All characters and story belong to Kohei Horikoshi and Masashi Kishimoto
After Misumi and Kabuto left the room where the preliminary fights for the third exam would take place, Hayate asked the same question again.
—Cough, cough, cough.— the Konoha jonin coughed.—Alright, then... does anyone else want to quit?—
"I can't allow this, I have to say it," Sakura thought, feeling pain for the state Bakugo and Sasuke were in.
Sakura was about to raise her hand, but Sasuke slapped her arm to stop her from raising it again.
"Don't even think about telling them about my mark," Sasuke warned him.
"I thought we had already resolved this, macrofront," Bakugo said with a sigh.
"I don't understand!" Sakura said, shaking her head. "What are you trying to prove? Am I supposed to shut up and watch you destroy your bodies? I can't stand it." The pink-haired girl looked at the ground, tears welling in her eyes.
"Well, don't look, forehead girl," Bakugo retorted sarcastically with a superior smile.
"Stay out of it," Sasuke said seriously. "This isn't your business. From this point on, we're all rivals. We're not competing in teams anymore." After that, he let go of her hand. "I'm an avenger. For me, this is much more than an exam."
Bakugo narrowed his eyes, listening attentively to his teammate.
"Becoming a Chunin means absolutely nothing to me. Am I as strong as I can be?" Sasuke asked, staring blankly into space, his gaze fixed on no one in particular. "All I want is an answer. I can only find out by facing the strongest. The very best. And the very best of the best are here. This is the path I will follow. Neither you nor anyone else can change that."
"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura muttered.
"Ugh." Bakugo feigned a yawn. "What a speech you gave, Sasuke. I almost fell asleep listening to all that rambling."
"Bakugo..." Sasuke stared intently at the ash-blond boy. "You're the one I most want to fight."
"Heh." Bakugo smiled arrogantly. "Be careful what you wish for, Sasuke. I won't hold back with you, even though you're Mikoto's son."
—Neither do I, even though you're a human wreck.—Sasuke replied.
"You'll be...!" He clenched his fist tightly, and just as he was about to threaten him, the examiner's cough interrupted his intentions.
—Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough.—Hayate wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. —Good. Now, we'll begin the preliminary round. This round will consist of intense one-on-one matches. Keep in mind that this is not training. There are still 16 of you left, so there will be 8 matches. The 8 candidates who win their matches will advance to the third exam. As for the rules, there aren't any. You'll fight until one of you gives up, is deemed physically unable to continue fighting, or dies. We recommend you surrender before there are tragic consequences. Cough, cough, cough—
"Damn! What a pain in the ass this guy is! At this rate, he's going to die before the exam even starts!" Bakugo thought, rolling his eyes.
"On the other hand, I, as the instructor, have a certain degree of discretion to decide the outcome of fights when I deem it necessary." *Cough, cough, cough* Hayate coughed. "I will intervene if I consider the fight decided, to save as many lives as possible. Now, it's time to see what fate has in store for you."
"And he keeps talking... He's just as annoying as that idiot Deku," Bakugo thought with a grimace of disgust.
—Anko... if you would be so kind.—Hayate said to his Konoha companion.
"Understood," Anko nodded. "Open the panel!" she ordered through a microphone to a Konoha chunin.
A window opened in the wall of the room to reveal a huge black screen.
"The names of the pairings that will be facing off are chosen at random," Hayate explained. "The names will appear on the screen behind me. Now that that's settled, let's begin."
"Finally, damn it!" Bakugo said aloud, his head starting to hurt from all the talking.
A few seconds later, the names Yoroi Akado and Sasuke Uchiha appeared on the screen.
"Heh," Sasuke thought with a smile. "That way I won't waste any time."
—I can't ask for more. —Yoroi thought.—Better, impossible.—
"No! Why did it have to be Sasuke-kun? He needs some rest!" Sakura thought worriedly.
—Mmm... Yoroi Akado? Who could that extra be?—Bakugo thought.
Gaara, Lee, and Neji watched intently, glancing out of the corner of their eyes at the heir of the Uchiha clan.
—Cough, cough, cough. Very well, the two of you who have been named. Come closer.— Hayate ordered.
Yoroi and Sasuke obeyed and separated from the rest of the candidates to stand near the examiner in the center of the room.
—So this Akado guy is the only one from the four-eyed guy's group who hasn't given up?—Bakugo thought.
—Yoroi Akado and Sasuke Uchiha. You will be the first to fight. Do you have any objections?—Hayate asked.
—No.—they both said at the same time.
