Chunin Exams V

Hayate Gekko, that sickly guy... I wondered if he could even keep his life. I'd done everything I could; the rest depended on his fate. But why was he acting alone at night?

"First match: Uchiha Sasuke versus Akado Yoroi." Hayate Gekko announced the start of the first match. Sasuke stepped forward and looked at the guy. After bowing, neither side wasted words and they began fighting immediately. Akado Yoroi charged forward, trying to get close to Sasuke. His ability was to absorb his opponent's Chakra, so Sasuke began dodging left and right. Sasuke had no intention of wasting much effort. Lion's Barrage would do, but that final self-inflicted slam wasn't worth it, so he would modify it.

With a whoosh, Sasuke, who had been dodging, suddenly vanished from Akado Yoroi's sight and appeared beneath him. He drove one leg upward, kicking Akado Yoroi squarely in the chin and sending his whole body flying. The kick was incredibly powerful; Sasuke had not held back. Then came the Shadow of the Dancing Leaf. He had never learned it and had never seen Rock Lee use it, but he had seen it in the anime. The names in Naruto might sound cool, but the moves themselves were really simple.

"Is that... the Shadow of the Dancing Leaf? I didn't expect him to know it too," Rock Lee muttered.

Sasuke moved behind Akado Yoroi. Taking advantage of the fact that his opponent could not turn around in midair, he slapped his right shoulder with his right hand, then launched a side kick with his left leg. Akado Yoroi did not fall for it and blocked with his arm. Using the rebound from the block, Sasuke spun upward from the right side and swung his left arm in a full arc, smashing it directly into his face. His body did not stop spinning. His right leg slammed into Akado Yoroi's stomach, while his left hand did not retract, instead grabbing his opponent's collar and yanking him toward himself. Sasuke clenched his right hand into a fist and unleashed a barrage of punches. Just before landing, he kicked down hard with both feet, used the force to flip backward, and landed safely. Akado Yoroi, meanwhile, became a freely falling body accelerating toward the ground.

Less than a minute had passed before the battle was over. Hayate Gekko stepped forward to inspect him. Akado Yoroi was not dead, but even if he recovered, he would be crippled for life. Hayate Gekko then announced Sasuke's victory. Sasuke returned directly to the second floor, where Naruto and Sakura ran over to celebrate.

The second match was Shino versus Zaku Abumi. There was no suspense at all; the matchup was an overwhelming counter. Shino passed easily. Sasuke was not sure exactly how strong Shino was, since he was far too low-key. After that, Sasuke only paid attention to Sakura's battle. Sakura fought Ino with all her strength, and the two ended up mutually injured. At the end, Sasuke jumped down, carried the unconscious Sakura back up, and gave her a quick check. Finding that she was only exhausted, he leaned her against the wall.

Naruto's battle was still a complete mess, but a win was a win. Hinata brought him some ointment. "Hey, Sasuke, have you noticed? Hinata always acts kind of strange around me," Naruto asked innocently.

"That's because Hinata likes you, so she always gets shy in front of you. Haven't you noticed?"

"Huh? Are you serious? How could that be?" Naruto said, dumbfounded.

"You can observe it for yourself. I can't give you much advice about relationships, but what you say has a huge impact on Hinata, so watch your words." Sasuke had no solution for Naruto's habit of shouting whatever came to mind. He just hoped Naruto would notice Hinata sooner.

The following battles proceeded just like in the anime. Sasuke carefully watched everyone's fighting styles, copying their movements and ninjutsu. They might not necessarily be useful to him, but knowing more was never a bad thing. Even if he did not use them himself, they still had great reference value. Tenten's Ninja Tool throwing, for example, was worth studying, though it looked terribly expensive.

Hinata's battle made Naruto very excited. Sasuke did not know whether his words had had any effect, but Naruto still challenged Neji in the end.

"You're nothing but a loser. I'm much more interested in Uchiha Sasuke. Fate is predetermined. Geniuses should fight geniuses." As he spoke, he looked at Sasuke. Sasuke curled his lips. Kids were the most troublesome. "Your opponent is Naruto. He has already challenged you, so you'd better fight him with everything you have. Otherwise, losing would be very embarrassing."

"Oh? I never expected Sasuke, the genius of this class, to take a loser seriously. How amusing."

"I don't think of myself as a genius, and I won't underestimate any opponent. I know Naruto. He's very strong. I hope you won't be too shocked when the time comes." The boring conversation ended. Naruto ran back, and the matches continued. Rock Lee's battle was of great help to Sasuke. Sasuke had yet to master fighting at high speed while wearing weights, so this was a perfect chance to learn.

As always, the strong were strong. The remaining nine contestants all stood in the center and listened to the Third Hokage speak. One month? Everyone would change over that time, while he could learn Kakashi-sensei's Chidori, as well as Chidori's upgraded version, the Lightning Cutter. That would mean his Lightning Release had finally reached the beginner level. After all, D-rank and C-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu were not very destructive. But perhaps he should learn the Rasengan too? It was a non-elemental A-rank ninjutsu, simple and convenient to learn. Even if he did not have Wind Release, he could add the nature transformation of other elements. Fire and water... Tai Chi... perhaps it could work.

While Sasuke was thinking, the Third Hokage finished speaking. Sasuke had not been injured this time, so Yakushi Kabuto probably would not come to assassinate him, right? Or would that psychopath still come anyway? He needed to be careful.

They followed Kakashi back to the village. After agreeing on a time to gather the next day, everyone dispersed. Sasuke returned home. He knew that Kakashi would probably test Naruto's and his Chakra attributes tomorrow, and Kakashi would also guide him personally. In that case, he should increase his weights once more. He had not added weight long ago, but adding more now was still possible. After all, he had never trained this intensely before. His Three-Body Stance had reached minor mastery, so his body should be able to endure it.

This time, Sasuke directly increased the weights on his body to 1,500 kilograms. The pressure really was not small. Hopefully, after one month, he would be able to fully adapt to it.

The next day, Kakashi tested Naruto's and Sasuke's Chakra attributes, then took Naruto away, telling Sasuke to go to the training ground and do some basic training until he returned.

Naruto would meet Jiraiya—or rather, Jiraiya would find Naruto. Their meeting was no coincidence. How could Jiraiya not care about his disciple's son? After being gone for so many years, how could his sudden return at this particular time be a coincidence? Kakashi had probably known all along. That was why he personally taught Sasuke and recommended Naruto to someone else. After all, Jiraiya was the Fourth Hokage's teacher.

There was no need to dwell on it. It was just a Summoning Jutsu, wasn't it? He could look for one himself in the future. He would find one eventually. As for the Rasengan, Kakashi should know it too, right? He could just ask and see whether Kakashi was willing to teach him.