The Preliminary Selection have officially ended.
The eight who passed the competition were Hinata, Naruto, Neji, Temari, Shikamaru, Sasuke, Gaara, Choji Gaara.
Hinata was very satisfied.
Naruto and Sasuke are teammates, Neji is a follower, and Choji and Shikamaru are underlings...
I, Otsutsuki Hinata, wield immense power!
Gekko Hayate looked at the eight people in front of him and said calmly, "Congratulations on successfully passing the Preliminary Selection and advancing to the Third Match of the Chunin Ninja Exams..."
The Third Hokage slowly walked to Gekko Hayate's side.
Gekko Hayate looked puzzled, his expression troubled. "Uh... Lord Hokage, you mean..."
The Third ignored Gekko Hayate and looked at the eight people who had passed the test, smiling slightly, "Now I will explain the content of the Official Match..."
"Tsk tsk tsk!"
Hinata pouted. This Gekko Hayate... really has no future.
The Third leader, with a serious expression, explained, "As I mentioned before, you will be Official Match in front of all the distinguished guests. You represent your respective countries, and I hope you can perform at your best."
"Therefore, the Official Match will be held in one month!"
In a secluded corner of Konoha, Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi meet again.
"Speaking of which, it is indeed peaceful here! No... it's just that this country is too tranquil and peaceful, while other countries are actively engaged in Arms Race."
Kabuto Yakushi glanced at Orochimaru and said calmly, "Doesn't this give us a perfect opportunity?"
"Yeah!" Orochimaru said in a sinister voice, "I wonder if it's fun to cut off that old guy's head."
Kabuto Yakushi said calmly, "It seems to me that you haven't made up your mind yet!"
Orochimaru remained silent, and even Kabuto Yakushi couldn't discern what Orochimaru was thinking.
At this time, Kabuto Yakushi was still a spy moving between various forces. Orochimaru did not trust him enough, and Kabuto Yakushi was not wholeheartedly loyal to Orochimaru.
Kabuto Yakushi glanced at Orochimaru and said with a hint of amusement, "It seems you don't trust me that much!"
Orochimaru joked, "As my future right-hand man, you don't need to worry about these trivial matters at all, which just shows how much I trust you."
"Therefore... I'm leaving Sasuke in your care."
"Although there was a slight accident before, even though it's nothing serious, you'd better take this opportunity to stir up the darkness in his heart."
"Bring him here immediately!"
Despite not having much contact with Sasuke, Orochimaru knew Sasuke extremely well.
Sasuke determined to take revenge on Itachi Uchiha, but this Chunin Ninja Exams will undoubtedly be a huge blow to Sasuke.
Of those few people who passed the Preliminary Selection, how many does Sasuke have the confidence to defeat?
In the Forest of Death, Shino Aburame, who fought Sasuke to a draw, was also defeated by Neji Hyuga.
Might Guy's student Lee, whose power was outrageous, also fell at Gaara's feet?
Even those who didn't make it through the Preliminary Selection, Sasuke might not be a match for them, let alone in the upcoming matches.
Kabuto Yakushi said cryptically, "You're acting a bit strange. Are you in a hurry?"
Orochimaru said calmly, "Because an unexpected event occurred..."
Kabuto Yakushi probed, "Are you Hinata Hyuga? It seems Lord Orochimaru is finally starting to take an interest in her..."
Orochimaru's hoarse voice betrayed no emotion as he calmly said, "Based on the information you've gathered, Sasuke's thoughts and feelings have changed since he teamed up with Hinata Hyuga Sasuke Naruto Uzumaki."
"In that case, it's best to separate them as soon as possible!"
Orochimaru had also experienced these things, so he could naturally understand Sasuke's feelings.
Jiraiya and Tsunade were both Orochimaru's past.
Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, saying in a sinister voice, "So that... Sasuke can accept my influence as soon as possible."
Without Hinata around, Orochimaru felt much happier sticking out his tongue.
"Yes!"
Kabuto Yakushi turned to leave, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were being watched by an incredibly terrifying being.
"Kabuto! If you want to stop me, the only way is to kill Sasuke now."
"With your strength, you can't kill me!"
At this point, Orochimaru suddenly smiled and said, "Go! I believe in you!"
Orochimaru's expression was somewhat amused. Kabuto had used Hinata several times to test how strong Orochimaru's obsession with Sasuke really was, clearly indicating that he had sensed something.
Although Hinata is currently performing better than Sasuke, Orochimaru believes that Hinata's potential has already been determined.
Even if Hinata were to break through the historical limit of the Hyuga Clan, it wouldn't arouse much interest from Orochimaru.
Moreover, compared to Sasuke, who was a blank slate and easily fooled, Hinata has clearly grown up and is quite cunning.
Orochimaru felt he was having some trouble handling it.
Most importantly, the Byakugan in history was just the Byakugan, but the Sharingan is different.
In the main hall of the Central Tower.
After rambling on for a while, the Third said with a hint of malice, "Although I really want everyone to disband, there is an important thing to do before the Official Match."
Naruto, already dissatisfied, roared, "How much more is there to do?!"
"No rush..."
The Third turned around and glanced back. "... Anko."
Anko walked over with the lottery box in her hand, a smile on her face, without saying a word.
The Third explained, "Each of you should draw a piece of paper from the box that Anko took."
Anko walked up to Hinata with a smile and invited, "Little sister, you're quite interesting. Would you like to come out for a drink after the match?"
"I'm not an adult yet..."
Hinata spoke, she suddenly activated her Byakugan and drew a '1' from it.
Anko found it amusing and spoke up before anyone else could, saying, "Little sister, cheating by drawing lots won't do any good! The match order will be announced after everyone has drawn lots."
Hinata looked up at Anko and gave a dreamy smile.
Anko is a really nice person; once she said that, no one else could say anything more.
Once the draw was complete, the match order was determined.
Hinata vs. Naruto; Shikamaru vs. Temari; Sasuke vs. Gaara; Neji vs. Choji.
Naruto!
Hinata turned to look at Naruto, Naruto was now pale. He was clutching the '2' note tightly in his hand, sweating profusely, and muttering to himself, "I'm going to die. Hinata is going to beat me to death!"
Hinata patted Naruto on the shoulder. Naruto looked over, Hinata smiled, her eyes crinkling, "Naruto, don't worry! I promise I won't kill you!"
Naruto wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and laughed awkwardly, "Really? Hehehe... Hinata, I won't lose to you, I'll definitely beat you!"
"Is that so?"
Hinata smiled gently, her tone devoid of emotion. "Let's do our best together!"
Sasuke crumpled the '6' note in his hand into a ball. Although his face was expressionless, he couldn't suppress the resentment and bitterness in his heart.