Four to Six in His Favor

The morning sun was not harsh. On the contrary, it felt pleasantly warm.

In the arena, Temari stared solemnly at the sword-wielding boy in the distance.

To be honest, aside from Gaara, Naruto Uzumaki was the person she least wanted to face in these Chunin Exams.

His information was unknown, his strength was unknown. Only one thing was certain: his strength was absolutely among the very best in these Chunin Exams.

That much was clear from the fact that his team had completed the second exam ahead of the three Sand siblings.

In her eyes, Naruto's other two teammates were average at best, the sort who would have struggled greatly just to pass the second exam.

Based on her and Kankuro's assessment, he was most likely a carry, just like Gaara.

"There are no rules for this match. There's only one thing: once I declare a winner, no matter how upset you are, you stop."

After the proctor jonin finished announcing the rules, he swept his right hand forward, and the exam officially began.

Clang!

With the sound of Kusabimaru leaving its sheath, Naruto vanished from where he stood.

"So fast!" Temari's pupils contracted as the Three-Star Fan in her hand instantly opened to its fullest. She did not dare hold back in the slightest.

"Wind Release: Sickle Weasel Technique!"

The Three-Star Fan swung fiercely, raising a massive gale from the ground. Countless vacuum blades were hidden within it; with an ordinary ninja's meager health bar, taking a hit head-on would mean an instant GG.

Naruto abruptly shifted direction. He could have taken the attack, but there was no need.

"The Three-Star Fan isn't merely a weapon for performing ninjutsu!" Temari folded the fan shut, its enormous ribs resembling a thick iron club.

Boom!

The iron fan sliced through the air, stirring up waves of force.

Though she had merely used one ninjutsu and launched one attack, her valiant bearing drew cheers and shouts from the spectators.

Clang!

The enormous crash of metal against metal made Temari's eardrums tremble.

Naruto gripped the hilt with his right hand. The girl's strength might have seemed terrifying to ordinary people, but to him, it was barely passable.

His left hand changed from an open palm into a fist, blasting through the air toward the girl's face.

He used a sword most of the time, but that did not mean a sword was all he knew how to use.

He also knew the monks of Senpou Temple's fist and kick techniques.

Thud!

Sharp-eyed spectators could even see the girl's cheeks nearly being squeezed together.

The brutal sight made their teeth ache. He really could bring himself to hit her...

With her pretty face and tall figure, Temari could be considered a youthful beauty.

Some of the earlier cheers had been for Temari's looks.

"Damn! That punch Naruto threw..." Forget the spectators—even Raimon and Izuno, his own teammates, felt their eyelids twitch wildly.

"Even if she's an enemy, I still feel a little sorry for that girl named Temari." Ino smacked her lips.

The other rookies beside her nodded as well.

"D-damn!"

Temari, lying on the ground, sprang to her feet. The heavy blow had left her mouth leaking air.

Seeing Naruto charge at her again, she swung the Three-Star Fan once more.

"Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel!"

A storm far greater than the last, both in scale and momentum, crashed violently toward Naruto.

Seeing that he could not dodge as he had before, Naruto lightly raised Kusabimaru. Anything that entered within an arm's reach of him was split in two by the blade.

"So cool!"

Watching Naruto below swing his sword so swiftly it formed an impenetrable wall, some female spectators began swooning.

Just as the men had cheered for Temari's dashing elegance, they too offered their voices to the handsome boy below.

"He does seem... kind of cool." Ino's eyes filled with surprise. How had she never noticed that there was such a promising catch right beside her?

For men, aside from money, great strength was also a major advantage.

"What kind of freak is this?!" Looking at Naruto, who was completely unharmed, Temari nearly ground her silver teeth to pieces.

"Uzumaki Naruto wins!"

Suddenly, the proctor at the side delivered his verdict.

"When?" Temari stared in shock at the blade against her neck.

"But he's still..." Looking at Naruto in the distance, who had just blocked the Great Sickle Weasel, Temari finally understood.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu? Did he use it while I was down just now...?"

Naruto withdrew Kusabimaru from the girl's neck, sheathed his sword, and slowly walked toward the second-floor waiting room.

"That was a complete stomp."

Among the spectators, some knowledgeable ninja commented.

"Yeah. That boy's expression never changed from beginning to end. The little Sand ninja girl has no reason to feel wronged over losing," his companion agreed.

"Don't you think that guy is a little too insensitive toward women?" a woman behind them asked in disbelief.

"Uh..."

The two exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat stunned.

Since when had ninja battles become so gentlemanly?

Being tender toward women? As if they had never seen anyone die...

"Second match: Shikamaru Nara versus Shino Aburame."

"Oho, now this is interesting."

"Isn't it? A showdown between the Aburame Clan and the Nara Clan—this will be worth watching."

Ordinary people were somewhat confused, but anyone who knew something about those two clans immediately perked up.

The Nara Clan—the Konoha family that consistently produced Hokage assistants, the pinnacle of Konoha's intellect.

The Aburame Clan—Konoha's insect controllers, balanced in offense and defense, with the Aburame generally known for their meticulous minds.

In this match, they might witness a battle of wits completely different from the straightforward clash just now.

"Begin!"

Shikamaru looked at Shino opposite him and sighed helplessly. This time, he was truly in trouble.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

A large number of Kikaichū crawled out of Shino Aburame's body.

The sight was somewhat bizarre, yet highly impactful, leaving the audience both fascinated and repulsed.

Shikamaru quickly retreated. As a fellow Konoha ninja, he knew exactly how terrifying these little cuties, which looked like they could be crushed with a finger, truly were.

After widening the distance to a suitable range, Shikamaru formed hand seals, and the shadow beneath him swiftly shot out.

Shikamaru did not dare face the Kikaichū head-on, but Shino likewise did not dare let Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation Technique touch him.

"A duel where neither side can afford a mistake." Asuma Sarutobi stroked his beard and smiled at the woman beside him.

Kurenai rolled her eyes at him irritably. Her student was fighting hard below, yet this instructor was still acting so unserious.

"Get ready to intervene. In my opinion, Shino is the child with the best chance of advancing to chunin," Kurenai said.

"That might have been believable before the first match, but you watched that fight just now. You don't think Shino can beat that guy, do you?" Asuma tilted his chin toward Naruto's position.

Kurenai fell silent. She knew it was true, but who would not want their own student to take first place?

"How strong do you think that guy really is?" Asuma asked.

"There should be no one stronger than him among the genin," Kurenai said.

"Is that all?"

"Then how strong do you think he is?" Kurenai asked irritably.

"I have a feeling I might not be able to beat him." Asuma stroked his chin and spoke softly.

"You're jok—" Kurenai looked at Asuma's serious expression, and her face changed slightly.

"If you fought, what would your odds be?"

"Four to six."

"That's not too bad."

"I'm four. He's six..."

Kurenai finally realized the seriousness of the problem. In other words, in a direct fight, she was no match for Naruto.

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