"When did that happen?"
Temari was horrified when Shikamaru's shadow entangled her.
"You were too cautious. If you hadn't fanned away my jacket and had just ignored it, you probably would have noticed my shadow."
It turned out that Shikamaru had capitalized on the distraction caused by the jacket during the second tie-breaker match, deliberately throwing it toward Temari.
If Temari hadn't paid attention to it, he would have attacked from a different angle.
Unexpectedly, Temari was so wary of the jacket that her attention was diverted, allowing his shadow to easily entangle her.
"I forfeit!"
Once entangled by the shadow, there was nothing left to do. Temari generously conceded immediately, unlike in the original work where she gave Shikamaru a chance to forfeit.
"The second match: Nara Shikamaru wins."
"Will both participants for the third match please enter the arena."
Perhaps Shikamaru's victory was too quick and uneventful, causing the surrounding audience to feel a slight anger.
Kankuro's forfeit in the first match had already frustrated these people, and now Shikamaru's match ended so quickly. Were they being played for fools?
They came here to watch matches, to see flashy ultimate Moves and close-quarters Taijutsu battles, not some 'blitzkrieg'.
Therefore, as the participants for the third match entered, a wave of boos erupted around them.
The boos caused the Third Hokage to frown deeply.
Uzumaki Naruto and Nara Shikamaru defeating Kankuro and Temari of Sunagakure, respectively, was good.
But the way they won, which led to audience dissatisfaction, was not good.
To put it simply, these are just spectators, but to put it broadly, they are Konoha's source of sustenance.
If the 'parents' are unhappy, that is naturally unacceptable.
"Go tell Hinata and Sakura to make the fight more intense."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Swoosh~ The Anbu member accepted the order and departed.
"It seems Hokage-sama places great importance on the two examinees coming up. But they are just Genin. How intense can they possibly fight?"
"Kazekage-sama, aren't you concerned about the two examinees from your Village?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer the Fourth Kazekage's question, instead posing one of his own.
"As Ninja of the Hidden Sand Village, I trust they will adjust themselves."
"Heh heh, just as you trust the Ninja of your Village, I also trust them. I believe they won't disappoint me."
"Is that so? Then I shall wait and see."
While the Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage were speaking, the Anbu member delivered the Hokage's request to Hinata and Sakura.
Facing the Hokage's request, neither of them had any objections.
"Third Match: Hyuga Hinata VS Sakura Haruno."
"Match: Start!"
In the arena, after the examiner announced the start of the match, Hinata lightly pushed off the ground and dashed straight toward Sakura.
Sakura reacted quickly, immediately retreating to create distance, while pointing her left index finger at Hinata.
"One Yang Finger!"
"Pew~"
The One Yang Finger, like the Six Meridian Divine Sword, can be used for long-range attacks.
However, since this is martial arts primarily focused on striking pressure points and healing, it cannot be fired continuously like the Six Meridian Divine Sword. It requires a certain cooldown time after each use.
We call this cooldown period 'CD'.
Sakura's One Yang Finger missed Hinata and was easily dodged. Hinata intended to quickly close the distance during the One Yang Finger's CD time.
Whether it was Hinata's inherited Gentle Fist Taijutsu or the practical martial arts Tai Chi Fist she chose from *the legend of jin yong heroes*, both require close combat to unleash their power.
Sakura naturally knew that if Hinata got close, she would practically lose.
Her close-combat ability was no match for Hinata's.
Therefore, to prevent close-quarters combat, after the One Yang Finger was dodged, she immediately raised the staff in her right hand and began using Five Elements Magic.
"Ice Curse."
"Flame Curse."
"Earth Curse."
"Lightning Curse."
"Wind Curse."
In a short amount of time, Sakura launched five consecutive Five Elements Magic Spells.
To the uninformed, the Five Elements Magic looked like Ninjutsu. Seeing five different elemental Ninjutsu appear, the arena immediately erupted in excitement.
This was what the audience wanted.
They didn't care who won or lost; they just wanted an exciting match.
Undoubtedly, this match looked very exciting to them.
The coldness of the Ice Curse, the heat of the Flame Curse, the solidity of the Earth Curse, the thunder of the Lightning Curse, and the gale of the Wind Curse captivated the audience, driving them into a frenzy.
Tsk~ A bunch of bumpkins.
In the stands, Ge Liang and his companions did not make such embarrassing gestures. He just felt a little strange: wasn't Sakura's attack frequency a bit too high?
Had her Chakra reserves increased again?
Ignoring Ge Liang's confusion, in the arena, Hinata was struggling desperately to dodge Sakura's Five Elements Magic.
The Ice Curse and Wind Curse controlled the field, the Earth Curse forced Hinata's movement, and the Flame Curse and Lightning Curse provided damage output. It could be said that Sakura had put a lot of thought into using the Five Elements Magic, exerting her maximum ability to draw out the Spell's intended power.
"Damn it, I can't dodge this."
Facing another round of Spell attacks, Hinata was forced into a desperate situation by Sakura. Having no choice, she gritted her teeth and used a Move she had only recently learned.
At this moment, all the Chakra points across Hinata's body began releasing Chakra. She simultaneously spun rapidly, causing the Chakra to form a spherical barrier—this was the Hyuga Clan's 'Absolute Defense,' Revolving Heaven.
"Boom~"
"Boom~"
The collision between Revolving Heaven and the Five Elements Magic erupted in violent explosions. Far from frightening the audience, the noise made them even more excited.
Seeing this scene, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction, seemingly approving of Hinata and Sakura's performance.
"I didn't expect Konoha's Genin to possess such strength. It seems we truly are getting old and can't keep up with the times."
"Haha, Kazekage-sama is too modest. I still plan to work for a few more years."
While the Fourth Kazekage and the Third Hokage exchanged veiled remarks on the sidelines, Hinata, having used Revolving Heaven once, was starting to struggle. She watched Sakura warily, panting.
Hinata has slightly more Chakra than Sakura, but the Ninjutsu Revolving Heaven consumes a significant amount of Chakra. Even Neji in the original work could only use it a few times before collapsing, let alone Hinata, who is a year younger than Neji.
While Hinata was panting, Sakura wasn't feeling well either.
Repeatedly using several rounds of Five Elements Magic had caused her own substantial consumption.
Both women were heavily drained, so the match would now depend on who had stronger willpower and more offensive methods.
Leaving willpower aside for now, it was clear that Sakura had more offensive methods.
There's a saying: as long as the distance is maintained, the 'Mage' is the 'Warrior's' daddy.
Sakura had never heard this saying, but that didn't stop her from acting on the principle.
After resting briefly, Sakura resumed her attack. This time, she didn't use Five Elements Magic, but rather the unique Witchcraft belonging to Zhao Linger: Dream Return.