The Chunin Exam's combat assessment continued, but the matches proceeded faster and faster, until the ninja squad sent by Shimura Danzō finally encountered Uchiha Itachi.
It was still the same unremarkable Uchiha-style taijutsu. Itachi's palm never left his opponent's fingers, pinning them down and allowing no ninjutsu to be cast. Not even the Substitution Technique, which required only a single hand seal, could be used...
Ordinary people could not tell what was happening and could only whisper about the strange match. Whenever Uchiha Itachi fought, there was almost nothing to watch—he won every time for no apparent reason...
But most jonin and taijutsu experts could see that his opponent was already being toyed with by Itachi's taijutsu, with no chance whatsoever to cast ninjutsu.
"Winner: Uchiha Itachi."
The two young ninja sent by Root had both fallen. Kakashi did not explain Itachi's victory in detail, merely announcing the result calmly before turning to Yamato. "Next match: Class 272 genin Yamato... versus Uchiha Itachi."
"That ninja called Yamato seems never to have appeared before, right?"
"Is he their team's secret weapon?"
"I feel like Uchiha Itachi will still win for some inexplicable reason!"
As the spectators buzzed with discussion, the leader of Kusagakure had originally wanted to glean some information from Hiruzen Sarutobi. But seeing that the old man looked displeased, he could only let it go.
No matter who won this assessment, it would cause a tremendous uproar. The last time Wood Release faced the Sharingan had been at the Battle of the Valley of the End...
If Uchiha Itachi won, who knew what unpleasant rumors that clan would spread? If Yamato won, the Uchiha would likely be dejected for a while, but they would inevitably become even more wary of the village.
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not particularly believe Yamato