"Round Two, Match Two: Hyuga Hinata vs. Rock Lee."
Kitazawa stood by the lottery box as he spoke. Aside from arranging Naruto vs. Neji, he hadn't done any behind-the-scenes rigging—there was no need.
Hinata vs. Lee was going to be one-sided. Gentle Fist hard-counters ordinary taijutsu fighters, and Hinata was stronger than Lee to begin with.
"Winner: Hyuga Hinata."
Kitazawa stepped forward to treat Rock Lee. Lee, like Naruto, goes all-out every time, which makes him easy to get banged up—especially after his tenketsu are struck, even if the injuries are mostly superficial.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei." Lee stood, then turned to Hinata. "A full-power fight is brimming with youth! Let's go again next time!"
He left the field. Hinata, however, didn't move—she was watching Kitazawa expectantly. He had just ruffled Ino's hair, after all.
"You won beautifully. Keep it up next time," Kitazawa said with a smile, giving her cheek a light pinch.
Hinata blinked, then nodded hard, satisfied and buoyant as she stepped down.
"Round Two, Match Three: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Hana."
Kitazawa drew two more names from the box.
"Sis, just do your best," Kiba said quickly. "It's normal to lose to a monster like Naruto."
"Yeah, losing to Naruto is totally normal," Ino chimed in.
"If it's not working, just concede," Shikamaru yawned.
"Mm. Thanks, everyone," Hana answered calmly.
Naruto scratched his head. Dense as he could be, even he sensed what was going on.
"This is respect for a strong opponent," Kiba said, slinging an arm over his shoulder.
"Heh, I'm not that strong," Naruto grinned. "Kitazawa-sensei is the strongest."
Every spar with Kitazawa ended with him getting thrashed.
"…" Kiba's mouth twitched. What was he supposed to say to that? You're already aiming at a jōnin as your bar?
Naruto and Hana took the field. The fight went as expected: Hana had three ninken, but Naruto had an army of shadow clones. She was swarmed from start to finish.
"Round Two, Match Four: Hyuga Neji vs. Kurama Yakumo."
Kitazawa arched a brow. This pairing actually interested him—though thinking it through, the outcome felt set. Neji didn't have much chance. Mangekyō-Sharingan-tier genjutsu was simply too much at this stage.
Neji walked out looking solemn. He was one of the best in the class; even against Sasuke and Naruto, he felt he could win. Yakumo was the one opponent he had no clear angle on.
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
Neji opened with ranged pressure. An invisible blast of compressed air surged toward Yakumo.
"Dreamscape!"
Yakumo immediately triggered her kekkei genkai and sprinted to avoid the strike, but she was a step late and took a hit to the arm. Even so, Neji was dragged into the illusion domain. Yakumo exhaled in relief.
Vacuum Palm actually isn't that fast; it's just that Yakumo's taijutsu is poor—she's only learned Leaf Whirlwind, which is useless in front of Neji.
Sasuke's eyes lit up. Neji had just proved something for him: if you open fast enough, you can defeat Yakumo before her genjutsu lands. He didn't have the exact tool yet, but Lightning Release is famed for speed…
"Winner: Kurama Yakumo."
Kitazawa came to Yakumo and healed her arm. Watching the bout, he realized he should teach Yakumo Leaf-style Arts rather than Leaf Whirlwind—her taijutsu base was too weak. No matter; once she's got Whirlwind down, he'll move her to Leaf-style.
Time flowed on, and Round Two wrapped up.
"I'll now announce the students advancing to Round Three."
Kitazawa took the roster Iruka Umino handed him. One glance told him it was basically the same as last time's finals—the student council selection bouts—except Sakura was now included. Learning Water Release: Wild Water Wave alone put her ahead of most of the class.
All of the Konoha Twelve advanced except Akimichi Chōji. He'd joined the special training too late to learn his clan's secret techniques, leaving him a step behind. Among the non–Konoha Twelve, only Inuzuka Hana and Kurama Yakumo made it through. Karin had already been eliminated in Round Two.
"Break's over. Round Three begins now."
Kitazawa walked back to the lottery box. After two rounds, the thirteen remaining students knew each other well; the likely winners and losers were obvious before a single blow.
"Round Three, Match One: Nara Shikamaru vs. Inuzuka Kiba."
