Uchiha Sora knew that, according to the original story, this was probably the strongest fighter in the early stages of Naruto.
That was Gaara, who defeated Rock Lee and cost him the chance to advance in the actual Chunin Exams!
There were two ways to protect his teammate. One was to stall for time so the two of them wouldn't draw each other.
The other was to make sure someone else got Gaara.
But the odds of that weren't great. In the original story, they hadn't been given any time during the draw, so it might have been completely random.
If nobody intervened and he simply stalled, they might still end up drawing each other in the end.
Or, if they did, he could take Rock Lee's place in the match.
But Uchiha Sora knew that before he got his Gatling Gun, he might not be able to beat a monster with a Tailed Beast inside him.
After turning it over in his mind, Uchiha Sora decided to give up on Rock Lee.
He could have his little brother join the team instead. That way, they could look out for each other.
Just then, Sasuke and Naruto's team arrived. When Sasuke saw Uchiha Sora there too, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
He stepped forward a few paces, his face already full of admiration.
"Big bro, you were so cool! Why didn't you tell me about that awesome move before?"
Uchiha Sora smiled and gave the explanation he'd already come up with.
"I unlocked it on the spot too. Maybe it was my Sharingan reacting when I was in danger. I didn't have that skill before."
As a member of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke knew you couldn't just ask for something like that. He immediately looked envious.
As for Naruto, the look he gave Uchiha Sora was hard to read.
He even came over, looking excited.
"Uchiha Sora! You're way too strong! You seem a lot stronger than this guy Sasuke!"
"I guess..."
Uchiha Sora gave an awkward smile.
On the other side, Sakura Haruno also stepped forward, looking full of admiration.
"That's right! You two brothers are both amazing, especially you. You seem even more reliable than Sasuke!"
Before Uchiha Sora could answer, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio arrived too.
When Shikamaru spotted Uchiha Sora, he immediately looked wary.
When Uchiha Sora glanced his way, Shikamaru quickly nodded in greeting.
Shikamaru was smart. After that fight, he could already tell that Uchiha Sora was destined for great things.
It was important to get on good terms with him now.
He might be able to help in the future. Shikamaru could have a powerful ally.
Choji, on the other hand, had it rough. When he saw Uchiha Sora, he shuddered without thinking.
It was obvious that he'd been terrified during those few attacks earlier.
He was still shaken.
Only Ino, when she saw Uchiha Sora, couldn't help looking excited. She even came right over.
"Uchiha Sora! Can you tell me how you made that thing?"
"Could you give me one? I promise I'll take good care of it."
Seeing Uchiha Sora surrounded, Hinata couldn't sit still.
She felt like her position was in danger!
So Hinata came over too and grabbed Uchiha Sora by the arm.
"Uchiha Sora! Come on, let's go. We have time to rest before the next fight!"
At the sight of this, Uchiha Sora realized that little Hinata was jealous.
He also noticed some hostility, faint but unmistakable.
It wasn't coming from one person, but from a whole bunch of Konoha's male shinobi.
Those were jealous looks!
Uchiha Sora felt deeply wronged.
I wasn't trying to charm anyone!
It's just that my charisma speaks for itself. What can I do?
Uchiha Sora's thoughts were outrageously self-satisfied.
Just then, the proctor, Anko, walked over.
Asuma, Kakashi, Iruka, and the others were among the crowd too.
Kakashi glanced over everyone present and spoke slowly.
"The exam is nearly over, and we're almost at full strength. Anyone who hasn't shown up by now probably won't make it. Why don't we start with a match?"
"The two teams will draw lots. Whoever you draw will fight. It's possible that people from the same team may have to fight each other more than once, but that's up to luck!"
"Right, everyone. Start drawing!"
At his signal, everyone present stepped forward to draw lots.
As the team's representative, Uchiha Sora stepped forward and casually rummaged around.
After drawing a number, he looked at it. He'd gotten three.
That meant he'd be the third to fight.
Fortunately, when he looked over, Gaara had drawn seven. Their numbers weren't remotely close.
At last, he could relax.
"And it looks like only one person needs to fight. My opponent is..."
Uchiha Sora looked around and saw that his opponent was weak—a team of nobodies.
They wouldn't stand a chance against Rock Lee either.
After thinking it over, he decided it was best not to reveal too much yet.
So Uchiha Sora smiled and said,
"My dear friend, you should fight this time. I haven't seen you in action yet!"
Rock Lee had already been raring to go. Now he looked thrilled.
"Leave it to me!"
In fact, Rock Lee was undoubtedly one of the strongest fighters in the early days of the Shinobi World.
Especially once he used the Front Lotus—even Gaara's defenses couldn't withstand it.
And that was a Tailed Beast-level opponent!
So as long as he wasn't facing Gaara, Rock Lee would pretty much win for sure.
Time passed, and soon the third fighter took the stage.
Just as expected, Rock Lee won with ease.
His opponent, an unnamed shinobi, conceded without a complaint.
And just like that, Uchiha Sora's group had qualified for the matches.
They were given temporary Forehead Protectors, after which they could leave.
Uchiha Sora's eyes flickered as he began analyzing the situation.
According to the original story, this exam is just a preliminary test, like a qualifying round. They're screening out a large number of ordinary shinobi first; only the ones left will take the real exam!
And the exam itself is a tournament. Orochimaru will stage a rebellion then. Tsk, it's almost time. I have to get stronger before that happens!
Uchiha Sora was keenly aware of the danger.
He knew this had only been a test run.
Not to mention that Orochimaru had only sent a clone and hadn't used his full strength.
There would also be powerful shinobi from Sunagakure later.
And Gaara might even end up fighting him.
So getting stronger quickly was Uchiha Sora's main priority right now.
Just then, the matches gradually drew to a close.
Naruto and Sasuke's team also passed the exam soon after.
And so Uchiha Sora's group had all passed the test. It was a happy ending for everyone.
On the way back, Sasuke, Hinata, and the others all seemed excited.
"Big bro, now that we've passed, what are you planning to do? I heard Naruto's going away to train."
"Also, before he left, Kakashi-sensei told me to ask you. He said the two of us could train with him!"
Uchiha Sora blinked.
Thinking it over, he remembered that in the original story, Naruto and Sasuke had indeed gone off to train after the test.
Naruto had learned the Rasengan.
Sasuke had followed Kakashi and learned the Chidori.
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