"The Lightning District Head is here too."
Ōnoki and Mei smiled at the newcomer.
"Then the Oasis people should be coming as well."
Imperial Tsunade looked to the distant sky, where several exoskeleton machines flew swiftly. As they approached, the exoskeletons shrank back into the backpacks of the Oasis people.
"The Green District Head is here too. Why didn't you bring Sasori?"
"Sasori's still developing stronger super-robots. He doesn't have time to come here."
Green District Head, Rōshi, answered with a smile.
Seeing mostly familiar faces, Ninja World Tsunade and the Konoha ninja from the other world couldn't help but gasp.
They felt deeply uneasy.
From the brief exchanges, they gleaned some information.
For instance…
None of these people took the ninja world seriously.
In their eyes, the ninja world seemed like a backward mountain village they could toy with at will.
After all… this time, the Empire was serious. Though something seemed to restrict them from sending a large army, the number of people going to the ninja world this time clearly wouldn't be just one or two like before!
The ninja world… was doomed!
Many sharp minds realized this.
One by one, they nervously went to inform Konoha's elites and leaders.
"You all gathering here is a bit of an eyesore for the city view." Imperial Tsunade tilted her head, glancing at the growing crowd around her.
"Then let's leave for now and pay respects to His Majesty the Emperor. He should still be training there, right?" Lightning District Head, A, said in his gruff voice.
"Should be."
"Then let's go together! Let's see who's fastest and reaches His Majesty's side first."
As soon as he spoke, A's body crackled with lightning.
Every strand of his hair stood like steel needles, and his entire form turned into a lightning bolt, flickering away into the sky.
The muscular men behind A roared, creating powerful airwaves, and shot off.
"Sneaky bastard!"
"Stinking brat! How dare you steal the start?"
Mei and Ōnoki cursed softly.
Each unleashed their abilities.
Mei's body turned into a puddle of water, shooting into the sky.
Ōnoki's body became transparent, also darting off.
The Seven Sacred Swords drew the blades on their backs, flying with their swords.
The Mountain District group floated into the air.
The Oasis people's backpacks reopened, donning exoskeletons and rocketing skyward.
Watching their figures vanish in an instant, Ninja World Tsunade couldn't help but gape.
"These people are so fast."
"Let's go, we'll check it out too." Imperial Tsunade said, adding, "You can use Geppo, right?"
"I can."
Ninja World Tsunade replied, stomping the ground and leaping into the sky.
*BOOM!*
At the same time, an explosion sounded behind her. She turned to see Imperial Tsunade casually following, holding the space-time communication device.
"Why the rush? You forgot the gear."
"…"
Ninja World Tsunade's eyes narrowed, muttering to herself:
'The Kage from various villages in my world and the district heads of this world are gathering to secretly meet the Emperor. Letting me tag along shouldn't be an issue.'
'They even told me to bring the space-time device… what are these people thinking? Are they completely dismissing us? Like humans who never care about an ant's opinion? This feeling… is really awful.'
The sky rumbled as the group headed to the capital's outskirts.
Despite Ninja World Tsunade's best efforts, she could only watch the district heads grow farther away.
She sighed unconsciously.
"My time with martial arts is too short. Judging by overall speed, none of these people seem weaker than me… truly terrifying, the Shinobi Empire…"
As she thought this, Ninja World Tsunade suddenly felt a soft embrace. Turning, she saw Imperial Tsunade.
Her body radiated chakra and true energy, her Yin Seal released, white wings flapping gently.
"My dear little sister, your speed's just too slow. Let me carry you."
As she spoke, she flapped her wings, accelerating to an astonishing speed.
Ninja World Tsunade felt a roar in her ears, the scenery blurring rapidly.
Imperial Tsunade's flight speed was at least a dozen times faster than hers!
*WHOOSH!* *WHOOSH!* *WHOOSH!*
The figures that had vanished from sight reappeared one by one as she overtook them.
Imperial Tsunade quickly reached the front, arriving at a strange place alongside a few beams of light.
The area was riddled with cracks, and in the distance, several massive mountains seemed to move.
Ninja World Tsunade, still in Imperial Tsunade's arms, descended toward the mountain's base.
But before that, the five district heads had landed, shouting loudly.
"As expected, when it comes to speed, aside from those few, I'm the fastest!"
A's gruff voice echoed in Ninja World Tsunade's ears.
"You stinking brat, stealing the start isn't skill! Even compared to an old man, you're just a low-morals barbarian!" Ōnoki's voice rang out.
"Speed isn't our Water District's forte. This time, we just joined you for exercise, Lightning District Head. Be happy." Mei's voice followed.
"Taking first by stealing the start isn't worth bragging about." Rōshi said.
"Greetings to His Majesty the Emperor!"
The next moment, everyone shouted in unison.
