Game of Kings and Queens PT1_The bet

Naruto and his team proceeded into the next test, although some people stared at him with mixed feelings. Some looked at him with awe, intrigue, and curiosity from his previous actions, some were irritated by seeing that his team had four teammates and thought that he was cheating somehow while others didn't care and thought that an extra teammate would only be a hindrance to them. 

'Alas, poor regulars,' Naruto thought. They had no idea how oblivious they were about him.

"Hey, Naruto Aniki, everyone really seems to be upset with you." Spoke Shibisu as he felt nervous with all the stares they were getting. 

"They can be upset all they want, It won't change the fact that we're getting through these tests," Naruto replied with eyes closed and crossed arms while awaiting the next test. "But if they're all so bothered by my presence, they can all come to complain to me personally!" He intentionally spoke the last part louder, making the other regulars get their gazes off his team.

"I'm surprised the test Administrator didn't declassify us, seeing that we're a team of four," Hatz spoke.

"Humph, I guess that can also be counted as luck. If it wasn't for whiskers' strange abilities, tracksuit would be left behind at the survival test" Anak remarked. 

A thick vein mark formed itself on Naruto's forehead. He was getting annoyed from being called up by his physical appearance.

"You won't stop calling me whiskers, are you? Well then, how about I even the odds? Let's see..." Naruto spoke as he lent a hand to his chin, taking a thoughtful stance while staring at Anak who felt uncomfortable with the gaze.

"What!? What are you up to!?" Anak spoke as her eyebrow twitched nervously as the blond smirked and fisted his hand, seeming to find the perfect nickname for her.

"I know! I'll call you Lizzie!" Naruto spoke as he made Anak stutter from the nickname while Shibisu laughed his ass off and Hatz tried to hold back his laughter and turned to hide his chuckles.

Anak, upon hearing her new nickname, had her face turn into that of a scowl. She was about to retort at the blond when suddenly, they heard a scream coming from the test area.

"What was that?" Shibisu asked, spooked by the loud cry.

"Probably a death cry," Hatz spoke, uninterested.

Naruto frowned and stared at the entrance to the test area. He had heard many death cries in his life and that one seemed intently made up; it was probably their way of giving out clues to the next test but he could care less. If his gut feeling was right, Shibisu would be one of those cases of underrated genius and would be able to figure out whatever this next test was.

After many teams, it was their time to take the test. As soon as they entered the test area, they witnessed a man with long blonde hair, yellow eyes, and quite feminine or, rather, androgynous features; it was the test director, Hansung Yu. The man, who gave out a very calm, yet definite smile, immediately triggered Naruto's sixth sense of danger. This man reminded the blonde of some individual who wore glasses and had ash-grey hair back on his homeworld; someone who always hides their true nature, appearing to be smaller than they really are but inside, they are dangerous individuals capable of surprising even the most skillful fighter. 

Hansung Yu immediately directed his gaze at the blond ninja which almost seemed to give out a look of someone who found what was looking for, although that action was done so covertly that could easily go unnoticed. He also seemed to analyze his physiognomy, trying to figure him out, although, he tried to feign a natural behavior. 

Naruto knew that the man was trying his best to hide his true nature, but it was not the first time he had dealt with this kind and probably wouldn't be the last. So the question was, what was this guy planning? Whatever it was that he was hiding, he would find out. He made a mental note to send "him" to investigate this whole place later.

"Hello, regulars. I'm your test Director, Hansung Yu. The rules for this test are simple, open the correct door. You can only open one door and if you take longer than ten minutes, you all die" Hansung Yu spoke casually, finishing with a smile; not at all bothered by the fact that he could be sentencing three people to death.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the absurd statement.'Bitch please, who will them? Him? C'mon now...' Naruto thought, almost feeling insulted. These were mere games. They just needed to find the answer and then they would be done to proceed with the next one. 

He subtly analyzed the whole room and smirked internally. Just as he thought. Judging by the vague and simple clues he gave them, the answer was obvious. 

"The test begins now." Hansung Yu spoke, and the clock started ticking.

Naruto slowly gave a side glance at Shibisu who immediately felt uncomfortable by the stare.

"What?" He asked.

"If your lack of luck with the ladies matches your intellect, you should be able to easily get us through this," Naruto spoke jokingly and the others seemed to agree.

