"Is that the Meikyō the Body Flicker?! So powerful!"
"So handsome!"
"I heard he's a disciple of Lady Tsunade and Lord Dan, and he even defeated the Fourth Kazekage on the battlefield!"
"Then wouldn't Lady Tsunade and Lord Dan be even more powerful!"
"Lord Meikyō is the best!"
Ignoring the crowd below that had started making noise again, Meikyō stood on the stage and began explaining the procedures for this Chunin Ninja Exams.
There were five teams that advanced to the third round, with three people in each team, for a total of fifteen people.
These players will be drawn into seven groups based on the principle of avoiding teammates, with each group playing against the other. The extra player will receive a bye and advance to the quarterfinals, followed by the quarterfinals to the semifinals, and then the semifinals to the finals.
The people in charge of drawing lots were none other than the Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage, who were standing on the stage.
Soon, the matchup list was released.
Meikyō knew with just a glance that there was something fishy about this lottery.
Because these are basically combinations of one strong and one weak player, it ensures that the battles after the quarterfinals will be exciting clashes between two strong teams.
Seeing that Shiranui Genma Ebisu were not facing particularly strong opponents, Meikyō stopped paying much attention to the battle. Even if unexpected situations arose, with Uchiha Yōsuke and Uchiha Shinjō, who had been specially brought in as his assistants, they could stop the situation immediately.
These two are the only Uchiha with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan that Meikyō can command.
As for Might Guy, it's clear he believes that unless he encounters Kakashi, he won't face any strong opponents before the finals.
Subsequent developments did indeed unfold exactly as Meikyō had predicted.
"Based on the results of the quarterfinals, the final matchups for the top eight to four are: Hatake Kakashi vs. Yura, Shiranui Genma vs. Sarutobi Asuma, Baki vs. Yūhi Kurenai, Might Guy... vs. Ebisu."
Meikyō raised an eyebrow.
Unexpectedly, in the quarterfinals, students from my own team actually engaged in an internal battle.
However, three of the top eight are his students, so the probability of an internal battle is indeed not small.
At this moment, Rasa's expression did not look very good.
Of the fifteen contestants who participated in the three rounds, only six were from Sunagakure. Now that they've reached the quarterfinals, there are only two left.
The percentage of those who advance has further decreased.
From an outsider's perspective, does that mean that Suna's strength is inferior to Konoha's, or even less than half of Konoha's?
Even if this were true, Suna, being one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, would absolutely not want to admit it.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was in a very good mood at the moment.
He was very satisfied with his youngest son's brilliant performance in the round of 16, which defeated Maki from Sunagakure.
The quarterfinals result has met Hiruzen Sarutobi's expectations, and he is even hoping for a place in the semifinals.
Because he had prepared a trump card for Sarutobi Asuma that could greatly enhance his strength.
As for a higher championship, Hiruzen Sarutobi had thought about it, but he also knew that Hatake Kakashi was an insurmountable mountain among his peers.
In the ensuing match, Kakashi's performance was as expected; he defeated Yura cleanly and Yura in just a few moves.
Having mastered the swordsmanship of two top-tier swordsmen in the Ninja World, Konoha White Fang and the Meikyō the Body Flicker, he also has an absolute restraining effect on these puppeteers.
Rasa's face darkened even more.
Because only Suna remains from Baki.
Fortunately, Baki performed admirably, successfully defeating Yūhi Kurenai and advancing to the semifinals.
The battle between Might Guy and Ebisu was even faster than that between Kakashi and Yura.
As teammates, the two were well aware of the difference in their abilities, and before the fight even started, Ebisu decisively chose to surrender.
The only truly exciting clash between two titans was the battle between Shiranui Genma and Sarutobi Asuma.
Both are ninjas who are skilled in Wind Style and Fire Style, and neither has any particular advantage in Ninjutsu.
But what's surprising is Sarutobi Asuma's weapon.
Chakra Blade - Flying Swallow.
These are a pair of short swords used with both hands. When Sarutobi Asuma infuses them with Wind Style, they can form massive wind blades, enhancing his mid-to-close-range combat capabilities.
Chakra Weapon!
This is a rare item that many powerful figures in the Ninja World have sought after with great expense and time, yet have been unable to obtain.
