"Kid, I heard you ran into that snake-like teammate of mine in the forest?" the Toad Sage whispered, leaning close to Naruto's ear.
"Yeah, he was so creepy. I thought I'd killed him, but then he changed bodies like he was shedding his skin and acted like nothing had happened. I was no match for him," Naruto said, hanging his head.
"Don't be so down. Holding out until reinforcements arrived was impressive enough. I'm proud of you. Besides, you did something I've always wanted to do-slam a Rasengan into that bastard's face." The white-haired man grinned, then turned toward the arena.
Sasuke versus Akado Yoroi
As the match began, Akado Yoroi swiftly hurled several shuriken. Sasuke easily blocked them with a kunai, then charged forward.
Sasuke swung a fist at his opponent's face, but Yoroi dodged and followed up with a sweeping kick, tripping Sasuke to the ground.
Sasuke reacted in an instant, tripping Akado Yoroi, pinning him to the ground, and locking his arm.
"Is that all you've got?" Akado Yoroi sneered. He grabbed Sasuke with his free hand and began draining his chakra and stamina.
The older ninja easily broke free and sent the black-haired boy flying into the wall with a punch. Sasuke collapsed to the ground, struggling to get up.
Sasuke barely managed to stand and began forming hand seals, but just as he was about to breathe out a fireball, the searing pain in his neck sent him crumpling to the ground.
The spectator stands
"It looks like Orochimaru's Cursed Seal flares up more intensely when he uses chakra. Interesting. Kakashi, do you need me to help seal it?" Jiraiya asked. His words stunned Sakura beside him. They had known about Sasuke's condition all along.
"No, I can handle it myself. I know you don't want to miss Naruto's match, and I'm confident I can stabilize it with a Suppression Seal. He's my student. This is my responsibility." The silver-haired jonin gave his signature one-eyed smile.
"Speaking of which, your student's about to win. That Akado Yoroi is already out of strength," Jiraiya said.
The arena
"Lion Combo!" Sasuke roared, slamming his opponent hard into the ground before bringing his foot down to make sure Yoroi was unconscious.
The referee declared Sasuke the winner. He turned to rejoin the other candidates, only for Kakashi, book in hand, to call him over.
"Congratulations, Sasuke. You fought well. Now it's time to deal with that little mark of yours." With that, the Copy Ninja took Sasuke away using the Body Flicker Technique.
The candidates looked at the screen. The next match was Shino Aburame against Zaku of the Sound Ninja. It was a thrilling fight. Zaku used a form of Wind Release that required no hand seals, until Shino's insects blocked the tubes in his arms and caused them to burst. Shino won by using his insects to block Zaku's airways.
"The winner is Shino Aburame!" Gekko Hayate announced calmly. "Next match: Kankuro of Sunagakure versus Misumi Tsurugi."
The two entered the arena. The match was comical; the older ninja never realized he was fighting a puppet until the very end.
"He actually won without lifting a finger. That's exactly how I want to fight," Shikamaru said.
"Oh, come on, you're way too lazy! Can't you be cool like Sasuke-kun?" Ino scolded.
"What a drag," was the boy from the Nara Clan's only reply.
Next came Sakura versus Ino, a match that was an outright farce. Ino held the advantage throughout, but for some reason, her Mind Body Switch Technique failed. In the end, the two knocked each other unconscious, and the match ended in a draw.
Then came Tenten versus Temari of Sunagakure. Konoha's weapons master displayed exquisite skill, but she was utterly outmatched by the Wind Release attacks Temari unleashed with her folding fan. Naruto watched with envy.
"Damn it, I want a giant fan like that too! Look how strong her Wind Release is!" Naruto shouted, drawing a chuckle from Temari as she walked back to her teammates.
Before you continue