The Second Round Begins

In fact, if he had not been blindsided by a Human Bullet Tank during the first round, Sarutobi Toru would not have felt this tense.

Having lost both the Flying Thunder God and Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Sarutobi Toru could only rely on Speed Chakra Mode against his enemies. However, Speed Chakra Mode had one fatal flaw: it offered no defense.

Although Sarutobi Toru's Physical Body was extremely strong, when flesh and blood clashed with ninjutsu, it was obvious which side would be at a disadvantage.

That was why Sarutobi Toru intended to strengthen himself over these seven days.

Mastering Flesh Training in seven days was due, on one hand, to Sarutobi Toru's exceptional talent for physical cultivation. On the other hand, he had thoroughly understood all three realms of skin, flesh, and sinews, allowing him to cultivate so quickly.

Tsunade would be much slower. It would probably take her at least a month or more to master Flesh Training!

Even so, that speed was still terrifying. In the Yang God world, the two of them would be martial arts prodigies born only once in a million people!

The seven days passed in a flash, and soon it was time for the matches.

"Konoha really is prosperous!" Kosa, the future Third Kazekage, sighed worriedly to his teammates beside him.

Rena said happily, "It sure is. There are so many goods here that Sunagakure doesn't have. I should've brought more money."

Rena's boyfriend, Keiji, touched his wallet and showed a sorrowful smile.

Kosa rolled his eyes speechlessly, feeling as though he were talking to a cow.

Forget it, forget it. Did this shameless couple have anything on their minds besides playing with Puppets and dating?

Hmph! They were only fit to be thugs for the rest of their lives!

Fukai looked at the cannon fodder Cloud Shinobi squad that had come with them. "Kenji, have your eyes fully recovered?"

Kenji, who had just left the hospital and removed his bandages, beamed with joy. "They've completely recovered, Captain Fukai! It's incredible!"

Fukai waved Kenji away. "What is Konoha playing at? Such important intelligence is being spread all over the streets?"

Dodai nodded. "I heard from the Jōnin leading us that tourists throughout Konoha are discussing it. Who knows what Konoha is thinking?"

Unfortunately, even though Dodai was one of Kumogakure's few intelligent people, constrained by a ninja's habitual way of thinking and still too young, he could not figure out Konoha's purpose.

Arena 13 was a newly built competition venue in Konoha, located in the eastern part of the village. It was an enormous arena constructed during Konoha's expansion.

The entire venue was modeled after the modern Bird's Nest Stadium. Even with the ninja's extraordinary powers, it had still taken three months to complete.

In the VIP Room seats, the Third Hokage, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, political figures from various countries, and the Jōnin leading teams from other ninja villages had all gathered together.

Several huge screens broadcasting the matches live had also been set up around the arena. At this point in time, such things were rare, and even the Third Hokage had felt the sting when ordering them.

But now, looking at the packed arena, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that every bit of it had been worth it!

The match announcer was a sweet-looking, beautiful female ninja, while the referee was... Tsunade.

There was no helping it. Though it was called the Chunin Exam, quite a few contestants possessed Jōnin-level strength. If they got carried away, only a handful of people in all of Konoha could stop them—Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, the heads of the Hyuga or Uchiha clans. Even Torifu Akimichi could hardly guarantee success, since he did not excel at speed.

Having Konoha High Command serve as referees would make Konoha seem as though it had no one left, so the position ultimately fell to Tsunade, whose strength was already close to Kage-level.

Seeing Tsunade's radiant smile, the many examinees felt a deep sense of malice.

"No way!" Shū of the Rock Shinobi said with a miserable expression. "If we beat her boyfriend, she won't beat us up, will she?"

Rōshi scratched his head. "But judging from the intelligence, we probably can't beat him."

Shū's face immediately fell. No wonder Ōnoki kept making things difficult for you. If I were the Village Chief, I'd do the same!

The first match on the arena stage was Sarutobi Toru's team. The three of them were discussing whether to compete as a team or individually.

Their conclusion was: it did not matter. They were guaranteed to win anyway.

As for Team One, they chose individual matches. Perhaps they wanted to stay on the stage a little longer? After all, it took some time for three people to enter and leave the arena.

"Leave it to me! I haven't wasted this past week!" Inuzuka Hana's face was full of excitement. Just a week ago, Sarutobi Toru had used his fruit ability to create a Perfect Potion, increasing Inuzuka Hana's Chakra by sixty percent while also improving her physical condition to some extent. Combined with her successful mastery of her family's Secret Technique over the past week, she naturally wanted to put on a good showing.

Moreover, Inuzuka Hana knew exactly where she stood. This first match was likely her only chance to shine. In the remaining semifinals and the championship match, she would probably only be there to make up the numbers.

Coincidentally, when the three nameless ninja on the other side saw Inuzuka Hana step onto the stage, they thought the same thing.

Though they were nameless characters, the ninja participating in the Chunin Exam all possessed strength close to that of Chunin. Those who had stood out among the many nameless contestants were roughly as strong as combat-oriented Chunin.

In truth, Chunin had the greatest disparity in strength among ninja. Ordinary Genin generally only knew throwing techniques, taijutsu, and the Three Body Techniques. Konoha's Twelve Rookie Ninjas were all special cases.

Even the weakest Jōnin was still an expert hardened by countless battles, with at least one exceptional skill. There were basically no weak ones.

Only among Chunin were there fighters, squad commanders, scouts, instructors, and specialists in sealing, barriers, or intelligence.

The combat types could exchange a few moves with Special Jōnin or even Jōnin, like Konoha's two great gate guardians, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki. The later members of the Twelve Rookie Ninjas did not count; they were not representative. As for those who could not fight... just look at Mizuki, who had been beaten senseless by Naruto when he had only just learned Shadow Clone, and Iruka, who had been knocked down by Mizuki.

Before her enhancement, Inuzuka Hana might not actually have been able to defeat her opponent.

But now... "Fang Over Fang!" The instant she stepped onto the stage, Inuzuka Hana and her dog transformed into two whirlwinds and charged straight at their opponent.

"Bang!" In an instant, the opponent who had been torn into pieces turned into a Substitution Jutsu log. Yet Inuzuka Hana's Fang Over Fang did not stop and continued pursuing the enemy.

"Earth Release—Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

The two whirlwinds attacked from the front and back. The Earth Flow Wall blocked one of them, while the nameless ninja endured the other head-on with Hardening Jutsu.

"Cough, cough, cough." The nameless ninja clutched his chest, his expression unpleasant. "I didn't expect it. A great ninja village truly has no shortage of talent. Even its weakest member is this strong?"

Inuzuka Hana's Fang Over Fang was forced to stop as well. "As expected, even the weakest of those who made the top eight has some tricks up their sleeve."

The fight on the arena stage was lively and chaotic, but Tsunade watched it with bored eyes, occasionally even yawning.

The other teams also watched the match with little interest. After all, both sides were only displaying the level of ordinary Chunin.

Only Duy shouted and cheered below the stage, looking utterly excited.