A month passed in the blink of an eye, and the second round of selection had begun.
The competition venues in each of the five major regions were completely packed with people.
Every single venue had an audience of tens of thousands, and it wasn't because that was the limit of those interested, rather, the stands could only accommodate so many spectators.
This alone was enough to show just how intense and popular this tournament was.
…
The contestants who had advanced from various villages in the Region of Wind were already waiting in the preparation area.
The audience stands were in an uproar.
"When is it going to start? Hurry up already!"
There was still half an hour before the tournament officially began, yet many were already growing impatient.
"Just a little longer! Only thirty minutes left!"
"Who do you think has the best chance today?"
Discussions like this were part of the fun of watching the tournament.
If the contestant they supported performed exceptionally well, it would give them a feeling of immense satisfaction, as if they themselves had won.
"Of course, Lord Rasa! Do you even need to ask?"
The person being asked answered without hesitation, he was a die-hard fan of Rasa.
"In the first round, Lord Rasa completely dominated every opponent. No one was his match, he was practically invincible!"
"Rasa is definitely strong, but invincible? That might be a bit of an exaggeration. Don't forget about Kasau, he also completely crushed all his opponents in the first round and advanced effortlessly!"
Someone immediately objected.
Although Rasa was one of the higher-ups in the Region of Wind and was universally respected, he wasn't the most popular contestant in this tournament.
After all, this was a regional competition, and among the tens of thousands of spectators present, many had traveled from other parts of the Region of Wind to support their own favorite competitors.
"Sen Taki is also incredibly strong! His last match was a total wipeout!"
"And then there's Buchi, he—"
The entire audience was caught up in the excitement, with everyone passionately discussing their chosen champions, recounting their achievements and victories.
…
At the central seat of the VIP section, Uchiha Fugaku, the leader of the Region of Wind, sat in his rightful place.
Surrounding him were high-ranking officials of the Region of Wind.
"This level of excitement is truly rare to see," Fugaku said with a sigh of admiration.
"But honestly, this tournament is worth it. If not for my official duties, even I would have loved to participate!"
His words carried a hint of regret, especially when he thought about the rewards, a pained expression flashed across his face.
Truth be told, he was extremely tempted by those prizes.
However, as the leader of one of the five major regions, his status made it impossible for him to join the competition.
In theory, the tournament did not restrict participants based on status.
But he was the leader!
It would be inappropriate for him to compete against the younger generation.
"Haha! If Lord Fugaku were to compete, he would definitely take first place in the Region of Wind!"
One of the officials beside him chuckled.
"Actually, I think Lord Fugaku should consider competing."
"After all, this is a world-level tournament. If our Region of Wind only manages to send two or three people into the top 30… wouldn't that be embarrassing?"
Another official added his thoughts.
Unfortunately, he was already 35 years old, otherwise, he would have entered the tournament himself.
"No need to worry. Rasa's participation is already enough."
"We must also have confidence in ourselves and, more importantly, in the geniuses of the Region of Wind."
Fugaku spoke calmly, then glanced at the time.
It was time.
He stood up.
"Now, I declare the second round of the First Sage Shinobi World Elite Youth Tournament, Region of Wind Selection, officially begins!"
Fugaku's voice wasn't particularly loud, but it carried far and wide, reaching every corner of the venue.
This was thanks to a jutsu, one that Hui had specifically developed for public speeches.
At this point, almost every high-ranking official in the Sage Shinobi World had mastered this technique.
The moment Fugaku announced the start of the tournament, the entire venue erupted.
The crowd cheered wildly, shouting out the names of their favorite contestants.
However, because too many names were being called at once, the entire stadium became an overwhelming, deafening roar.
"The first match of the tournament—Rasa vs. Sen Taki!"
"Rasa! Rasa! Rasa!"
"Sen Taki! Sen Taki! Sen Taki!"
In an instant, deafening cheers erupted from the audience.
The first match was already a battle between two of the most popular contestants.
