The Third Match

Jiraiya quickly gave up struggling and asked Naruto, "Did Minato want me to give you the key to the seal?"

"No, the seal was completely remodeled by Master long ago; the key my old man left behind is useless now."

Naruto said, "Wait a moment, I'll let my old man talk to you himself."

"Talk to me himself?"

Jiraiya asked in astonishment, "Could it be..."

Naruto closed his eyes, and a moment later, he opened them. His appearance remained unchanged, but his aura was already that of another person. He gave Jiraiya a bright, cheerful smile: "Master Jiraiya, long time no see."

"Mina...to..."

Jiraiya's voice trembled slightly: "Is it... really you?"

"Strictly speaking, no. My soul, along with half of the Nine-Tails' chakra, was sealed inside the belly of the Death God."

Minato continued, "The me right now is just a bit of chakra I left behind in the seal on Naruto. It should have been exhausted and vanished long ago, but Master used methods beyond my comprehension to reshape the seal on Naruto, allowing this chakra of mine and Kushina's to be maintained."

"That mysterious Master again, is it."

Jiraiya frowned slightly: "According to the intelligence from the old man, and what you've said to Naruto, I get the feeling that this Master of yours seems capable of anything."

"To us, Master might truly be omnipotent."

Minato sighed with emotion: "At the very least, for now, I don't know of anything he cannot do."

"If there's a chance, I'd really like to talk to him in person."

Jiraiya sighed softly: "How much of your and Kushina's ability does Naruto have now?"

When it came to this, Minato grew spirited: "As of now, Naruto should have already surpassed both me and Kushina."

"?!"

For a moment, Jiraiya doubted what Minato said, even finding it somewhat absurd: "If I remember correctly, Naruto is only thirteen, right? He's already surpassed you and Kushina?"

Minato smiled and corrected him: "His thirteenth birthday isn't for another three months."

Jiraiya felt a bit dejected: "As a teacher, Master is far better than I am."

"Master Jiraiya is a wonderful teacher as well!"

Minato comforted him: "Even now, I am still very grateful for the guidance and care you gave me back then."

"Minato..."

Jiraiya sniffled, moved: "I heard from the old man that Orochimaru was beaten away by Naruto, and I thought that guy just left on his own. Looking at it now, perhaps he really was repelled by Naruto."

"It's hard to say if Naruto's current strength can guarantee a win against Orochimaru. At the time, Orochimaru was mostly unwilling to clash with the people of the village, so he chose to retreat."

Minato did not have blind confidence: "Over these years, Master's training for Naruto has focused on the fundamentals. To turn those accumulated foundations into raw power, it will still take some time."

"Then, until Naruto is fully grown, buying time is the duty of us old folks."

Jiraiya's expression turned serious: "You came to find me for this reason, didn't you?"

"No, I just wanted to have a chat with Master Jiraiya."

Minato suddenly laughed: "Master has already fully considered these matters and has long since made preparations. So, Master Jiraiya, there is no need to worry. Naruto will surely grow up smoothly and become the one who changes the entire Ninja World."

Jiraiya was stunned for a long time, then followed with a relaxed smile: "Then I shall look forward to it with all my heart."

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and the third stage of the Chunin Selection Exams began.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura walked leisurely toward the venue for the third stage.

Today, under Kushina's suggestion, Naruto wore a blue, form-fitting base layer, topped with a vest similar in style to a Konoha Jonin tactical vest, and finally draped in a cloak matching the color scheme of the Hokage robe, making him look quite dashing.

Sasuke did not wear his usual high-collared, dark blue short-sleeved shirt, having changed into a well-fitted gray-white shirt and trousers. His hair was trimmed slightly shorter, giving him a very spirited appearance.

Sakura looked much the same as usual, except she had changed her top into a simple shirt without a hem and had taken the opportunity to cut her long hair, leaving only a small section tied up, which revealed a touch of heroic spirit.

Sasuke looked up at the azure sky: "What a long month."

Sakura thought for a moment and said, "To be precise, only the first day was particularly long; from the second day until today, it went by quite fast."

"I felt it was fast the whole time."

Naruto scratched his grown-out hair: "Speaking of which, both of you went to get your hair cut, why didn't you call me?"

"Sakura and I went separately," Sasuke said casually. "But since we've started dating recently, next time we go for a haircut, we should go together."

"You two actually decided to date?"

A hint of surprise appeared on Naruto's face as he laughed: "I thought you were planning to wait until you became Jonin~"

"Sasuke and I both figured it out; a little earlier or a little later doesn't make much difference."

Sakura didn't look shy in the slightest: "What about you and Hinata? Didn't you get together a few years ago? It feels like you two haven't made any progress lately?"

"Hinata and I both have things we want to do for now; we don't have time for romance."

Naruto's tone was very relaxed: "Besides, we're still young, so we'll take it slow."

The three of them exchanged words as they walked into the arena.

The spectator stands surrounding the arena were already packed. In the most prominent main seating area, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, the Third Hokage, and the Fourth Kazekage, who had come to observe the matches, were already seated.

Shortly after Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura entered the arena, the crowd suddenly grew noisy:

"Hey, look at that blond kid, doesn't he look a bit like the Fourth?"

"Don't be... wait, he actually does!"

"But that kid is the demon fox!"

"Shh! Shut up! That's a topic the Third has forbidden us from discussing; do you want to go have tea with the Anbu!?"

In an occasion like this, no one paid any mind to such minor murmurs.

Seeing that everyone had arrived and the time was right, the Third Hokage took a deep breath and used chakra to project his voice across the entire arena: "Distinguished guests, thank you all for coming to attend the Chunin Selection Exams hosted by our Hidden Leaf Village! Next, the eight contestants who passed the preliminaries will begin the official selection matches. Please, enjoy the show!"

In the center of the arena, the referee spoke up at the appropriate moment after the Third Hokage finished: "The rules for the official matches are the same as the preliminaries. If one side concedes, dies, or is unable to continue fighting, they are judged the loser. Likewise, if I determine the outcome has been decided, I will stop the fight immediately."

Seeing that no one spoke, the referee continued: "The first match: Uchiha Sasuke versus Kabuto Yakushi. Everyone else, please exit the arena for the time being; you may go to the waiting room or watch the match from the spectator stands."

Sakura glanced at Kabuto Yakushi, noticed something, and said to Sasuke: "Be careful."

Sasuke nodded: "I understand."

Naruto waved at Sasuke, saying nothing at all.

Once the others had left the arena, the referee had Sasuke and Kabuto Yakushi stand face-to-face and announced loudly: "The first round, begin!"