Qualifiers

The fifth day of the second stage of the Chunin Selection Exams.

At this point, only two teams remained within the Forest of Death, but their strength was evenly matched. Both sides fought until the very last second, yet neither could secure a victory, resulting in both teams being eliminated.

In total, six teams passed the second stage, amounting to eighteen individuals.

Interestingly, out of these six teams, only one hailed from Sunagakure, while the remaining five were from Konoha.

Sunagakure:

Gaara, Temari, Kankuro;

Konoha:

Kabuto Yakushi, Yoroi Akado, Misumi Tsurugi;

Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Sakura Haruno;

Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi;

Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame;

Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, Tenten.

This situation was enough to make one suspect that Konoha had engaged in some form of behind-the-scenes manipulation to bring about such an outcome.

However, considering that Konoha was the host of these Chunin Exams, and that the number of Konoha genin participating—and subsequently eliminated—far exceeded the combined total of all other villages, it seemed justifiable that a few more of their own remained.

At the very least, the ninjas from other hidden villages standing beside the Third Hokage did not voice any opinions on the matter, nor did they lodge any protests.

Following tradition, the Third Hokage spoke a few brief words, focusing primarily on the significance of rotating the Chunin Exams between different hidden villages.

Once finished, the Third Hokage handed the floor over to a sickly-looking man who had suddenly appeared, while he himself stood to the side and idly watched.

"Greetings, my name is Hayate Gekko."

The sickly man introduced himself to the examinees: "I will be serving as the referee for the 'preliminaries' of the third stage."

Someone let out a groan of dismay: "How is there a preliminary round!?"

Another asked: "Um, we passed the second stage, so why can't we just go straight to the third?"

"Because there are too many people left."

Hayate Gekko explained: "As the Third Hokage just mentioned, many distinguished guests will be attending the third stage, so the schedule is very tight. We cannot have all of you participate. If anyone is feeling unwell or wishes to withdraw, you may speak up now. By the way, from this point on, withdrawing will not implicate your teammates, so you may rest assured."

No one withdrew.

"No one is withdrawing? Very well. Eighteen people—that makes exactly nine matches."

Hayate Gekko nodded and began to explain the rules: "This preliminary round is an ad-hoc addition, so there are no restrictions. The battle ends when one side falls, dies, or concedes. The winner earns the right to participate in the third stage. Furthermore, if I judge that one side has been defeated, I will forcibly terminate the match to minimize unnecessary casualties."

With that, he gestured for the group to look at a screen on the wall: "The names of the examinees competing will appear there. Now, I will announce the participants for the first round."

Uchiha Sasuke vs. Yoroi Akado

"Alright, everyone except the two combatants, please clear the arena."

Hayate Gekko began ushering people out.

Once everyone had moved to the surrounding "viewing area," Hayate Gekko had Sasuke and Yoroi Akado stand face-to-face and announced: "Begin."

Yoroi Akado immediately formed hand seals and performed a certain ninjutsu, though no visible effect manifested.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan instantly, finally seeing what was happening to Yoroi Akado: Chakra concentrated in the right hand—a ninjutsu purely for strengthening the right hand?

While Sasuke pondered, Yoroi Akado moved to the next step. He pulled several Shuriken from his ninja tool pouch with his left hand and threw them at Sasuke, charging forward himself.

It seems to be a technique that requires close range, or even direct contact, to take effect.

Sasuke took a half-step back, turned, sidestepped to dodge the Shuriken, and with his back to Yoroi Akado, used his body as cover to quickly form hand seals.

In the viewing area, some commented on Sasuke's performance, mostly with praise. No one thought Sasuke was being foolish—except for Yoroi Akado.

Hmph, turning your back on an enemy? How foolish. How could Lord Orochimaru take an interest in a guy like this? Let me use my special ability to show Lord Orochimaru just how incompetent you are, Uchiha Sasuke!

Thinking this, Yoroi Akado accelerated, closing the distance in one burst. Just as his right hand reached out to grab Sasuke and was about to make contact, Sasuke suddenly spun around and opened his mouth: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."

At such point-blank range, Yoroi Akado's speed and reaction time were insufficient; even if the Great Fireball were merciful, it wouldn't miss.

The high-temperature flames scorched Yoroi Akado, carbonizing parts of his body within two seconds. Just as the Great Fireball was about to kill him, Sasuke suddenly closed his mouth, stopping the technique, and the flames vanished instantly.

"Whew..."

Exhaling the remaining heat to the side, Sasuke said to Hayate Gekko: "He should still be alive. Get him treated quickly."

Hayate Gekko nodded, signaled to the medical staff standing by outside the arena, and announced loudly: "The first round, Uchiha Sasuke is the winner!"

The medical staff carried a stretcher into the arena and hauled away the charred Yoroi Akado.

In the viewing area, most were calm; from the moment Sasuke turned and formed his seals, they had already foreseen this outcome. A small minority, particularly the younger girls, found Sasuke's performance dashing; their faces flushed slightly, and their gazes were drawn involuntarily toward him.

The person in question felt nothing, walking to the viewing area with an expressionless face and stopping beside Naruto: "How was my performance just now?"

"A bit... too cautious, maybe?"

Naruto thought for a brief moment before answering: "Considering the gap in strength between you two, you didn't need to waste chakra on a Fire Release. A single punch would have knocked him out."

"But he used some kind of technique."

Sasuke recalled, "What if it's some kind of high-impact technique? Wouldn't it be dangerous for me to approach him?"

"Although I don't know the specific effects of his technique, high-impact ninjutsu are usually quite easy to spot."

Naruto offered his own opinion, "Still, when you don't know the enemy's abilities, it's always right to be cautious."

As the two conversed, the names for the second round of matches popped up on the screen:

Shino Aburame vs. Kankuro

"That guy from Sunagakure is a puppeteer."

Naruto's gaze fell upon Kankuro, "He looks like he has some skill, but unfortunately, his compatibility with Shino is poor."

"Compatibility?"

Sasuke looked at Shino, then back at Kankuro, "What aspect are you referring to?"

"Combat."

Naruto explained, "The Aburame Clan, to which Shino belongs, is a ninja family skilled in using insects for battle. Do you know what kind of insects they primarily use?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"Kikaichū, a special type of insect that feeds on chakra and possesses the ability to sense it."

Naruto watched Kankuro, who had begun the fight in the arena, "And puppeteers control their puppets using threads formed from chakra."

Sasuke immediately understood what Naruto meant.

The subsequent development of the battle matched Naruto's expectations—the Kikaichū released by Shino chewed directly through the chakra threads, rendering the puppet a motionless wooden doll. Shino then approached Kankuro and released even more Kikaichū, devouring Kankuro's chakra until he was completely drained.

Seeing Kankuro covered in crawling insects, most of the women in the audience silently looked away...