The Finals Begin!

In the blink of an eye.

Another half-month passed, and the finals of the Chūnin Exams officially commenced.

The massive cylindrical arena was packed to capacity, a cacophony of voices roaring through the air.

Daimyō from the Land of Fire, nobles, aristocrats from allied nations, wealthy merchants, and ninja leaders all attended in formal attire.

Beyond that.

There were also villagers from Konoha and residents of nearby towns.

The venue was incredibly lively, easily comparable to a major sporting event.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, wore his formal Hokage robes with a solemn expression, seated in the area with the best view.

Beside him sat Orochimaru, disguised as the Fourth Kazekage.

At this moment, Orochimaru wore a bamboo hat that obscured most of his face, revealing only a pair of gloomy, indifferent eyes.

The Third Hokage exchanged pleasantries with Orochimaru, appearing quite enthusiastic.

Before long.

The time arrived.

The Third Hokage stood up, walked to the railing, and gave a brief speech:

"Distinguished guests who have traveled from afar, my fellow villagers of Konoha!"

"Welcome to Konoha to witness the finals of this year's Chūnin Exams!"

"Here, the young genin will display the fruits of their training, their wisdom, and their courage!"

"I hope you will all fully enjoy the splendid sight of the ninjas in action!"

"I now declare: the Chūnin Exam finals officially begin!"

A wave of cheers erupted from the audience, with shouts of encouragement, battle cries, and whistles rising and falling as if they might tear off the roof.

The massive electronic display flickered, drawing the match list.

First match:

Neji Hyuga vs Hinata Hyuga

Seeing these two names, a buzz of discussion spread through the stands.

An internal battle of the Hyuga Clan?

The Hyuga Clan was a renowned ninja family with a thousand-year legacy, now the foremost clan in Konoha. An internal conflict within the Hyuga Clan was undoubtedly a major draw.

The two entered the arena.

Neji wore a cold, proud expression, while Hinata appeared somewhat nervous and uneasy.

The match began.

Neji's movements were precise and efficient, his Gentle Fist skill clearly superior.

As he easily blocked and deflected Hinata's attacks, he taunted and belittled her relentlessly, unleashing a barrage of words.

Every single word struck at the most sensitive parts of Hinata's heart.

Hinata struggled to resist, even erupting in a burst of power at a desperate moment.

But the gap in their strength was too great, and her offense was easily dismantled.

In the end, Neji struck Hinata's chest with a Gentle Fist technique, disrupting her chakra and rendering her unable to fight.

"Winner! Neji Hyuga!"

The entire arena fell silent for a moment.

Then an uproar erupted.

Neji Hyuga of the branch family had, in full view of everyone, easily defeated the young lady of the main family?

This was undoubtedly a massive blow to the authority of the Hyuga main family.

In the Hyuga Clan section, clan head Hiashi Hyuga's expression darkened.

The main family elders beside him wore even uglier looks.

Neji had not only defeated Hinata but also said many things he shouldn't have, touching the main family's taboo.

Truly unforgivable!

In the contestant viewing area.

Yo, Sasuke, Ino, Shikamaru, and the others were all somewhat silent.

The Hyuga Clan's system was not something they, as outsiders, could judge, but Neji Hyuga had indeed gone too far.

Naruto didn't understand the intricacies involved, but seeing Hinata injured and fallen, he immediately flew into a rage.

"Hey! That bastard named Neji!"

Naruto gripped the railing and roared at Neji down in the arena: "What the hell was all that crap you just said?!"

"Hinata already gave it her all! And you hit way too hard!"

Naruto was shouting in fury, clearly indignant on Hinata's behalf.

Yao couldn't help but find it a little ridiculous. He kicked Naruto in the backside.

"If you've got time to yap here, go down and bring Hinata up so we can treat her right away!"

Yao shook his head as he spoke. A branch of wood sprouted from his hand, rapidly extended into the arena, coiled around Hinata, and lifted her up.

