In the blink of an eye.
Another half-month passed, and the finals of the Chunin Exams officially opened.
The giant cylindrical arena was packed, buzzing with voices.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire, nobles, nobles from allied nations, wealthy merchants, and ninja leaders attended in full dress.
In addition to them.
There were also the villagers of Konoha and residents from surrounding towns.
The arena was extremely lively, comparable to a massive sports event.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, wearing his formal Hokage robes and a solemn expression, sat in the VIP area with the best view.
Beside him sat Orochimaru, disguised as the Fourth Kazekage.
At this moment, Orochimaru wore a bamboo hat that covered most of his face, revealing only a pair of cold, gloomy eyes.
The Third Hokage and Orochimaru exchanged pleasantries, appearing very warm.
Before long.
The time had come.
The Third Hokage stood up, walked to the railing, and gave a brief speech:
"Distinguished guests who have traveled from afar, fellow citizens of Konoha!"
"Welcome to Konoha to observe the finals of this year's Chunin Exams!"
"Here, young Genin will demonstrate the results of their training, their wisdom, and their courage!"
"I hope everyone enjoys the majestic sight of our ninja!"
"Now, I declare: The Chunin Exam finals officially begin!"
The audience cheered, with shouts of encouragement, screams, and whistles rising one after another, as if threatening to lift the roof.
The huge electronic display flickered, drawing the match list.
Match 1:Hyuga Neji vs. Hyuga Hinata
Seeing these two names, a wave of discussion erupted from the audience.
A civil war within the Hyuga clan?
The Hyuga clan was a renowned ninja clan with a thousand-year heritage, and now the number one clan in Konoha. A civil war within the Hyuga clan was undoubtedly a huge draw.
The two entered the arena.
Neji looked cold and arrogant, while Hinata seemed somewhat nervous and uneasy.
The duel began.
Neji's movements were precise and efficient, his mastery of the Gentle Fist clearly superior.
While effortlessly blocking and neutralizing Hinata's attacks, he mocked and ridiculed her relentlessly.
Every word stabbed at the most sensitive parts of Hinata's heart.
Hinata struggled to resist, even exploding with effort in desperation.
However, the gap in strength between the two was too large, and her attacks were easily dismantled.
In the end, Hinata was hit in the chest by Neji's Gentle Fist, her chakra disrupted, and she lost her combat capability.
"Winner! Hyuga Neji!"
The entire venue fell silent for a moment.
Then, an uproar ensued.
Hyuga Neji, from the branch family, had actually easily defeated the eldest daughter of the main family under the watchful eyes of everyone?
This was undoubtedly a huge blow to the authority of the Hyuga main family.
In the Hyuga clan's seating area, the clan leader Hyuga Hiashi looked grim.
The group of main family elders beside him looked even worse.
Neji not only defeated Hinata but also said many things he shouldn't have, touching upon the main family's sore spot.
It was truly unforgivable!
In the contestant viewing area.
Yao, Sasuke, Ino, Shikamaru, and the others were somewhat silent.
As outsiders, it wasn't their place to comment on the Hyuga clan's system, but Hyuga Neji had indeed gone too far.
Naruto didn't understand the complexities involved, but seeing Hinata injured and on the ground made him furious instantly.
"Hey! You bastard named Neji!"
Naruto grabbed the railing and yelled at Neji in the arena, "What kind of crap were you spouting just now!"
"Hinata tried really hard! You were way too heavy-handed!"
Naruto shouted angrily, clearly standing up for Hinata.
Yao was torn between laughing and crying, so he kicked Naruto in the butt.
"Instead of whining here, hurry down and bring Hinata up so she can get treated!"
Yao shook his head as he spoke. A piece of wood grew from his hand, extending rapidly into the arena, wrapping around Hinata, and bringing her up.
"Karin!"
Yao looked at Karin.
Since being saved by him earlier, Karin had stayed in Konoha.
A few days ago, the leading Jonin from the Grass Village had come looking for Karin, wanting to take his "medical pack" back.
But he was driven away directly by Yao, allowing Karin to stay in Konoha temporarily.
"Yes!"
Karin hurried forward, activating the Mystical Palm Technique to heal Hinata.
Match 2:Uchiha Yao vs. Uzumaki Naruto
"Huh???"
Seeing the names on the electronic screen, Naruto froze for a moment before clutching his head and letting out an exaggerated wail.
"Why is it Yao! How am I supposed to fight this!"
Naruto knew Yao was strong and that he couldn't possibly be his opponent.
But giving up wasn't his style!
"Whatever! Even if it's Yao, I have to try! I'm the man who's going to become Hokage!"
The two arrived in the center of the arena, gazes focusing on them one by one.
Especially the ninja of the village, whose eyes showed anticipation.
Uchiha Yao!
Who had just used powerful Wood Release ninjutsu to suppress Shukaku.
Uzumaki Naruto!
The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!
Undoubtedly, this duel seemed full of potential excitement.
Hayate Gekko looked at the two. "Are you ready?"
"Ready!"
Naruto answered loudly, clenching his fists and assuming a fighting stance.
Yao nodded as well.
"Then, start!"
"Yao!"
Naruto didn't attack immediately. Instead, he looked at Yao. "I know you're strong, but don't hold back!"
"Let me see just how big the gap between us really is!"
Yao nodded, his tone calm. "Alright! Come at me!"
"Okay!"
Naruto immediately formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!
Several shadow clones appeared and lunged at Yao from different directions.
...
In the Spectator Area.
Sasuke was also watching the battle.
Just then.
A figure wearing a cat-patterned mask and dressed in Anbu attire appeared silently beside Sasuke.
"Uchiha Sasuke!"
The Anbu leaned in close to Sasuke and whispered a few words.
"Uchiha Itachi? He's back in Konoha? Where is he?"
Hearing the name Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's pupils constricted violently. Without hesitation, he followed the Anbu and left.
...
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Naruto's shadow clones vanished one after another. In the blink of an eye, Yao had taken them all out, leaving only the real Naruto.
Yao didn't use any ninjutsu; he suppressed Naruto using Taijutsu alone.
Thud!
A dull sound echoed.
"Gwah!"
Naruto cried out in pain as he was kicked sideways, flying through the air.
He rolled several times on the ground before coming to a stop, clutching his waist and grimacing in pain.
The gap was too wide!
Wide enough to make one despair!
Naruto struggled to crawl up, patted the dust off his clothes, scratched his head, and shouted loudly:
"I'm done! I'm done! I can't beat you at all! I forfeit!"
Although his goal had always been to defeat Yao, he knew clearly that the current him was absolutely no match for Yao.
Continuing to fight would only make him look more pathetic; it was meaningless.
Although a few days ago he had met a white-haired old pervert calling himself the "Toad Sage" and had inexplicably learned a summoning jutsu that seemed pretty powerful...
And he even took a giant toad calling himself "Toad Boss" as his big brother.
But obviously, that power... wasn't suitable for use here, nor could it be used against Yao.
"Winner: Uchiha Yao!" Hayate Gekko announced.
Applause rang out from the audience. This duel was less of a match and more of a one-sided suppression.
Naruto had been suppressed the entire time, and the key point was that Yao hadn't even used Ninjutsu.
Yao walked over to Naruto and reached out to pull him up.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!"
Naruto grinned through the pain. "Yao, you really are amazing after all!"
"But I won't give up! Someday I'll catch up to you!"
"I look forward to it."
Yao smiled. This wasn't just polite talk, because he knew very well just how ridiculous Naruto's "cheats" would be in the future!