Instantly Defeating the Sound Ninja!

The first match-

Ye Chuan vs. Zaku Abumi

The moment the result appeared, whispers filled the arena.

Most of the examinees were unfamiliar with the name Ye Chuan. They only knew him as the withdrawn boy who always kept to himself.

But the few who were well-informed, along with the Jonin present, all turned their attention toward him.

"Oh? Is that the kid who completed a B-rank mission?" Asuma asked with interest.

"He looks ordinary. I wonder how strong he is." Kakashi kept both hands in his pockets. "Kurenai, your student is no ordinary kid, is he?"

"..."

Kurenai Yuhi did not answer. She simply watched her student quietly as he walked into the arena.

His opponent was a Genin from Otogakure whose strength was unknown, but this would probably be a fight... that ended in an instant.

Not far away, among the Sunagakure team, Temari and Kankuro also looked toward Ye Chuan with complicated expressions, while Gaara stared fixedly at him.

Ye Chuan himself paid none of this any mind.

Zaku Abumi?

He remembered that name.

In the original story, he had been Shino Aburame's opponent, a Sound Ninja who relied on the air holes in his arms to launch ultrasonic attacks.

With that clear in his mind, Ye Chuan calmly walked to the center of the arena and stood facing the rather arrogant-looking Sound Ninja.

"Hey, Konoha brat, I suggest you surrender now."

Zaku grinned, putting on an expression he thought looked cruel.

"Otherwise, don't start bawling when I break your bones!"

At those words, Ye Chuan did not so much as lift his eyelids. He merely spoke flatly, as though stating a fact:

"My swordsmanship isn't refined enough yet. Sometimes... I can't control my strength properly."

"If you don't want to die or lose an arm or a leg, you still have time to withdraw."

His tone was even, yet it carried an icy killing intent!

At those words, the atmosphere throughout the hall turned cold!

Everyone heard the undisguised threat in Ye Chuan's words!

"Wh-what did you say?!"

Zaku flew into a rage, feeling utterly insulted.

"Bastard! You're asking to die!"

"Cough, cough..."

The chief examiner, Gekko Hayate, coughed twice and looked at Zaku.

"Your opponent has offered a suggestion. So, Zaku Abumi, do you choose to forfeit?"

"Forfeit? Are you kidding me? I'm going to slaughter him!" Zaku roared furiously.

"In that case..."

Gekko Hayate raised his hand.

"First preliminary match, begin!"

The instant his words fell!

Zaku was just about to raise his arms and unleash the Decapitating Airwaves he took such pride in!

But fast as he was, someone else was faster!

Ye Chuan lowered his body slightly, his right hand closing around the hilt of the Wado Ichimonji at his waist as he assumed a simple, old-fashioned sword-drawing stance.

The next instant-

Clang!

A white flash streaked through the air in a fleeting glimpse!

Fast!

Unbelievably fast!

So fast that the vast majority of those present, including Zaku himself, had no time to react!

By the time everyone could see clearly again, Ye Chuan was standing where he had been, his right hand still resting on the hilt, as though he had never moved.

And at some point, the Wado Ichimonji had already returned to its sheath.

Splat-!!!

With a muffled sound, Zaku's body stiffened violently across from Ye Chuan. Then a line of blood spread diagonally across his chest!

Immediately afterward, blood gushed out like a fountain!

"Urgh..."

Zaku looked down at the wound on his chest in disbelief, his eyes filled with terror. He had not even seen how his opponent had drawn his sword!

Thud!

His knees buckled, and he fell straight to the ground, unconscious.

The entire hall fell deathly silent! Even a pin dropping could have been heard!

Everyone was stunned by the fight that had ended in a flash!

One move!

Just one drawing slash! The Sound Ninja had been defeated in an instant before he could even unleash his ninjutsu?!

"I... already held back as much as I could."

Ye Chuan's calm voice broke the silence, as though he were explaining why he had accidentally struck too hard.

But he knew this was not showing off.

With his inheritance progress now approaching 50%, it really was difficult to control his strength freely against an opponent at this Genin level.

Against a Jonin, there could still be an exchange of blows, allowing him to control his strength.

But against a Genin, his strength overwhelmed them in every respect. The moment he got even slightly serious, this was the result.

Stopping short without revealing too much of his strength was actually harder.

The Jonin on the raised platform all wore grave expressions.

"What a clean, lethal slash!"

A sharp gleam flashed through Kakashi's exposed eye.

"There wasn't a single unnecessary movement. All his strength was concentrated into the instant he drew his sword."

"Skill like that... has already surpassed ordinary ninja swordsmanship. It's more like... the slashes of the legendary samurai from the Land of Iron."

As Kurenai Yuhi watched her student calmly put away his sword, she felt both pride and a faint unease.

Ye Chuan's excellence had far exceeded her expectations.

Sasuke Uchiha's expression turned exceedingly grim. He put himself in Zaku's place and ran through the exchange over and over, finally reaching a conclusion he found difficult to accept.

I couldn't have dodged that slash!

Even with the Sharingan activated, I probably couldn't keep up with that speed!

This guy was actually that strong?!

A trace of defeat rose within him.

Naruto's mouth hung open as he murmured, "S-so strong..."

Gekko Hayate also looked shocked.

He had clearly sensed that Ye Chuan's slash had carried no chakra nature transformation whatsoever. It had relied entirely on pure strength!

Power like that...

What terrifying swordsmanship...

He composed himself and announced loudly, "The winner is Ye Chuan!"

Then he immediately beckoned the medical team over to carry away the gravely wounded, unconscious Zaku.

Ye Chuan calmly left the arena and returned to Hinata and Kiba Inuzuka's side.

The remaining preliminary matches continued in rapid succession.

Ye Chuan's inclusion had caused a few minor changes to the order of the fights, but most of the key matchups still played out as expected.

Sakura Haruno fought Ino Yamanaka. The two girls battled fiercely, but ultimately exhausted their chakra and were both eliminated.

Temari easily defeated Tenten.

Shikamaru Nara used wisdom beyond his years to outmaneuver Kin Tsuchi of the Sound Ninja.

Kankuro also defeated his opponent.

Ye Chuan quietly watched every fight from the sidelines, while Hinata stood nervously beside him the entire time, her small hands clenched tightly.

Soon, it was time for several of the most anticipated matches.

Naruto versus Kiba Inuzuka.

Kiba was somewhat stronger than in the original story, but Naruto was, after all, fortune's chosen one, and he ultimately scraped out a victory over Kiba Inuzuka.

Rock Lee versus Gaara.

This fight could be counted among the most spectacular matchups of the preliminaries!

After removing his weights, Rock Lee displayed astonishing speed. He even opened the first few gates of the Eight Gates Released Formation, briefly suppressing Gaara!

But in the end, he was still no match for Gaara's nearly insurmountable absolute defense and Sand Burial. He suffered a regrettable defeat and was gravely injured.

Ye Chuan watched it all without a ripple in his gaze.

This was the cruelty of the Shinobi World.

Hard work did not necessarily overcome talent and bloodline.

As one fight after another ended, the list of those who qualified kept shrinking.

At last, it was time for the final preliminary match.

The names on the large screen slowly came to a stop-

Hinata Hyuga vs. Neji Hyuga

Here it comes!

At the sight of this matchup, Hinata's body gave a faint, almost imperceptible tremble.