After Tengen's match concluded, the preliminary rounds continued, with competitors randomly selected.
Anko's luck ran dry when she faced Shizune, a fellow Konoha-nin. That defeat marked the end of Anko's Chunin Exam journey, leaving her unable to advance to Chunin.
The loss left Anko dejected, especially since both Uchiha Juto and Tengen had passed the preliminaries.
"Don't be down, Anko. You're still young." Tengen said, trying to cheer her up.
"Younger than me? You're younger than I am!" Anko shot back, exasperated.
Was this his idea of comfort? Though, among the group, Anko was indeed one of the youngest. Juto, Shizune, and Kurenai were all a few years older.
"You're comparing yourself to me? I'm a genius." Tengen said with a casual shrug.
"Tengen, I swear I'm gonna punch you." Anko said, waving her small fist.
"Oh? I might just spank you." Tengen teased, glancing at her petite backside.
"You…" Anko's face flushed, and noticing the knowing smirks from their friends, she shrank back like an ostrich, mortified.
Tengen, unfazed and thick-skinned, calmly turned his attention to the ongoing matches.
The competition pressed on.
Terumi from the Kirigakure and Yugito from the Kumogakure both advanced through the preliminaries with ease.
When the matches concluded, Shizune, Kurenai, and others had also passed.
Aside from the disheartened Anko, all of Tengen's close friends successfully cleared the preliminary stage.
Terumi, however, wasn't thrilled. She glared at Tengen, shaking her fist. She hadn't forgotten what he'd said while she was unconscious, that she was "Tengen's woman."
Later, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, reappeared to address the eighteen victors, officially confirming their advancement.
"Now, each of you will draw a slip from this box." The Third Hokage instructed. A Konoha-nin stepped forward, holding a small box from which the qualifiers drew their slips.
Tengen unfolded his. The number 11 was written on it.
"Number 11, huh?" Tengen mused, realizing this indicated his matchup order for the elimination rounds.
Others, like Shizune and Kurenai, drew their numbers, none of which paired them with Tengen.
As expected, the Third Hokage continued, "Your matchups for the elimination rounds will follow the order of these numbers."
"So, my opponent is number 12." Tengen said, scanning the crowd. He spotted someone holding the slip marked 12.
"Hey there. I'm Yugito. I've been looking forward to facing you, Tengen." Yugito said, approaching with a slight smile on her youthful face.
"Yugito, huh? Maybe you should ask your Killer Bee about me first. He might know a thing or two." Tengen replied, smirking.
"Bee-sama?" Yugito blinked, caught off guard.
As a fellow Jinchuriki, Yugito knew Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, was far stronger than her. It wasn't just age, his mastery over his Tailed Beast was superior.
"That's all, everyone. See you in one month." Hiruzen concluded.
With that, the preliminaries ended. The next phase, the true elimination rounds, would begin in a month, with the Kage of the five great villages in attendance.
On Konoha's bustling streets, Anko rallied the group.
"Hey, everyone, how about we celebrate? Sure, I didn't make it to the finals, but you all did!" She shouted enthusiastically.
"Shizune, Kurenai, you in?" Tengen asked, glancing at them.
"Absolutely." They both nodded.
"I'll head out then." Uchiha Juto said, tactfully excusing himself.
Tengen and the others soon found themselves at a restaurant, eating and drinking with abandon. Naturally, Tengen footed the bill.
Over the next month, Kurenai, Shizune, and the others trained relentlessly to hone their skills. A month wasn't long, but for ninja in their growth phase, it was enough to widen the gap with their peers.
As for Tengen, while he hunted for video signals, he deployed Shadow Clones to train, integrating and refining his abilities.
He even developed original taijutsu techniques, perfecting them through practice.
Tengen wasn't content to coast on his talents. He refused to be someone who survived solely on raw skill.
While Tengen and his friends celebrated, back at the Kumogakure's temporary quarters in Konoha, things were more serious.
Konoha had designated specific areas for the visiting villages to stay, a setup mirrored for the other three great villages.
During the Chunin Exams, the Uchiha clan, responsible for Konoha's security as the Police Force, had their hands full. Conflicts between Konoha and other villages were common, though fortunately, they involved lower-ranking ninja. High-ranking figures knew better than to act recklessly, Konoha wouldn't let such incidents slide easily. This was why Killer Bee had refrained from fighting Tengen earlier. A rematch of their months-ago battle would have been earth-shaking.
"Congratulations to all who passed the preliminaries. I hope you'll excel in the elimination rounds in a month. That's your chance to shine before the great nations." A said, addressing the Kumo-nin who had advanced.
"Yes, A-sama!" The qualifying Kumo-nin responded eagerly.
"Yugito, stay. Everyone else, leave." A instructed.
"Yes, A-sama." The others said, filing out, leaving Yugito behind.
"Yugito, tell me about the strong ninja you noticed in the preliminaries." A asked.
"There were many. Konoha's Kurenai and Shizune, the Kirigakure's Terumi, and even Genin from the Sunagakure were impressive. But there's one from Konoha, Tengen, who I can't read." Yugito said, glancing at Killer Bee. "He told me if I wanted to know more about him, I should ask Bee-sama."
At that, Killer Bee's hand froze, his face darkening. "Yugito, for the next month, I'll train you personally. Your opponent is Tengen, right?"
"Yes, Bee-sama." Yugito said, a spark of excitement in her eyes.
***
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