Chapter 565: The Third Round Begins
Ishiro took a few more bites of ramen, then looked up at Kakashi and said slowly, "Hokage-dono, let's just skip the random draw. The main point of the Chunin Exams is to let the kids see what ninja from other villages are like."
"Your Konoha is the strongest, with the most people in the third round. How about our villages' ninja just fight your Konoha ninja directly?"
The number of finalists from Kiri, Suna, and the Snake Pit Village was only one squad each.
The rest... all eight squads, twenty-four people... were from Konoha.
In fact, the Kumo squad, just like Ishiro's, had been a late addition. Kumo hadn't taken this exam seriously, and their lackluster team had been eliminated by the Snake Pit squad in the second round. Konoha, to save Kumo's face, had given them three spots in the final, just as they had for Iwa.
Orochimaru chimed in, "The Tsuchikage's idea is a good one. I, too, would like to see how my genin fare against Konoha's 'geniuses'."
Kakashi thought for a moment and nodded. "Very well."
He no longer cared about the results. As long as the exam proceeded smoothly and he could get Ishiro, this god of pestilence, out of his village, everything else was fine.
He was about to have someone rearrange the matches, but Ishiro spoke again.
"And no need for a draw. Just let them pick their own opponents. They're young. If they see someone they don't like, they should just go up and punch them."
Kakashi... still had no objections.
And with that, the contestant area erupted.
Neji-kun and the others already knew their Tsuchikage's goal. Hearing the new rules, Sakura-chan took the first step, leaping into one of the four quadrants.
She shouted, "This quadrant is Iwa's! Which of you from Konoha is first?"
In the Konoha contestant area, the genin, seeing that Iwa's first challenger was just a little girl, immediately burst into an uproar of anger and insults.
They had been briefed by their Jonin leaders about Neji Hyūga, the "fallen genius." They knew that with the Tsuchikage as his teacher, he must be strong.
If he had been the one to issue the challenge, they would have been cautious.
But Sakura-chan? A plain-looking girl who looked like she had just graduated? Her challenging all of Konoha was an insult.
Except...
"S-so... cute..." Naruto-kun stared, drool just about to leak from his mouth.
Luckily, his voice was drowned out by the jeers. Otherwise, a "house-cleaning" civil war might have broken out right there in the Konoha stands.
Sasuke glanced at him in disgust and muttered two words: "So childish."
Normally, Naruto-kun would have shot back, but he was so captivated by his first sight of Sakura-chan that he didn't even hear him.
Their other teammate, Hinata Hyūga, just whispered, "...Naruto-kun..." She didn't even lift her head. Ever since her family's "incident," she had become even more withdrawn.
Just then, another figure appeared in a different quadrant.
It was Sakon and Ukon, from the Snake Pit Village.
He snarled, "Which of you Konoha scum is first to die?"
Comparing the two, the Konoha genin immediately forgot about Sakura-chan. That arrogant bastard was clearly the one who needed to be taken down.
At the same time, Kankurō from Suna also entered a field. He, too, looked toward Konoha, but he said nothing. Suna was in a delicate position; he wasn't about to cause trouble.
With Iwa, the Snake Pit, and Suna all on the field, the Kumo and Kiri genin looked at each other. The Kumo ninja went to the fourth quadrant.
Seeing the matches set, the crowd roared.
...
In the Konoha section, several hot-headed genin immediately jumped into the arena.
The crowd, however, immediately started booing.
All three of the Konoha genin who had jumped down... had chosen Sakura-chan's quadrant.
They weren't stupid. They had yelled at Sakon, but when it came time to fight, they all picked the weakest-looking opponent.
The three of them looked at each other, embarrassed, and were about to decide who would stay, when Sakura-chan suddenly attacked.
As a disciple of the Fox of Iwa, a sucker punch was basic. If you only fought honorably, you weren't worthy of being his student!
The three of them froze. The one closest to Sakura-chan, her target, didn't even react before she was on top of him.
