Konoha Ten-Thousand-Person Arena
Due to the match with Kakashi—marked by the disparity in age and height between the opponents, along with Kakashi's dazzling performance—the Third Hokage successfully achieved his goal.
The wealthy merchants, nobles, and daimyō from various countries who came to observe offered high praise and reaffirmed their recognition of Konoha's combat capabilities.
Konoha's publicity objective had been fulfilled, and as a result, the village would likely receive more mission commissions moving forward.
At the same time, because of Kakashi's outstanding display, the Konoha spectators in the stands gained even greater admiration for the name of the White Fang.
"The son of the White Fang is so powerful!"
"The White Fang and his son could probably protect Konoha for decades."
"It's a blessing to be born in such a ninja village."
Naraku sat in the audience with a blank expression, clearly hearing all these words of admiration.
Although the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was seated on the high platform far away, as a master of ninjutsu and a seasoned shinobi, he had keen eyes and sharp hearing.
Everyone in the audience was talking about and praising White Fang, and this naturally reached Sarutobi Hiruzen's ears.
No one noticed that the Third Hokage's usually warm face now held narrowed eyes and a slightly dark, gloomy expression.
Shimura Danzō, standing nearby, was contemplating how to recruit Hatake Kakashi into the Root division. He had been about to raise the topic with the Hokage, but when he glanced at Hiruzen's expression, he hesitated.
The two had been old comrades for years, and Danzō rarely saw Sarutobi look like this, so he swallowed his words.
"Hmph, Konoha under the sun,"
Danzō sneered internally, knowing all too well what Hiruzen was thinking. He averted his gaze and stayed silent.
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The third match began on the field: ten-year-old Uchiha Inahori faced a twelve-year-old genin from Sunagakure.
Participating in the Chūnin Exams at age ten to twelve typically indicated that a genin was part of a major clan or had been personally recommended by their jōnin instructor.
Most shinobi are promoted to chūnin between the ages of fifteen and twenty.
Sunagakure shinobi are known for their proficiency in Wind Release, poisons, and puppet techniques.
The proctor blew the whistle to begin the match.
At the start of most shinobi duels, combatants test each other using basic weapons—kunai and shuriken—followed by the use of ninjutsu. Physical combat often begins only once chakra is depleted.
This is the standard pattern, but there are always exceptions—like the Rain shinobi earlier, who attempted to win quickly by relying on a physical advantage.
On the field, Uchiha Inahori and the Suna genin exchanged kunai and shuriken. Suddenly, both launched kunai equipped with explosive tags.
The sounds of clashing metal rang across the field.
Uchiha Inahori, after suppressing his opponent with a barrage of weapons, retreated and pulled out a massive Fūma Shuriken.
He enhanced his momentum with the Fūma Shuriken Technique, jumped back, and used a waist-and-arm swing to hurl the weapon.
The audience roared as they saw the giant shuriken spin through the air.
In the field, the shinobi resembled gladiators in a coliseum, battling for the crowd's entertainment.
Suna shinobi are shaped by the harsh environment of their village—a Gobi Desert oasis—and are renowned for their tenacity.
Though suppressed by the rain of shuriken, the Sand genin did not falter. He drew the longsword strapped to his back.
The spinning Fūma Shuriken closed in rapidly. He ducked under it, then thrust his sword into the circular center of the weapon.
Catching the shuriken, he adjusted his footing and prepared to counterattack with it.
Thud!
The Suna genin spat out blood—struck in the waist by another massive Fūma Shuriken that had been hidden in the shadow of the first.
It was the Uchiha clan's Shadow Windmill Technique—a stealthy, deadly combo.
The genin raised his head to see Uchiha Inahori standing with arms folded, clearly having anticipated this result.
"You are… really strong…"
murmured the injured Suna genin.
Inahori simply shook his head, choosing not to land the killing blow.
"Surrender. I'll let you live."
Inahori was proud—perhaps too much so.
Watching from the sidelines, Naraku frowned. Inahori's technique was excellent, but he was arrogant. The Suna genin still had something up his sleeve.
"Fine…"
the Suna genin replied, wounded and gasping.
Suddenly, a surprise attack! Beneath Inahori's feet, a hidden shinobi burst from the ground with a ninja blade, striking upward.
The one struck earlier by the Fūma Shuriken had transformed into a puppet—his blood turning to sand, body made of wood.
Caught off guard, Inahori was slashed from below, bleeding heavily and screaming.
But the Suna shinobi didn't press the advantage. Instead, he retreated toward the puppet and re-sheathed his blade.
With a twist of his hands, the puppet moved once again.
The Suna genin was cautious for a reason—a massive Great Fireball Technique descended from above!
Uchiha Inahori appeared in the air, spewing a massive fireball down toward the Sand shinobi.
The wounded figure on the field? Just a Substitution Jutsu—a log, singed and sliced.
The battlefield lit up with raging flames, drawing cheers from the crowd. This match, unlike the earlier one, gave them a true taste of shinobi might.
The Sand genin activated his puppet's chakra mechanisms, deploying a chakra shield, but the intense flames broke through.
As the fire faded, the Uchiha landed calmly. The Suna genin's puppet absorbed most of the heat, but his hair and brows were scorched. The barrier had limits.
Inahori rushed in, throwing shuriken mid-charge.
Though nearly drained of chakra and physically weakened, the Suna genin drew his sword for one last stand.
Inahori activated his Two-Tomoe Sharingan, charged in, and began taijutsu combat.
Under the predictive gaze of the Sharingan, the Suna genin had no chance. Inahori swiftly overwhelmed and disarmed him.
With a shuriken held to his throat, the proctor blew the whistle.
"Winner: Uchiha Inahori!"
Inahori dropped his stance, waved to the cheering crowd, and exited through the contestant's tunnel.
The Sand genin was carried off on a stretcher by Konoha's Medical Corps.
Uchiha Inahori was a recognized prodigy of the Uchiha clan, and today's battle solidified his reputation.
Naraku had arranged for him to be teamed with Kurama and Uzumaki clan genin for the Chūnin Exams to raise the Uchiha clan's visibility—and he had not disappointed.
On the platform, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō frowned subtly.
Although this was Konoha's home turf, repeated victories by Konoha genin over foreign genin could strain international relations.
If every foreign genin was defeated, others might suspect Konoha of manipulating the results.
As the fourth match began—a Hyūga clan genin versus a genin from Kusagakure—Hiruzen signaled an Anbu operative, whispering instructions.
The Anbu nodded and vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.
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