The preliminaries continued.
The next featured match was Rock Lee against Gaara of Sunagakure.
The battle was as thrilling as ever, with Rock Lee even opening the fifth gate of the Eight Gates Released Formation.
The ferocious taijutsu clash opened the eyes of everyone present.
Uchiha Xin stood on the viewing platform, watching Rock Lee give it everything he had, filled with admiration.
The disciples Might Guy trained really were tough guys.
As the battle reached its final moments, Rock Lee exhausted his stamina, and Gaara's sand tightly entangled his left leg and left arm.
A trace of cruel killing intent flashed in Gaara's eyes.
"Sand Binding Coffin!"
At that critical instant.
Xin secretly activated the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in his right eye.
The sharp five-pointed star pattern spun rapidly.
A concealed surge of ocular power instantly pierced Gaara's mental space, slightly disrupting Shukaku's chakra output.
Gaara's movements paused ever so slightly.
It was precisely that pause of a fraction of a second that allowed Rock Lee to instinctively pull back most of his strength.
The sand abruptly contracted. Rock Lee screamed and crashed heavily to the ground.
Unlike in the original story, although Rock Lee lost the battle and injured his left leg and left arm,
thanks to Xin's secret intervention, he did not suffer a severe injury like a comminuted fracture of the lower leg that would end his ninja career.
After some basic treatment from the medical-nin, Rock Lee was able to retain an intact body.
The preliminaries finally ended with Choji losing to Dosu of Otogakure.
A total of nine genin successfully advanced to the third, formal examination.
Among them were five from Konoha, three from Sunagakure, and one from the Sound Ninja.
The head examiner brought out a drawing box and had the nine who advanced draw their opponents for the finals.
After the examination ended, everyone dispersed.
Naruto excitedly ran up to Xin and grabbed his arm.
"Xin! To celebrate me making the finals, let's go to Ichiraku Ramen! Your treat!"
Naruto's face was full of anticipation.
Before Xin could refuse, Kakashi's large hand landed on Naruto's head.
"Naruto, you were injured just now. You need to go to the hospital for a full physical examination."
Without allowing any argument, Kakashi grabbed Naruto by the back of his collar, turned, and left.
"Let go of me! I want ramen!"
Naruto struggled with both his hands and feet, protesting loudly.
Watching Naruto get dragged away, Xin secretly rejoiced.
Finally got rid of that third wheel.
Xin turned toward Hinata, who stood nearby, and a smile curled his lips.
He quickly walked over to her.
"Come on, Hinata. To celebrate your excellent performance earlier, I'll take you out for ramen, and we can do some shopping while we're at it."
Hinata instantly blushed all the way down to the base of her neck and nodded shyly.
Over the next few days, Xin lived very comfortably, spending each day with Hinata to grind intimacy.
The good times did not last.
A few days later, Xin was suddenly summoned by the Anbu. The Third Hokage urgently called him to the Hokage Building.
Inside the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage puffed away at his pipe, an inscrutable smile on his face.
"Xin, your chunin promotion mission has been arranged."
The Third exhaled a mouthful of smoke and spoke slowly.
"Your mission is to protect a film crew while they shoot and ensure their safety throughout filming."
Hearing this mission, Xin looked utterly bewildered.
"Protect a film crew while they shoot?"
Xin frowned, feeling that this mission was far too simple and frivolous.
"Lord Hokage, my strength is already above chunin level, and you're sending me to work as a security guard?"
Xin keenly sensed that there was definitely more behind the Third's smile.
The Third offered no further explanation and merely called toward the door.
"Kakashi, come in."
The door opened, and Kakashi walked in with a scroll.
He handed Xin the scroll, patted his shoulder, then left the office without a word.
Full of suspicion, Xin opened the scroll.
When he saw the names written on it, his pupils contracted slightly.
Mission client: Asama Sandayu.
Protection target: Kazahana Koyuki (alias Fujikaze Yukie).
Xin understood instantly.
Isn't this the plot of the Princess Gale's Ninja Scrolls movie?
Xin muttered to himself inwardly.
The person the client wants protected is none other than Kazahana Koyuki, the princess of the Land of Snow.
Xin understood.
Although he felt that the timing of this storyline was somewhat out of order, he did not dwell on it.
They're just a bunch of second-rate Snow Ninja anyway. I'll treat it as a trip to the Land of Snow to unwind.
Xin even considered finding an excuse to bring Hinata along and treating it as a publicly funded vacation.
Not long afterward.
Led by the Anbu, Asama Sandayu arrived at the Hokage's office to meet Xin.
Because the Third Hokage had explained things beforehand, Asama Sandayu did not look down on Xin at all because of his young age.
"Mr. Uchiha Xin, we're counting on you for this mission."
Asama Sandayu bowed deeply, his tone utterly sincere.
"The mission requires you to take responsibility for the entire crew's safety, with particular emphasis on protecting Miss Fujikaze Yukie."
Asama Sandayu's expression was grave.
"You only need to guard her for three days as she enters the Land of Snow. Seven days from now, once filming is finished, you may leave."
Xin looked at Asama Sandayu, understanding the situation perfectly.
He knew very well that Asama Sandayu and the others wanted to use filming as a pretext to bring Koyuki back to the Land of Snow and help her reclaim the throne.
But Xin had no confidence whatsoever in their completely unprepared plan to restore the kingdom.
With the few people you have, facing Kazahana Dōtō would be nothing short of suicide.
Xin grumbled inwardly, but outwardly, he still nodded.
"Understood. I'll ensure her safety."
One day later.
With a field pack on his back, Xin followed Asama Sandayu to the film crew's base.
People bustled back and forth, and the crew was extremely busy.
Upon learning that Xin was a ninja personally recommended by the Third Hokage, the director immediately felt reassured.
He placed Xin in full charge of the crew's security.
"Shin-kun, as long as you're here, we can rest easy."
The director smiled and patted Xin's shoulder.
The two had just finished talking, and the crew was preparing to begin filming.
Suddenly, a panicked cry came from the direction of the dressing room.
"Something's wrong! Something's wrong!"
A staff member ran over, drenched in sweat, his face deathly pale.
"Miss Fujikaze Yukie is missing!"
Hearing this, Xin immediately felt a headache coming on.
The mission had only just begun, yet the mission target had vanished into thin air.
On a bustling street outside Konoha, people streamed back and forth amid a tremendous clamor.
The film crew's base had long since descended into complete chaos.
The director was stamping his feet in anxiety, while Asama Sandayu was sweating profusely with worry.
Uchiha Xin strolled down the street, looking utterly relaxed.
He had no need to search aimlessly like a headless chicken.
With his current chakra-sensing ability, finding an ordinary person was child's play.
Xin stopped, his gaze locking onto a furtive figure on the street corner.
The person wore a loose, coarse-cloth robe and a conical hat pulled very low.
An exaggerated pair of sunglasses also rested on her nose, concealing most of her face completely.