He still didn't realize the severity of the situation. Seeing her unarmed, he instinctively balled his own fists. He was a taijutsu specialist; he was confident he wouldn't lose a contest of strength against a girl.
And then... there was no "then."
He met her fist with his own. But her fist was clad in a Chakra Scalpel.
A blood-curdling scream echoed through the stadium.
By the time Sakura-chan moved on to her next target, the first boy was on the ground, bleeding profusely and whimpering.
In the second it took them to pass each other, she had struck him five times.
The remaining two Konoha genin finally realized they'd made a mistake. One immediately threw a volley of shuriken; the other began forming hand seals.
But Sakura-chan was faster.
Her chakra control, honed by years of medical ninjutsu, was astounding.
She dodged the shuriken while flashing through her own hand seals.
The next moment, the ninja casting a jutsu suddenly lurched, turning and firing his Water Release... at his own teammate.
The attack came from behind. The taijutsu user, completely unprepared, took the full blast. The sound of breaking bones was audible.
But Sakura-chan wasn't done. As she rushed the third ninja, she ran over the second one, stomping on his left hand and right hand.
Crack! Crack! Both his hands were crushed.
High in the stands, Ishiro nodded. He hadn't taught her much, but she had learned the essence.
She reached the third ninja just as he broke free from her genjutsu. He woke up, saw his teammate on the ground, and panicked. He pulled a kunai and charged.
He tried to overwhelm her with aggression, but Sakura-chan simply sidestepped his clumsy lunge and chopped him on the back of the neck.
He collapsed, unconscious.
The entire stadium was silent.
One moment, they were laughing at the three boys for ganging up on a little girl. The next moment, the little girl had turned into a demon, ruthlessly and efficiently dispatching all three.
The Konoha contestant area was just as silent. They had been waiting for the three to sort it out, and in a blink, it was over.
The silence was broken by a massive roar from the crowd, which quickly turned into a chant.
"SAKURA HARUNO! SAKURA HARUNO!"
In the Konoha section, the genin all looked at Sakura-chan with grim expressions. Several Hyūga activated their Byakugan.
Even Sasuke's eyes were red, his one-tomoe Sharingan spinning unconsciously.
Naruto-kun, his infatuation gone, was gulping, his face pale with fear.
The proctor, Genma Shiranui, narrowed his eyes. I misjudged her.
Her mastery of Yin Release, her decisiveness... but more than that... her total lack of psychological burden in crippling her opponents... She was like a seasoned elite.
He didn't know that for Sakura-chan and Karin-chan, "injuring" people and animals was just part of their daily medical training.
Genma collected himself and announced, "Winner, Sakura Haruno!"
The crowd's cheers intensified.
The Konoha genin were shaken, but they recovered. Immediately, another person jumped down to face her.
It was Sai, who, in this timeline, was Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame's teammate.
Since Sakura-chan hadn't waited for the "start" signal, Sai attacked immediately.
He pulled out his scroll and brush and began to draw.
Normally, an opponent would pause, or throw a kunai to test him. That pause was all Sai needed.
Unfortunately, he was fighting Sakura-chan, who was probably the world's second-biggest expert on the Super Beast Scroll technique, having trained alongside Yakumo Kurama for years.
The moment he pulled out the brush, Sakura-chan smiled.
She knew exactly how to counter it.
She formed a square with her thumbs and index fingers. "Mind Body Disturbance Jutsu!"
This jutsu was less powerful than the full Mind Body Switch, but it was faster, had a longer range, and, most importantly, her "Inner" self could cast it while her "Outer" self acted.
The next instant, Sai's brushstroke went wild, ruining his ink animal.
At the same time, two kunai flew at him, and Sakura-chan's main body charged.
Sai managed to break the jutsu's hold, but it was too late to draw. He twisted, dodging the kunai aimed at his vitals, but one grazed his arm.
He ignored the small cut and drew his short sword, charging to meet her.