Shibisu stuttered, feeling insulted. "W-what do you mean by that!? You've all been really mean to me until now you know that!"

"Enough! If you know a way out of this, through this already!" Anak spoke impatiently.

Shibisu huffed and turned his back to them, heading towards one of the doors, confusing Hatz and Anak while a smirk formed on Naruto's lips. Shibisu opened one of the doors, shocking his two teammates who panicked at the possibility of their failure. They were about to shout at him when the test director interrupted.

"Amazing, Shibisu, Anak, Hatz, Naruto... you all pass." Hansung Yu spoke, surprising Hatz and Anak.

"Hehe" Shibisu giggled at his triumph.

"How did you find out the correct answer?" The director asked.

"How? By looking at the clues you gave us of course. You gave us three clues in total, the screams which only came every five minutes, that clock that makes a full rotation at five minutes, and lastly, what you've said that there are no other clues; you're practically telling us to simply open a door in five minutes."

"Impressive, a perfect score indeed." Hansung Yu replied, making Shibisu's victorious smirk turn into a smug one.

"That's kind of infuriating," Anak remarked, seeing her teammate's smugness.

"I second that," Hatz spoke, making Shibisu lose his victorious position and stutter back, annoyed at his teammates' disapproval. "Why?!" He asked but was ignored.

"C'mon, let's head to the next area," Naruto spoke as he left the room, followed by his teammates and a saddened Shibisu.

2nd Floor Test Director's office

"So... you're telling me that one of the participants in one of the districts created a forest out of nothing that covered all districts and that the majority of the participants were wiped out in the first minutes by a simple wind? How much you said that you've drunk of that banana juice again, Quant?" Hansung Yu, the test director questioned as he stirred a cup of coffee.

"I'm not crazy, test Director!! I was there, looking at the deathmatch's field, and then suddenly, trees and trunks came out of the ground and covered everything! I'm not delusional drunk with banana juice! Come with me and I'll show it to you!" Quant insisted as he slammed both his hands on the table, spilling some of the prepared coffee.

Quant sweated nervously as he noticed what he had done while he retreated from the table. "Uh- Sorry..." 

Hansung Yu frowned but shrugged it off." So, that means there was a princess of Jahad or an irregular involved?" Hansung Yu asked.

"Well... eh...you see...how do I explain this...?" Quant spoke, unsure of himself.

"What? Spit it out already." Hansung Yu requested as he took a sip of coffee into his mouth.

"There seemed to be an irregular and a princess teamed up together but... it seems like they were also victims of yet another irregular..."

Hansung Yu choked. Struggling for air, he spits out all the coffee on Quant's face.

"Aaargh!!" Quant screamed from the now burning sensation that covered his face. "I thought I was the one who was supposed to spit it out, not you, director!" He stated as he cleaned his face.

"Why didn't you report this to me sooner?! Do you have any idea what having multiple irregulars entering the tower means?!"

"I-I'm sorry, director! It's just... you know how I am, I hate complicated stuff so..."

"So what!? That's not an excuse! You're being sloppy. If the higher-ups learned of this, it would mean our heads on a stick!"

Quant sweated bullets. "No!! Please!! Do whatever you need to trick them!!"

Hansung Yu sighed and calmed himself down."Oh well." Hansung Yu resigned.

"Yesss!! I'll be sure to thank you later! I love you, Hansung Yu!" Quant left the room jumping happily towards the exit.

Upon the ranker's exit, Hansung Yu summoned his pocket. "Connect me to Lero Ro." He ordered as the object started a call.

"I'm a genius, yes, but even I'm not prepared for everything." He spoke and sighed internally; he was not expecting this unknown variable, he needed to act quickly.

Pre-Test Area

Naruto fell to his knees and his stomach growled, surprising him. He had forgotten the last time he has had any food. As the years went by, Naruto felt less and less about the taste of food and the need to eat. He had already taken into account that it is a long since he couldn't be called human and that he was nothing but short of an anomaly but sometimes, he missed the taste of good food, or at least, still could miss it...

