Chapter-39

"No..." Ibara sighed and could only sit and prepare herself. Her vine hair constantly moved, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead. Glancing around, she noticed that they were one of the few duos in the competition. Most other teams were composed of multiple students. "Do you have any plans?" She asked, peering down at her teammate, who closed his eyes for a moment in contemplation.

"With the points we have, we're already qualified for the third stage. If we need to take more points, it'll be from the less important teams. Advancing to the third stage won't be complicated," the shinobi explained. He was eager for this event to conclude. While he initially ran in the first test to secure a good position, he had now secured his spot in the next stage thanks to his accumulated points. He also didn't want to draw too much attention to himself. "We can keep our distance and bide our time. It's the—"

"No!" Naruto was taken aback by the interruption from the teenager on his shoulders. Looking up, he met Ibara's determined gaze. She was dead serious. "We should never settle for second place! Naruto-kun, all our classmates are here to give their best, and they don't expect anything less from you. We can't waste this opportunity! We must shine and show what we're made of!" Her resolute words left Naruto deep in thought.

"I'll always give more than 100%! It doesn't matter who I'm up against. I'll surpass them all. That's my ninja way!"

"..." Naruto remembered those words he had once shouted as a young brat. He smiled slightly and looked up at his partner, who awaited his response eagerly. "So, you want to go all out?" He asked calmly, noticing that the clock for the 15-minute team formation limit had expired.

"Yes. My mother always said you should never waste the opportunity to give your best and shine," Ibara replied calmly, her bright and infectious smile reaching Naruto. He sighed as the time limit bugle sounded.

"She's a wise woman... I hope she's watching you now because we're going to put on quite a show." With those words, Naruto cracked his neck and began walking towards the location of the upcoming test.

Back with the commentators, the time limit bugle marked the beginning of the second stage of the festival. "Alright, everyone has assembled their teams," Present Mic's voice echoed through the stadium's speakers as the countdown on the platform's screen reached zero. "No need to ask if they're ready, because just by looking at the field, I know they are! Now, let's start the countdown! 3!"

"..." All the participants, with their respective teams, were ready and prepared. Among them was the team that had become the target of many: Midoriya, Tokoyami, Uraraka, and Hatsume, who was eager to unleash her 'Babies.'

"2!" Another team consisted of Shiori Todoroki, who was being carried by her teammates: Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Kaminari. The girl with white and red hair cast furtive glances at Midoriya, just as she did with Naruto, who was relaxed with his equipment on his back.

"Kill! Kill!" Bakugo seemed to have already identified his two targets. Once he took the 10 million points from Deku, he planned to go after Uzumaki to claim his points, leaving him out of the competition. Mina, Sero, and Kirishima couldn't help but watch with concern as their rider appeared on the verge of exploding at any moment.

"1!"

"Begin!" Midnight's shout marked the beginning of what she described as a massacre. Instantly, everyone started running toward each other. However, their movements were abruptly halted by a powerful blizzard that swept through the participants. "What the hell?!" The heroine watched in disbelief as a yellow and green blur zoomed past, leaving a trail of dust in its wake.

"Huh?!" Izuku barely had time to react when Naruto appeared before them in less than a second. "Tokoyami!" His bird-headed companion, still stunned by the unexpected arrival of the shinobi, summoned a shadow from his body to attack Naruto. But Naruto swiftly leaped and delivered a roundhouse kick that struck the shadow silhouette, causing it to grunt in pain and retreat.

"..." Ibara found herself disoriented, going from one edge of the track to facing another team in an instant. Shaking off her daze, the green-haired girl extended her arm, attempting to snatch the most valuable headband from Midoriya. However, she had to withdraw her hands as a hook with a wire shot out from a device created by Mei.

"We need to get away!" Midoriya knew that they couldn't confront the shinobi under these circumstances. Activating the rocket backpack on his back, courtesy of the Support Department, he took flight, hoping for a moment of respite. Yet, he opened his eyes in disbelief, along with his companions, when Uzumaki executed such a powerful jump that cracked the ground beneath him, propelling him upward.

"What do we do?!" Uraraka shouted, realizing that they were in the air and the equipment they carried wouldn't allow them to maneuver quickly enough to escape.

"..." Deku's right arm became covered in green energy, his skin turning red as he prepared to stop Naruto. He was willing to sacrifice his arm to halt his classmate, who was rapidly closing in on them. But just as he was about to strike, Naruto reached him and intercepted his attack by gripping his right arm with his left hand.

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