Gekkō Hayate swept his gaze across the candidates and spoke in a calm, measured voice.
"Since the finals consist of one-on-one arena battles that must be completed within a single day, having seven teams and twenty-one participants is already quite a large number."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Now, the preliminary rounds will begin. The rules are simple."
"Random one-on-one matches."
"The names of the randomly selected opponents will be displayed on the screen."
"All ninjas who passed the evaluation, please prepare yourselves."
Naruto immediately began looking around excitedly.
Aside from Team 7, Konoha Village had achieved an impressive showing this time.
Team Guy was present.
Team 8 was present.
Team 10 was present.
There was also a mysterious man named Yakushi Kabuto leading a Konoha team, along with two members named Akado Yoroi and Misumi Tsurugi. They had also successfully passed the exam.
Out of the seven remaining teams, five were from Konoha.
They truly lived up to their reputation as the strongest great village.
Naturally, the three-man team from the Hidden Sand Village was also present, standing out as one of the most dangerous groups among the candidates.
The final team consisted of Zaku Abumi, Dosu Kinuta, and Kin Tsuchi from the Hidden Sound Village.
As for Grass Village, Takigakure, and the Hidden Rain—those small nations had already been completely eliminated.
Just as Gekkō Hayate was about to officially announce the start of the matches—
Yakushi Kabuto suddenly stepped forward.
"I withdraw."
His voice was calm, without hesitation.
Withdrawing voluntarily was a right granted to the candidates, and Gekkō Hayate had no authority to interfere.
Thus, the total number of participants was reduced to exactly twenty.
Naruto clenched his fists, his eyes shining.
He was itching to fight.
Whether it was the written exam or the Forest of Death, none of it felt as satisfying as direct, one-on-one combat.
This was where true strength could be displayed.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was personally present to oversee the preliminary round. Naturally, the jōnin instructors of each team were also there.
It was, without question, an extraordinary scene.
Under the guidance of their respective jōnin leaders, all the teams moved to the high stands surrounding the arena.
At the front of the arena, a large electronic screen flickered to life.
Names began to scroll rapidly.
Naruto clasped his hands together.
"Me, me, me!"
Hinata glanced at Naruto and Sasuke, hoping that both of them would be scheduled for later matches so they could recover more fully. Sasuke's emotions were still unstable, though his expression remained unreadable.
Suddenly—
The scrolling stopped.
The first match was decided.
Two names appeared on the screen.
Haruno Sakura.
Kin Tsuchi.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"Sakura-chan?!"
It felt like he hadn't thought about her in a long time.
"I wonder what new techniques she learned from Kurenai-sensei… I heard she's really good at Genjutsu…"
Although their relationship had drifted somewhat over time, as a fellow Konoha ninja, Naruto still cheered loudly.
"Go, Sakura-chan!"
Hinata wasn't jealous. She smiled gently, quietly admiring Naruto's remarkable resilience.
Sasuke still hadn't fully recovered, yet Naruto was already brimming with energy.
Sakura clenched her fists.
"Kurenai-sensei, I'm going!"
Kurenai Yuhi smiled warmly.
"Go. Do your best."
"Mm! I will!"
Sakura didn't forget to call out, "Sasuke-kun, watch me!"
Sasuke didn't respond, but she was used to that by now.
As Sakura stepped into the center of the arena, Kin Tsuchi of the Hidden Sound Village approached from the opposite side.
Kin, Zaku, and Dosu had originally been sent by Orochimaru to test Uchiha Sasuke.
However, during the Forest of Death, Hinata's Byakugan had allowed Team 7 to avoid them completely.
Now, this match would determine whether they would even get a chance to face Sasuke later.
Like all Sound Village ninjas, Kin Tsuchi carried herself with cold arrogance and ruthless confidence.
Her specialty lay in using sound as a weapon.
By manipulating specially modified threads and bells, she could distort her opponent's sense of hearing, then follow up with precise senbon attacks.
Unfortunately for her—
She was facing Haruno Sakura.
Sakura's teacher was Kurenai Yuhi, a kunoichi from a lineage that specialized in Genjutsu.