"There's nothing left to do. All I can do is stay and watch," Sakura lamented internally.
"Why is that forehead girl so worried about that ridiculous mark on that damn snake-face? Is it really that bad that she has it? Is it poisonous? Hmm. There's a lot of shit in this world I still don't know. Maybe it'll be good if the one-eyed guy finds out after the fight..." Bakugo mused.
"Will he use that strange power I saw him use again in the second exam?" Neji wondered.
"Good luck, Sasuke," Lee thought, clenching his fist. "Our fight was interrupted by Guy-sensei. I'd love to resume it."
—...—Gaara smiled sinisterly.
"Gaara is more restless than usual," Kankuro thought, somewhat nervously. "I hope he doesn't do anything foolish and that he follows orders."
"This pain won't go away," Sasuke thought, annoyed.
"Is the cursed seal already giving you trouble?" A smile appeared beneath Yoroi's mask.
"Alright. Let's begin with the first match," Hayate announced. "Except for Sasuke and Yoroi, everyone else must clear the area and go upstairs."
The Chunin candidates, the examiners, the Jonin, and the Fourth Hokage went upstairs, leaving only Sasuke, Yroi, and Hayate downstairs. Kakashi Hatake was the last to go upstairs and whispered something to his student.
"Sasuke. Don't use your Sharingan," Kakashi ordered in a low voice.
—Huh?—Sasuke exclaimed in surprise that his sensei knew he could already use the Sharingan—So you already know...—
"If that seal on your neck goes out of control, your life could be in danger," Kakashi said. Again, Sasuke was surprised by Kakashi's knowledge of what had happened in the Forest of Death. "And that wouldn't be good."
"I'm aware of that," Sasuke said.
"Just so you know, if things get out of hand during the fight, I'll have to intervene and stop it," Kakashi warned him. "Good luck." He said goodbye to his student and went up the stairs that everyone else had already climbed, his hands in his pockets.
"Should I stop fighting?" Sasuke thought worriedly. Then he touched his shoulder and neck. "This thing seems to be responding to my chakra. Every time I use my chakra, it gets a little stronger, it takes over more and more of me. I have to fight without using my Sharingan and without using very powerful jutsu. I don't know if I'll make it out of this. Well, I have to stop overthinking it. I'll end this fight as soon as possible."
From the floor above, everyone watched the two opponents intently. Especially the members of team 7.
"Sasuke, don't push yourself too hard," Kakashi thought.
—Cough, cough, cough, cough.—the examiner Hayate had another coughing fit. —Then...let the fight begin!—he shouted.
Yoroi grabbed three shuriken from his kunai pouch with his left hand and threw them at Sasuke. Sasuke used a kunai to deflect them, but unfortunately, the pain returned, and he fell as he was about to launch a frontal attack against Yoroi. The genin with sunglasses tried to seize the opportunity and threw a chakra-infused punch with his right hand, which Sasuke barely managed to dodge by millimeters. Yoroi's attack hit the ground, shattering a small section of it.
From the ground, Sasuke delivered a kick that sent his opponent sprawling. As he fell, he locked his opponent's right arm in a wrestling hold.
—Heh. I didn't think it was going to be that easy.—Sasuke said, already seeing himself as the winner.
"Do you really think you've beaten me?" Yoroi asked, smiling from beneath his mask.
Chakra emanated from the hand of the arm he held captive. With it, he touched the dark-haired man, who immediately released his grip, feeling powerless.
"What's going on?" Sasuke thought, worried by the change in the situation.
With his arm freed, Yoroi punched him in the stomach and got up from the floor, separating himself from Sasuke.
"All my strength... I've suddenly lost it..." Sasuke lamented, his arms trembling.
—SASUKE-KUN! WATCH OUT!—Sakura shouted, alerting her partner to the danger he was in as Yoroi approached him with his right hand full of chakra.
Sasuke tried to get up, but Yoroi was faster and grabbed him by the head with his chakra-filled hand, then slammed him to the ground.
"AAAAAHHHH!" Sasuke screamed in pain. He tried to break free from the grip, but he felt too weak to move his muscles.
"Tsk," Bakugo muttered, annoyed as he watched the fight. "That guy with the glasses is doing some kind of trick with his right hand to weaken Sasuke. If he doesn't break free soon..."
"Hey!" Sakura turned briefly to look at Bakugo, then refocused on the fight. "Sasuke-kun..."
—But... my chakra... What are you doing to me?—Sasuke asked.
"Hahahaha," Yoroi laughed. "You've lost, Sasuke Uchiha!"