Still slightly dizzy, Tsunade recovered, seeing the five district heads bowing to a chained figure walking slowly.
Recognizing her opponent's familiar face, Tsunade's eyes glanced behind him, spotting mountains hundreds of times taller than the Emperor.
She couldn't help but gasp.
"Hiss… this is just outrageous."
Though she'd heard Naruto and Sakura mention Ryuji dragging mountains to train, seeing it herself, Ninja World Tsunade couldn't suppress her shock.
The Konoha ninja from the ninja world, witnessing this, were nearly scared senseless.
"That's… one person, how could they drag something that huge… this… this isn't scientific, not ninja-like…"
The voices were numerous and loud.
The five district heads heard them clearly.
The Lightning District Head sneered:
"People from the other world, don't use your foolish, limited brains to measure His Majesty the Emperor's greatness. A few mountains? Laughable!"
"These aren't ordinary mountains but super-heavy mountains enhanced with Super Weighted Boulder Technique, each far heavier than a normal mountain! At least over a hundred kilograms !"
"More importantly, His Majesty is currently sealing most of his power. Rather than saying he's dragging mountains, it's more like he's pulling a moving continent."
"A continent!"
Ninja World Konoha, hearing this, fell silent, whether they believed it or not.
"Truly worthy of His Majesty the Shinobi Emperor." Ninja World Tsunade praised, her eye twitching.
Ryuji only nodded, stopping his movement and turning to the district heads.
"Seeing you like this, you must have heard the news. So, whatever your thoughts, speak plainly."
"Your Majesty, I'm old and can't bear to see relatives and friends in the other world remain stubborn. Please grant them a chance to return to the right path." Ōnoki said, pausing before continuing:
"Your Majesty, the Shinobi Empire stands tall on martial arts, upholding its spirit. Each district holds an annual internal martial arts competition to select and train talent. Why not use this, sending representatives from each district to compete for quotas?"
"The Earth District Head is right. Arriving early isn't as good as arriving at the right time. This martial arts competition could give the ninja world a better chance to understand us and the consequences of stubborn resistance." A added.
As he spoke, he glanced at the space-time communication device in Ninja World Tsunade's hands, flashing a wicked grin.
"!"
Seeing this, Ninja World Tsunade's heart skipped a beat.
'As expected, no good intentions. They're showing off again. Wasn't the last display enough? They want Konoha to feel true despair, the gap? Fine, I've already felt most of it. If this can crush the luck in others' hearts, that's not bad.'
'Heh… martial arts tournament? Looks more like a Konoha scare tournament.'
Thinking this, Ninja World Tsunade's heart calmed.
"Martial arts competition? Are you sure?"
Imperial Tsunade's expression turned odd.
"Of course, but the capital must exclude the three Dragon Soul clans, that martial arts maniac Might Guy, the Namikaze Minato father and son, Orochimaru, and those clones."
"Oasis's super-robots struggle through space-time tunnels, so they should be excluded too." Mei said.
"That's fair. Lightning District can't use space-based cannons. Earth District can't jointly cast giant deity techniques. Water District can't combine equipment either."
"Very fair."
"I have no objections." Green District's Rōshi said.
Everyone then looked at Ryuji.
"Please decide, Your Majesty."
"Fine. Handle the rest with Tsunade. If there's nothing else, you may leave."
Ryuji nodded.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The district heads smiled, respectfully concluding before retreating with both Tsunades.
Soon, news of the martial arts selection for entering the ninja world spread across the Empire and Ninja World Konoha.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Ten days later.
Ninja World Tsunade, carrying the space-time communication device, followed Imperial Tsunade to the city outskirts, where an endless sea of people and barren land stretched out.
Seeing this crowd, in Ninja World Konoha, Tenten frowned.
"Is this the competition venue? Too barren. If you can't fly, ordinary people might not see anything, right?"
"Konoha's Chunin Exam venue has special spectator seats…" Ino said, puzzled. "With the Empire's advancements, they wouldn't make such a basic mistake, right?"
"Of course not. This time, spectating has no ticket restrictions. Anyone can come. We can't predict how many will show up until it happens." Imperial Tsunade said, glancing at the space-time device with a chuckle.
"Hmm? So… you have a way for everyone to watch? Using Earth Style to reshape uneven terrain? Or some projection ninjutsu?" Shikamaru guessed.
"Just watch closely. They should arrive soon." Imperial Tsunade said, looking to the distant sky.
Thunder rumbled as a figure shot forward like a falling star.
Ninja World Tsunade squinted, finally seeing her opponent clearly.
"That's Naruto. He's here to watch too?"
"Of course, but watching is secondary. He has a mission." Imperial Tsunade said with a smile.
Imperial Naruto stopped mid-air, and under Ninja World Tsunade's puzzled gaze, he clapped his hands.
"Wood Style – Great Battle Arena Technique!"