Preliminaries End

"Kankuro, be careful."

Temari frowned upon seeing the draw on the screen and advised, "It's best not to get seriously injured. If it's not possible, just admit defeat."

"I understand," Kankuro replied, slightly reluctantly.

Sasuke Uchiha's Lightning Release, with its extremely high speed, poses a significant threat to Puppeteer who are not adept at movement.

He has already revealed a lot of his own information, and if the opponent still has a trump card, his chances of winning are extremely slim.

They had ulterior motives for participating in the Chunin Ninja Exams; otherwise, the Kazekage's Child's promotion within her own village would have been incredibly easy.

Therefore, he dared not imagine the consequences if Kankuro were injured and the village's plans were disrupted.

When Sasuke and Kankuro stood face to face, many people thought it would be a fierce battle, and also a good opportunity to gather information on their rivals, so their expectations were immediately raised.

"Start!"

Sasuke's crimson eyes lit up, his Two Tomoe swirling Sasuke carefully observed Kankuro's entire body.

Although he was confident, he certainly did not underestimate his opponent.

Puppeteer's attacks are unpredictable, and most are skilled in using poison; accidentally brushing against one could easily lead to certain death.

He didn't want to win so riskily by revealing his intelligence to others.

Kankuro remained rooted to the spot, lost in thought.

Sasuke immediately Hand Seals in quick succession, his movements swift and practiced: Rat-Tiger-Dog-Ox-Rabbit-Tiger, Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!

Multiple fireballs shot out like pistol bullets, scattering in a petal-like pattern.

The first few fireballs were aimed directly at Kankuro himself, followed by a fireball that arced in a small arc, seemingly intending to destroy the puppet behind him.

"Damn it, we've been found out!"

Kankuro, his face grim, leaped out of the bandages, his feet retreating rapidly.

The skin of the original "self" in front of him broke open, revealing an extremely ugly puppet Crow.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh.

Kankuro dodged several fireballs with Crow's breath and barely managed to block the frontal attack.

Then the Chakra Threads connected to the puppet, the joints opened, and snap!

The black bullet flew rapidly towards Sasuke's feet.

Sasuke could guess that this was most likely a highly toxic Smoke Bomb, and he absolutely must not inhale it easily.

Therefore, as soon as he finished releasing the Phoenix Sage Fire, he immediately followed up with another Ninjutsu.

He activated Lightning Release Chakra within his body, greatly increasing his muscle activity, and seemingly in a flash, he moved several steps to the side.

Black smoke exploded, but Sasuke had already completely escaped the area of effect.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, two Steel Wire connected to the Shuriken out.

The lightning flashed and hissed as it rotated, closing in on Kankuro in a pincer movement.

Click click...

The Crow's arm detached, the Chakra Threads severed the limb, and two bayonets flew out to intercept it.

Sasuke's reaction was clearly superior; his Sharingan easily detected Kankuro's wrist manipulation.

A slight smile appeared on his lips as Lightning Release Chakra was transmitted along the specially made Steel Wire.

The two Shuriken seemed to possess him instantly, easily dodging the bayonet and extending further, swiftly entangled Kankuro and the Crow together in two quick movements.

"Oh no! I admit it..."

Before he could finish speaking, Sasuke was tightening the Steel Wire, didn't hold back, his hands moving non-stop.

Si-Chen-Mao-Yin, Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!

Boom!

Intense flames flowed along the Steel Wire, ruthlessly rushing past the puppets and humans, completely engulfing their prey!

"Ughhhhhh..."

"Kankuro!" Temari cried out in alarm, bumping into the railing. "He's already surrendered! Stop!"

Bai seemed to react much slower. After hearing the sound, he "waited" for a moment before calmly and slowly entering the flames.

I didn't see how he moved; it seemed like he just gently twisted the arm, and suddenly he had a person covered in charred black skin, twitching slightly, in his hand.

It was none other than Kankuro, who had almost been burned alive!

"Sorry, I didn't hear him shout 'I give up'..."

Half of his face and half of his body were covered in ice armor, his long black hair flowed slowly, and his right eye was narrowed into a crescent shape.

"Now that you're speaking on his behalf, I won't ignore you."

"Hey, Medical Unit, come on over. He should be fine after a week or two of rest..."

The examiner's "cuteness" made Naruto and the others feel disgusted. They never expected that such a pure face would be so cunning. Fortunately, they hadn't said anything to offend her.

