#45 Divine Reward System

In the ninth round, Choji and one of Sakura’s teammates ended in a tie after a hard-fought battle, leaving Kurenai slightly regretful. Other than Shino, two of her students failed to advance to the [third exam].

The next round was also the final round! While it wasn’t necessarily the strongest fight of the tournament, it was the one that everyone wanted to see.

Because one of the fighters was Tatsuya! Ever since the [Chunin Exam] started, he had drawn the attention of many.

That was exactly why everyone was eager to see his true strength! As anticipation filled the air, the voice of the proctor, Hayate Gekko, echoed through the stadium.

“The following is the final round of this [Qualifying Tournament]!”

“[Temari] vs. [Tokigawa Tatsuya]!”

The stadium buzzed with excitement, all eyes locked onto the two fighters stepping forward.

Tatsuya’s performance in the [Second Exam] had been nothing short of astonishing. A single competitor holding six scrolls—something unheard of in the history of the exam. His name was already on everyone’s lips, yet his true strength remained a mystery.

Even the Third Hokage was watching closely, his sharp gaze lingering on the young warrior. Among the participants, those unfamiliar with Tatsuya’s abilities—like Neji, Tenten, Gaara, and Kankuro—were particularly intrigued.

Temari, his opponent, shared the same curiosity.

Standing across from him, she studied him carefully. A slow smirk tugged at her lips as she twirled a strand of blonde hair between her fingers.

“Didn’t think our fight would end up being the finale.” Her voice carried a confident edge. “Guess this is my chance to see what all the fuss is about.”

Tatsuya met her gaze with a lazy smile. “You’ll see soon enough.”

She scoffed, flipping open her giant Three-Star Fan. “If you can’t handle me, don’t even think about going up against Gaara.”

“Oh? Worried about me?” Tatsuya teased, his tone light but his sharp eyes betraying a deeper amusement.

Temari’s smirk faltered just slightly before she shook her head. “Hmph. Let’s see how strong you really are!”

Without hesitation, she swung her fan. A powerful gust erupted from the strike, howling as it surged toward Tatsuya, kicking up dust and sending debris flying.

A formidable attack—one capable of leveling the battlefield in an instant.

But Tatsuya didn’t move.

Instead, with a flick of his finger—

“Clang!”

The force of his counter sent Temari flying backward.

“Boom!”

She slammed into the arena wall, the impact shaking the ground. The crowd fell into stunned silence.

“What… just happened?”

“Was that a jutsu?!”

As whispers rippled through the stadium, Kakashi, standing among the spectators, finally spoke up. “No, that wasn’t ninjutsu.” His visible eye narrowed as he analyzed the exchange. “He enhanced his strike using wind chakra.”

Even Kakashi was impressed. Mastering a chakra nature to that extent wasn’t something one could accomplish in mere months. This was the result of extreme precision and understanding.

Sasuke clenched his fists, recalling the strange force pressing against his skin earlier. “So that’s what it was…”

Tatsuya’s technique bore a striking resemblance to the [Almighty Push] used by Pain’s Deva Path, yet it was fundamentally different. This wasn’t the power of the Rinnegan—it was pure mastery of Wind Release.

One flick, and Temari had been thrown aside like a leaf caught in a storm.

From the stands, Tenten turned to Neji, her voice barely above a whisper. “He’s… ridiculously strong.”

Neji nodded, his Byakugan faintly pulsing. “Sasuke wasn’t exaggerating when he said Tatsuya might be stronger than him.”

Gaara, Kankuro, and even Shikamaru watched in silence.

Kankuro’s hands tightened into fists. “Temari’s not… she’s not gonna lose that easily, right?”

Gaara, however, remained eerily calm. He wasn’t concerned about Temari—his interest lay solely in Tatsuya. Was he strong enough to face him?

“I look forward to fighting you,” Gaara whispered, a glimmer of excitement flashing in his cold eyes.

Meanwhile, among the other competitors, Sakura, Ino, and Hinata stared at Tatsuya in disbelief.

Back at the academy, he had been nothing special.

And now? He had just defeated Temari with a single move.

Shikamaru exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Man… this guy is seriously on a different level.”

As the murmurs continued, Tatsuya finally spoke.

“Give up.”

“You’re not my opponent.”

Temari grit her teeth, forcing herself to stand despite the pain wracking her body. She was still conscious only because Tatsuya had held back. If he had put even a fraction more force into his attack, she wouldn’t be standing at all.

She wanted to keep fighting—but Tatsuya’s next words stopped her cold.

“Don’t push yourself for no reason.”

“If you keep going, I won’t hold back next time.”

The quiet weight in his voice sent a chill down her spine. For the first time in a long while, Temari hesitated.

And then, after a long moment, she exhaled and made her decision.

“… I surrender.”

The arena was deathly silent.

A single-move victory—something that had never happened in the [Qualifying Tournament] before.

After all, every candidate who passed the [Second Exam] was supposed to have a certain level of strength.

Well… aside from Sakura and Ino, who were better suited for support than direct combat.

With Temari’s surrender, the [Qualifiers] officially came to an end.

“Tokigawa Tatsuya wins the tenth round!”

“Now, I officially announce that the [Qualifiers] of the [Third Exam] are over!” Hayate’s voice rang across the arena.

Of the 21 candidates who had entered, only eight had secured their places in the final stage—Gaara, Kankuro, Shikamaru, Sasuke, Naruto, Neji, Shino, and Tokigawa. Konoha had taken six of the eight spots.

[T/N: The author has completely forgot Shikamaru, and Kankuro's fight. Damn. I'm just translating it so I don't know what I should do, this sucks. Anyways, y'all know Shikamaru is hella smart, so him winning is already set in stone, and the same could be said to Kankuro, so I'll leave this as it is.]

As the finalists gathered in the center of the arena, the Third Hokage stepped forward.

“Congratulations on making it to the [Third Exam],” he said, his gaze sweeping over them. “This exam is different from the previous ones. Many [Daimyo] and [Nobles] from different lands will be watching.”

“You represent your villages. I expect you all to give it your best.”

“To allow you time to prepare, the [Third Exam] will be held in one month.”