He was really surprised though, he, exhausted? To come to this dimension, he must've spent a ton of his reserves then. He knew that the more distant the place, the more he exhausted himself. He felt completely drained which was saying something, considering the insane amount of chakra he had accumulated. The placement of this world in the dimensions must be no joke, it actually seemed to be a completely whole new reality. This world could very well be the farthest he had ever traveled; the 2nd had a colossal difference in terms of distance when compared to this. Even he had his limits to the usage of his ultimate Amenotejikara. Warping to other realities was no joke.

His face was getting pale as the seconds passed. "Aaaah... hungry... must... eat..." He spoke in a low tone but it didn't go unnoticed by Shibisu.

"Oh, you're hungry Naruto Aniki? Is there something you like to eat specifically?"

"Are there any ramen shops around here...?" The blond asked weakly.

"Ramen? Well, they don't have that here but... they have noodles! How about it? Want some noodles?" Shibisu asked.

"Noddles, huh?" Naruto pondered. He knew what it was but whenever he had to go after something made out of wheat, he always went straight into ramen since it was made fresh and made straight from the hands of a master not bought from a store. He was not against noodles but...

"Don't worry, it's almost like ramen. Here, come with me and I'll show you." 

Naruto followed Shibisu to the front of the vending machine and there, they encountered a very frustrated Baam who was pressing the button desperately trying to get a banana juice. Shibisu smiled tenderly from seeing the poor boy's frustrated attempts and decided to give him a hand. He approached the vending machine and made a hand sign. "Money mode." He spoke as he pressed his hand to the machine's payment screen and immediately, a banana juice can fell into the machine's opening.

"Here," Shibisu spoke as he handed the can to the boy.

"Thank you!" Baam spoke happily as he accepted the gift.

"You passed too, lucky boy?" Shibisu asked.

"Lu-lucky?" Baam asked confused. He didn't think of himself as lucky at all.

"I'm Shibisu and this is..." Shibisu tried to speak but was interrupted by the boy.

"Mr. Naruto!" Baam shouted in surprise from suddenly noticing his presence. He still was a bit spooked by his action in the past test; he didn't know how to feel. He didn't think he was a bad person, yet, ever since he first entered into contact with the shinso, he was able to see something in him that was completely different from all the others. While the regulars he had seen so far seemed to shine from a single aura around them, Naruto's body had many smaller points around his body that shined intensely blue. Baam had only one word to describe his aura, 'Pretty' he thought. It almost resembled the description of a constellation that Rachel told him about.

 He had no idea what that meant. He had so many questions not only about himself but about the blond as well. You're in his team?" Baam asked.

"Hey there and yeah, lucky, ain't I...?" Naruto replied with sarcasm in a weak tone, lacking the energy to speak properly.

"Hey!!" Shibisu remarked, annoyed by the lack of enthusiasm Naruto had put into the previous statement. "But continuing, you two already met, huh? Then I can skip introducing him; those are Hatz and Anak over there. What is your name?"

"I'm Baam and um... is teams of four allowed here?" Baam asked confused, after noticing that Naruto's team had more than three members.

Shibisu giggled. "Well you see... we've got a very uncommon teammate here..." Shibisu spoke as he pointed his thumb at Naruto. "What about your teammates?" Shibisu asked.

"They are over there, Mr. Khun and Mr. Rak," Baam replied while turning in their direction.

 "I see. But anyway, I feel sympathy for you, boy. You and I look ordinary but we still made it this far, right? I guess watching you is kind of inspiring."

Baam gave out a wide smile. "Not at all, it was all thanks to my teammates."

"Haha, those who say that always turn out to be the scary ones in the end. At any rate, there are not many teams remaining, and the level of difficulty of the tests will be insane from now on. But come what may, I'll definitely get through all the tests and get to the top. Usually, I would wish you good luck, but you seem to be already quite lucky, so, I guess I'll just say, see you soon" 

Thanks, Mr. Shibisu. See you later!" Baam spoke waving back at him as he ran back to his teammates.

Shibisu smiled as he witnessed the boy leave until he heard a thud; it was Naruto who fell to the ground, starved.

"Food...please..." Naruto spoke weakly.

Shibisu sighed and carried Naruto towards a vending machine. "C'mon.... don't get sluggish on me now, we're almost there..." Shibisu spoke as he struggled to move Naruto's body towards the machine.

"How... do I... pay for it....?" Naruto asked as he tried clicking on a few buttons on the machine.

