Two days passed in the blink of an eye, marking the end of the second test. A total of twenty-six people had successfully passed.
The third test was the most important stage of the Chunin Exams. Daimyo, dignitaries, and the Kage of ninja villages from various countries would be invited to attend.
Civilians were allowed to watch the matches, so many spectators had traveled great distances to see them.
Therefore, the number of participants had to be reduced, strong ninja selected, and every effort made to make the matches more spectacular.
This concerned the ninja village's reputation, future funding from the daimyo, merchants' commissions, and many other matters.
Inside the arena, the examinees stood in several rows. A sickly-looking Leaf Village ninja walked before them with a notebook and pen in hand.
Gekko Hayate. He possessed the Kekkei Genkai known as Invisibility Release, which allowed him to turn invisible, but he had also contracted Bloodline Disease because of it.
Hyuga Kei's assessment was that he had the name of a protagonist, but not the fate of one.
"The preliminary matches will be one-on-one combat. There are exactly twenty-six of you, so there will be thirteen matches. The winners will advance to the third test."
"There are no rules. The match ends only when one side dies, collapses, or voluntarily admits defeat. So if you don't want to die, surrender as soon as possible."
"So, it isn't too late to withdraw now."
Karin Uzumaki and Uchiha Hikari decisively raised their hands. "We withdraw."
Everyone looked at them in surprise. Their strength was more than enough to clear the preliminaries easily, so why withdraw here?
Without any explanation, the two headed toward the stands.
Naturally, this was Hyuga Kei's order. Those two had poor control over their strength when they fought, making