While not as overwhelming as the Sharingan, her illusions were more than sufficient to dominate ordinary opponents.
The moment the match began, Sakura quickly saw through Kin's auditory Genjutsu and shattered it without hesitation.
Then, she countered.
"Genjutsu: Falling Cherry Blossom Illusion!"
Within Kin's field of vision, countless cherry blossom petals seemed to drift downward, enveloping her senses.
Her five senses were gradually suppressed, and her consciousness sank into a dreamlike haze.
The technique wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, but at the genin level, it was nearly impossible to resist.
Kin's movements slowed, her eyes unfocused.
Sakura stepped forward calmly, drew a kunai, and placed it gently against Kin's throat.
"You've lost."
Gekkō Hayate immediately raised his hand.
"The winner is—Haruno Sakura!"
Asuma Sarutobi smiled faintly.
"Yuhi, it seems your student has inherited your legacy."
"At such a young age, being able to use Genjutsu like that is truly impressive."
Kurenai nodded with quiet pride.
"Sakura has a remarkable talent for Genjutsu."
Sakura beamed and turned toward the stands.
"Sasuke-kun, did you see that?!"
Sasuke still didn't reply.
But that didn't matter.
Proving herself felt exhilarating.
Kiba cheered loudly.
Shino gave a subtle nod.
Naruto clapped enthusiastically.
"Nice job, Sakura-chan!"
Hinata whispered to Ino, "Sakura's Genjutsu was amazing…"
Ino smiled.
"I'm really happy to see how hard she's worked to become stronger."
Sakura's victory was a strong opening for Konoha.
"Next match—"
"Hyuga Hinata."
"Versus—Tenten."
Naruto instantly brightened.
"Hinata! This is your moment!"
Hinata's cheeks flushed slightly as she nodded.
"I'll do my best, Naruto-kun…"
Naruto crossed his arms confidently.
"Don't worry! You're a member of Team 7. You won't lose to anyone!"
Rock Lee spoke up seriously.
"Naruto, don't underestimate Tenten."
"She's extremely strong. When it comes to summoning and using ninja tools, no one surpasses her."
Might Guy laughed heartily.
"That's right! Tenten burns with the passion of youth just like us!"
"She won't lose easily to Team 7!"
Kakashi responded lazily, "Yes, yes…"
"But I'm afraid the final winner will still be us."
The two kunoichi faced each other in the arena.
Tenten studied Hinata carefully.
"So you're the young lady of the Hyuga Clan?"
"I've heard about you from Neji…"
"But even if you're from the Hyuga Clan, I won't hold back."
Hinata bowed politely.
"Please… guide me."
At Gekkō Hayate's signal—
The battle began.
Tenten immediately took the initiative.
She leapt into the air, unfurling multiple scrolls at once.
Weapons erupted from them like a storm.
"Continuous Barrage!"
Kunai, shuriken, senbon, flying needles, Fūma shuriken—
An overwhelming variety, dazzling in number and speed.
Even the jōnin spectators couldn't help but admire the display.
"Her control over ninja tools is truly exceptional…"
But Hinata didn't panic.
Her eyes sharpened.
"Byakugan!"
Her vision expanded in all directions.
With precise movements, she activated her self-developed technique—
Protective Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palm!
Her palms moved in fluid arcs, intercepting and deflecting every projectile.
Clang—clang—clang!
Not a single weapon touched her.
Her current defense wasn't yet at its peak form, but it was already nearly flawless.
Neji frowned slightly.
"This technique… the Hyuga Clan didn't originally have it."
Rock Lee blinked.
"Did she create it herself?!"
Then he smiled brightly.
"That makes sense. Naruto always talks about how meticulous and intelligent Hinata is. Creating new techniques suits her perfectly!"
Might Guy narrowed his eyes.
"This defensive Taijutsu fully integrates the Gentle Fist's movements with her personal insight…"
"In this situation, Tenten's weapon advantage may be meaningless."
The weapons fell to the ground in circles around Hinata.
Not a single scratch marred her clothes.
Tenten landed, her expression changing.
"…Such strong defense."
For the first time, she felt genuine pressure.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)