"What? You don't know how to use your pocket properly yet? But don't worry, this one is on me! As you see, my pocket is in an invisible mode right now but I can still make a payment with it. Just like I did before, you just pay it here like this aaaand, done! An instant noodle for you!" Shibisu spoke as he opened the noodle cup, letting out some of the vapor and the smell of the instant hot spaghetti out, making a hungry Naruto drool.

Shibisu giggled. "You're truly hungry, aren't you? Here, take the hashi." He spoke as he handed the chopsticks and the noodle cup to the blond ninja.

Naruto instinctively grabbed the cup from Shibisu's hands and ate all content inside the plastic cup at an incredible speed.

"Careful, you're going to choke!" Shibisu warned as he saw the speed with which the blond ate the instant spaghetti.

Naruto then slammed his face against the vending machine. "This must be the work of the gods! It's been so long since I've lasted tasted something like ramen... But damn! Inserting noodle cups inside a vending machine and making them come out instantly hot, ready to be eaten!? And it even comes with the hashi!? Why has old man Teuchi never had this idea before!? He could've started a trend! Although... It doesn't taste as good as fresh, handmade ramen..." Naruto spoke and trailed off with sadness.

Shibisu slammed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't be so sad now! When we find a ramen shop on the upper floors, I'll be sure to pay ya a whole round of ramen just for you!"

"Oh! You're so kind, you're like a God!" Naruto stated as he cried in happiness.

"You're definitely exaggerating now, Naruto Aniki!" Shibisu retorted sweat dropping.

"No, I'm actually serious, you're a very nice guy, honest," Naruto spoke with sincerity and gave a smile which made Shibisu return with one of his own.

"Thanks, Naruto aniki."

"Such wonderful friendship!" Someone spoke from behind them which was from none other than Lero Ro, the test administrator.

"Oh! You've come to announce to us the next test?" Shibisu asked.

"Yes...I have wonderful news for all of you regulars! You have earned the opportunity to participate in a bonus game!" Lero Ro stated as he raised his arms to emphasize his speech, making Naruto's sweat drop from seeing his exaggerated enthusiasm.

"Uh, taking extra tests isn't wonderful at all for us," Shibisu stated, worried about the possibility of an extra challenge. 

Lero Ro dropped his enthusiasm and replaced it with disappointment.

"Such heartbreaking words. A bonus game is different from other tests, participating in it is entirely up to you."

"Alright, alright! What's the big idea? What is this bonus game about?" Naruto asked with curiosity and Lero Ro gave out a smirk.

Crown Game site

"What is this about?!! Why do I get to participate separately from you three?!!" Naruto asked in an annoyed tone.

"Stop complaining, whiskers. Remember that this team is unbalanced. The Director must've changed the conditions so you could at least take the test." Anak replied.

"But how does he know that this way the team would be the best balanced? He only met us at the door test..." Shibisu asked out loud.

"Maybe it was instinct. I also have to agree that Naruto seems to be holding back some strength. My gut feeling tells me that you haven't shown everything you have yet, Naruto." Hatz stated firmly. "I can safely say that you're at least behind me in terms of strength." He finished with a small tint of arrogance in his voice.

Anak's nerve ticked. The implication of Hatz's words could very well be that he was downplaying her. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "And who is supposed to be the strongest one then?!" Anak questioned with a scowl.

"Me of course, you've got a problem with that?" Hatz replied bluntly, holding a tight grip on the sheath of his swords which only infuriated the lizard girl further. The guy was asking for a fight.

Anak tightened the grip on her Green April and was about to start a fight with Hatz when suddenly, Naruto stepped between them and separated them with a mere tap on their torso, surprising them.

"Could you two stop this, please? You're part of a team, it means we all share a bond, one of trust and companionship. But if you insist on fighting, then you'll have to fight me instead!" Naruto stated confidently as the two looked at him hesitantly. Naruto had many ways in which he could stop these two but all of them involved knocking them out or simply sending a bit of Haki or a bit of killing instinct but he decided against it. He still wanted to give this team a chance and sure as hell, he didn't want them to lose their chance of participating in the crown game. Also, according to the Administrator, he would only enter the arena if his team somehow lost the round which he was a bit disappointed about but ended up agreeing to.

