While Team 8 and Team 10 were chatting, the remaining candidate finally arrived, Naruto, still being chased by a herd of bulls.
As for Sasuke, he was presumably on his way with Kakashi.
Once the Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage took their seats, the official matches were ready to begin.
The proctor in charge of this stage was none other than Genma, one of the Fourth Hokage's former bodyguards and a user of the Flying Thunder God formation. With a senbon clenched between his teeth, he looked toward Haruma and the others and announced, "The official matches of the third stage are about to begin. The rules are the same as in your preliminaries."
Pulling out a list, he continued, "Now, the one who drew number one, Naruto Uzumaki and number two, Haruma, remain here. The rest of you head to the waiting area to observe."
"Eh? But Sasuke hasn't arrived yet!" Naruto suddenly cried, looking anxious.
Genma, however, replied flatly, "Whether he comes or not is none of my concern. If it's his turn and he isn't here, that counts as forfeiture. You'd better focus on yourself first."
"Haruma, good luck!"
The other candidates began leaving. Ino, before going, clenched her fist at Haruma in an encouraging gesture.
"Ha… Haruma, good luck," Hinata whispered too, knowing her father and sister were watching from the stands.
"Don't worry. I won't lose."
Haruma made an OK gesture, reassuring them both.
Soon, only Haruma, Naruto, and Genma remained in the vast arena.
Standing between them, Genma gave a stern reminder. "Unlike the preliminaries, where proctors and jonin could step in if something went wrong, the official matches are different. Here, you wager your lives to prove your strength. If you think you can't win, I suggest you forfeit. Otherwise, even if you're killed, I will turn a blind eye."
At those words, even carefree Naruto wore a rare serious expression. Haruma only nodded in acknowledgement.
"Then, the third stage of the chunin exams, Naruto Uzumaki vs. Haruma… begin!"
Genma announced loudly, then leapt back, leaving the battlefield to them.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Though Naruto lacked social awareness, his combat instincts were extraordinary. Almost the instant Genma finished speaking, he formed the hand seals for his specialty, the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, and created dozens of clones.
Naruto knew that aside from Water Style, Haruma's greatest speciality was genjutsu, or at least, that was the impression he'd given before revealing his Water Style techniques. So Naruto reasoned that in order to counter illusion techniques, he needed to disrupt chakra flow or use sheer numbers. By creating a mass of clones, Haruma wouldn't know which was the real one, and the clones could even take the brunt of genjutsu in his place.
It was a clever strategy.
But unnecessary.
Haruma had no intention of using illusions against Naruto. Ordinary genjutsu would hardly affect him at all since he could easily break free, and once he drew on the Nine-Tails' chakra, no normal illusion could bind him whatsoever.
So instead, Haruma decided simply to have some fun with him before the Konoha Crush plan began.
Forming a single seal, Haruma called out, "Netherworld Shunshin!"
Like a phantasmal body flicker, two identical copies of Haruma appeared at his sides, not with smoke, but silently, as if from nowhere.
Then, together, Haruma and his two doppelgangers charged straight into the horde of Naruto's.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Haruma's speed was blistering. The clones barely had time to react before he was upon them. Like Madara Uchiha tearing through the Allied Shinobi Forces, Haruma plunged into the crowd and began cutting them down in a whirlwind.
Though the two phantasmal doubles were insubstantial, when they struck Naruto's clones, they suddenly gained the solidity of shadow clones smashing them apart in puffs of white smoke.
By the time some of Naruto's other clones recovered, they surrounded and attacked the three Harumas. But their blows passed harmlessly through them, whether it was the original or the doubles, all three seemed like untouchable phantoms.
"W-what's going on!?"
"Why are all three Harumas phantoms? Where's the real one?"
"Those aren't ordinary clones, why don't they vanish when struck?"
The bewildered Narutos shouted in panic.
"What a masterful body flicker…"
"So much like him, too much. It's as if I'm seeing Shisui Uchiha again."
"That boy… is he truly this year's top rookie? No wonder he outshines the Uchiha orphan and the heirs of great clans alike."
If Naruto was panicked, the jonin and dignitaries watching from above were astonished.
For those who had lived during Shisui's time, Haruma's technique was eerily reminiscent of the famed "Shisui of the Body Flicker," second only to the Fourth Hokage during the Third Great Ninja War.
It was well known that during that war, there were two Leaf shinobi so dangerous that encountering them meant abandoning a mission, Minato Namikaze, the "Yellow Flash," second after Tobirama Senju to master the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Shisui Uchiha, the "Shisui of the Body Flicker," whose phantom speed and illusions terrified even elite jonin.
One could cross space itself; the other was so elusive that one could never discern clone from reality. Both were legends. Both were gone.
And yet now, in Haruma's movements, the shadow of Shisui seemed reborn.
To be sure, Haruma's "Nether Clone + Body Flicker" hybrid was a weaker version of Shisui's Phantom Shunshin, easily countered by strong illusion-breaking or sensory abilities. But it was a technique with limitless growth potential, combining genjutsu with ninjutsu seamlessly.
For someone still a mere genin, Haruma's mastery of illusion and speed was remarkable. If cultivated properly, he could one day stand as a true genjutsu specialist of Konoha.
The Third Hokage, who knew Haruma likely carried traces of Senju lineage, saw even more potential for a master of both genjutsu and Water Style. In his eyes, this new generation had already birthed a future elite jonin.