"Karin!"

Yao looked at Karin.

Ever since he had saved her earlier, Karin had stayed in Konoha.

A few days ago, the Jōnin leading Kusagakure's team had come looking for Karin, trying to take their blood pack back.

But Yao had driven him off directly, so Karin was allowed to remain in Konoha for now.

"Yes!"

Karin hurried forward, activated the Mystical Palm Technique, and began treating Hinata's injuries.

Second match:

Uchiha Yao vs. Uzumaki Naruto

"Huh???"

Seeing the names on the electronic screen, Naruto was stunned for a moment, then clutched his head and let out an exaggerated wail:

"Why does it have to be Yao! How am I supposed to fight this?!"

Naruto knew Yao was strong and that he stood no chance against him.

But giving up wasn't his style!

"Forget it! Even if it's Yao, I'm still gonna try! I'm the man who's going to become Hokage!"

The two stepped into the arena, and countless eyes fixed on them.

Especially the village ninjas—their gazes were filled with anticipation.

Uchiha Yao!

The one who had just used powerful Wood Release ninjutsu to suppress Shukaku.

Uzumaki Naruto!

The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!

Without a doubt, this match seemed full of exciting moments.

Gekko Hayate glanced between them: "Are you both ready?"

"Ready!"

Naruto answered loudly, clenching his fists and assuming a fighting stance.

Yao nodded as well.

"Then, begin!"

"Yao!"

Naruto didn't attack immediately. Instead, he looked at Yao: "I know you're strong, but don't hold back!"

"Let me see just how big the gap between us really is!"

Yao nodded, his tone calm: "Alright. Come at me!"

"Alright!"

Naruto immediately formed hand seals.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Bam bam bam bam!

Several shadow clones appeared and charged at Yao from different directions.

In the spectator area.

Sasuke was also watching the battle.

Just then.

A person wearing a cat-faced mask and dressed in Anbu attire appeared silently beside Sasuke.

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

The Anbu leaned close to Sasuke and whispered a few words.

"Uchiha Itachi? He's back in Konoha? Where is he?"

At the sound of Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's pupils abruptly contracted. Without a moment's hesitation, he followed the Anbu and left.

Bam bam bam!

Naruto's Shadow Clones vanished one after another, all taken out by Yao in the blink of an eye, leaving only Naruto himself.

Yao didn't use any ninjutsu—he suppressed Naruto with taijutsu alone.

Bam!

A dull thud.

"Waaah!"

Naruto cried out in pain as he was sent flying sideways from another kick.

He tumbled across the ground several times before stopping, clutching his waist and grimacing.

The gap was too huge!

So huge it was despairing!

Naruto struggled to his feet, brushed the dust off his clothes, scratched his head, and shouted loudly:

"I quit, I quit! There's no way I can win! I surrender!"

Though he had always aimed to defeat Yao, he knew full well that he was no match for him now.

Continuing to fight would only make him look more pathetic—it had no point.

A few days ago, he had run into a white-haired old pervert who called himself the "Toad Sage," and somehow learned a Summoning Technique that seemed pretty impressive.

He'd even sworn brotherhood with a giant toad who called himself "Boss Toad."

But obviously, that kind of power... wasn't suited for here, and definitely not for use against Yao.

"Winner: Uchiha Yao!"

Gekko Hayate announced.

Applause rose from the audience. This match was less a competition and more one-sided domination.

Naruto had been suppressed the entire time, and the key point was that Yao hadn't even used ninjutsu.

Yao walked over to Naruto, reached out a hand, and pulled him up:

"You okay?"

"I'm fine!"

Naruto grinned through the pain: "Yao, you're still amazing!"

"But I'm not giving up! One day, I'll catch up to you!"

"I'll be waiting!"

Yao smiled. That wasn't just polite talk—he knew very well just how absurdly broken Naruto's power-ups would become later.