bookmarkrole Chapter 232 The Match Ends
Chapter 232 The Match Ends
The process and results of the next three preliminary rounds were similar to the trajectory of the "original work" in Naruto's memory.
In the first match, Choji Akimichi faced off against Kinuto Toshin.
Naruto's gaze lingered on the Sound Ninja wrapped in bandages for a moment longer. In another world, this man was known as "Six Paths"... well, that's an old joke.
Choji's body suddenly swelled up as he unleashed the Akimichi clan's secret technique—"Human Bomber!" The massive sphere roared as it hurtled towards Tosu.
However, the "human bomb tank" at this time is obviously far from mature. Not only does it appear quite cumbersome when turning, but more importantly, its direction is difficult to control precisely.
In the original work, this move required Shikamaru to guide it like a yo-yo using the Shadow Imitation Technique to hit the target, but right now, Choji himself just slammed his head hard into the wall at the edge of the court.
Toss was clearly not going to let this opportunity slip by. He raised the arm with the special device embedded in it and aimed it at Choji, who was somewhat dazed from the impact.
A sonic attack was launched, and Choji immediately covered his ears tightly, trying to block the invisible attack. However, Tous's sonic attack could be transmitted through his bones!
The violent shockwave slammed into Choji's inner ear and brain. Choji immediately saw stars, his body released the secret technique, and he collapsed unconscious.
The second match is between Tenten and Temari.
Perhaps because she had witnessed Naruto's intense duel with Satsuki, which far exceeded the level of a genin, Temari did not adopt the condescending attitude of mockery she displayed in the original work.
Instead, a distinct caution prevailed. She stood firmly in place, the enormous three-star fan already half-unfurled.
Tenten, as one of the best genin in Konoha, is an expert, especially in the use of ninja tools. At the start of the battle, she summoned all kinds of ninja tools from the scroll, kunai, shuriken, senbon... and shot them at Temari from all sorts of tricky angles like a storm.
However, she encountered an opponent who was the natural enemy of the "Master of Ninja Tools". With the help of the Three-Star Fan, Temari did not need to form hand seals. She simply waved the huge fan, and the wind-style ninjutsu easily blew all the attacking ninja tools to pieces.
All of Tenten's attacks were futile against Temari, who wielded a fan with virtually no cooldown. Temari only needed to "fan" to neutralize all of Tenten's exquisite offensives.
Finally, Temari fully unfurled her Three Star Fan and used the Summoning Jutsu: Kamatari Slash Dance.
The Kamaitachi was summoned and merged with the Wind Release chakra unleashed by Temari, forming a small tornado! Tenten was unable to dodge, and her figure was instantly swept up by the violent airflow, eventually crashing to the ground and losing her fighting ability.
Perhaps because she maintained a cautious mindset, Temari did not end the battle in an insulting way like in the original work, but won in a relatively "decent" manner.
In the third match, Nara Shikamaru faced off against Kintsuchi.
This match was full of Nara Shikamaru's style from the very beginning. When his name appeared on the electronic screen, the "this is so troublesome" expression on his face was almost overflowing, and it seemed that he was planning to just give up.
However, no one knows a student better than their teacher. Sarutobi Asuma, who was standing to the side, had already anticipated his reaction. Just as he was about to raise his hand and speak, Sarutobi Asuma grabbed him by the back of his collar and, like throwing away trash, unceremoniously tossed him directly from the stands into the arena below.
Compared to Tosu and Zaku, this female ninja named Kin seems to be slightly less powerful. Her attack method relies on bells, using them to create specific sounds to cast illusions.
However, Naruto sensed that the level of the genjutsu she was using was quite low; it could only simulate some visual illusions and could not even completely pull the opponent into the genjutsu space she had created.
This is nothing compared to the powerful genjutsu cast by Satsuki's Sharingan with its three tomoe, which could even briefly trap Kakashi.
Although Shikamaru kept complaining, his brain was already working at lightning speed. Taking advantage of the terrain and the characteristics of his opponent's attacks, he first pretended to dodge in a disheveled manner, but in reality, he was secretly making his move.
Finally, as the bell of the golden tree rang again and countless illusory threads rushed towards him, Shikamaru seized the opportunity and rapidly contracted the black shadow with his chakra control, condensing it into an extremely thin shadow thread.
