Pitiful Yamanaka Sora
"Now, we'll begin the preliminary rounds. These are individual competitions. Two people will be randomly selected from the screen behind me, and the winners will advance to the Third Exam."
"All ninja techniques can be used. The match will only stop when one side concedes defeat or loses the ability to resist. I will also end the match when the result is obvious."
"Now, those who wish to forfeit the exam, please step forward immediately. While I will do my utmost to minimize casualties, I cannot necessarily prevent serious injury and disability."
Upon hearing this, the three Amegakure Ninja looked in the direction of their teacher, only to find him staring at them with a gloomy expression, as if issuing a strong warning.
"... This is simply inhuman!" The three roared inwardly. They had agreed that only one team needed to pass the Second Stage, but now, due to unforeseen circumstances, they had gone back on their word.
After a full ten seconds, the arena fell silent. "It seems no one has forfeited. Now, I declare the Third Exam officially open."
"Please proceed to the platforms on either side. The electronic screens will soon begin drawing names for the two sides in the first round of combat. Please be prepared."
"They're here!" Shuichi had been bored for three days, perked up. Although ninjas are a profession that tends to be secretive, playing a tournament-style game is still quite fun. "Let's see if Konoha's selection of ninjas this time is truly random or pseudo-random."
The group began to head towards the high platforms on both sides. Perhaps due to some unspoken agreement, the four teams from Konoha were on the left together, along with several instructors and Konoha Ninja.
On the right are three teams of Sunagakure and one team of Amegakure. The "spectator seats" on both sides are ready, and only Kamizuki Ryūun remains in the arena.
"Now, the first round begins!"
"Beep beep beep..." The names on the electronic screen began to jump rapidly.
The ticking names stopped: [Yukari VS Yamanaka Sora].
"The Fan Girl is facing off against the Yamanaka Clan! It seems Konoha is in for a bad start." This was the Shuichi from Sunagakure's Yukari squad had seen it up close. The first two matches were recorded by Hyuga Akiha, and they hadn't encountered it either.
In the original work, Temari of Sunagakure is considered one of the well-known supporting characters, Shuichi naturally has a deep impression of this big fan. He also remembers that Sunagakure seemed to have a Wind Release squad that used fans during the Fourth Shinobi War.
Upon seeing that his opponent was a female ninja from Sunagakure using the Wind Release, Yamanaka Sora's expression turned bitter.
After arriving at the Central Tower, their team conducted a detailed analysis of the potential opponents. Based on the strength of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the chances of encountering a winnable opponent and a difficult one were roughly equal. The Akimichi Clan had slightly better head-on abilities, but their win rate against the strong opponents here was still quite low.
"I can't even get close, what should I do?" As he walked onto the field, Yamanaka Sora kept searching for a way to win. "I can only win if the Mind Transfer Jutsu hits me, but that's too difficult. I'm at a complete disadvantage in every other aspect."
Most people present made a similar assessment after witnessing the first round of the duel: Yamanaka Sora was essentially powerless to fight back.
After the two stood about 10 meters apart, Kamizuki Ryūun immediately announced the start of the match, "Round one, begin!" Then he quickly jumped to the edge of the field.
As soon as Kamizuki Ryūun finished speaking, Yamanaka Sora threw two Shuriken at Yukari at top speed, and then rushed towards her side with all his might.
Yukari reacted quickly, suddenly opening her Three-Star Fan halfway and holding it horizontally in front of her. "Clang, clang." After easily catching the Shuriken, she swung the large fan and used the iron rod on the side to smash it hard at the running Yamanaka Sora.
Just as Yamanaka Sora was about to collide with the fan, he ducked and did a forward roll to avoid the fan's strike. Then, he took out his Kunai and stabbed it into Yukari's waist.
"Because the fan is quite heavy and requires both hands to wield, Yamanaka Sora's initial aggressive attack puts both sides in close combat, making it hard to say who has the advantage." Shuichi roughly understood Yamanaka Sora's plan after seeing his actions.
The conditions for using the Mind Transfer Jutsu against this opponent are too demanding. I'd probably be blown away by the opponent's Wind Release as soon as I got into position. So, it's better to engage in close combat, which might give me a glimmer of hope.
"Good idea," Sunagakure Ninja Village 'Jonin leader, Tosha, thought to himself. "The weakness of the Three-Star Fan is quite obvious; once Taijutsu is used, Wind Release Ninjutsu cannot be effectively utilized."
"But we Sunagakure are not to be trifled with. While a skilled Taijutsu user can certainly pose a great threat to a fan user, it's naive for a genin who isn't known for Taijutsu to Genin they can defeat Yukari with that."
In the arena, Yukari, seeing Yamanaka Sora's close-range attack, calmly pulled her fan back and tightened it, then slammed it to the ground, standing it upright in front of her.
"Clang!" The upright fan blocked the Kunai's thrust from the side. At the same time, she used the Root of the fan as a fulcrum to prop herself up, and with a sudden burst of power from her waist, she delivered a powerful side kick straight towards Yamanaka Sora's face.
Upon seeing this, Yamanaka Sora felt he couldn't dodge in time and could only try his best to crouch down and avoid it.
"Whoosh!" A powerful gust of wind swept over his head, and he narrowly avoided the attack. But before he could even feel happy, everyone present saw Yukari exert force with the hand holding the fan, and her whole body briefly floated in mid-air.
Using the momentum, she spun half a circle, then drew an arc with her other foot, kicking down from the side and above towards the back of Yamanaka Sora's head.
"Bang!" The sound of a hit echoed in the arena, and many Genin felt a chill run down their spines.
"This woman is ruthless; she's no pushover!" Shuichi thought to himself.
"Empty!" His teammate Akimichi Jinsei, couldn't help but worry about his friend's situation. Nara Rokujin also clenched his fists and frowned.
Yamanaka Sora felt as if he had been struck on the head, and his whole body went blank. Those with good eyesight could see that his eyes almost rolled back when he was hit.
Yukari didn't stop. After landing from the air, she raised her fan and smashed it down on the lower back of the Yamanaka Sora.
"Ah!" Accompanied by Yamanaka Sora's almost unconscious scream, Yukari, holding Three-Star Fan on her back, looked very relaxed.
"Oh my god, he got hit in the waist. I hope he won't suffer from kidney deficiency later..." Shuichi thought Yamanaka Sora was really in a bad situation. His opponent's Taijutsu were clearly well-structured.
"Hmph, after years of research, the village has long since developed a set of close- Taijutsu suitable for heavy fans. Even against opponents of the same level, they rarely suffer losses. This Konoha Genin only himself to blame." Yukari's teammates began to mock Yamanaka Sora's choice in their hearts.
"The match is over, Yukari wins the first round!" Kamizuki Ryūun's voice rang out immediately, preventing Yamanaka Sora from continuing to be beaten.