Today, Konoha was more bustling than New Year's.
The examination grounds were packed both inside and out, with many noble families and dignitaries coming to watch the matches.
In a corner, a few ninjas huddled together, excitedly "sharing intelligence":
"Breaking news! Heard about it? That monstrous rookie Naruto Uzumaki, whom the Ninja World Daily hyped up—" He lowered his voice even further, "—has become Lord Jiraiya's disciple!"
"Nani?! Lord Jiraiya, one of the Sannin?"
"That's right! He's a super genius! With personal tutelage from a Sannin, Konoha's about to unleash another trump card!"
"May heaven bless our Konoha!"
At this, the ninja from the neighboring village sitting nearby began pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat.
Naruto, who happened to be passing by, overheard and felt quite speechless.
Tutelage? Practically non-existent!
It's mainly about borrowing his fame.
Isn't that why I sought him as a master?
After today, the Hokage succession race would officially begin.
Shouldn't I quickly display the "Jiraiya's Last Disciple - Naruto Uzumaki" signboard to gain more leverage in the Hokage race?
"Sasuke, can you handle it?" Naruto turned and nudged Sasuke with his elbow, glancing at Rock Lee, who was staring intently.
Sasuke likewise glanced back at Lee, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "Hmph~ Just wait! I'll definitely meet you at the summit!"
Meet at the summit, huh...
I'm afraid the exam will be terminated before the first round is even over.
However, he still playfully ribbed his buddy, "Take it easy, don't crash! I won't have a shoulder for you to cry on then! Though Sakura-chan's shoulder might be available."
Although he hadn't directly faced Rock Lee, he had encountered Guy Sensei in the training space.
Their Eight Inner Gates formation had something to it.
Unfortunately, while ninjutsu and genjutsu could be practiced smoothly in the training space, the physical body couldn't enter and could only stagnate!
This was also why Sasuke had been training with Kakashi every day for the past month.
"Worry about yourself, idiot!" Sasuke immediately retorted. "Don't you dare lose to Gaara! Otherwise... this number one spot will be mine to claim!"
Naruto didn't reply, his gaze shifting to a Sakura who was too quiet—Didn't she even make a sound when I just poked her?
He saw Sakura-chan intently twisting the corner of her clothes into a knot?
Isn't that Hinata's specialty?
The immense pressure from her opponent, Dosu Kinuta of the Sound Ninja Trio, was practically etched on her face.
He could tell she really wanted to win; otherwise, the pressure wouldn't be so overwhelming.
He glanced over: Compare this to Shikamaru, his buddy.
His good brother had already entered "lie flat" mode, his eyes glazed over, seemingly thinking: Just surrender, quickly! I'm tired!
Naruto could tell with his toes: when it was this guy's turn later, he probably wouldn't even bother stepping onto the arena, directly raising his hand from outside: "I surrender!"
No time to comfort Sakura-chan now.
The proctor, a senbon in his mouth and an "I'm cool, don't mess with me" expression, stood ready.
First match, start!
Sasuke Uchiha enters!
The moment his name was announced... the entire arena erupted!
"Worth it, worth it! I came just for Uchiha!!"
"Traveled thousands of miles just to see him fight!"
"Uchiha! Uchiha!"
Fanatical cheers instantly overwhelmed the entire venue!
The Uchiha clan's name, passed down for thousands of years, combined with Sasuke's status as the last remaining Uchiha—it shimmered far more brightly than his, Naruto's, signboard as a "newly risen genius within a month"!
The two stood in the arena, exchanging a few taunts.
Faintly, a few words drifted from Rock Lee: "...leave him to Naruto to handle seven at once," "...this time, it's serious!"
Fight!
Rock Lee had clearly trained specifically to counter the Sharingan—he kept his head down the entire time, focusing on Sasuke's lower body, his movements so fast they left afterimages!
But the specially trained Sasuke was even faster.
Bang—
Lee tried to advance, but a faster Sasuke precisely kicked him, sending him flying!
Seeing this, Lee immediately activated his "Super Weight Reduction Mode," tossing off his weighted ankle guards.
Boom—
The sandbags crashed to the ground, instantly kicking up a cloud of dust that enveloped the area, shocking everyone present.
Sasuke's eyelids twitched violently.
