Observations of the Preliminaries

The two walked up to the spectator stands and sat in the empty seats next to Team Guy.

Lee saw Takuma from afar and waved excitedly.

"Takuma! Your battle just now was incredible! That precise striking style—even Neji didn't—"

"Shut up." Neji interrupted coldly. His Byakugan slightly dilated as he swept a glance over Takuma. "You only beat a Genin from the Sound, nothing worth boasting about."

Tenten frowned, about to retort, but Takuma waved his hand, his gaze already fixed on the arena.

Sasuke versus Akado Yoroi.

A low murmur rippled through the stands when Sasuke stepped out.

The last survivor of the Uchiha clan—that title alone was a gimmick.

He walked toward the center of the arena with his hands in his pockets and an expressionless face, his black hair swaying slightly in the wind.

Akado Yoroi was already waiting on the opposite side.

He was tall, his arms wrapped in bandages, and a mask covered the lower half of his face.

"He sure likes to act cool," Tenten muttered.

Takuma didn't respond.

He was observing the flow of Sasuke's Chakra.

The Chakra of the Uchiha clan naturally carried an affinity for the Yin element; this was the foundation of the Sharingan.

At this moment, the Chakra within Sasuke was circulating rapidly around his eyes. Although he hadn't activated his eyes yet, the activity of the meridians around them far exceeded that of an ordinary person.

Akado Yoroi initiated the attack. Chakra erupted from beneath the bandages on his arms, and he transformed into a blur, lunging at Sasuke.

Sasuke dodged to the side at the last second, his right leg sweeping toward Akado Yoroi's knee like a whip.

Akado Yoroi took the hit head-on, his body merely swaying, and he reached back to grab Sasuke's neck.

The moment that hand was about to make contact, the Chakra suddenly gathered into an absorbing form.

Sasuke clearly noticed it and retreated in time to create distance.

The two moved at high speed across the arena, exchanging blows in Taijutsu for over a dozen rounds.

Sasuke's Taijutsu was clearly more refined, but Akado Yoroi's ability to absorb Chakra made him afraid to engage in close contact, forcing him to hold back thirty percent of his strength with every attack.

"There's something wrong with that Sound ninja's arms," Neji said suddenly, his Byakugan already active. "The Chakra is absorbing."

Lee scratched his head. "Doesn't that put Sasuke at a disadvantage?"

Neji didn't answer, simply continuing to watch.

Just as Sasuke channeled Chakra to defend, the Cursed Seal of Heaven left by Orochimaru flared up. A burning pain spread along his meridians, and he faltered, nearly collapsing.

Akado Yoroi launched another attack.

He spread his arms into a hugging posture, clearly intending to drain the remainder of Sasuke's Chakra in one go.

Sasuke lowered his body slightly, shifting his center of gravity onto his legs.

The moment Akado Yoroi's hands closed, Sasuke dropped his body sharply, sliding under Akado Yoroi's armpit while nearly scraping the ground.

He kicked precisely at the ankle.

Akado Yoroi's leg went soft, and his body tipped forward, losing balance.

Sasuke didn't give him a chance to recover.

A second kick went from bottom to top, slamming into his chin and launching him into the air.

Sasuke's figure vanished immediately after.

He leaped into mid-air, his body spinning, his right leg tracing an arc as he smashed Akado Yoroi from the sky toward the ground.

Sasuke pursued him like a shadow, appearing behind him just before Akado Yoroi hit the ground. He wrapped his arms around Akado Yoroi's waist, leaned back, and slammed him headfirst into the floor.

—Lion Combo.

The back of Akado Yoroi's head struck the arena floor heavily, sending stone fragments flying.

Sasuke let go and knelt on one knee, breathing heavily. The markings of the Cursed Seal were still spreading across his neck.

"The winner—Uchiha Sasuke!"

Tenten let out a long breath. "Not bad, didn't embarrass himself."

Naruto versus Inuzuka Kiba.

Naruto started shouting the moment he stepped onto the arena, provoking Kiba from across the ring: "Hey! You dog-raiser! Watch how I beat you!"

Kiba rolled his eyes, while Akamaru, perched on his head, barked along.

