A month flew by, and the day of the Chunin Ninja Exams' final tournament arrived amid eager anticipation.
The enormous circular arena buzzed with voices. Spectators, nobles, and ninja leaders from Konoha and the surrounding countries packed the stands, filling the air with excitement and tension. On the highest viewing platform, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat upright, flanked by the Kazekage-Orochimaru in disguise-and distinguished guests from various countries.
The Genin who had passed the preliminaries stood in a line at the center of the arena, under the scrutiny of gazes from every direction. Naruto looked around excitedly, while Sasuke's eyes were cold. Gaara radiated a forbidding aura, and Temari and Kankuro wore grave expressions. Neji looked haughty, Rock Lee burned with youthful passion, and Shikamaru yawned, finding the whole thing a terrible drag. Choji kept eating chips beside him, while Ino was both nervous and excited, occasionally stealing a glance at Ling next to her. Ling remained as calm as ever, as though the surrounding commotion had nothing to do with him. Shino Aburame was much the same, but for some reason, everyone seemed to act as though he wasn't there.
As the chief referee, Genma Shiranui announced the rules and the first matchup.
First match: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuga
The battle was one-sided from the outset. Neji's Byakugan and Gentle Fist completely countered Naruto's reckless Taijutsu and Shadow Clones. He struck Naruto's chakra points with precision again and again, sealing them while relentlessly attacking Naruto's convictions with his talk of fate.
"A failure will always be a failure. Your fate was decided from the very beginning!" Neji said coldly, watching Naruto struggle on the ground.
But Naruto refused to buy any of it. With the enormous chakra supplied by the Nine-Tails and his unyielding will, he repeatedly broke