"No fighting in the waiting room, please. At least, if you don't want the whole team to be disqualified." A voice rang from a speaker in the room. The advice seemed to have worked as the three teammates lowered their weapons and the air in the ambiance lost its tension.

Shibisu sighed deeply, cleaning a drop of sweat from his forehead. 'That was close. I didn't want to be stuck inside this jail with these three monsters fighting.' He was truly thankful that the test administrator had intervened. 

"The game is about to begin, those who wish to compete in this round just click the buzzer inside your respective waiting rooms," The test Administrator spoke as he began the countdown.

"If we're going to play it, we should do it in the third round or later," Shibisu spoke as Anak got right past him and immediately pressed the buzzer. "W-what?!" Shibisu stuttered in surprise.

Anak and Hatz walked past him, leaving him and Naruto behind.

"It doesn't matter which round it is, we just have to win," Hatz spoke with confidence.

"Yeah, you're right..." Shibisu spoke, lowering his shoulders, accepting their decision, following right behind them.

Anak stopped midway and gave a side glance towards the whiskered blond one last time.

"Don't worry, whiskers, you won't even have a chance to participate. Watch, as I win this game by myself!" Anak spoke with an air of arrogance and Naruto scoffed.

"Yeah, right, Lizzie..." Naruto spoke softly, amused by the lizard girl's overconfidence.

Naruto watched as his teammates positioned themselves to fight another team in anxiety. He was itching for action for quite some time now since the first test. He didn't want his team to lose but, he was holding himself back to not forcing himself into the arena so he could participate. He hoped that if they actually somehow lose, at least things keep interesting if he gets to enter the stage.

Naruto watched as Anak mocked the other team, and got to humiliate them using something that looked like a hook but acted as a whip. He didn't understand how the weapon could work like that. As always, wherever he went, there was always something new to learn and this awoke his curiosity since he took a liking to many styles of fighting over the years, especially with different kinds of weapons.

'That hook...' He mused, activating his eyes and analyzing the strange weapon. He immediately gasped as he saw the weapon's inner energy resemble that of a living creature. 'What the hell...? How is that possible? Is there something living inside that hook? Or is the weapon itself alive?' He asked himself with deep curiosity. He had to ask Anak to take a closer look at it later. He did feel something strange whenever he was nearby it before but he always brushed it off. Now that he thought about it, he felt something similar when he was near Baam and that wrapped object he was carrying before. Was it the same type of weapon that he was hiding?

He witnessed one of the opponents' teammates give an almighty punch to her face but unfortunately, it didn't work on the seemingly omnipotent being such as the hard-headed lizard girl.

Naruto giggled softly as he saw her win with ease. "Hehe, she's quite strong for a little girl." He spoke in a low tone, admiring the fight Anak was putting against her opponents.

He blinked as he saw the enemies get up and run for the crown but laughed as they got whipped by a tornado created by the girl who took the crown with pride and sat on the throne as if she was the queen.

The round had Anak as the announced victor.

The blond watched as the next round unfolds itself yet, his participation was still impossible. He kept observing as Anak who was sleeping soundly on the throne, was almost struck by a shinsu attack that almost resembled a huge sparkling water jet and angered by the disturbance, ignite her weapon which once again, made Naruto's sixth sense tick. The weapon extended itself like crazy, seemingly creating a forest as it split itself, creating multiple vines to attack her opponents.

"Things are getting interesting and I still can't participate?! This is unfair!" Naruto suddenly forged a mug and rammed the object against the bars that blocked the exit of the waiting room. "Let me out, let me out! I want my lawyer right now!!" He cried in anxiety.

The test Administrator sweatdropped from the room where he watched the game and grabbed the microphone to intervene with the noisy blond.

"Um... could the participant please calm himself down?" Lero Ro pleaded with the speaker.

Upon hearing the Administrator's request, Naruto stopped his act. 'I guess it's no use, I'll have to hope that they lose for me to participate.' He thought, resigned. He then smirked. 'If my team has to lose for me to be able to participate, then I'd rather sit here for my entire life! Go for it, Lizzie, tracksuit, Hatz!!" He cheered. 

His happy cheering was soon put to a stop when he saw Anak suddenly jump from the throne and demolish the entrance to one of the other team's waiting rooms. They were f*cking disqualified, weren't they? Naruto brushed the thought off as he questioned why would she do such a move. 'What is going on here?!' He asked, infuriated with the wait, he decided to head towards the other team's waiting room. He just couldn't sit here and do nothing.

