Preliminary Round

Only half an hour remained until the exam ended.

The Third Hokage of Konoha and the Jonin Instructors from each village gradually arrived.

"The Third Hokage!!" Izuno stared at the old man above, draped in the Hokage robes, her eyes sparkling with stars.

Raimon beside her was much the same.

For the first time, Naruto gained a more complete understanding of the old man who often came barging into his home.

He had never expected that the Third Hokage, who seemed no different from any other old man in his eyes, was practically an idol to ninjas their age.

Seemingly noticing their gazes, the Third Hokage looked over and nodded with a smile.

"Mm. My resolve to become Hokage has grown even stronger," Izuno declared.

Just then, two teams slowly entered the ranks under the proctors' guidance and lined up.

Naruto looked at Team Seven beside him, every member covered in injuries, his eyes full of confusion. He knew Team Seven's strength. Even with Sakura holding them back, they had Sasuke and Sai, both of whom were no slouches. No matter how bad their luck had been, they should not have ended up like this, right?

Sakura in particular was wrapped head to toe in bandages. Judging from the exposed skin around the edges, she seemed to have been corroded by something.

It was not just her. Sai was also covered in bandages, bearing the same wounds...

"Sakura, are you okay?" Ino asked softly.

Team Ten and Team Seven had entered at the same time.

Sakura shook her head slightly. "I'm fine."

Ino looked worried, but did not say anything else.

Naruto withdrew his gaze from the three members of Team Seven and looked toward the platform, where the Third Hokage slowly stepped forward.

"Children, first of all, congratulations on making it this far." The Third Hokage removed the pipe from his mouth and spoke slowly.

"However, since the third exam will be held before dignitaries from various nations, we still need to eliminate some of you."

"What a drag." Shikamaru looked toward Team Seven beside him.

Although Team Seven had barely passed the second exam with their help, there was nothing they could do for them in the upcoming Preliminary Round.

"Ugh!" Sasuke grunted and clutched the back of his neck in pain.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" Sakura hurriedly asked from behind him.

Naruto, standing at the very back, saw it clearly. A strange three-tomoe mark had appeared on the back of Sasuke's neck.

Looks like quite a lot happened...

"Since the third exam is an individual competition, anyone who feels unable to continue may raise their hand. It will not affect your team's results."

A jonin with a senbon in his mouth, who was presiding over the Preliminary Round in place of the Third Hokage, spoke.

"You have one minute to consider."

"I withdraw!" A white-haired ninja raised his hand.

Naruto remembered him. During the first exam, this person had seemed especially interested in Sasuke. His name appeared to be Kabuto Yakushi.

"I withdraw. Also, my teammates were injured..."

Before Sakura could finish, Sasuke cut her off. "Sakura, don't make me hate you!!"

"But your injuries!" Seeing Sasuke's pained expression, Sakura was about to raise her hand again.

"Let's go, Sakura!" Kakashi appeared at her side with the Body Flicker Technique and spoke to her.

"Kakashi-sensei, please talk Sasuke out of it!" Sakura said urgently, as though she had seized her final lifeline.

"Sorry, I'll take her away now." Kakashi ignored her and gave Genma Shiranui, standing at the front of the line, an apologetic smile.

Watching Sakura be forcibly taken away by Kakashi, Naruto could actually sense Sasuke's relief beneath his pain.

"Anyone else wish to withdraw?" Genma Shiranui asked again.

"..."

"The following matchups will be selected at random by the machine. Everyone else, please go to the second floor to watch."

After glancing at the names displayed on the screen, Naruto and the other two headed for the stairs.

"Uchiha Sasuke VS Yoroi Akado!"

On the field, Uchiha Sasuke faced off against a strangely dressed Sound ninja.

"You don't seem to be in very good condition." Yoroi Akado smiled cruelly.

Genma Shiranui glanced at them, then swept his left hand. "Begin!"

"Good work." Hayate Gekko smiled at Naruto and the other two.

"Easy as pie!" Izuno replied with a confident smile.

"To be honest, when I recommended you for the Chunin Exams, I only wanted you to give it a try. I never thought you would make it this far." Hayate Gekko chuckled.

"Come on, sensei. Even if you don't believe in us, you should believe in Naruto, right?" Raimon draped an arm around Naruto's shoulders and laughed.

Hayate Gekko nodded.

By then, the battle on the field had already reached a stalemate.

Although Uchiha Sasuke was injured, Yoroi Akado only gained an advantage with his words. His attacks were steady and methodical, gradually expanding his advantage bit by bit.

Just as everyone thought Uchiha Sasuke would lose due to his physical condition, a shocking reversal occurred.

Without using any ninjutsu, Uchiha Sasuke suddenly erupted. A string of heavy, powerful kicks sent Yoroi Akado crashing to the ground.

"So strong." Raimon's mouth fell slightly open.

"As expected of the Top Student of our class." Izuno nodded as well.

They had been only shoulder-to-shoulder with Team Seven earlier, so they had clearly seen their condition.

Frankly speaking, they would not have found it strange if Sasuke had collapsed the very next second.

Yet even while carrying such severe injuries, Uchiha Sasuke still managed to win. From that alone, he was worthy of the Uchiha Clan name.

"But Naruto, why weren't you the Top Student back then?" Izuno asked in confusion.

After spending so much time together, she had come to understand Naruto's grades.

His combat ability was off the charts, and even his theoretical scores made her feel inferior.

"My grades were a little lacking." Naruto shook his head slightly.

"I heard that in your class, there was a student who was always absent and skipping lessons, even during the final exams." Hayate Gekko asked at just the right moment.

Izuno wore an enlightened expression.

"Got it."

Naruto really was carefree. Now that she thought about it, a final exam might not have mattered to him at all.

Based on what she had learned about him over this time, he had probably been fishing on the day of the exam.

The Preliminary Round proceeded match by match.

The three of them gained a preliminary understanding of the fighting styles of ninjas from other villages.

Fourth match: Izuno Akigiku VS Ino Yamanaka.

The Izuno Clan's Cat Imitation Ninjutsu VS the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu!

Although Izuno had grown tremendously over the past half year, unfortunately...

She was still somewhat inferior to the Yamanaka Clan's direct heir and ultimately lost with regret.

Fifth match: Temari VS Tenten.

Temari, the mature-looking Sand ninja, easily claimed victory with her outstanding Wind Release Ninjutsu.

Sixth match: Shikamaru Nara VS Kin.

A battle of overwhelming intelligence. Shikamaru won.

Seventh match: Naruto Uzumaki VS Hinata Hyuga.

On the field, Naruto looked at Hinata, who had sat beside him during the first exam, and nodded slightly.

"Naruto-kun, i-it's been a long time." As Hinata spoke, her cheeks inexplicably reddened.

"It has." Naruto replied.

"Begin!" The instant Genma Shiranui finished speaking, he retreated to the side.

"Please show me the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist." Naruto slowly drew Kusabimaru.

"O-okay." Hinata nodded slightly and slowly assumed her stance.

Once the girl entered her fighting state, her expression was no longer timid. She carried an imposing air of her own.

The update was a little late, but I'm still shamelessly asking for recommendation votes!