Tenten Defeated

Puppet masters relied heavily on their puppets, and Kankuro had fought too aggressively just now. His arrogance had made him underestimate his opponent, allowing Shino Aburame to exploit an opening.

"The winner of the first match is Shino Aburame! Cough, cough..." Hayate Gekko announced through a violent coughing fit.

"Nice work, Shino!" Kiba Inuzuka gave Shino Aburame a thumbs-up. "Konoha's off to a winning start."

"That man was strong. If the puppet he controlled had been any faster, I might have been the one who lost." Shino Aburame calmly rolled up his sleeve, revealing an arm covered in black Destruction Bugs. This was the backup he had kept in reserve.

"A win is a win!" Kiba Inuzuka did not quite understand why Shino Aburame was being so modest.

"Are all Konoha ninja this strong?" Karin Uzumaki, standing at the edge of the arena, asked softly.

"Probably." Tianming did not know how to answer either. Honestly, none of Konoha's Twelve were weak; every one of them was stronger than their peers. Still, the Chunin Exams had changed more or less now.

He had killed the Sound Ninja trio himself, and Shino Aburame's opponent in the Chunin Exams had become Kankuro.

Everything had become unpredictable. Tianming no longer needed to worry about how future events would unfold.

The second battle began soon after. Choji Akimichi took the field, facing one of the Sound Village's nameless extras.

The battle was not particularly complicated. Choji Akimichi endured the sound-wave jutsu head-on, then used the Akimichi Clan's Expansion Jutsu to defeat his opponent with just a few punches.

Konoha opened with two straight victories, and morale immediately surged.

As for the Sound Ninja's nameless extras, they could only swallow the loss. After all, their duty was to serve as a distraction.

Then the third battle began.

Naruto Uzumaki versus a Sound Ninja.

The fourth battle was Sasuke Uchiha versus a Sound Ninja.

After four unquestionable victories in a row, the Sound Village was eliminated from the Chunin Exams! Only Gaara and Temari of the Sand Village remained, neither having made a move yet.

"Akamaru, are you ready?" Kiba Inuzuka rubbed his fists together, about to step forward.

But his slow reaction cost him!

Tenten from Team Ten had already leaped down ahead of him. "We've watched the boys fight for so long. It's about time for us, isn't it?"

As she spoke, Tenten pointed her slender finger toward the Sand Village group.

Without a word, the challenged Temari jumped into the arena. With a light wave of the Three-Star Fan on her back, the cushioning force lifted her body and let her land smoothly.

"Tenten versus Temari! Begin!"

The moment Hayate Gekko's words fell, Tenten made the first move. As Konoha's foremost user of ninja tools, once Tenten attacked, ninja tools would come at her opponent endlessly from every direction.

First came oversized shuriken to clear the way! They shot forward as though tearing through the air, followed closely by all manner of shuriken.

Facing the overwhelming barrage of ninja tools, Temari grabbed the Three-Star Fan and swept it forward! A hurricane instantly erupted in the air, intercepting all of Tenten's weapons.

"Show me what you can really do. You look like a circus performer juggling tricks," Temari said coolly.

"As you wish." Tenten had not planned on holding back either. She directly pulled out two scrolls.

As she flung out the scrolls, Tenten rapidly formed hand seals, and her chakra began to ripple.

Twin Rising Dragons!

The two scrolls unfolded in the sky on their own, taking the shape of two dragons. The long scrolls danced like silver dragons, their surfaces instantly covered with countless types of ninja tools. Glinting coldly, they shot down at Temari below.

Locked onto by Twin Rising Dragons, Temari loosened her grip on the Three-Star Fan. A black circle appeared at the center of its massive surface—the Three-Star Fan's distinctive mark.

Sickle Weasel.

Temari poured her chakra into the Three-Star Fan, then gripped it tightly and swung with all her strength!

The air above the arena exploded as a tornado surged into the sky. Even the walls around the arena developed fine cracks.

Tenten's Twin Rising Dragons offensive was instantly scattered. The threads controlling the ninja tools were severed, and even Tenten herself was struck by the tornado and flung high into the air.

Thud!

Tenten fell from the air and landed directly on the handle of the Three-Star Fan.

Without even looking at the unconscious Tenten, Temari flung her toward the wall. If she hit it solidly, her injuries would only worsen.

Before anyone could react, Tianming had already rushed over and caught Tenten before she crashed into the wall.

"Tenten!" Rock Lee hurried down, and even Neji Hyuga's eyes were filled with killing intent.

"Damn it! Tenten already lost, so why did you throw her at the wall?" Rock Lee demanded furiously, his teeth grinding together.

Temari ignored him. With a light tap of her toes, she returned to Gaara's side.

"You..." Rock Lee said, about to attack.

"Rock Lee, forget it." Tianming quickly grabbed him. "Anger is powerless. Defend it with strength in the future."

Tenten's defeat made Konoha's Twelve, who had grown somewhat relaxed and careless, turn serious once again. They could not underestimate their opponents just because of one Kankuro. Tenten's ninja tools were said to hit with a hundred-percent accuracy; among the Twelve, no one could claim they could take all of Tenten's attacks without fail.

Yet Temari had only swung her fan twice from start to finish. It had been a pure crushing victory in terms of strength.

After this battle ended, before Hayate Gekko could speak, Akamaru jumped into the arena first.

Then Kiba Inuzuka leaped down as well. "I'll take the next match."