After learning who Nohara Rin's opponent is, Obito finally cares about his own opponent. He's number nine, so according to the sequence, his opponent is number ten.
"Eh, turns out to be Asuma." Obito realized that his first-round opponent is actually a friend he knows, number ten is Sarutobi Asuma.
When Obito was looking for Asuma's figure, Asuma happened to also glance at Obito. Their eyes met, and Asuma walked up to Obito and said seriously:
"Obito, make sure to give it your all when the time comes. Although you're strong, I won't lose carrying the hopes of my teammates!"
The three of them vowed to become Chunin together, and only Asuma advanced to the third round. At this moment, he's not alone anymore; he's moving forward carrying the hopes of his teammates.
"Haha, of course, I'll give it my all, and surely I'll win!" Obito said confidently.
Even though his opponent is a friend, Obito definitely won't hold back in the battle, as it would not only disrespect Asuma but might affect Asuma's promotion.
According to Hiruko, the more exciting the fight is and the more it showcases one's strength, the higher the chance to become a Chunin.
Kakashi directly looked at the bottom of the big screen. He drew number sixteen; there are only sixteen candidates in the third test, and his battle is the final fight of the first round, with his first-round opponent being number fifteen.
"Hyuga Gouichi." Kakashi silently repeated the name in his heart and recalled Hyuga Gouichi's performance in the preliminaries.
No fancy operations, just opened the Byakugan and used Gentle Fist to deal with the opponent.
Kakashi thought and took out a small notebook, writing down the numbers of all sixteen candidates on a piece of paper. He felt confident about his first-round battle and wanted to analyze potential opponents after advancing.
"Hatake Kakashi, you're a formidable opponent." Hyuga Gouichi saw Kakashi taking notes and his expression was quite serious.
Although Kakashi didn't make his opponent surrender in place with a single Ninjutsu like Obito, Kakashi quickly dealt with his opponent after an initial probe, being one of the faster ones in the preliminaries.
"But a speed-type ninja might work." Thinking about his Bloodline Limit, Hyuga Gouichi calmed down internally.
In the preliminaries, Kakashi showed great speed, but his Byakugan is strong in observation; Kakashi's speed might not be effective against him.
"Damn fellow, I'll defeat you again in the second round." Terumi Mei glanced at her opponent and found it was a Konoha Ninja who performed average in the preliminaries, so she didn't care anymore but focused on her potential second-round opponent.
Her number is eleven, and her second-round opponent will emerge from the match between number nine and number ten.
Based on Terumi Mei's observation in the preliminaries, number ten Sarutobi Asuma won't be a match for Obito, so the second-round fight is likely between her and Obito.
Terumi Mei was satisfied with this draw. Although the battle hasn't started yet, she felt like she was already in the top four and could avenge the Scroll's robbery in the top-four advancement match.
"Might Guy, I won't let you win so easily next time." Unlike Terumi Mei, who steadied her mind, Hoshigaki Kisame didn't care about the standings; he only paid attention to when he could meet Might Guy.
Hoshigaki Kisame was number one, and Might Guy was number six. If they both won the first two rounds, they would meet in the top four, competing for the final spot in the finals.
After understanding their first-round opponents and potential second-round opponents, Kisame knew they would definitely meet in the top four.
Kisame's first-round opponent was number two Yamashiro Aoba, and his second-round opponent would emerge from number four Nara Shiomizu and number three Nohara Rin, people Kisame thought he could defeat easily.
Might Guy's first-round opponent was number five Noguchi Nobuhide from the Hidden Mist Village, part of Terumi Mei's team. Might Guy's second-round opponent would emerge from Kurozawa and Inuzuka Midori. In Kisame's eyes, these three couldn't beat Might Guy, much less one-on-one.
"Additionally, the official start time of the third test is one month later. During this period, you can cultivate to enhance your strength or gather information about your opponents to increase your chances of victory. After all, at that time, you'll be fighting for your respective Ninja Village." Hiruko reminded.
"Ah, in a month, why is it so long?" Obito asked with puzzlement.
He didn't quite understand; it's just sixteen people fighting, why do they need so much preparation time?
"The third test will have many spectators, and to prevent them from rushing to Konoha, we must allow enough time." Hiruko responded.
Unlike the previous two tests, the main purpose of the third test is to showcase power and demonstrate the strength of the Ninja Village, so many aristocratic officials are invited, and ample time must be allowed for those wealthy merchants and nobles to arrive comfortably.
Obito still didn't quite get it; why a month's time was necessary. Did Konoha possibly invite spectators from seven or eight countries away?
However, thinking about his setbacks in the Forest of Death, Obito thought a month's interval was quite reasonable. This way, he could request Mokgetsu's special training for a month to enhance his strength; otherwise, he felt unsure about achieving first place.
Kisame and Terumi Mei both had excellent Water Release, Might Guy had a solid Three Gates plus Iwa Katan, and Kakashi's God-like Jonin-targeted instant kills deeply etched in Obito's mind. He had no guarantee of winning against these four.