He knew she had a Chakra Scalpel and genjutsu. The scalpel was useless if she couldn't get close, and the genjutsu was useless if she didn't have time to form seals.
In a close-quarters fight, he, a Root-trained ninja, was confident he would win.
And he was right. The battle immediately turned one-sided. Sai's relentless assault completely overwhelmed Sakura-chan's taijutsu, forcing her onto the defensive.
The Konoha genin sighed in relief.
Just then, three other matches began.
But Sakon/Ukon and Kankurō were in a bad mood. Sakura-chan had stolen all the attention.
They unleashed their full fury on their new opponents, ending their matches in seconds with brutal, crippling blows. Genma had to use a senbon to stop Sakon/Ukon from landing a killing blow.
The Kumo match, meanwhile, was a slow, boring exchange of pleasantries.
Sakon/Ukon and Kankurō finished, smiling... but the crowd was still chanting for Sakura.
They looked over, confused. Sai, who had been dominating, was now curled up on the ground, twitching in agony.
Sakura-chan stood over him. "Did anyone ever tell you your fake smile is really punchable?"
Medics rushed in. One forced an antidote pill down Sai's throat.
The kunai had been poisoned.
Sakura-chan had fully embraced Ishiro's combat philosophy: increase your combat power by any means necessary.
The poison had taken effect mid-fight, and Sakura-chan had counter-attacked instantly.
"Winners: Sakura Haruno, Sakon/Ukon, and Kankurō!" Genma announced.
Sakon and Kankurō were annoyed, but they knew Sai was a tough opponent. Defeating him meant more than defeating a nobody.
They looked to the Konoha stands, hoping for a real challenge.
New opponents came down for them, but... no one went to Sakura-chan's field.
The Konoha genin were terrified.
A long, awkward moment passed.
The crowd began to boo.
Kakashi was mortified.
Just as a reluctant Shino Aburame was about to step forward, Ishiro's voice boomed across the stadium.
"Sakura-chan, come back! Give Konoha a break! Shion-chan, you're up! Go easy on them, now. Konoha's genin are fragile! This is just an exam. Friendship first, competition second!"
The boos from the crowd grew deafening, all aimed at Konoha.
Kakashi shot Ishiro a look, but he couldn't say anything.
Shino Aburame landed in the arena just as Sakura-chan was leaving. Shion, her face serene, landed opposite him.
Shino, his entire plan ruined, could only face his new opponent.
Shion, with her pure-white dress and graceful air, immediately won the crowd's support.
She entered the arena and immediately began casting a genjutsu.
Shino reacted instantly, sending a swarm of kikaichū insects at her.
But Shion was unhurried, standing perfectly still, casting one genjutsu after another.
This fight was the opposite of Sakura-chan's. It was a slow, grinding battle of attrition. Shion's Yin Release was at the second stage—Kage-level. Her illusions affected both Shino and his insects.
Though Shino used his insects to constantly break himself out of the illusions, he was being overwhelmed.
The match dragged on. Kankurō and Sakon/Ukon had already been defeated by new opponents.
Konoha had finally rallied.
Naruto-kun, seeing Kankurō win twice, had jumped in and overwhelmed him with his Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Sasuke, not to be outdone, had then stepped up and defeated Sakon/Ukon with his Sharingan genjutsu.
Naruto-kun wanted to keep going, but Sasuke, to the chants of "U-chi-ha! U-chi-ha!" from the crowd, coolly returned to the stands.
Naruto-kun, not wanting to be left behind, followed him.
And through all of this, Shion was still grinding down Shino Aburame.
Shino was panting, his chakra nearly depleted. He was so addled by the constant genjutsu that he could no longer tell what was real.
Finally, he was caught in one more illusion and, with his chakra exhausted, he couldn't break free. He collapsed.
The crowd roared for the "princess" Shion, though many were yelling, "Just knock him out like the other one!"
Shion just gave the crowd a sweet, melting smile.
(End of Chapter)
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