The shadow line blended into the silken shadows of Jin controlling the bell... "Thump!" With a muffled sound, Jin didn't even understand what happened before everything went black and he fainted.
Throughout the battle, Shikamaru engaged in almost no direct combat, relying entirely on his wit and precise timing to achieve victory.
Although his absolute strength was not as shocking as Naruto, Satsuki, or Rock Lee, his high-IQ battle, which relied purely on his mind to defeat the strong with the weak, or rather, to win with his intelligence, surprised almost all the spectators present.
Watching his subordinates win, Asuma, in a tone that was a mixture of helplessness and barely concealed pride, explained to Kakashi and the others beside him in a Versailles-like manner, "Shikamaru's IQ is 200, he's a true genius, it's just a pity he's too lazy..."
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"Ahem... Well then... all the winning contestants, please gather in the center of the arena."
After all the preliminary rounds were over, Moonlight Hayate stepped forward and announced.
Upon hearing this, the eight candidates who had emerged victorious from the previous series of fierce battles—Naruto Uzumaki, Gaara, Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, Tosu, Shino Aburame, Temari, and Shikamaru Nara—obeyed the order and walked out from the stands or the edge of the arena, gathering in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hayate Gekko took a half step back, handing the reins back to the Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi scanned the young faces before him, representing the new generation of power in Konoha and even the allied ninja villages.
"The preliminary rounds have now concluded. Congratulations everyone on advancing to the next round. The third and final official round of the Chunin Exams will be held in one month."
Noticing that some of the test takers had a puzzled look on their faces, wondering "Why do we have to wait so long?", the Third Hokage added an explanation.
"The reason for the one-month gap is that the official tournament will invite distinguished guests and important figures from the Land of Fire and other countries to watch the matches. They need enough time to travel from their respective residences to Konoha, and at the same time, the venue also needs to be arranged and prepared accordingly."
Please make good use of this month to practice diligently and get yourself into peak condition before the official competition begins.
"The official matches will be conducted in a one-on-one open format. Next, your opponents will be determined by drawing lots."
While the Third Hokage was explaining the rules, Naruto stood out calmly on the surface, but his heart was far from at peace. His inner "friend" was becoming restless.
Inside the sealed space, Kurama's irritable, low, and resentful voice echoed in Naruto's mind.
"Hey! Naruto! You brat! The match is already over! What if that One-Tailed Jinchuriki manages to slip away?!"
Kurama grew increasingly annoyed, as if it could see Shukaku's mocking tanuki face flashing before its eyes, and it continued to urge him on.
"If you ask me, we should find an excuse right now and go over there and give that red-haired brat a good beating! Beat him to the ground and force that stupid raccoon inside him out!"
Sensing Kurama's almost tangible yearning, Naruto had no choice but to spare some attention to calm his hot-tempered companion. "Calm down, Kurama, calm down! There are so many people here, just be patient a little longer, there will be an opportunity..."
At the same time, Naruto himself was also somewhat uncertain. What if Orochimaru really got scared and canceled the plan, and Gaara left... wouldn't my promise to Kurama to beat up Shukaku be broken?
When this girl starts throwing a tantrum, it'll probably take a long time to coax her... Of course, from another perspective, if Orochimaru really abandons the plan, Satsuki will be safe and won't have to worry about being targeted, which is good news. However, the price of appeasing Kurama will probably be quite high...
Just as Naruto was lost in his own thoughts and somewhat absent-minded, the Third Hokage's voice pulled him back to reality. "Naruto Uzumaki, what's your number?"
Naruto subconsciously and somewhat confusedly recited the number he had drawn earlier.
After all the candidates' numbers were confirmed, Ibiki Morino unfolded the board that had been prepared beforehand, which listed the first round of the official tournament matchups, and presented it to everyone.
Just as Naruto's gaze swept over the battle list...
In his mind, the Nine-Lama, who had been muttering, complaining, and urging, seemed to have been muted, and all sounds came to an abrupt halt.
Immediately afterwards, an overwhelming emotion, a mixture of ecstasy and the excitement of "finally waiting for you," emanated from the sealed space, allowing Naruto to almost "see" Kurama grinning from ear to ear, its lips unconsciously curving upwards in a smile.
Because it was clearly written on that match list.
Naruto Uzumaki VS Gaara
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(Sorry for being lazy yesterday! The missing chapter will be made up today!)