Three days later.
The Forest of Death exam had ended, and only seven teams had passed.
Four from Konoha, two from Sunagakure, and one from Kumogakure.
The other teams had either been eliminated or withdrawn with serious injuries. A few had even vanished completely into the forest.
That was hardly unusual in a joint exam where "a certain degree of casualties was permitted."
The teams that passed were gathered in the training arena inside the tower.
It was a vast, circular arena, surrounded by tiered stands.
They were already filled with shinobi from various nations, Konoha's high command, and some Jonin qualified to watch.
Akimichi Choza stood in the center of the arena, an excited smile on his face.
As a Special Jonin of Konoha's Akimichi Clan, he was the judge for the final exam.
He was also the father of Choji Akimichi, one of Konoha's "Twelve Konoha 12" in the future.
"Congratulations on passing the second exam! Next up is the third exam preliminaries!
"The rules are simple—a one-on-one elimination tournament! Your opponents will be determined by drawing lots. The winners advance to the main tournament, and the losers are eliminated!"
He pointed to a huge lottery box beside him. "Now, I'd like each team to send a representative up to draw!"
The teams sent up their representatives one after another.
As Team Seven's representative, Liuyu stepped forward and drew a numbered ball from the box.
[No. 7]
His opponent was [No. 8].
He looked up at the other side of the arena. A Sunagakure shinobi was staring at the No. 8 ball in his hand, his expression grim.
The man wore a sand mask and carried a huge scroll on his back. He was a puppeteer.
Judging by his outfit, he was an elite of Sunagakure, and he had performed well in the second exam.
He had controlled three puppets at once and defeated two Konoha teams.
The puppeteer noticed the No. 7 ball in Liuyu's hand. He started, then a vicious glint flashed in his eyes.
"Uchiha Ryūha..." he muttered, his mouth curling into a grin. "Perfect. Let's see just how good this so-called 'seal-less genius' really is."
Ever since they'd come out, Kato Yo, who was from the same village, had been praising him to the skies.
As far as the puppeteer was concerned, it was nothing but the wailing of an incompetent.
Praising an opponent to cover up one's own incompetence.
The drawing ended, and the matchups were announced.
First match: Konoha—Obito Uchiha vs. Sunagakure—Yashamaru
Second match: Konoha—Kakashi Hatake vs. Kumogakure—Shimoka
Third match: Konoha—Might Guy vs. Sunagakure—Chihiro Ichi
Seventh match: Konoha—Uchiha Ryūha vs. Sunagakure—Puppeteer Bao
A murmur rippled through the stands as everyone saw the matchups.
"Uchiha Ryūha against Sunagakure's puppeteer? Now that should be interesting."
"I heard that puppeteer used poison to take out a team in the Forest of Death. He's ruthless."
"Lord Hokage has high hopes for Ryūha. That puppeteer's probably in for a rough time."
"Not necessarily. Puppet techniques are strange and unpredictable, and he's good with poison. Ryūha's a close-combat fighter, so he might be at a disadvantage."
While the spectators discussed the matches, the first few bouts began one after another.
Obito narrowly beat Yashamaru, Kakashi easily defeated Shimoka, and Guy and Chihiro Ichi fought to a standstill...
At last, it was time for the seventh match.
"Seventh match: Konoha's Uchiha Ryūha versus Sunagakure's Bao! Both competitors, enter the arena!"
Uchiha Ryūha adjusted his glasses and walked slowly into the arena.
Across from him, the Sunagakure puppeteer Bao was already waiting. Three grotesque puppets slowly rose from the huge scroll unfurled behind him.
One wielded a pair of swords, with poisoned blades springing from its joints.
Another's torso opened up, revealing row upon row of holes for firing poison needles.
The last was the largest. It stood on all fours, its back arched like a massive leopard's, its tail glowing with a deep-blue light.
In the stands, Sunagakure's leading Jonin, Baki, frowned slightly and murmured to the comrade beside him, "Bao's too impatient.
"That Uchiha Ryūha isn't simple. He should've tested him with one puppet first instead of going all out right away."
His comrade smiled ruefully. "You know what Bao's like. He's incredibly proud.
"After that team returned from the Forest of Death, they wouldn't stop talking about how incredible Ryūha was. Bao didn't believe them and's been itching to teach him a lesson ever since."
In the arena, Bao faced Ryūha. His voice came through the mask, hoarse and metallic:
"So, Uchiha brat, I hear you're pretty good.
"Seal-less Sealing Jutsu? Hah... against Sunagakure's Puppet Technique, it's all nonsense."
He flicked both hands, and Chakra Threads shot from his ten fingers, connecting to the three puppets.
"Let me show you what true killing art looks like!"
All three puppets sprang into action at once!
The sword puppet crossed its blades and slashed at Ryūha. The poison-needle puppet opened the holes in its torso and unleashed a storm of needles!
The leopard puppet circled around from the side, its claws aimed straight at Ryūha's back!
Their coordination was flawless, cutting off every avenue of escape!
The stands erupted in cries of alarm.
"He's going for the kill right away!"
"That poison-needle spread is huge! There's no way to dodge it!"
Yet Uchiha Ryūha stood where he was, not even drawing his sword.
He didn't so much as look at the three puppets.
He merely raised his right hand, spread his fingers toward the oncoming needles, and said casually:
"Binding Way #61—"
"Rikujokoro."
Hum—!
Six enormous golden beams of light appeared out of nowhere and snapped into place, pinning the leopard puppet firmly where it stood!
At almost the same moment, Ryūha swept his left hand to the side.
"Binding Way #37—"
"Suspended Star."
A massive Reiatsu shield unfolded in front of him. The poison needles struck it with a rapid series of "ting, ting" sounds, then fell uselessly to the ground.
As for the sword puppet slashing straight at him, Ryūha merely leaned aside. He brought his right index and middle fingers together, a crimson glow gathering at their tips—
"Hadō #33—"
"Sokatsui."
Boom!!!
A searing pillar of blue flame burst from his fingertips and swallowed the sword puppet whole!
When the flames died down, the sword puppet had been reduced to a pile of charred fragments. Its Chakra Threads had burned through and hung limp.
The whole thing had taken less than three seconds.
Of the three puppets, one was pinned, one was blocked, and one was destroyed in a single blow.
The entire arena fell silent.
Bao stood frozen, his fingers still poised as if controlling his puppets, but the Chakra Threads had already snapped.
He stared at Ryūha through his mask, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Seal-less... three techniques... all seal-less..."
In the stands, Baki shot to his feet, his expression changing dramatically.
Yotsuki Hayato's pupils contracted.
The Third Hokage's pipe paused slightly in his hand.
Uchiha Fugaku's Sharingan quietly activated.
Ryūha simply adjusted his glasses and looked at the judge.
"Can you announce the result?"
The judge snapped back to his senses and quickly raised a hand.
"Winner—Konoha, Uchiha Ryūha!"
The applause and cheers faltered for a moment, then erupted like thunder.
Uchiha Ryūha had already turned and headed for the competitors' passage.
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