NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 58: Quater Finals.
I arrived at the center stage along with the others. As I turned toward her, I blew Tsunade a flying kiss.
She completely ignored me.
There was a pervy sage nearby who saw the whole thing and was visibly jealous. If I had seen the look on his face, I would've burst into laughter. That pervy sage, of course, was none other than Jiraiya.
Seeing Tsunade ignore me, I chuckled. Some of the clan leaders watching from above noticed my antics. They thought I would be pressured under the attention,but now they thought of me as a mature individual—someone who, even while standing at the center of attention, could remain calm, composed, and unbothered.
The Hokage, Hiruzen, noticed too. He looked pleased with my earlier reveal of the Wood Release. It was a game-changer, and now that it was public, he could protect me openly. There was no longer a need to hide anything.
The elders, however, had more conflicted expressions—except for Danzo.
They had assumed I'd be just another talented kid they could easily manipulate to serve their own purposes. But they were starting to realize that I wasn't someone who could be controlled. Their only hope now was that I would still respect my elders and follow orders when needed.
If I had known what they were thinking, I would have scoffed in their faces.
The instructor's voice rang out, calling everyone to quiet down. All eyes shifted away from me and moved to the rest of the seven participants.
He began announcing the rules: "There will be four quarterfinal matches. If you lose, you're out—no second chances."
Excitement filled the air.
Hiruzen already suspected that either I or Kakashi would win. But the others had doubts. To them, Wood Release alone wasn't enough to make me the champion of the Chūnin Exams. Still, they were eager to see it in action.
Then came the match-ups:
1. **Ren vs. Tsume**
2. **Guy vs. Sanata**
3. **Kakashi vs. Tokuma**
4. **Izuna vs. Ensui**
The instructor declared the matches would begin shortly. All eight of us stepped off the central ground floor. We were led to a seating area on the first floor, where we could watch each fight as it unfolded below.
Then, the instructor called for me and Tsume to come down.
As we descended to the battlefield, I noticed Tsume was still staring at me.
I smiled at her. "Good luck."
She blushed slightly and replied, "Good luck to you too."
We reached the center and took our positions, facing each other. Her expression turned serious.
I had a feeling Tsume might have a crush on me. She was beautiful, no doubt. It was even said that Inuzuka women were wild in bed. Still, I did like few girls in this world.
I quickly pushed the thought aside. Now wasn't the time for that.
In this world, I knew there would be many women I'd find attractive. But I would only love someone if I truly felt a deep connection with them. If that ever happened, I'd go to any length to win her heart—never by force, always with respect. For now, Tsunade was the only woman I genuinely loved.
This was my world now. I'd do what I liked. I wanted everything this world had to offer.
I want to be the strongest. I want to be the one who defines the law—so no one would ever dare to stand against me.
That dream is still far off, but I could think about these things freely because I was confident I'd win today.
As the instructor shouted, "Begin!", I shifted my focus entirely to Tsume.
She didn't hold back.
Understanding the difference in our strengths, she went all out from the start—using her Man-Beast Transformation and merging with her ninken, Kuromaru. In her two-headed beast form, she dashed toward me at full speed, hoping to catch me off guard.
To me, though, it was like watching her in slow motion.
Still, I decided to indulge her and fought back using only taijutsu.
She created two clones with the Clone Jutsu, and suddenly, three two-headed beasts came at me from three directions: left, right, and center.
But I saw through it easily. My sensory abilities told me exactly which one was real.
As the three attacked in unison, I struck with clean precision—one punch and two kicks. The two clones dispersed instantly, and the real Tsume was knocked out of her Man-Beast combination and sent skidding across the floor.
She got back up quickly and activated her Four Legs Technique. At the same time, she ordered Kuromaru to take the Human Clone form, resulting in two Tsume-like figures facing me.
This time, I decided to attack first.
I flickered into the air and reappeared above the Kuromaru clone. It sensed me and tried to leap away, but I was faster. With a chakra-enhanced punch—though still holding back—I knocked it out cold.
Tsume, now using her speed-enhancing technique, rushed at me from behind.
As soon as I felt her presence, I spun around and blocked her claw swipe with my arm, then pushed her back forcefully. She skidded to a stop, glanced at her unconscious partner, and understood.
She couldn't win.
I hadn't even used a single jutsu yet—no Wood Release, no elemental technique. Just taijutsu and enhanced speed.
Realizing it would be pointless to continue, Tsume chose to surrender.
The instructor announced, "Ren Senju is the winner!"
Cheers erupted from some in the audience, while others groaned with disappointment. Most of them had come here expecting to witness Wood Release, and I hadn't used it at all.
I walked over to Tsume and offered a polite, "Great fight."
She gave a small nod and turned toward her unconscious partner.
I followed her and placed my hand on Kuromaru, channeling medical chakra. With **Mystic Palm Jutsu**, I healed him in seconds. He opened his eyes, fully recovered.
Tsume looked at me and smiled. "Thank you very much," she said, blushing a little.
Those in the crowd who recognized the medical technique were surprised. But once they remembered I was Tsunade's student, it made sense.
Up above, Tsunade narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched my interaction with Tsume—but she let it go. She was proud of me.
As the instructor called for the second match, I and Tsume returned to our seats. She joined the Inuzuka Clan section, where Clan Head Yan Inuzuka welcomed her warmly.
Next up on the battlefield: Guy vs. Sanata.
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Author's Note:
The parts about Ren's future harem were to let you know that harem is a possibility, but not something that will happen right away. If you have any suggestions for future harem members, feel free to share! Tsunade is the only confirmed one for now.