"Hmph, nothing!"

The victorious Sasuke gave Gaara and Temari a slightly provocative smile, then shoved his hands into his pockets and swaggered back to the stands.

"..."

The participating genin from other countries Genin a chill; it seemed best not to be too arrogant on Konoha's turf.

Fairness can be guaranteed in normal competitions; just fight honestly and that's it.

After this,

The following matches were much less exciting.

The showdown between Sakura and Ino, the Konoha sisters, is a foregone conclusion;

Tenten, by some twist of fate, runs into Temari. Although she is called "human" by Three-Star Fan, Temari no longer dares to openly retaliate.

Neji Hyuga faced Zaku, the Sound Ninja's single move, the Void Wave Slash, was completely seen through by the Byakugan's terrifying insight.

From generating chakra to raising his hand to aim, his extremely monotonous attack methods made it impossible for him to hit Neji.

He quickly closed in on the Hyuga Clan's top genius, and with a few Gentle Fist, ended the match with overwhelming force.

The remaining three games--

Hinata Hyuga Hinata against a female ninja from Kirigakure. In a contest primarily based on Taijutsu, she easily won by relying on her Byakugan and Gentle Fist.

The two students in Ishikawa Tatsuki's First Squad didn't end up facing each other; instead, they each encountered Aburame Shino and a Mist Ninja.

After putting up a brief resistance, they decisively gave up.

This result left him heartbroken. Of the five Konoha genin teams that advanced, only his team Genin completely wiped out, and he was about to be ridiculed by people in the ninja community again...

Asuma looked at Shikamaru with a wry smile, "You're incredibly lucky, kid. I don't know what to say."

Shikamaru scratched his head. "Indeed. But I have a bad feeling; good luck is often followed by bad luck. Because everyone who advances to the Third Exam is very strong!"

This is troublesome... I still need to spend time preparing. I hope I won't lose too badly in front of so many people.

"..."

As soon as the preliminary rounds ended, Bai immediately congratulated the winners on their successful advancement.

Next, it was Shuichi's turn to speak, informing everyone of the time, location, and rules of the official competition, and then proceeding to draw lots for the Third Exam.

"Now I will announce the match schedule for the official competition!"

After everyone drew lots and reported their numbers, the match-up chart for the elimination mode was quickly displayed before everyone's eyes:

[Haruno Sakura vs. Dosu]

Rock Lee vs. Gaara

[Hozuki Suigetsu vs. Sasuke Uchiha]

[Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuga]

[Aburame Shino vs Yūjin]

[Nara Shikamaru vs. Temari]

[Terumi An vs. Hyuga Hinata]

"Thank you all for your hard work. See you in a month! That's all for now!"

A month is neither long nor short; it mainly gives the Daimyo and ninja leaders who come to watch the formal exam ample time to prepare.

This time, the scene is particularly grand, with the three Kage from Konoha, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure gathering together.

Aside from the Kage Summit, this situation has rarely occurred in the history of the Shinobi World.

It's easy to imagine that the Tu and Raikage kingdoms would be extremely uneasy, and there's no guarantee that spies wouldn't sneak into Konoha.

Other small countries' ninjas and spirits are equally eager to participate. Even without major events, observing the level of the great country 'Genin makes the long journey worthwhile.

With the preliminary rounds cancelled, all candidates who advanced to the next round began to prepare in full force.

Seeking guidance from teachers, practicing with elders in their clans, investigating enemy intelligence... every Genin was incredibly busy, and no one wanted to embarrass themselves in front of everyone.

The same applies to the Team 7's Trio.

One day, Naruto "accidentally" encountered Strange Old Man with White Hair near Hot Spring Inn. He then naturally signed Summoning Contract, adding a powerful trump card to his arsenal.

Sasuke continued to receive instruction from Kakashi and occasionally had skilled members of his clan as sparring partners, leading a very fulfilling life.

Sakura was left looking somewhat lost. Kakashi-sensei couldn't teach her much; it was mostly just some Water Release Ninjutsu and simple Genjutsu.

Their styles and experiences in Taijutsu are almost completely different, and forcibly imitating them always feels like they don't suit you.

So apart from her regular daily training, she seemed to have no other way to improve herself. She could only think more about how to deal with the fighting style of the Sound Ninja Dosu and improve her proficiency in the Ninjutsu she already possessed.

One afternoon, there was a sudden knock on the door.