This round of the Chunin Exams was far more exciting than the one Kakashi participated in. It featured not only Sasori, currently the top ninja in the world, but also Minato and Anya, two former Kage-level experts, as well as Gaara and Naruto, the two Jinchuriki of Tailed Beasts.
Moreover, Neji, Lee, and Tenten—who had access to unusual techniques—were all far stronger than regular Genin. If the genius Kakashi had participated in this round, there would be no chance for him to win first place.
After the internal conflict of the Hyuga clan, the upcoming match was between Lee and Gaara.
This was the most thrilling battle throughout the entire Chunin Exam in the anime. Lee practically disappeared from the rest of the Naruto series afterward, and no similarly intense fight was recorded—what a shame...
The two fighters quickly entered a fierce clash after taking their stances. After removing his weights, Lee revealed astonishing speed, pushing Gaara into a disadvantage. He even opened the fifth gate of the Eight Gates and used the forbidden technique [True Reverse Lotus].
However, the final blow still couldn't break Gaara's absolute defense, and Lee ultimately collapsed from exhaustion.
Sasori turned his gaze toward Guy on the second floor and asked Anya, "Big Brother Kurotsuchi, Lee is his protégé. If unlocking the fifth gate is already this powerful, how strong would he be if he reached the eighth?"
Anya answered gravely, "Sasori, remember this—should you ever face him and sense any signs of him opening the eighth gate, don't hesitate, just run. That's a suicide move. I witnessed it once during the Third Battle."
Though surprised, Sasori took Anya's words to heart. As for escaping, he was an expert. The simplest method was to summon a large number of puppets and scatter in all directions, immediately leaving the battlefield.
Though Lee had lost his fighting ability, he still refused to give up. Gaara, having recovered slightly, stared coldly and began to strike ruthlessly. His sand rose from the ground and crushed Lee's limbs, permanently crippling his arms and legs.
With a scream of pain, Lee fell to the ground unconscious.
Unlike in the anime, Gaara didn't kill Lee after defeating him. After the examiner announced the winner, he silently turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, the already unconscious Lee stood up again, taking a fighting stance.
Guy, watching from the second floor, could no longer hold back. He leaped down and embraced Lee tearfully, deeply moved by his Ninja Way.
"Amazing—he actually stood up again on pure muscle memory. Big Brother Kurotsuchi, you were right. He's the hardest-working ninja I've ever seen," Sasori praised Lee.
Minato expressed concern, "Gaara injured Lee severely earlier. His arms and legs might be permanently crippled. Anya, in your opinion, do you think Medical Ninjutsu can heal him?"
Anya shook his head, "I can't do it, and neither can Konoha Hospital. There's only one person I can think of—Tsunade-sama."
"Tsunade-sama… She's the only one left. I hope Guy can convince her to return to the village. Otherwise, this excellent ninja's career will end here," Minato said, fully understanding such pain. He had seen far too many such tragedies during the Third Battle.
After this battle, the remaining fight between Choji and the Sound Ninja grunt seemed dull. The Sound Ninja, trained by Orochimaru, had considerable strength and easily defeated Choji.
Thus, the first round of the knockout stages was complete. Those who advanced to the next round were: Sasuke, Naruto, Red Spider, Megatron, Shino, Shikamaru, Tenten, Neji, Gaara, and the Sound Ninja henchman, totaling ten contestants.
Out of the ten spots, Konoha occupied the majority. This clearly showed that after years of recovery, the new generation in Konoha had gradually regained its vigor. Part of this was also due to the decisive battle at the Deadly Poison Valley (a legendary battlefield), which had crippled the Four-Nation Coalition.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, having watched the entire match, smiled in satisfaction. He felt deeply gratified, believing that soon, once this group of young people matured, Konoha would enter another golden age.
The winners formed a semi-circle and marched into the center of the Arena. Except for Sasuke, who hadn't shown up, there were nine people altogether.
Hiruzen looked at them, pausing briefly on the masked Sasori and Anya before quickly shifting his gaze. As Hokage, he naturally recognized that the three ninja from Takigakure were nothing ordinary—they definitely weren't normal Genin. In secret, he had already dispatched Anbu to investigate Takigakure.
Right now, Orochimaru had infiltrated Konoha village, posing an enormous threat. There was no need to provoke additional trouble.
Hiruzen spoke solemnly, "The official matches will begin next. These fights will be shown to the audience. Each of you represents your respective nations, so you must give it your all and display your full potential. Therefore, the official competition will begin one month from now."
"Huh? Not starting right away?" Naruto asked, puzzled.
Hiruzen explained, "This is preparation time to notify the Daimyos and Kages from various countries that the preliminary rounds have ended and to invite them here to watch. At the same time, it also gives you examinees ample time to know yourselves and your enemies, analyze intelligence gained during the preliminaries, and increase your chances of victory."
Anya saw through it immediately, thinking bitterly, *As always, this guy talks in circles. Most likely, this one-month delay is meant to locate Orochimaru, wait for Jiraiya's return, gather as much intel on Orochimaru as possible, and prepare for any upcoming chaos.*
"Anko, bring out the lottery box. Everyone draw one lot each."
Anko, holding the prepared lottery box, said, "Draw one slip in order. Only one per person."
One by one they drew their slips. Soon, all nine numbers had been picked. Based on the numerical order, the matchups for the official round were decided: Naruto vs. Megatron, Sasuke vs. Gaara, Tenten vs. Shikamaru, Neji vs. Red Spider, and Shino vs. the Sound Ninja henchman.
Naruto immediately turned his eyes toward Anya, muttering under his breath, "Another strange one in a mask."
Shikamaru helplessly stared at Tenten. How come he was facing a girl again? If Tenten used her strange Puppet again, there was absolutely no way he could win.
Neji's gaze toward Sasori was heavy with concern. None of the three from Takigakure were simple opponents. He couldn't claim to be fully confident.
Hiruzen continued explaining to the group: "We will assess you based on your performance. Even if you lose in the first round, you still have the chance to become a Chunin. Well then, everyone, see you again in a month." With that, he dismissed them.
After they parted ways, Sasori took Tenten with him while Minato secretly followed Naruto. That left Anya alone, walking down the street by herself, reminiscing about her past days in Konoha.
"It's so quiet here. It seems like this tranquility has lasted for quite some time. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if things continued like this... Alas." Now that she'd reached the part she remembered from the story, Anya knew better—this was just wishful thinking.
"Huh."
After taking just a few steps forward, the surroundings suddenly began to change. The walls twisted and warped, the sky turned dark, and the nearby trees grew explosively, as if they'd come to life. One massive tree trunk extended outward, ensnaring Anya within it.
"This is [Genjutsu]. Who dares to attack a competitor openly in Konoha?" Anya felt a surge of curiosity at first, but after her soul separated from her body, she quickly discovered the culprit's identity. All that remained was a bitter smile...
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