Currently, there are only a few well-known Chakra weapons in the Ninja World. One is the White Fang Short Sword, which was used by Hatake Sakumo a few years ago and is now inherited by Hatake Kakashi. Another is the Ama-no-Ohabari Blade, also known as the Totsuka Blade of Sword of the Fire God, which is an accessory to the Meikyō the Body Flicker.
There is actually another Thunder God Blade that the Second Hokage once used, but it has too much symbolic meaning, so no one uses it.
All I can say is that having a Hokage Pops is truly enviable.
Fortunately, Shiranui Genma, as a student of Uchiha Meikyō, had already mastered the nine forms of Wind Breathing during this time.
In close combat, he is absolutely not afraid of Sarutobi Asuma, who wields Chakra Blade.
In the end, Genma Shiranui Genma won by one move and defeated Sarutobi Asuma.
"I didn't expect Meikyō to be so good at teaching students."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, puffing on his pipe, thought to himself as he watched his foolish son, who showed no sign of dejection after the defeat and was accepting a bandage from the Yūhi Kurenai with a silly grin.
Because his disciples, the Legendary Konoha Sannin, all eventually became renowned and powerful figures in the Ninja World, Hiruzen Sarutobi also had the title of Ninjutsu Professor. This not only indicates that he mastered a wide variety of Ninjutsu, but also that he was skilled at training young people.
Hiruzen Sarutobi has always prided himself on having top-notch teaching abilities.
However, Sarutobi Asuma, whom he taught, lost to Meikyō's student.
In fact, during this Chunin Ninja Exams, all three of Meikyō's disciples made it into the top eight, and occupied half of the top four spots. He even heard from Minato Namikaze that because Uchiha Meikyō's swordsmanship and Lightning Style abilities were stronger, Hatake Kakashi often visited Meikyō to ask for advice.
"So, it seems that this child, Meikyō, is indeed like me, skilled at guiding young people. And this amazing Nintaijutsu is also the most important reliance that allowed Shiranui Genma to defeat Asuma."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was already considering whether or not to have his youngest son learn from Meikyō as well.
He did have some selfish motives, hoping that his descendants would take over the position of Hokage in the future.
As it stands, Asuma is quite outstanding among his peers, but he still falls short of top figures like Kakashi and is somewhat inferior to the Sannin of the same era. Becoming an elite Jonin in the future is certainly not a problem, but reaching the level of Kage requires a lot of luck and opportunity.
"Next up is Might Guy versus Baki, Kakashi versus Shiranui Genma. Let's start with Guy Kazuma."
Meikyō glanced around to make sure the contestants below had recovered their physical condition after being treated by the Medical Ninja, then waved his hand to signal Might Guy Kazuma to come up on stage.
"If I defeat you, I can advance to the finals, which will be considered a perfect completion of the task assigned by the village!"
Baki glanced at the Fourth Kazekage on the distant high platform, then turned to Might Guy and said.
Having experienced his previous encounter in the Forest of Death, he had come to terms with reality and knew that he could never be a match for Kakashi.
Therefore, Baki believed that second place was the best result he could achieve.
What he didn't know was that Might Guy in front of him was already able to fight Kakashi to a standstill in their previous sparring match.
"Although I admire your fighting spirit, Kakashi and I have made a promise to hold our 43rd match Chunin Ninja Exams, so no matter what, I cannot lose to you!"
Might Guy decided to finish the battle quickly to avoid Kakashi seeing too much of his trump card.
"The Eight Gates Released Formation, the first Gate of Opening opens!"
"Second Gate of Healing, open!"
"The Third Gate of Life, open!"
A surge of green Chakra steam erupted from Might Guy's body, eliciting gasps from the crowd below.
"The Eight Gates Released Formation? I remember that this was a forbidden technique that Teacher Tobirama wanted to develop decades ago, but it was basically lost after only creating a prototype. I didn't expect that Might Guy would also master this forbidden technique!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly frowned, then quickly relaxed his brow.
He remembered that the Eight Gates Released Formation was recorded in the Scroll of Seals.
However, it seems that there is indeed a former Genin in Konoha who has been training diligently, trying to recreate this forbidden technique.
However, even a master of forbidden techniques like Tobirama Senju couldn't fully develop this technique, and he didn't think a Genin who only knew Taijutsu could perfect it, so he abandoned the idea and forgot about it.