Anak was furious. She already explained to the brunet that the 13 months belong in the hands of a princess of Jahad and therefore, he could not keep the weapon yet, he insisted on keeping the Black March to himself. "Hand it over!" Anak ordered once again.

Seeing the boy and his teammates' resistance she saw no other choice... "So, you all chose death... then die!" She slammed her weapon at them but found herself stuck midway as she felt her swing be restrained by someone.

"You're not killing anybody while I'm here, do you hear me, Anak!?" The voice sounded angry, very angry... 

Upon hearing the voice, she looked upside and widened her eyes when she found a tall blond figure looking at her with a furious and disapproving expression. It was Naruto. 

Khun Aguero Agnis gasped in shock. The blond had appeared at extremely high speed in a vortex just before the test Administrator who was just behind him. 'Hey, it must be my imagination right? This guy couldn't be as fast as Mr.Lero Ro, right...?' He thought to himself astonished.

"Na...ruto..." Anak spoke softly, still not out of her stupor.

"I heard everything. How could you abandon your teammates like that and attack another team just for some weapon?! Answer me, Anak!!" Naruto ordered.

The lizard girl, finally exiting her stupor, furrowed her eyebrows as she released herself from his grip that had loosened and scoffed. "Hah! What do you know?!" She asked in an annoyed tone as she turned her back on him.

This outcome is most unfortunate, but the crown game must proceed. Since your teammate broke the rule of not leaving the throne, they are, therefore, disqualified. You can finally participate in the next round if you wish, Naruto." Lero Ro spoke but Naruto kept stern. He had no interest in the next round until Anak resigns from murdering Baam over a weapon.

"Listen, Anak, I'm not disappointed that you made the team lose the game, I'm disappointed that you abandoned your team. Although this game is treated as a simple competition, there is a possibility that an opposing team could go and kill one of you. If the enemy team had the intention to kill Shibisu, there would be a possibility that Hatz wouldn't be able to save him in time as he dealt with the other opponents. What would you do if he was assassinated right there? Tell me!" Naruto asked in an imposing tone but the girl didn't answer. She was thoughtful and didn't know what to say.

"Those who don't follow the rules are trash, yes, but those who abandon their teammates are worst than trash! So don't act so spoiled cuz you're a princess you hear, me, Anak?!"

The people in the room reached a whole new level of respect for the blond. They all agreed with his words.

Khun watched with wide eyes the unrealistic scenario unfolding itself before him. Some random guy was lecturing a princess of Jahad? Now that's unheard of!

Shibisu and Hatz were in dismay. The Naruto who they've seen until now always kept a calm, happy, and playful demeanor around them but this one had been replaced by one who displayed maturity, and experience. His face was now contorting with anger and disappointment.

The lizard girl gritted her teeth with frustration. 'He doesn't know... he doesn't know...' She kept repeating to herself, attempting to regain her composure. 

After taking a deep breath, she finally returned to her usual calm and collected behavior, turning the atmosphere into a fairly less tense one. "Fine, if you don't want me to kill this boy, then how about this? If he survives until the final round, I'll give him the Green April, if he loses, I'll get the Black March instead!"

"That's absurd! Why would I accept such a bet?!" Baam questioned in an annoyed tone.

"Because if you don't, I'll keep hunting you and your team until I get it from you," Anak spoke firmly. She made it clear that she was not giving up on getting the Black March.

Naruto stepped ahead and put a hand on his should and leaned into his ear and spoke, "Don't worry, my team already lost. Even if you don't win and she gets the weapon, I'll take it back when she's asleep and return it to that Yuri girl later somehow. I have a trick to create a copy of that weapon so don't worry, she won't even be able to tell the difference" He spoke in a soft tone. Anak raised an eyebrow at this and internally, for some reason, she felt the need to slap the blond and call him a hypocrite right now but instead, she awaited the boy's decision.

Baam felt unsure about all of this but he didn't want to cause any more trouble for his teammates... 

"Why are you hesitating, Baam?! Of course, you should accept!" Khun yelled.

"You think that I'd lose? Don't push your luck, lizard!." Rak spoke with an air of superiority.

