!
"This isn’t copying—it’s adaptation! This ninja championship and that martial arts championship are fundamentally different..."
Tobirama’s face flushed slightly, and he quickly explained.
"Never mind. Whether it’s copying or adapting, it doesn’t matter."
"Let’s talk about something meaningful. What’s your real purpose this time in hosting this ninja championship?"
When Lux had proposed it to Minato, he’d planned to turn the ninja championship into a kind of global sporting event.
Once the world was united, it would be held regularly at a fixed location.
It could strengthen global unity, select numerous genius ninja, boost revenue, and promote the exchange and advancement of ninjutsu and ninja culture.
In short, many benefits—greatly aiding unity and stability.
But in this Parallel World 2, Tobirama clearly hadn’t achieved total unification. He shouldn’t be rushing to host the World’s Greatest Ninja Championship.
At the very least, holding it now wouldn’t yield maximum benefits.
So Tobirama, clearly full of ulterior motives and hosting this event early, must have his own calculations and goals!
And the moment Lux asked about Tobirama’s calculations,
Mito on the left couldn’t help but perk up her ears, unconsciously eavesdropping.
Mito had always completely trusted Tobirama, especially since Tobirama had saved the entire Uzumaki clan.
So when Mito learned that the proposal to host the World’s Greatest Ninja Championship in Konoha was entirely Tobirama’s idea, she didn’t oppose it at all—she fully supported it.
Even when many high-ranking officials and clan heads came to ask Mito to persuade Tobirama otherwise, she never agreed.
Now, the ninja championship had successfully begun.
Mito was also curious—what exactly did Tobirama want to achieve?