"Shikamaru, prepare to face defeat!" Kiba burst out laughing.
"People who boast that loudly rarely end well," Shikamaru said, shaking his head.
"You lost to Ino and I beat Ino," Kiba clapped his shoulder. "Our result's already decided."
"Not necessarily," Ino sniffed. "I can beat Shikamaru; that doesn't mean you can."
"I'm definitely winning!" Kiba flicked his head and stepped onto the field.
"Kiba's getting cocky! Shikamaru, teach him a lesson!" Sakura couldn't help herself and cheered.
Sasuke's hand tightened on his sword hilt. Why did Kiba suddenly feel… like him? Yeah, a bit smug—but when it came to presence, Kiba still couldn't touch an Uchiha.
"I'll try," Shikamaru drawled as he wandered out—mind already racing.
"Heads up, Shikamaru!" Kiba opened with Shadow Clone Technique into Three-Headed Hellhound.
Shikamaru expected it. He flicked four shuriken as the Hellhound formed—but Kiba's reaction was quick. The moment the beast appeared, a single swipe batted the shuriken aside.
Kiba accelerated. The Hellhound loomed over Shikamaru and slammed its forepaws down.
"Shadow Imitation Technique!"
At the instant their shadows overlapped, Shikamaru rolled and flashed through seals. His shadow lunged and seized the Hellhound's.
The three-headed beast went rigid—but Shikamaru went pale. The chakra drain was brutal; controlling the Hellhound cost far more than he'd thought.
"What—?" Kiba strained as he realized he couldn't move.
Cold sweat dotted Shikamaru's brow. He forced the Hellhound's forelegs up—and had them crash toward one of its heads.
"Arrrgh!" Kiba roared and managed to halt the controlled limb. A stalemate.
Seeing that, Shikamaru instantly released the technique. Kiba had been straining; with the resistance gone, the Hellhound toppled. Its massive body threw a broad shadow over the four shuriken Shikamaru had thrown earlier.
"Shadow Imitation Shuriken!"
Shikamaru formed a seal. One shuriken locked the Hellhound's shadow in place. He'd pre-charged that blade with chakra, and now it paid off.
Kiba braced to rise—then froze as the shadow pin pinned him, leaving him plastered to the ground at an awkward angle. He snarled and tried brute force again—just long enough for Shikamaru to seize the opening and whip six shuriken straight at the Hellhound's three heads.
"No—!" Kiba's pupils shrank. He had no time to counter.
Kitazawa appeared an instant later and blocked all six blades.
"Winner: Nara Shikamaru," he declared.
Thick-skinned as the Hellhound was, its heads were still fragile. Six clean hits would have meant serious injury.
"How…?" Kiba dispelled the Hellhound and his clones, disbelief written all over his face.
"Shikamaru actually won?" Tenten gaped.
"The Hellhound's size is usually an advantage, but against Shikamaru's techniques it becomes a liability," Neji said evenly.
"Exactly," Ino nodded. "Bigger target, bigger shadow—much easier for Shikamaru to catch."
"Damn it!" Kiba clenched his fists. "If I were stronger, I could've snapped his technique instantly."
"That makes no sense," Sakura shot back. "If Shikamaru had Naruto-level chakra, you wouldn't break out at all."
"…" Kiba opened his mouth, then shut it. Hard to argue with that.
"Round Three, Match Two: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Uchiha Sasuke," Kitazawa announced, eyes narrowing slightly.
The chatter died in a heartbeat. Compared to Shikamaru vs. Kiba, Naruto vs. Sasuke was in a different weight class.
"Good," a sharp gleam flashed in Sasuke's eyes. Finally, Naruto again. He'd been crushed at the last finals, but now he'd awakened two-tomoe Sharingan and learned Leaf-style swordsmanship—his strength had climbed. Most importantly, Neji had already demonstrated how to fight Naruto. The Sharingan excels at copying.
"Sasuke!" Naruto gave him a big thumbs-up. "I've got a feeling this'll be another hot-blooded showdown!"
"No hot blood—only your defeat," Sasuke said, stepping into the ring.
"Youth doesn't allow defeat!" Naruto hurried after him.
"I feel like Sasuke wins this time," Kiba stroked his chin. "He looks confident."
"When does he not look confident?" Ino shot back.
"True," Kiba admitted after thinking it over.
