Shuichi VS. the Puppeteer

"Both of them are at the Chunin," Shuichi objectively assessed the battle. "And their overall strength is actually quite similar. The reason Yazo is so passive is because of his Sharingan, which prevents him from using many tactics. Otherwise, with his Earth Release and solid fundamentals, he could definitely Chunin for a long time."

"Bloodline! It's the power of bloodline again. I wonder how many people without bloodlines have perished in their battles against Kekkei Genkai. Just thinking about that situation is truly frustrating."

We all had only one life, and we finally managed to defeat the Uchiha, but then Izanagi was used and we were killed. It was completely unreasonable.

Shuichi now understands why the Shinobi World places such importance on bloodlines. For example, when they heard that Sasuke Uchiha had appeared in the Chunin Ninja Exams, even high-ranking officials and leaders from various countries made a special trip to see him, and their mistakes of being late were forgiven.

He himself wouldn't have any strange ideas, since he already had Cheat/System. Besides, in this era, Orochimaru was his teacher. If he really wanted to create a Kekkei Genkai, he could get it by using the information he had about the Hokage and some biotechnology.

"I'll keep an eye on this in the future," Shuichi thought to himself. "Teacher Orochimaru's experiments will probably start in the next few years, and I'll definitely have a chance to get my hands on some good stuff. I can get a copy and study it myself; it'll be a win-win situation."

As far as I can remember, Orochimaru during Second Shinobi War had not yet fully embarked on his path as a research fanatic.

Now, more than three years have passed Second Shinobi War. Based on the scene in the original work where Mitarashi Anko and Orochimaru were talking, the Cursed Seal may have been discovered in the past few years, with Hashirama Cells and the Eight Branches Technique coming later.

"I want all of these good things!"

"Round Six begins."

"Beep beep beep..."

[Sunaki VS Ogawa Eri]

"Another one-sided duel. Could it be that the Third Hokage really didn't pull any tricks?" Ogawa Eri was a female ninja scout in the Uchiha squad, while Sunaki was arguably the strongest member of the Sunagakure team this time. Apart from Amegakure Ninja, almost everyone present knew this.

"If you can't beat them, just admit defeat," Uchiha Ryouya said to Ogawa Eri. Konoha had sent the Mokui trio; it would be strange if Sunagakure didn't do the same. "Sunagakure wouldn't dare be too reckless on our home turf; they should be out of danger."

Ogawa Eri knew she had no hope. Although the difference in strength was vast, as a ninja, she had to face the difficulties head-on.

After the match began, Sunaki knew that many people had roughly figured out his strength, but he still only showed strength slightly stronger than a Genin, which could be considered a very dedicated actor.

In the back-and-forth Taijutsu combat, Sunaki gradually gained the upper hand with his "slightly stronger" physique. Ogawa Eri also used ninja tools to launch surprise attacks many times, but Sunaki always managed to dodge them just before they were about to hit.

Sunaki knew that everyone present was watching his embarrassing performance, and if he seriously injured the female ninja from Konoha at this moment, the situation would be difficult to salvage.

Therefore, after expending some more energy, he seized an opportunity to close in and suddenly increased the frequency of his attacks, eventually knocking Ogawa Eri unconscious when she was unable to cope.

"The winner is Sunaki."

Both Konoha and Sand Village were unusually quiet this round, with little to say about the match.

The preliminary rounds are now halfway through, and there haven't been any unexpected situations like the Shuichi I remember, such as Rock Lee versus Gaara. It seems like the stronger opponents have all been perfectly matched up.

"Let's begin round seven."

"Beep beep beep..."

[Takeda Shuichi VS Tekki]

Upon seeing the draw, everyone in the stands immediately became serious.

As the captain of the first team to clear the Second Stage exam, and also the youngest participant in the Chunin Ninja Exams, Shuichi certainly captured everyone's attention and curiosity.

His opponent, Tekki, is the mysterious Puppeteer from Sunagakure Yukari's team. This duel between the two can be said to be the most anticipated one. They have only revealed a little information about each other, but their strength is already quite formidable. Their fight will surely reveal more.

"Aoi, is there really no other information about this Takeda Shuichi? Is it just that he's fast and can throw ninja tools over a wide area?" Yukari felt that there was too little information about her opponent.

Although there isn't much information about Tekki, Konoha had fought against Sunagakure's Puppeteer during the Second Great Ninja War, so even if Tekki was strong, he wouldn't be as powerful as the Puppeteer from the village who went to the battlefield.

Once opponents know he is Puppeteer, they will keep a close eye on his puppets during battle, taking precautions against attacks using Hidden Weapons and poisons, thus eliminating much of his mystique.

Aoi was a little helpless. When she encountered Shuichi, she had no time to react at all. Basically, in the blink of an eye, she was already knocked unconscious. Even if she wanted to gather more information, there was no way to do so.

"We can only fight while trying to force him to use his skills." Tekki's expression was a bit serious. The opponent's speed alone made it difficult for the Puppeteer to perform well.

Furthermore, Aoi's description of speed is too abstract. How fast it actually is is largely left to imagination. Is it a barely acceptable speed, or is it so fast that one can't even react in time?

On the other side, Shuichi whistled in front of everyone and then slowly walked down the stairs to the center of the arena.

"Um, it seems I don't need to worry about the captain. Who here can be his match?" Sarutobi Kohei, after being on the Shuichi for three months, is practically turning into a die-hard fan.

"How should I play this match?" Shuichi pondered as he walked down the path.

He wasn't considering his opponent's strength; his opponent was, in any case, only a Genin, at most Chunin.

As for information on the Sunagakure Puppeteer, Kankuro, Chiyo, and Sasori of the Red Sands provided a lot of reference material in the original work, making Tekki look like a little brother in front of them.

For Shuichi, a quick victory is easy. He can simply unleash a high-level Nature Transformation Ninjutsu and finish off his opponent quickly.

However, firstly, this is not the Main Tournament of the Third Exam yet. Even if he shows off his skills, it won't make Konoha stand out in front of the high-ranking officials of various countries. There are only a few people present. Doing so would only reveal information to future opponents.

"Let's try using the moves I've already used, and at the same time, I can observe how the Puppeteer actually works." After thinking for a long time, he decided to just improvise.

Seemingly wary of Shuichi's speed, Tekki stopped three squares away from Shuichi and looked at the referee, indicating that he wanted to start the match at that distance.

Kamizuki Ryūun glanced at Shuichi and, seeing his nonchalant expression, didn't say anything more. "Let the match begin!"

"Crackling..." As soon as Tekki finished speaking, he crossed his hands at his sides, pointed his fingers at the large package behind him, and chakra emerged from between his fingers to connect with it.

With another swift flick of his hands, a puppet detached from its bandages and appeared in front of Shuichi.

"This is... a big bug?"