Tenten held her forehead. "How is he always so energetic?"

"That's Naruto for you," Takuma said, the corners of his mouth lifting.

Kiba struck first, dropping to all fours to activate his Beast Mimicry Ninja Art, his speed surging.

His Taijutsu style leaned toward wild instinct; his attack angles were tricky, and he slashed repeatedly with Kunai like claws.

Naruto was suppressed from the start, forced into passive defense.

Kiba's speed was too fast; he couldn't keep up with the rhythm.

But Naruto's ability to withstand damage was astonishing.

He took several heavy hits and remained full of life, becoming even more spirited the more he was beaten.

"Is that all you've got!" Naruto wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and grinned.

Kiba was enraged and immediately used the Beast Human Clone.

Akamaru transformed into Kiba's likeness, and the two attacked in tandem, doubling the density of their strikes.

Naruto was forced to the edge of the arena.

Then, he formed a seal.

Shadow Clone Technique.

The Naruto on the arena became a crowd.

The attacks of the Beast Human Clone were instantly swallowed by the human-wave tactic.

"How is this possible—" Kiba's eyes widened.

Twenty Narutos lunged at once, fists and feet flying. No matter how strong Kiba's Taijutsu was, he couldn't handle the gang-beating; he was pummeled black and blue in moments.

Akamaru was also chased around the arena by several clones, whimpering.

Kiba eventually conceded after being beaten. Naruto stood in place, hands on his hips, laughing wildly before he had even wiped the nosebleed from his face: "Hahahaha! I won!"

Neji versus Hinata.

The atmosphere for this match was completely different. The main branch of the Hyuga versus the branch family, cousin versus cousin.

When the two walked onto the arena, Hinata's body trembled slightly, while Neji remained expressionless.

Once the battle began, Neji showed no mercy.

Every palm of his Gentle Fist struck Hinata's pressure points precisely, driving Chakra into her meridians to gradually seal her ability to move.

Hinata couldn't even land a single Eight Trigrams Palms strike before being suppressed.

She gritted her teeth and persisted, climbing back up time and again, whispering something under her breath.

Takuma couldn't hear the specifics, but he knew it was Hinata's ninja way.

The ninja way of never giving up.

Neji, however, remained unmoved.

His eyes were so cold it didn't look like he was watching a relative; he looked like he was watching a specimen that proved the nature of fate.

A continuous barrage of palm strikes pierced Hinata's defense, sealing all her major pressure points.

Hinata collapsed to the ground, unable to rise again.

The referee announced Neji the winner.

The stands erupted in boos for Neji. He turned and left the arena, never once looking back.

Neji Hyuga was not a cold-blooded fighting machine.

He was merely a bird trapped in a cage, using hatred as the only way he knew how to flap his wings.

Lee versus Gaara.

This battle made the entire spectator stand go silent.

The moment Lee removed his weights, the dull thud of the iron leg guards hitting the ground made everyone gasp.

Tenten bit her lip, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"He was wearing those for training all this time..." Her voice was very soft.

Takuma had seen Team Guy's training with his own eyes; that suicidal method could not be measured by common sense.

Once the battle began, Lee's speed shocked the entire arena.

Gaara's Sand Defense couldn't keep up with his movement; the sand couldn't catch his afterimages.

Sharp kicks slammed into Gaara's defense from all directions, each strike cracking the sand shell.

For the first time, Gaara's expression changed.

The Sand Defense repaired itself automatically; although Lee's attacks were dense, he could never truly break through.

Then, Guy gave him a look.

Lee nodded.

Opening five of the Eight Inner Gates in succession, Lee's body turned a burning shade of cyan.

Violent Chakra erupted from within him, his skin turning crimson from the blood rushing to the surface.

He transformed into a beam of light invisible to the naked eye, leaving trails of afterimages across the arena.

Gaara's Sand Armor was completely shattered.

Lee wrapped him in bandages and spun him from high in the air, slamming him into the ground.

That strike shook the entire arena.

At the very last moment, Gaara replaced himself with the sand from his gourd.

Sand Binding Coffin was activated, crushing Lee's left arm and leg. Guy flashed into the arena to save Lee.