July 7th, Konoha Year 60, 3:00 PM.
The examinees who had arrived early at the Central Tower and were temporarily assigned to dormitories were now summoned to the first-floor hall by the proctors. Among them was Team 8.
At this moment, twenty-four examinees stood in the spacious hall, accompanied by their respective Jonin instructors. Just as Anko Mitarashi had said before, the second exam would eliminate at least half of those who passed the first phase. From the original seventy-two examinees across twenty-four teams, only eight teams—or twenty-four individuals—had successfully passed the second exam.
Most of the successful candidates were from Konoha. Specifically, apart from Gaara and his siblings from the Hidden Sand and the Sound Village's trio led by Dosu, the rest were all Konoha ninjas. The teams that passed included Team 6, the Seventh Class, Team 8, Team 10, Might Guy's Team 3, and the team led by Yakushi Kabuto.
"You did well, arriving at the Central Tower on the first day," Kurenai Yuhi said warmly to Izanami and his teammates. Her demeanor was soft and encouraging.
However, as members of a sensory team, Team 8 knew that their performance wasn't especially fast—they hadn't been the first to arrive. As a result, Izanami and Hinata simply smiled, not showing any pride.
Just then, Izanami's gaze shifted as he sensed something. He turned toward the Seventh Class—and met eyes with Kakashi Hatake. Izanami smiled and nodded slightly, already understanding what Kakashi was curious about.
Clearly, Kakashi had been gathering information on Orochimaru and had learned from the Seventh Class that the fire tornado was Izanami's doing.
Before the Genin had much chance to converse with their instructors, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the exam committee appeared on the second-floor balcony. The Jonin instructors quickly made their way to the second-floor stands to listen to the Third Hokage's announcement.
Hiruzen explained that the Chunin Exams were a symbolic representation of inter-nation warfare—a political and military demonstration of strength. Numerous dignitaries and spectators from the Allied Nations would attend the third exam's official matches. Thus, a further selection was necessary to ensure only the most promising Genin would compete in front of an audience, delivering both skill and spectacle.
After the speech, the Third Exam's chief examiner stepped forward.
"Cough cough… I am Gekkō Hayate, the chief examiner for the third Chunin Selection Exam," he introduced himself through a fit of coughing. Holding a clipboard, he addressed the twenty-four examinees.
"This is just the preliminary round," he explained. "The rules are simple—lose and you're eliminated; win and you proceed to the official match."
He gestured toward the large screen on the wall. "In a moment, the screen will show all twenty-four of your names. They'll be scrambled and randomly matched."
"Before we begin, does anyone wish to withdraw?" he asked.
"…I abstain."
The quiet voice came from Yakushi Kabuto, who raised his hand.
While Hiruzen Sarutobi and several examiners glanced toward him in interest, the other Genin paid little attention. Unlike in the original story, Kabuto was a stranger to most of the rookies.
"Cough cough… Your name?"
"Yakushi Kabuto."
"Alright, you may leave."
Gekkō Hayate struck Kabuto's name from the list and looked back to the remaining examinees. "Now there are twenty-three of you. One of you will receive a bye. Anyone else want to abstain?"
No one responded.
"Then I officially declare the start of the preliminary round for the third Chunin Selection Exam!" Hayate announced, speaking into a walkie-talkie.
The screen buzzed and flickered with static before names began appearing, one by one, as if being typed out rapidly. Once all twenty-three names were displayed, they disappeared, replaced by a large VS in the center of the screen. The names on either side of the VS began flashing.
After a few seconds, the first match was decided:
Tossan Kinuta VS Akimichi Choji
"The selected examinees will remain here. The rest, please move to the second-floor stands to observe," Hayate instructed.
"Choji, good luck," Ino Yamanaka said encouragingly.
"Don't lose to someone from a small village," Shikamaru Nara muttered. "If you win, have Asuma-sensei treat you to barbecue."
"…Okay!"
The word barbecue lit a fire in Choji's eyes. He nodded with sudden determination.
On the second floor, Izanami leaned against the railing beside Kurenai Yuhi. Yet his focus wasn't on the battle below. Instead, he looked toward the Sound Village Jonin standing near Dosu and Kin. While others couldn't see through the man's disguise, Izanami immediately recognized him—Orochimaru.
Though Orochimaru had failed to plant a curse mark on Sasuke during the second exam, he still managed to infiltrate the Central Tower. This raised a question in Izanami's mind—if Sasuke wasn't fighting first, what was Orochimaru really here for?
Just then, Orochimaru's gaze met Izanami's. He offered a charming, almost serpentine smile.
Izanami smiled politely in return, acting as if he hadn't seen through Orochimaru's disguise.
Meanwhile, the match below began. Although Tossan Kinuta hadn't yet revealed his abilities as in the original storyline, Choji opened with the Human Bullet Tank.
With his head tucked in and his ears protected, Choji unintentionally avoided being instantly knocked out. However, his combat experience was no match for Tossan Kinuta, a more seasoned fighter from a lesser-known village.
Just as in the original tale, Tossan deliberately exposed a weakness after repeatedly dodging Choji's attacks, leading Choji to get stuck in the wall.
Then, using the moisture in Choji's body, Tossan unleashed a sonic punch, knocking Choji out instantly.
"Akimichi Choji has lost his ability to fight. The winner of the first round is Tossan Kinuta," Gekkō Hayate declared.
Seeing the outcome, Shikamaru and Ino covered their faces in disappointment.
Asuma Sarutobi, watching from the stands while puffing on a cigarette, chuckled. "At least he wasn't injured. Choji is strong, but he ran into someone who countered his fighting style."
Asuma promptly jumped down, collected Choji, and brought him back to the stands instead of sending him to the medical room.
Once again, the screen flickered with new names before stopping:
Uchiha Sasuke VS Sak Dosu
"I'm looking forward to your performance, Sak," Orochimaru said with a sly grin.
"Yes, sir! I will not disappoint you!" Sak Dosu replied, almost snapping to attention.
On the other side, Sakura Haruno warned Sasuke, "Be careful. Those Sound ninja seem to use sonic-based ninjutsu."
Uzumaki Naruto chimed in from behind with his usual swagger, "Don't lose before you get the chance to fight me, Smelly Sasuke!"
Sasuke, about to step down to the arena, paused and turned toward Naruto with a smile. "Naruto, I want to fight you too."
He didn't call Naruto a loser this time.
Naruto's smirk vanished. His eyes slowly widened, and he stared at Sasuke in shock. Something stirred deep inside him—an unfamiliar but electrifying emotion. His whole body shivered slightly, goosebumps rising on his skin.
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