As the crowd roared in excitement, Rasa and Sen Taki stepped forward from the contestant area onto the battlefield.
Then, they started fighting immediately.
A vast ocean of sand surged forth, accompanied by violent, howling gales.
Golden sand transformed into countless deadly weapons, raining down from above like a storm.
Meanwhile, terrifying air currents twisted into massive whirlwinds, sweeping up dust, debris, and sand, engulfing the entire battlefield.
This was a battle between two Kage-level combatants.
The sheer scale of their techniques was stupendous, filling the battlefield with destructive forces that left the audience shaken to their core, their blood boiling with excitement.
The battle was fierce beyond belief, turning the entire arena upside down.
In the end, Rasa narrowly emerged victorious, while Sen Taki suffered an unfortunate defeat.
However, losing wasn't the end.
This tournament wasn't a single-elimination event, and he still had a chance to advance.
"Both of them are incredibly strong. With talents like them, our Region of Wind is already guaranteed two spots in the Top 30 Elite Youth Ranking!"
One of the Region of Wind's high-ranking officials commented, and many others nodded in agreement.
Given the level of strength that Rasa and Sen Taki had displayed, if they still couldn't make it onto the Elite Youth Ranking, then the ranking itself would be ridiculous.
But Fugaku remained silent.
These two were indeed outstanding.
Among the young generation, they were absolute powerhouses.
And within the Region of Wind, they were the undisputed strongest.
However, to say they were guaranteed a spot in the Top 30 Elite Youth Ranking?
That was far from certain.
Because the geniuses of Hidden Sage Village were simply too numerous.
Just among the youths in Hidden Sage Village, Uchiha alone had at least two Kage-level prodigies.
And then there were the other three major clans, not to mention other prodigies from different bloodlines and backgrounds.
In total, Hidden Sage Village had at least 16 or 17 Kage-level youths.
There, being Kage-level wasn't rare, it was almost commonplace.
However, just because Kage-level was common in Hidden Sage Village, didn't mean their strength was average.
On the contrary, each and every one of them was far stronger than the Kage-level shinobi from other villages.
This was because most of them were among the first to receive Hui's Sage Seal.
Their physical abilities had evolved far beyond those of their peers from other villages in the Sage Shinobi World.
Beyond the 16 or 17 Kage-level geniuses, Hidden Sage Village had countless Elite Jonin-level competitors, so many that it was utterly absurd.
And each of these Elite Jonin had their own unique trump cards, techniques powerful enough to take down even Kage-level opponents if they weren't careful.
For someone like Rasa, who was among the absolute strongest in the Region of Wind, if he were to compete in Hidden Sage Village, he might not even make it into the Top 20.
When factoring in talents from other regions, securing a guaranteed spot in the Top 30 was far from certain for someone like Rasa.
The Top 50? That was more likely.
The Region of Wind's higher ups were still too naive, as they had no idea how terrifying Hidden Sage Village's young prodigies truly were.
The tournament continued with one battle after another, each featuring well-known figures from various villages.
With their incredible strength, every match was a spectacle, leaving audiences enthralled and cheering nonstop.
And it wasn't just the Region of Wind, all of the major regions were hosting equally heated battles, filling every venue with excitement and intensity.
This day belonged to the young elites of the Sage Shinobi World.
Except for those from Hidden Sage Village.
Their battles had already concluded.
Now, their focus was on preparing.
The 30 geniuses who had already secured their spots in the final tournament were now immersed in training.
Most of them were confident that they would claim a spot on the Elite Youth Ranking.
However, those who had barely scraped through were beginning to feel immense pressure.
And under this pressure, they began pushing themselves to the limit.
Many started using up their personal resources, trading in the techniques they had once hesitated to obtain.
They had only two months left, two months to elevate themselves to the next level before the final tournament began.
(A/n:After the second round ends, there will be a two-month gap before the finals.)
join my patreon for 150+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/HyppoTL