System Reward, Task System

Uchiha Sora knew that, according to the original story, this person was likely the ceiling of combat power in the early stages of Naruto.

He was Gaara, who had defeated Rock Lee and caused Rock Lee to lose his chance to participate in the actual Chunin promotion.

There were currently two ways to protect his teammates: one was to stall for time so that these two wouldn't be drawn against each other.

Or, directly assign Gaara to someone else.

However, the probability of that was low; in the original story, no time was given during the lottery, so it was likely completely random.

If there was no external interference and he only stalled, they might still end up being drawn together in the end.

The other option was to step in and take Rock Lee's place once they were drawn.

However, Uchiha Sora understood that before the Gatling Gun was brought out, he really wasn't certain he could beat a monster possessing a Tailed Beast.

After much deliberation, Uchiha Sora decided to simply give up on Rock Lee.

When the time came, he would have his younger brother join the team so they could look out for each other.

Just as he was thinking this, Sasuke and Naruto's team arrived. Seeing Uchiha Sora there, Sasuke finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He stepped forward, his face full of admiration.

"Big brother, you were too cool! Why didn't you tell me you had such an awesome move before?"

Uchiha Sora smiled and gave the excuse he had already prepared.

"I unlocked it on the spot. It might have been the Sharingan reacting to a crisis; I didn't have this skill before."

As a member of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke knew this couldn't be forced, and he immediately looked envious.

As for Naruto, he was currently looking at Uchiha Sora with an indescribably strange expression.

He even took the initiative to approach, looking excited.

"Uchiha Sora! You're too strong, right? I feel like you're way stronger than this guy Sasuke!"

"It's alright, I guess..."

Uchiha Sora gave an awkward smile.

On the other side, Sakura Haruno also stepped forward, her face full of admiration.

"That's right! Both you brothers are excellent, especially you—you feel even more reliable than Sasuke!"

Before Uchiha Sora could answer, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio arrived as well.

Shikamaru saw Uchiha Sora and immediately looked wary.

Seeing Uchiha Sora look over, he hurriedly nodded in greeting.

Shikamaru was very clever; after this battle, he could already tell that Uchiha Sora would definitely not be someone who stayed in the shadows for long.

Building a good relationship now was important.

Perhaps in the future, he could be of help or latch onto a powerful ally.

As for Choji, he was in a sorry state; upon seeing Uchiha Sora, he subconsciously shivered.

It was obvious that he had been terrified by those few moments earlier.

He still had a shadow over his heart even now!

Only Ino, upon seeing Uchiha Sora, couldn't help but look excited and actually took the initiative to approach him as well.

"Uchiha Sora! Can you tell me about it? How did you create that thing?"

"Can you give me one? I'll definitely store it well."

For a moment, seeing Uchiha Sora surrounded, Hinata couldn't sit still.

She felt that her position was in jeopardy!

Therefore, Hinata also crowded in and grabbed Uchiha Sora's arm.

"Uchiha Sora! Let's go quickly; we should take the time to rest, we still have to fight later!"

Seeing this, Uchiha Sora understood that little Hinata was jealous.

Moreover, Uchiha Sora also sensed a faint, lingering hostility.

It didn't come from any one person, but from a group of male peers from Konoha Village.

Those were eyes full of jealousy!

Uchiha Sora cried out in his heart that he was being wronged!

He hadn't gone out of his way to flirt!

It was just that his charisma was on full display—there was nothing he could do about it!

Uchiha Sora's thoughts were quite pretentious.

Just as he was thinking this, the proctor, Anko, walked over.

In the crowd, there were also Asuma, Kakashi, and even Iruka and the others.

Kakashi swept his gaze over everyone present and spoke slowly.

"The exam is nearing its end, and the number of participants is almost complete. Those who haven't arrived yet have no hope, so why don't we have a match first?"

"There are two teams. Draw numbers against each other; whoever you draw is who you face. It's possible for the same team to fight multiple times, but that's just luck!"

"Alright, start drawing your numbers now!"

At the command, everyone present stepped forward to draw their lots.

Uchiha Sora, acting as the representative, stepped up and casually fiddled with the container.

After drawing, he glanced at the number: three.

This meant he would be the third to enter the arena.

Fortunately, he checked Gaara's number, which was seven—they were nowhere near each other.

He finally felt relieved.

"Also, it seems only one person needs to fight, and the opponent is..."

Uchiha Sora scanned the area and realized the opponent was weak, just a filler team.

They wouldn't stand a chance against Rock Lee.

He thought about it; it was better not to reveal too much at this stage.

So, Uchiha Sora smiled and said, "My friend, you go this time. I haven't seen you in action yet!"

Rock Lee had been itching for a fight and looked excited.

"Leave it to me!"

In truth, Rock Lee's strength in the early stages of the ninja world was definitely top-tier.

Especially once he used the Front Lotus, he could even break through Gaara's defense.

That was Tailed Beast level!

Therefore, as long as it wasn't Gaara, Rock Lee was basically guaranteed a win.

Time passed, and soon the third match began.

Rock Lee, just as expected, won easily.

His opponent, that unknown ninja, was thoroughly convinced of his defeat.

Just like that, Uchiha Sora and his group qualified for the competition.

After being given temporary headbands, they were free to leave.

At this moment, Uchiha Sora's eyes flickered as he began to analyze the situation before him.

According to the original story, this exam is just a test, like a preliminary round to filter out the masses before the real exam begins!

And the exam, which is the tournament, is when Orochimaru will rebel. Tsk tsk, calculating the time, it's coming soon. I must get stronger before then!

Uchiha Sora had a strong sense of crisis.

He knew very well that this was just a small warm-up.

Not to mention that Orochimaru was only a shadow clone and hadn't used his full power.

Later, there would be strong individuals from Sunagakure.

It was even possible that he would have to fight Gaara himself.

Therefore, becoming stronger in a short period was Uchiha Sora's primary task.

As he thought about this, the matches gradually drew to a close.

Naruto and Sasuke's team also succeeded quickly, completing the exam.

In this way, Uchiha Sora's side passed the test, which was a happy outcome for everyone.

On the way back, Sasuke, Hinata, and the others all seemed a bit excited.

"Brother, now that we've passed, what are your plans? I heard Naruto is going out to train."

"Also, before he left, Kakashi asked me to call you, saying that the two of us could go learn from him!"

Uchiha Sora blinked.

He thought about it; in the original story, after the test ended, Naruto and Sasuke did indeed go off to train.

Naruto learned the Rasengan at that time.

Sasuke, meanwhile, followed Kakashi and learned the Chidori.