The Siege of Shuriken

"Use barriers!" the examiner shouted urgently, his scalp prickling with fear as he watched Sasuke and Tenten unleash a torrent of ninja tools. The competition venue was small, and many of the shurikens flew dangerously close to the audience.

If this continued, the bystanders outside the arena might suffer casualties.

The Konoha examiner swiftly leaped to the arena's perimeter, forming seals with his hands and activating the Barrier technique to shield the spectators and the competitors from the chaotic rain of weapons.

Up on the second floor, Naruto watched with fiery enthusiasm as Sasuke and Tenten clashed in a relentless exchange. He gripped the railing tightly, shouting below.

"Damn it! Don't underestimate Sasuke's power of the Nine Clans!"

Kakashi and Sakura, embarrassed by Naruto's outburst, quickly moved away from him. Hinata, on the other hand, blushed slightly as she looked at Naruto with tenderness. Sakura noticed Hinata's reaction and, after a moment's hesitation, approached her to chat quietly.

Naruto noticed the conversation between Sakura and Hinata but was too far away to hear their words. Hinata would occasionally exclaim in surprise and glance towards Naruto, making him think she was worried about him. He winked and smiled at her, thinking he was reassuring her.

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Tenten below were still engaged in their fierce battle. Tenten was shocked to see Sasuke pulling out yet another scroll.

"Hey!!" Tenten shouted in disbelief. "Why does a member of the Uchiha clan have so many seal scrolls?!"

Sasuke, with a sneer, continued to produce scrolls from his attire. "Just a normal day," he said coolly, as he threw out more ninja tools. A storm of shurikens filled the air, falling like a deadly rain.

Sasuke crossed his arms, clenching his fists behind him, manipulating the thrown shurikens with wire strings to change their trajectories. Now, the shurikens were attacking Tenten from all directions.

The scene was like an assault from an entire army. Naruto, from the stands, imagined Sasuke leading his entire clan against Tenten.

"What... What are you doing?!" Tenten shouted, struggling to evade the onslaught. "No Uchiha fights like this!"

Though not as agile as Neji or Rock Lee, Tenten was among the best Genin. Yet, even she struggled against the sheer number of shurikens. Her range of movement dwindled as Sasuke continued to unleash a seemingly endless barrage.

Just when it seemed Tenten had no way out, she heard several shurikens whizzing by, only to realize they were not aimed at her. Sasuke stood, his hands wrapped with wires, commanding the shurikens with precise control.

"Admit defeat!" Sasuke called out. "You have no place to escape."

Gaara watched the scene with growing interest, his eyes glinting with excitement.

The venue was now covered in a mesh of steel wires. Moving even slightly would result in a deadly trap for Tenten. Sasuke's strategy was nothing short of impressive, leaving the audience in stunned silence.

The sheer number of shurikens Sasuke had used was overwhelming—an estimated one hundred thousand, not including the detonating charms he had thrown. The Takigakure Village ninjas looked on with mixed expressions, realizing that Sasuke had used more ninja tools than their entire village possessed.

The Third Hokage watched with growing concern and trembling hands. Such extravagance in combat... he thought. This must be Naruto's influence. If everyone fights like Sasuke, Konoha might face dire consequences.

The Third Hokage's blood pressure seemed to rise as he contemplated the future.

"I surrender..." Tenten finally called out, her voice weary. "And by the way, how many scrolls do you still have?"

Tenten's frustration was evident. Sasuke opened his clothes to reveal numerous seal scrolls hidden inside. From the visible portion, it was clear he had dozens of scrolls.

"Hello!!" Tenten exclaimed, overwhelmed. "What is going on with you?! Are you fighting me with your family's wealth?"

The crowd was left in shock, as Sasuke's sheer number of scrolls was beyond comprehension. People wondered if he had traded all his possessions for ninja tools.

Naruto, watching the spectacle, could barely contain his laughter. He had once asked Sasuke about the number of seal scrolls he carried, but Sasuke had always been evasive.

It seemed Naruto's earlier boast about Sasuke's "Nine Clans" power was more literal than figurative—Sasuke had apparently liquidated all family assets for this fight.

"Cough cough cough…" Moonlight Hayate finally arrived at the arena, clearing his throat to announce the result. "Second battle, Uchiha Sasuke wins."

Hayate quickly helped remove the steel wires surrounding Tenten. Sasuke, in stark contrast to his earlier show of strength, now appeared awkward as he bent down to recover the shuriken.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at Sasuke's embarrassing task of retrieving the tools. "Hahaha! Sasuke, you were so cool with those shurikens earlier…"

"Shut up!" Sasuke snapped, his face flushed with embarrassment.

Despite his earlier bravado, Sasuke was now clearly self-conscious about picking up all the ninja tools. The task was slow and tedious, and Moonlight Hayate, noticing this, announced a one-hour break before the third test.

As soon as Hayate made the announcement, Naruto quietly approached him. "Hey, Uncle Hayate…"

"I saw someone leaving with your girlfriend yesterday…"

Moonlight Hayate's eyes widened in shock. The thousand books in his mouth fell to the ground with a clatter. His face twisted in pain, and tears began streaming from his eyes.

Hayate burst into tears, his anguish palpable. "I knew it!!"

Naruto looked on with a mix of sympathy and amusement as Hayate's distress unfolded.