Naruto: My Unique System

Chapter 38: Using The Rules Against Orochimaru

Tatsuma couldn't shake the suspicion that Orochimaru was merely performing a well-crafted act, yet lacked concrete evidence to support his intuition. He found himself helplessly observing Orochimaru, who maintained an air of sophistication with a touch of subtle malevolence. Throughout the course of his existence, Orochimaru took particular pleasure in toying with individuals who proudly deemed themselves "geniuses."

However, a direct assault on Kushina would be far too conspicuous. Orochimaru deemed it more effective to center attention on Tatsuma, creating an illusion that would lead Kushina to believe she was the favored one.

After all, she had a break in the middle, and after the rest, she would face Minato, who had just concluded a fierce battle. As for whether Kushina would secure a victory due to this?

Even though Sarutobi-sensei didn't harbor hopes for Kushina to triumph in the initial round, Orochimaru remained indifferent. All that mattered to him was ensuring Kushina ultimately failed to graduate.

Tatsuma squinted at Orochimaru, who was wearing an insidious smile, then released Kushina, allowing her to return to the sidelines for a moment of respite.

"Any more questions?"

Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, locking eyes with Tatsuma. Tatsuma shook his head and, with determination, formed the Seal of Confrontation, redirecting his focus toward Minato. "Minato, we can start anytime."

Minato had initially hoped Tatsuma would take some time to regain his strength, but with Tatsuma showing no inclination to stall, Minato had no alternative but to step forward, summoning the Seal of Confrontation.

Yet, an unsettling feeling lingered with Minato. It appeared that Tatsuma had refrained from offering his usual praises today. It wasn't as if Minato needed Tatsuma's commendation to engage in a fight, but after two and a half years of camaraderie, Minato couldn't ignore the absence of Tatsuma's customary praise. There had to be a reason for this.

As the two executed the Seal of Confrontation and then lowered their hands, Orochimaru also directed some attention, intrigued to observe how Tatsuma would approach the match with both stamina and chakra significantly depleted.

However, after completing the Seal of Confrontation, the two refrained from an immediate assault, leaving Orochimaru perplexed and furrowing his brow. In that moment, Tatsuma lifted his head, revealing a radiant smile.

"Orochimaru-sama, I concede."

"Hmm?"

Tatsuma's words took Orochimaru somewhat off guard. After all, the information he had gathered about Tatsuma emphasized Tatsuma's exceptional competitiveness—a drive so intense that he sought to engage in competition in even the most trivial aspects of life.

But now, Tatsuma was unexpectedly conceding. Orochimaru glanced at Minato, who wore an expression that seemed to convey, "I knew it," and then shifted his gaze back to Tatsuma, who had already formed the Seal of Reconciliation. Orochimaru inquired, "Care to explain the reason?"

"Because I've already secured the qualification to advance to the next round of the test, haven't I?"

Tatsuma's smile remained brilliant. His competitiveness was undeniably robust, but it operated on the premise that he had a genuine chance of victory, seizing the opponent's talent. In his current state, facing Minato left him with no chance. After all, he was competitive, not a masochist.

Tatsuma's response momentarily froze Orochimaru's expression. In the rules he had just outlined, it was explicitly stated that each participant needed to secure at least one victory to progress to the next round of the assessment.