Chapter-65

Returning to Ibara, we see her taking a deep breath to calm herself down. Her hair settled back in place, and she looked at Naruto, deciding to show her deadly weapon.

"..." Slowly, tears welled up in the teenager's eyes. She took a few shaky breaths before finally bursting into tears. She covered her face with her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. "I just care about you!" Her voice trembled as she revealed her heartfelt concern.

"..." One of Naruto's eyebrows twitched uncontrollably as he watched his friend's 'tears.' He glanced around and noticed the other onlookers were getting upset, seeing the typically 'sweet and cute' religious girl in distress. "Are you trying to manipulate me?" Naruto questioned without being swayed by the green-haired girl, who was now crying even harder.

"Why would you say that? I'm your friend, and I'm genuinely concerned about this bad habit of yours!" She took a risk and grabbed Naruto's jacket, burying her face against his chest and crying even more intensely.

"How could he be so cold?"

"Poor thing... she's just worried about him."

"He's so heartless for not comforting her."

"Such a brute... he doesn't appreciate her kindness."

"Oh, for heaven's sake..." Naruto sighed inwardly. It seemed he had underestimated her manipulative skills when she proposed this. "Alright, alright, I won't drink... in public," he grumbled, unsurprised when the teenager stopped crying and beamed brightly.

"Great! That's all I wanted. That's why I'll bring you lunch every day in class!" She promised, giving Naruto a big smile. It appeared that the Uzumaki was opening up faster than she had anticipated. This made Ibara very happy. However, her joy turned to concern when she saw that Naruto now had a more sinister grin.

"Are you alright?" She asked, but received no response. Naruto began to walk away, heading down the stairs. Before Ibara could follow him, the stadium horns blared.

"The semi-final match is about to begin! First up, it's Uzumaki Naruto vs. Iida Tenya! Both participants, please proceed to the platform to start this battle! Yeah!" Present Mic's announcement filled the air, creating anticipation among the spectators. Iida quickly made his way to the platform, while Naruto slowly walked to the platform from the concrete corridors.

"What am I doing?" Naruto questioned himself as he continued to walk at a measured pace.

"Something foolish," the silhouette of the Nine-Tails took shape beside him. The Bijuu had a mocking smile as she walked alongside her Jinchuriki. "Do you remember what happened to your last 'friend'?" She taunted, looking around. The two of them reached the platform and positioned themselves on the left side, while Iida stood on the right.

"..." Naruto gave the Biju a dark look, but she remained unfazed and even smiled wider.

"You've grown soft, and now you're here? Participating in a silly tournament, befriending that religious girl who believes in an invisible being, and helping that girl with her crazy father," the redhead rambled, but the Uzumaki didn't pay any attention. It was the referee's responsibility to announce the rules and start the battle.

"You know what happened last time. Are you willing to lose everything again?" With that question, the biju vanished, and Iida charged at full speed toward Naruto, bluish flames trailing from his ankles, showing he was going all out with his initial strike.

"This is my chance!" Iida thought, putting his all into sprinting toward his seemingly absentminded opponent. He aimed to seize the moment and shove the shinobi off the platform. Time seemed to slow down as the teenage speedster closed in, a few meters away from Naruto. In just a few steps, Lida extended his right arm, ready to deliver a blow that would propel his opponent off the platform. "Ahhhh!" However, it all ended in an instant when Naruto's fist connected with Iida's stomach.

Everyone watched as Iida's body was sent flying over the platform, crashing against one of the stadium walls, embedding in the concrete. Present Mic and the spectators fell into an eerie silence, realizing that the battle had come to an abrupt end in less than two seconds. Midnight rushed to Iida, examining him to find he was knocked out but likely not seriously injured.

"Uzumaki Naruto is the winner!" Midnight declared, raising her whip and pointing to the victorious shinobi, who slowly stepped back from the platform. Medical robots arrived to tend to the fallen student.

"Naruto-kun?" The B-Class girl wondered about his unusual behavior as he left the platform. But before she could approach him, Shiozashi advised her not to bother him.

"You should give him some space. He seems like he doesn't want to be bothered," Shiozashi told her, and Ibara returned to her seat, watching as the next battle was about to begin.

"The second preliminary battle is between Bakugo Katsuki and Hitoshi Shinzo! Both participants, please come to the platform to determine who will face Uzumaki Naruto in the finals!" Ignoring the professional hero's comments, both students made their way down from their respective balconies and positioned themselves on the platform.

"..." Both teenagers stood facing each other, and as Midnight raised her whip to signal the start, it was Bakugo who made the first move, charging toward Shinzo with explosive speed.

"Shinee!" Without hesitation, Katsuki extended his right arm and unleashed an explosion, sending his opponent flying painfully off the platform. "Did you think I'd let you control me?! Screw you!" Bakugo's vehement words filled the air as Shinzo accepted his defeat.

"Wow! Bakugo and Uzumaki don't want to waste time. We're headed to the final battle!" Present Mic began his commentary.

"Uzumaki, come here now!" Bakugo's shout abruptly cut off the pro hero's commentary. The explosive boy impatiently ignited multiple explosions around his arms, declaring his intent to face Naruto and win this time. The teenager's screams continued to make the referees angry. When they were going to penalize him, they saw that someone appeared.

Naruto walked in silence until he stood face to face with Bakugo, who wore a crooked smile on his face. The two blondes locked eyes, their gazes intensifying. The cold blue eyes of the shinobi met Bakugo's fiery red eyes, both eagerly anticipating the battle that had been a long time coming.

"Mister?" Midnight's voice came through her communicator, and she waited for instructions from her superiors. They instructed her to let the battle proceed but to stay vigilant and ready to intervene if necessary. She nodded in acknowledgment, then raised her whip. "The final match of this year's UA tournament is about to begin! The two finalists, Uzumaki Naruto and Bakugo Katsuki, will face off for the title of first place in this competition. Are you both ready?" She asked, although her question was met with indifference from both teens.

"Bakugo vs. Naruto? We all saw this coming," thought Momo, who, like the other students, watched intently as the highly-anticipated battle was about to commence.

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