Four Limbs? Five Limbs Work Too!

Everyone was puzzled, but no one whispered among themselves. They silently watched Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe and said,

"If you misunderstand this joint Allied Nations Exam as something meant to promote friendship between nations and raise the standard of ninja, then you'll be in serious trouble."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"This exam can be called a miniature of the battles between allied nations."

At Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, the people below broke into a buzz of discussion.

At that moment, Tenten poked her head out and asked in confusion, "Lord Hokage, what do you mean?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued,

"During the third exam, many feudal lords and prominent figures from various nations who commission us for missions will be present. They will watch your battles."

"If the gap in strength is too great, the stronger nations will receive more commissions."

"This exam is meant to display your nation's ninja strength for others to see. Only by staking your lives can you show a ninja's full strength."

Gaara said with a cold expression,

"Enough. Tell us what the third exam is."

Feng An strongly agreed with Gaara's words.

He didn't know how the others felt, but listening to all this was making him sleepy.

A haggard-looking man who appeared extremely frail landed before the crowd.

"I am the third exam's referee, Gekko Hayate. Before we begin, there will now be a one-on-one preliminary round."

The people below discussed it in confusion.

"A preliminary round?"

"What does that mean?"

Sakura raised her hand and asked, "Teacher, I don't understand what you mean by participating in a preliminary round."

With her question, everyone fell silent as well.

Because what she had asked was exactly what they wanted to know.

Gekko Hayate coughed weakly several times.

"Cough. Since there are still too many people left, we'll reduce the number of participants. Anyone who feels unwell can withdraw and leave. Cough, cough... The preliminaries will begin shortly."

Hearing this, the crowd erupted again.

Many voiced their dissatisfaction.

"What do you mean? We just passed, and we have to fight without even getting to rest?"

"Exactly! This is totally unfair!"

"You have no humanity at all!"

The people around them who were complaining all bore injuries to varying degrees. Their faces were grimy, and their hair was a mess.

Seeing their state, Fūka and Yudzuki felt even more grateful to Feng An.

If they hadn't had such a powerful teammate as Feng An, they surely would have been complaining about this sudden preliminary round as well.

Gekko Hayate said flatly,

"Cough. This is a mini—cough... miniature of the conflicts between nations. In actual combat, no one will care whether you've... cough cough... rested well."

Hinata watched him cough several times just to finish a sentence, her expression full of concern.

She murmured softly,

"The teacher is the one who isn't well..."

After hearing Gekko Hayate's words, the noise gradually died down until the area fell silent.

"No one is withdrawing?"

"I withdraw."

Kabuto Yakushi raised his hand, bowed to Gekko Hayate, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the others, then headed toward the exit.

He had recognized Orochimaru among Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others long ago.

With Orochimaru personally present, there was no need for him, an intelligence-gathering spy, to remain here any longer.

Several more minutes passed, but no one else chose to withdraw.

Gekko Hayate stopped waiting.

"Now, the preliminaries begin."

The electronic screen in the upper right immediately displayed the names Sasuke and Akado Yoroi.

The first battle had begun.

Seeing Sasuke stagger as he walked, Kiba Inuzuka asked, "Can Sasuke win in that condition?"

Feng An said casually, "He can. He won't lose to some nobody."

A bespectacled man wearing a mask beside them heard their conversation and walked over.

He said coldly, "What makes him capable of beating Akado Yoroi?"

Feng An glanced at him and thought for a long time before finally remembering.

This man was Ken Misumi. He was on the same team as Akado Yoroi, and like his teammate, he would end up becoming someone else's stepping stone.

Feng An casually spat out two words. "Strength."

Ken Misumi snorted. "Hmph! Are all you rookie brats this arrogant?"

Feng An shot him a disdainful sidelong glance and ignored him.

He was merely stating the facts.

Seeing Feng An's expression, Ken Misumi became quite irritated.

"I bet Akado Yoroi wins. Dare to bet with me?"

"A bet?"

Feng An was instantly interested. He loved people who came rushing over to hand him money.

Still, Feng An kept a calm expression on the surface.

He asked casually, "What are we betting?"

"How about two hundred thousand ryo?"

Feng An shook his head. "I won't bet money. I have more money than I can spend."

What? Someone actually thought they had too much money?

Ken Misumi blanked out for a moment, then sized Feng An up again.

The kid was handsome and well dressed. Maybe his family really was filthy rich and he didn't care about money.

Now he could make a killing!

He secretly rejoiced.

Ken Misumi suppressed the smile at the corner of his mouth and said, "Ahem, then what do you want to bet?"

Feng An thought about it. This guy's ability was to extend his body at will.

So he asked, "Can only your four limbs stretch?"

"Hmph, four limbs? How ignorant. All five of my limbs can stretch."

Only after boasting smugly did Ken Misumi's expression change.

He lowered his voice and asked, "How do you know about my ability? I don't remember seeing you in the second exam."

"The information Kabuto sold me included information about you."

Feng An knew the two of them were on the same team as Kabuto Yakushi. Since Kabuto had already withdrawn and left, Feng An could say whatever he wanted.

Hearing that, Ken Misumi's face turned livid, and he cursed inwardly.

That damn Kabuto! He even sells his teammates' real information to others!

Feng An continued, "If Sasuke wins, how about you tell me about your body-stretching ability?"

Ken Misumi hesitated and glanced from the corner of his eye at the Sound ninja in the opposite stands.

Seeing that the Sound ninja wasn't paying attention to what was happening here, he swallowed hard and whispered,

"Agreed. But if Akado Yoroi wins, you have to give me five hundred thousand ryo."

Feng An smiled and nodded.

Even if the other side had asked for ten million ryo, he would have agreed. After all, he couldn't lose.

Seeing that Feng An didn't even blink at five hundred thousand ryo, Ken Misumi felt some regret.

I should've asked for a million ryo!

Damn it! That's the same as losing fifty thousand ryo for nothing!

In his eyes, Feng An was a fat sheep delivering himself to the slaughter.

On the arena, Sasuke and Akado Yoroi threw Shuriken at each other to test the waters.

Then, Sasuke suddenly seized an opening. He planted both feet in Akado Yoroi's shoulder sockets and locked his arms tightly against his chest.

Naruto cheered from the stands, "Awesome!"

Sakura beamed. "Sasuke's going to win."

Ken Misumi gave them a disdainful look.

"Idiots. He's not as weak as you think."

Akado Yoroi, who had just been locked down and unable to move, suddenly regained his mobility.

He threw a fierce punch into Sasuke's chest and took the opportunity to break free from Sasuke's hold.

Sasuke climbed up from the ground with a pained expression.

"What happened? My body suddenly lost its strength..."

He recalled how the other side had kept fighting him at close range, with his hands touching Sasuke's body from time to time.

Sasuke panted heavily. "You absorbed my Chakra?"

"Hehe, you only noticed now?"

Akado Yoroi, wearing black sunglasses, chuckled and rushed before Sasuke. He grabbed Sasuke's head and used his Chakra-absorbing ability.

"It's over."