Now that I think about it, that Genin really does look a lot like Might Guy in front of me.
"Was it after his son became Meikyō's student, and with Meikyō's help, that he finally perfected the Eight Gates Released Formation?"
The Third Hokage has now completely misunderstood.
Because Uchiha Meikyō has indeed developed quite a few new things so far.
Not only did he develop his own swordsmanship system, but he also helped Rasengan Minato Namikaze the powerful Ninjutsu Rasengan.
Furthermore, given her exceptional Medical Ninjutsu inherited from Tsunade, it seems quite possible.
Just as the Third Hokage was silently evaluating Uchiha Meikyō's Ninjutsu and teaching abilities, the battle on the field had already ended.
Might Guy was lucky enough to get a bye at the beginning, and then his teammate Ebisu surrendered, allowing him to advance directly to the semifinals.
While some people couldn't help but suspect that he was a nepotism hire, Might Guy successfully concealed his strength and intelligence from everyone.
Even so, given his strength and distinctive move names, there's no need for him to hide information, but it will undoubtedly allow him to end the battle more quickly.
After using the First Form of Stone Breathing, Serpentinite Bipolar, Might Guy quickly and severely injured Baki. If it weren't for Uchiha Yōsuke and Uchiha Shinjō keeping their Three-Tomoe Sharingan the field, and intervening in time to stop the match, Baki's life would probably be in danger.
Even so, the young man still had to stay in bed for two weeks.
"Sukuni Ichi! What kind of Ninjutsu is that?!"
"Such powerful force!"
"I thought this guy was a relative! I didn't expect him to be so strong. No wonder he's Lord Meikyō's student!"
"Speaking of which, there's also Lord Meikyō's student in the next competition! It's that guy with the Senbon in his mouth!"
"Could the finals turn into an internal battle between the Team Meikyō?"
Amidst the murmurs of the audience, Shiranui Genma and Kakashi stepped onto the ring.
"Tsk, although I've seen you fight Kai before and know your strength, I heard that you and Kai have recently learned new tricks from Teacher Meikyō? It seems that as your teammate, all I can do now is force you to reveal more information."
Shiranui Genma had a Senbon dangling from his mouth and a Ninja Blade in his hand, his eyes filled with excitement.
He was eager to know how far he was from the top performers among his peers after two weeks of training.
"Wind Breathing - First Form - Dust Whirlwind - Slash!"
Shiranui Genma brandished his Ninja Blade and charged toward Kakashi, leaving a long whirlwind behind him.
"Thunder Breathing - First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
Kakashi also transformed into a bolt of lightning and imprinted himself on Shiranui Genma.
Shiranui Genma felt immense pressure.
Kakashi's speed is just too fast!
Not only is its movement speed fast, but its sword-wielding speed is even faster!
"This is exactly like Lord White Fang from back then!"
An older, middle-aged ninja stood below the stage, watching Kakashi wield his sword, lost in thought.
Back then Hatake Sakumo's fighting style was exactly the same as Kakashi's: astonishing speed, unstoppable sword strikes, and unparalleled Lightning Style.
Seeing this scene, he wasn't the only one who was reminded of the legendary Konoha White Fang.
There were also many more Konoha Ninja, as well as some Sand Ninja came to Konoha with Rasa and the others.
Even the Third Hokage stopped his conversation with Rasa and sat silently in his seat.
"You lost."
After Shiranui Genma fought Kakashi with all his might for dozens of rounds, he was finally brought down by Kakashi, who held the White Fang short sword to his neck.
"As expected of you, Kakashi! You've been way ahead of us since you entered the Ninja Academy!"
Shiranui Genma said in a somewhat relaxed tone.
Kakashi graduated early when they were first-year students, and in their second year, Kakashi was promoted to Chunin, making them look up to him with great difficulty.
But at least for now, Shiranui Genma believes that although he is still not as good as Kakashi, he has at least narrowed the gap compared to before.
In the past, he could never have fought Kakashi for so long.
The only pity is that they couldn't force Kakashi to reveal his trump card.
Just as Kakashi had recovered his strength and was preparing to face Might Guy's challenge.
A message that was about to change the course of the Ninja World was received by both Mitokado Homura and Ebizo.
This chapter serves as a transition and setup. I'll try to write it quickly and finish this side story tomorrow.