"Mr. Khun, Mr.Rak..." Baam spoke softly.

"Princess, rules, I don't like any of it. This bet, I accept it!" Khun spoke without hesitation in his statement.

"A-alright... It's a bet." Baam replied, making Anak's smirk widen.

"Well, as long as it doesn't interfere with the game, I shall act as a mediator to this bet. Being everything settled for both parties, the crown game will now resume!" Lero Ro stated as he grabbed the crown from Anak's head and exited the room, followed by Naruto and his team.

As they left, Rak looked at Naruto with a whole new level of admiration. "That was some leadership before, from that whiskered turtle I mean," Rak spoke, nodding to himself with a grin.

"Yes... but still..." Khun pondered. 'Naruto Uzumaki, just who the hell are you?' He asked himself. He still couldn't get out of his mind his previous speed feat. I couldn't be just his imagination. If he was going to participate in the next round, they would be in quite a situation in their hands...

As Naruto retreated with his team back to their room, Anak glanced at a cloaked girl in another room. Naruto saw the girl's lips moving, and by reading it, he understood, Hey there, impostor... Impostor? What was this all about? He asked himself as he saw his teammate, expression contort with rage from the girl's comment, and was about to draw her weapon when suddenly, Hatz put a sword near her throat, stopping her.

"H-hatz!" Shibisu stuttered from the sudden movement.

"Don't commit any more actions that might harm the team, Anak Jahad." He spoke, already fed up with the lizard's lack of sense.

Anak moved the blade from her way and left. "What team?" She asked nonchalantly as she walked off.

"Hey Anak!! What are you saying?!" Shibisu called, but she ignored him.

Naruto decided to give the lizard girl some discount and leave her alone for now. There was something going on here that he didn't know about and he needed to find out at a later time.

"Now, those who wish to participate in the third round of the crown game, press the buzzer and enter the arena!" Lero Ro sounded from the speaker.

Khun, Baam and Rak entered the stage. The blue-haired member of the Khun family looked warily at the participants who pressed the buzzer and were entering the arena. "So, he still hasn't decided to participate in this round... but this is where the real game begins.' He thought analytically.

"You won't participate yet, Naruto aniki?" Shibisu asked softly, deciding to break the awkward silence inside the room. Anak retreated to the room's side and hasn't returned to chatting with any of them yet.

"Not yet. It doesn't feel that the game has reached its climax and not all teams have entered the arena yet." Naruto stated as he watched from behind the room's bars.

"Now... should I decide already which sword I shall use in this game?" Naruto asked himself out loud, putting a hand under his chin, getting his attention from Hatz who approached him.

"I never thought you were a swordsman, Naruto. But I wouldn't recommend you a sword. Go with a hook, a needle, or a spear instead." Hatz recommended.

"But you have a pair of swords!" Naruto accused.

Hatz sighed. "These are not exactly swords, they are katanas and also, I'm an exception... Still, you should start with a hook, needle, or spear instead if you want to climb the tower." Hatz insisted.

"I don't get it, why do people in this tower seem obsessed with using fishing rods to fight? C'mon, it isn't just because shinsu resembles water that we need to act as if we're on a giant aquarium and get all touchy about using swords." Naruto ranted.

"You clearly don't get it. As one climbs the tower, due to the high viscosity of shinsu, broad swords with a high surface area are not recommended. Thanks to that, weapons such as needles or spears are more widely used in opposition to swords." Hatz spoke sagely.

Naruto scoffed at his explanation as he stared at the pair of swords tucked away in his scabbard but decided to leave it alone. He had just the exact weapon for this situation.

"But still, if you want to use a sword, go ahead, I won't stop you. But still, where is your sword? Do you have an inventory or..." Hatz was interrupted, Naruto had already decided.

"Needles then... like this one?" Naruto asked as he touched a seal on his arm, summoning Nuibari, the needle sword from Kushimaru Kuriarare, making Hatz and his other two teammates who stood in silence shoot their eyes wide open.

"That's too literal!" Hatz yelled in astonishment. He had littered summoned a needle to fight.

'It seems like this crown game, promises to be the greatest crown game in history' Lero Ro thought as he saw the pieces unfold ready for the next rounds. He once again reached out for the microphone. "The crown game round 3, beings now!!" 

Chapter End