"Now, the preliminaries for the next exam begin!"
Gekko Hayate's weak voice, edged with a trace of deadly severity, echoed through the spacious arena over the loudspeaker.
The Genin, who had relaxed somewhat after passing the second exam, instantly tensed. The air was thick with explosive tension. Their gazes carried undisguised hostility as they looked at one another. Here, everyone except their own teammates was an enemy!
"Cough, cough... The preliminary rules are simple. Individual, one-on-one fights, with no rules, until one side dies, falls, or surrenders." Coughing, Gekko Hayate pointed to the enormous electronic display on the wall. "This screen will randomly select the matchups."
In the stands, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed away at his pipe, his gaze unfathomable.
"Anko, you reported earlier that the boy from Team 7, Shengu Xuan, was extremely dangerous?" The Third exhaled a smoke ring, his question sounding casual.
Standing beside him, Mitaraishi Anko's expression shifted slightly. She instinctively touched her wrist, recalling Shengu Xuan's bizarre shadow restraint and the terrifying heat that had instantly melted a kunai at the entrance to the Forest of Death. Deep apprehension flashed in her eyes.
"Yes, Lord Hokage." Anko lowered her voice. "That boy... not only has no chakra fluctuations, but his methods are extremely strange. I even suspect he isn't a Genin at all, but some monster hiding his strength. He got the better of Ibiki in the first exam, too."
"Oh?" A sharp glint flashed in the Third Hokage's eyes. He looked toward the black-haired boy in the crowd below, who stood with his hands in his pockets, yawning in boredom. "Even you and Ibiki find him troublesome... It seems an extraordinary wild card has slipped into this year's Chunin Ninja Exams. Let me see just what secrets he's hiding."
By then, the electronic screen below had begun scrolling wildly.
"Swish, swish, swish..."
Everyone stared fixedly at the screen, their hearts pounding as the names scrolled.
"Ding!"
The screen stopped scrolling, and two names appeared before everyone:
Sasuke Uchiha VS Akado Yoroi!
"First match, Sasuke Uchiha versus Akado Yoroi. Both contestants, please remain here. Everyone else, move to the second-floor stands," Gekko Hayate announced.
Shengu Xuan followed Naruto to the railing on the second floor. He glanced down at Sasuke, who was enduring the pain of his Cursed Seal, and a mocking, cold smile curled his lips.
"Xuan, will Sasuke be okay? That mark on his neck seems to be hurting again." Naruto leaned over the railing, watching the fight below with a worried expression.
"He won't die," Shengu Xuan replied flatly.
The fight that followed went just as it had in the original story. Although the Cursed Seal severely restricted Sasuke, leaving him unable even to use ninjutsu, he relied on the Sharingan's perceptiveness and the Taijutsu he had copied from Rock Lee. Ultimately, he used a modified "Lion Combo" to slam the chakra-absorbing Akado Yoroi hard into the floor, winning the match.
However, overexerting his power caused Sasuke's Cursed Seal to erupt completely. In the end, Kakashi appeared just in time and took him away to seal it with the Evil Sealing Method.
The preliminaries continued.
Shino Aburame versus Zaku, Kankuro versus Misumi Tsurugi, Sakura Haruno versus Ino Yamanaka...
One fierce battle after another unfolded in the arena.
Soon, the electronic screen began scrolling again.
"Ding!"
Two names froze on the screen:
Shengu Xuan VS Dosu Kinata!
"Oh? Finally my turn?" Looking at the names on the screen, Shengu Xuan stretched lazily, his bones cracking sharply.
Bracing one hand against the railing, he vaulted over and landed lightly in the center of the arena.
Across from him, a Sound Ninja wrapped in bandages, with only one eye exposed and a huge loudspeaker apparatus on his back, also jumped down from the stands.
It was none other than Dosu, the leader of the Sound Ninja trio!
Dosu looked at Shengu Xuan, who appeared completely unguarded and wasn't even wearing a ninja forehead protector. His exposed eye brimmed with undisguised contempt and mockery.
"You're that Shengu Xuan guy?" Dosu sneered, his voice producing a teeth-grating metallic scraping sound through the special device on his arm. "I've heard Zaku and Kin mention you. Apparently, you were pretty cocky during the first exam."
With his hands in his pockets, Shengu Xuan didn't even spare Dosu a proper glance. He merely uttered a flat question: "Who are you?"
That contemptuous attitude instantly enraged Dosu.
"Arrogant brat!" Dosu laughed in fury. "You think you made it here alive because you're strong? Keep dreaming! You Konoha ninja are nothing but a bunch of sheltered weaklings! You've probably spent this whole time hiding behind Sasuke Uchiha, surviving on nothing but luck!"
Dosu spoke so loudly that everyone in the arena heard him clearly.
In the stands, quite a few Genin from other villages, and even some from Konoha, looked as though they agreed.
"Yeah, I've never seen that Shengu Xuan fight."
"He's probably just some dead last making up the numbers. Sasuke Uchiha's carrying all of Team 7."
"That kid's dead meat against Dosu from the Sound Ninja. Dosu's sonic attacks are impossible to guard against!"
Hearing the chatter around him, Naruto shouted furiously from the stands, "Hey! Bandage guy! Stop looking down on people! Xuan's really strong! He could crush you with one finger!"
"Hahaha! Crush me with one finger?" As though he had heard the funniest joke in the world, Dosu pointed arrogantly at Shengu Xuan. "Since your teammate has so much faith in you, I'll be merciful and let you understand how you're going to die!"
Dosu raised his right arm, aiming the perforated metal bracer at Shengu Xuan.
"My attacks can't be blocked! Because my weapon is sound!" A cruel gleam flickered in Dosu's eye. "I'll use ultrasound to destroy your eardrums and shatter your semicircular canals, leaving you writhing and struggling on the ground like a pathetic worm, trapped in endless dizziness and pain!"
Faced with Dosu's extreme mockery and threats, Shengu Xuan's expression remained unchanged. He even yawned in boredom and picked his ear with his little finger.
"Finished?" Shengu Xuan blew the dust off his little finger. "If you're done, hurry up and attack. Your voice is awful, like nails scraping a chalkboard. It makes me sick."
"You're asking for death!"
Dosu was utterly enraged! He kicked off the ground, shooting toward Shengu Xuan like a cannonball!
"Die! Resounding Sound Drill!"
When he was still three meters from Shengu Xuan, Dosu swung his right arm hard!
"Bzzzz-!!!"
A visible wave of high-frequency sound erupted from the device on his arm like a raging hurricane, blasting straight toward Shengu Xuan's head!
This high-frequency sound could not only damage the auditory system, but also act directly on the water inside the human body, triggering violent resonance that instantly destroyed the enemy's sense of balance and internal organs!
In Dosu's eyes, this arrogant brat, who hadn't even tried to dodge, would be bleeding from every orifice in the next instant, collapsing to the ground and howling in agony!
"Brat, I'll crush your bones inch by inch!"
Before you continue