The very first match stirred the entire audience's curiosity about ninjas.
In their minds, ninjas were probably like Tenten—appearing without a trace, vanishing without a shadow, and striking with thunderous, torrential force the moment they acted.
Tenten perfectly matched the audience's image of a mysterious and unfathomable ninja.
The second match was Shino Aburame versus Shikamaru Nara. It ended with Shikamaru Nara surrendering, and under the Jonin's explanation, it showcased a battle of wits.
The third match was Naruto versus Sasuke Uchiha.
Sasuke Uchiha had not been late, but to his surprise, Naruto, that dead last, had fought him to the point of exhaustion. In the end, Sasuke Uchiha had only narrowly defeated Naruto by relying on a final breath of unwillingness to yield.
Sasuke Uchiha truly had not expected this, and the resentment in his heart grew even stronger.
He had worked so hard and originally thought he could easily defeat Naruto. Yet by the end of the battle, he had nearly lost.
With strength like his, how could he possibly have a chance to face Itachi Uchiha?
The unwillingness in Sasuke Uchiha's heart spread unbearably.
No one paid attention to Uchiha's mental state. What came next was Gaara versus Neji Hyuga.
"Fourth joint Chunin Exam selection match, Gaara versus Neji Hyuga, begin!" Genma Shiranui slashed downward with his hand and stepped aside.
Before Gaara could even speak, Neji Hyuga had already vanished from before his eyes. A single finger flicked toward Gaara's forehead.
Gaara's eyes widened in shock. The sand armor covering his body shattered, and he crashed into the wall with his eyes rolled back, completely unconscious.
"This is bad!" Seeing Gaara knocked unconscious by a finger flick from the stands, Temari's expression changed.
Gaara losing consciousness meant that the One-Tail Shukaku would take control of Gaara