Downstairs, the battle between Sasuke and Yoroi had already begun.
The two started with Kunai probing, the sharp friction sound echoing in the air.
Yoroi's combat style was defensive counter-attacking. His arms were covered with a layer of special Chakra-absorbing equipment, and every time he blocked Sasuke's attacks, he would simultaneously drain a portion of the Chakra attached to Sasuke's hands.
After Sasuke's consecutive frontal thrusts were blocked by the opponent's arm guards and his Chakra was drained, his arm went slightly numb.
Yoroi took advantage of the gap when Sasuke's center of gravity was unstable after a heavy kick and lunged forward. He used a shoulder bash to send Sasuke flying, his back hitting the wall with a dull thud.
Shikamaru frowned. "Sasuke is a bit off today, his movements are slower than usual."
Naruto glanced at the Cursed Seal covered on Sasuke's neck, knowing the reason in his heart.
Although the poison of the Cursed Seal had been temporarily suppressed by Sasuke, his body was still in the adaptation period, and his muscle reaction speed and Chakra circulation efficiency had been dragged down.
If Sasuke couldn't even pass this hurdle, then facing Gaara and the erosion of the will deep within the Cursed Seal later, he would die even faster.
Sasuke stood up from the wall, wiped the blood oozing from the corner of his mouth with his wrist guard, and re-evaluated the tactics of the opponent in front of him.
Since the Chakra-absorbing equipment on the opponent's arms could drain Chakra through physical contact, he wouldn't go head-to-head with him.
Sasuke closed his eyes, and the move Lee had used on him in the hallway flashed through his mind.
His body sprang from the ground at a speed far exceeding any previous attack, his left leg carving an arc in the air exactly the same as when Lee had kicked him away back then.
Yoroi's eyes widened. He only had time to hold his arm guards horizontally in front of his chest, but Sasuke's kick wasn't aimed at his chest, but at his wrist. The wrist joint was precisely kicked from the side, and the Chakra-absorbing equipment temporarily fell off.
Then, a series of high-speed kicks smashed into Yoroi's body from different angles, and with the final heel strike from above to the head, Yoroi slammed heavily onto the stone floor, motionless.
"That is my Taijutsu..."
Lee was stunned by the scene he saw, a look of surprise appearing in his eyes.
Then he grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, his fists clenching until his knuckles cracked.
"This is youth! Being able to meet such a strong opponent, my blood is burning!"
Neji turned his head slightly, used his Byakugan to glance at the bruise on the back of Lee's leg that hadn't completely faded, and then glanced at the back of Sasuke, who was walking back to the rest area, without saying anything.
Hayate coughed twice and raised his right hand to announce Sasuke as the winner.
At this moment, Kakashi flipped down from the second floor and landed in front of Sasuke. He looked down at the Cursed Seal patterns that were beginning to faintly spread on Sasuke's neck.
He placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, and whispered, "Come with me."
Then he took Sasuke and quickly disappeared into the corridor leading to the rest area.
A new random matching began on the display board.
[Aburame Shino VS Abumi Zaku]
After Zaku's arms were wrapped in a ball of insects, unable to activate Wind Release, it was over.
Third match.
[Kankuro VS Misumi]
Kankuro didn't even fully reveal Karasu. Relying only on Substitution Technique and a few common moves of a puppeteer, he sent Misumi out of the arena.
When the names for the fourth duel appeared, Naruto, who had been leaning against the railing with his eyes half-closed, raised his head.
[Yamanaka Ino VS Haruno Sakura]
Two best friends who had been at odds since their Academy days because of Sasuke were now about to face each other in the Chunin Exams.
As the battle began, the two were evenly matched in taijutsu. Seven or eight minutes later, Ino was forced into a corner of the arena by a backhand throw from Sakura, her back pressed against the wall.
Ino formed the hand seals for the Mind Body Switch Technique. The moment the jutsu struck, Sakura's movements froze. Ino's consciousness entered Sakura's body, attempting to control Sakura and force her to concede.
Sakura's hand, clutching a Kunai, froze in mid-air. Veins bulged on her forehead, and she bit her lip until it bled. Then, using her willpower, she forcibly blasted Ino's consciousness out of her body.
The recoil from the two mental energies colliding directly at the consciousness level knocked both of them to the ground.
Ino's body slid down the wall to a sitting position, while Sakura fell flat on her back in the center of the arena. Both of them remained on the ground, unable to rise.
By the time Hayate, acting as the referee, finished his count, neither of them had managed to stand up.
Hayate could only announce, "The fourth match ends with both sides disqualified from the third stage of the exams."
Next up was Tenten versus Temari.
From the very first second, the battle fell into a rhythm of wind dominating ninja tools, a total rout.
Tenten unleashed all the projectile ninja tools. But Temari simply opened the fan that was wider than she was and gave it a light wave. A hurricane poured out and all the ninja tools were blown away by the wall of wind as if they had been hit by a rewind button.
Tenten landed against the wall, her back striking the surface.
Temari folded her fan and turned to walk back to the waiting area.