"Today isn't like before! I believe in Sasuke-kun!" Sakura declared.
"You say that every time," Ino muttered. "But learning Leaf-style does bump his odds."
"Yeah," Shikamaru mused. "Leaf-style swords are a good answer to an unarmed Naruto and his clones."
"Shikamaru's right!" Sakura agreed at once.
Sure enough, once the fight started, Naruto used Multiple Shadow Clone plus tool throws. Sasuke responded as before with Shadow Clone—but this time, instead of Manipulating Shuriken, he used Leaf-style.
Three Sasukes plunged into Naruto's clone ranks and went to work. Steel flashed, each swing erasing a clone. In a blink, Naruto's first wave of thirty clones was gone.
"Sasuke, you're way stronger than before!" Naruto couldn't help saying. Last time, Sasuke hadn't cut down thirty clones this fast.
Body Flicker!
Sasuke rushed Naruto. White steel flickered as his blade sliced in. The speed choked Naruto's breath. At the last instant, he leaned back and whipped a right kick at Sasuke's wrist. Air screamed.
Knowing Naruto's strength, Sasuke didn't meet it head-on. He drew back and pressed down, turning his blade toward Naruto's leg. Naruto's pupils tightened. He planted both hands, lifted his left leg, and clamped the blade between his feet. Blue chakra flared along his soles.
"Violent — Leaf Adamantine-Strength Whirlwind!"
He roared and swung a reverse roundhouse. Sasuke frowned and instantly disengaged, retreating. Naruto flipped and landed, already flashing through seals.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Pop. Pop. Pop. Over a hundred clones boiled out of the smoke.
"Looks like Naruto's feeling the pressure," Hiruzen murmured, eyes narrowing. With Kitazawa's coaching, Naruto had formed the habit of summoning only thirty clones at once—to save chakra, keep command manageable, and avoid giving Sasuke or Neji too much to exploit. Going past a hundred meant he felt thirty wouldn't change the picture.
"Now it's about whether Rasengan lands," Hiruzen added. At this point, with Multi-Shadow Clones countered, Naruto's path was Rasengan.
"Even a hundred clones are useless," Sasuke said, lifting his sword, a smile tugging at his mouth. "You're plotting how to land Rasengan now, aren't you?"
"How'd you know?" Naruto blurted.
"Isn't it obvious?" Sasuke waved a hand. His two clones moved to his sides, the three of them standing back-to-back.
"Come."
"Get him!" Naruto swung his arm down.
"Dynamic Entry!"
Three clones leapt straight in with flying kicks. Sasuke's response was simple: one cut. The three clones vanished.
"Violent — Leaf Adamantine-Strength Whirlwind!"
Another clone went for maximum power. "Fire Style: Great Fireball!" Sasuke didn't clash—he sheathed the sword in motion, spat a massive fireball, and, at the same time, another Sasuke lunged with a thrust. The clone dispersed after kicking through the fireball, then took the stab and popped.
"Rasengan!"
With two Sasukes occupied, Naruto seized the moment and sprinted for the one who'd just used fire style. Other clones swarmed the remaining two to tie them up.
"Just as I thought." The fire-style Sasuke smiled. Naruto had used the same tactic against Neji.
"Manipulating Shuriken Technique!"
Sasuke snapped both hands up. Shuriken he'd pre-set on the ground whipped in from both sides.
"What—" Naruto had no choice; he smashed the shuriken with his Rasengan—ruining the attempt.
"Naruto, this is the Uchiha," Sasuke said coldly. "None of your tricks escape these eyes."
Kitazawa watched him oddly. From start to finish, Sasuke was imitating—or copying—Neji's approach. He'd even made his Sharingan act like a Byakugan. In terms of perception, the two have similarities—but Byakugan sees 360 degrees and Sharingan doesn't. Sasuke's workaround?
One pair of Sharingan wasn't enough, so he made three—counting his clones. Neji used Gentle Fist to shut down chakra points; Sasuke used a sword to delete clones. The effect was… similar.
Kitazawa raised a brow. Was Naruto actually going to lose? Honestly, before the exam, he hadn't thought Naruto would drop two matches. Yet here they were—unexpected. What else would you expect from the two original leads with their bonds cranked to max?
Kitazawa pondered. If Naruto did lose twice, knowing how the "system" behaves, it might just trigger a new mission.