The next day.
After a round of rest and recovery.
The team battle began without any surprises.
A total of thirty people were participating in this team battle, making up ten teams.
Only five teams could pass, for a total of fifteen people.
That meant.
Only twenty-seven people would take part in the third exam, the one-on-one selection round.
Those twenty-seven people would determine fourteen who would enter the next official round.
Of course.
Having fourteen people advance to the official round was only the ideal process. Things could not possibly go that smoothly.
The one-on-one selection round was extremely dangerous.
How many people would actually make it into the official round in the end was still impossible to predict.
In short.
The drawing for the team battles was currently underway.
The ten teams each had a number, and they would draw their opponents.
"Our opponents are Iwa?"
Seiryū's team was up in the first match. Their number was six, and their opponents were the Iwa shinobi with number nine.
They were the same Iwa shinobi Seiryū had thought looked somewhat familiar before, though he had not been able to remember their names.
Now he knew.
The three Iwa shinobi were named Mahiru, Kakko, and Taiseki.
Once the names came up.
Seiryū had some impression of them.
They seemed to be the same Iwa Jōnin Kakashi, Obito, and Rin ran into during the original Kannabi Bridge battle.
Mm.
Obito's later descent into darkness probably owed them part of the credit!
It was just that.
Seiryū wanted to complain again. How the hell were these supposed to be Genin!?
Looking at the opponents they would be facing next, Kakashi's expression became serious. "I didn't expect we'd run into Iwa shinobi. Judging by their age, they're about ten years older than us, and they don't look easy to deal with!"
All three Iwa shinobi were young men in their early twenties.
Although age did not represent strength, their physical ability and chakra reserves would definitely be stronger than his and Seiryū's.
He felt that what came next would be a hard fight!
But... considering Duy's strength.
He also felt like maybe it was not that big of a deal.
Duy alone could probably flatten all three of them.
Flames seemed to ignite in Duy's eyes, his blood boiling as the spirit of youth began to surge.
He said excitedly, "Our opponents are Iwa shinobi? My youth is already starting to burn, Seiryū, Kakashi, let's do our best together!"
This was youth.
Fighting an opponent for the same goal, this kind of passion had not appeared for a long time.
Duy was very excited now.
This was the way of youth, and he was already fired up!
On the other side.
Looking at their next opponents, one middle-aged man and two little brats, the three from Iwa were all somewhat surprised.
Then.
Playful smiles appeared on their faces.
Mahiru folded his arms and sighed, "Not bad luck. We actually ran into people from Konoha. One is Konoha's strongest genius, and the other is Konoha White Fang's son. If we can kill them, that'll be quite a contribution."
Kakkō looked at Duy, whose clothing and behavior were both very strange, and the corner of his mouth curled slightly. "That old man, he's that old and still just a Genin. Looking at how stupid he seems, he probably isn't that strong."
Taiseki, however, gave a reminder. "We still shouldn't be too careless. Seiryū and Kakashi should both be among Konoha's most outstanding younger generation, and their identities are special. Maybe that middle-aged man is here to protect them. Let's finish this quickly!"
As shinobi who had spent their time in the Anbu, participating in the Chunin Exam was basically a dimensionality drop attack for them.
They did not think they would lose, and they were full of confidence.
After all, their opponents were just a middle-aged man and two brats under ten years old.
If they still lost like that, they might as well find a block of tofu and kill themselves on it.
"I don't need to repeat the rules, do I?"
As the examiner of the second stage, Orochimaru naturally would not be absent.
At this moment, he licked his lips and looked at the six of them, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "You may begin now. If one side dies or surrenders, they are considered eliminated. Scatter!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Almost the moment Orochimaru's words fell, all six people in the field rushed into the nearby forest.
The team battle was also a forest battle.
An area within the Forest of Death had been marked out as the battlefield.
Victory or defeat would be decided inside it.
Death or surrender meant elimination!
For shinobi, intelligence was especially important, and it could determine the outcome of a battle.
So.
The process of the team battle was not public. Only Orochimaru, the examiner, would watch the fight.
This was to ensure that the upcoming selection round could proceed fairly.
At this moment.
Inside the Forest of Death.
Both sides had already prepared for battle and were facing each other.
Looking at the three in front of him, Mahiru narrowed his eyes slightly and said mockingly, "Planning to fight us head-on? Pretty confident. But confidence comes at a price!"
Seiryū smiled noncommittally. "We just don't want to waste time."
"So this is the confidence of Konoha's strongest genius? If we were the same age, maybe we really wouldn't be your match."
Kakkō stared at Seiryū and could not help letting out a mocking laugh. "But right now, you're too weak!"
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!"
In an instant, Kakkō formed hand seals, crouched down, and slammed both hands against the ground!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground trembled slightly at that moment as sharp earth spikes pierced up from beneath Seiryū and the other two.
As if trying to impale their bodies straight through!
Naturally, such a direct attack could not hit them. Seiryū and the others pushed off with their feet and left their original positions.
"Earth Release: Rock Collapse!"
Taiseki was not idle either. He formed hand seals and spat out one stone after another.
As the stones flew, they seemed to absorb dust from the air, growing larger along the way, and crashed toward the three like cannonballs!
"Hadō #27. Senkūgiri!"
Seiryū reacted extremely quickly. Forming a hand seal with one hand, he casually swept his right hand.
Long, dense, razor-sharp wind blades shot out, stirring the air as if slicing everything ahead like a kamaitachi.
The cannonball-like stones flying toward them were cut into fragments and shredded into dust by the wind blades.
And the sharp wind blades did not lose momentum, the whistling wind piercing the ears!
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A thick earthen wall rose from the ground in front of the three Iwa shinobi, blocking the dense, slicing wind.
The sound of cutting rang out, and cuts quickly covered the earthen wall as bits of stone fell away.
But it remained standing and could not be broken through!
"Eight Gates, Sixth Gate, Gate of View, open!!"
A hot-blooded shout rang out from Duy's mouth as he instantly opened the Sixth Gate of View.
A faint green chakra flickered around his body, forming a chakra cloak.
His skin turned bright red, and veins bulged and pulsed across his body.
"Konoha Flame Whirlwind Punch!"
His fists swung rapidly, friction with the air generating scorching flames.
As Duy's punch force erupted at that moment, the flames burst like fireworks, and the fierce attacks blasted continuously toward the earthen wall ahead, dense and unbroken.
The fierce, concentrated attacks instantly shattered the thick earthen wall, sending countless stones flying and revealing the three behind it, their pupils widened in shock.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)