With the weight removed, Lee became a "human rocket," moving so fast that ordinary people couldn't even see his afterimages.
Unfortunately, his opponent Sasuke was no ordinary person. He was from Team 7, had the Sharingan, and it was a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
With special training, Sasuke's eyes could see clearly, and his body could keep up!
Taijutsu VS Taijutsu?
No!
Sasuke wasn't that foolish. Why would he fight a taijutsu specialist with taijutsu?
He went all out with long-to-mid range attacks, precise and wide-reaching!
Although his chakra wasn't as massive as Naruto's, Sasuke's ninja art bombardment package was equally plentiful!
Lee instantly fell into a "true head-in-hands scurry" mode!
In desperation, Lee roared, "Eight Inner Gates! Open!"
Green light flashed, and his afterimages upgraded further.
Unfortunately, what awaited him were also Sasuke's ultimate moves—Chidori Senbon... and the 'Lightning Release: Gatling' he had just learned from Naruto!
Dududududu~~~
Sasuke instantly turned grotesque, spitting out a barrage of lightning pellets from his mouth.
While not as continuous as Naruto's bullet stream, and the nature transformation not as terrifying as Naruto's, it was perfectly capable of electrifying someone.
Lee performed extreme evasions, filling the air with afterimages!
But in the eyes of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan: no matter how fast, it was still slow motion!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh~
Lightning pellets flew out one by one, leaving trails of afterimages.
Sasuke only needed to subtly adjust the direction of the barrage! Lee, however, had to drain every muscle fiber to dodge!
More crucially: the Eight Inner Gates had a time limit.
Zzzzzzt—
As Lee became exhausted, one pale blue lightning pellet finally struck him.
CRACK!
Instantly, Lee stiffened and fell to the ground as if struck by lightning, smoke rising from his body. His bowl cut transformed into an explosion of hair, unexpectedly improving his appearance by +3.
Sasuke Uchiha, wins!
Next: Sakura VS Dosu Kinuta!
This time, Sakura wisely put in earplugs.
Dosu Kinuta's sound ninja abilities were indeed powerful, but he could only use them in close combat. And Sakura... was waiting precisely for a close-quarters opportunity!
She had mostly mastered the Monstrous Strength taijutsu—an entire set of taijutsu developed by Naruto based on the Monstrous Strength.
Dosu Kinuta, who wanted to engage in close combat, was caught by Sakura.
With just one punch, Dosu Kinuta passed out.
Thankfully, Sakura reined in her strength at the last moment, or she would have almost cracked his skull open.
Sakura Haruno, wins!
Next: Shino Aburame VS Kankuro!
Kankuro knew they weren't really there to compete, so he conceded immediately, wanting to conserve his chakra for the big event later.
Although the arena was filled with boos, he didn't care at all.
Shino Aburame, wins by default!
Next: Shikamaru Nara VS Temari!
Temari had already taken her place in the arena, her gaze sharp as a blade.
Shikamaru, with a "what a drag, I'd rather go back to sleep" expression, was about to raise his hand to surrender: "I—"
Whoosh!
His "enthusiastic teammate" Naruto shoved him down.
"Naruto! I..."
Shikamaru fell directly, lying down and looking at the white clouds drifting overhead, utterly resigned to his fate.
Ultimately, after contributing a brilliant strategic battle, Shikamaru raised his hand in relief and surrendered: "Referee... I'm tired. I give up!"
Temari's mouth twitched slightly: This way of winning... she felt more aggrieved than if she had lost.
Temari, wins!
Next: Naruto Uzumaki VS Gaara!
Naruto leaped into the arena!
Instantly, BOOM—
The spectator stands erupted!
"Here they come! The trump card clash! Konoha VS Sand Village genius showdown!"
"Been holding it in for so long! Just to see this rookie king Naruto Uzumaki blow up the arena!"
"Pfft! Is that blonde the madman who supposedly said 'genius is just my threshold'? He's pretty handsome... but his arrogance is maxed out!"
"Sunflower seeds ready! Sitting on my bench—let me see why you're so arrogant, kid!"
The entire arena: "FIGHT NOW!!!"
Naruto looked at the red-haired boy opposite him with a confident expression: Kid, I've wanted to teach you a lesson for a long time!