Due to Kabuto's withdrawal, 17 candidates remained in the competition. Hayate Gekkō, serving as the referee, began explaining the rules.
"The preliminaries officially begin now! The format will be one-on-one battles. Cough, cough. Since there are 17 participants, there will be eight matches, with one participant receiving a bye. Winners, along with the one receiving the bye, will advance to the third round."
"There are no restrictions—fights continue until one side concedes, loses consciousness, or... dies. Cough, cough."
As Hayate finished speaking, the electronic screen on the wall began cycling through the names.
"Let's proceed with matching the first round of opponents."
The screen scrolled rapidly before stopping, revealing the first match: Sasuke Uchiha versus Yoroi Akadō, a Konoha ninja and former teammate of Kabuto.
Despite his association with Kabuto, Yoroi's abilities remained largely unknown. Publicly, he was seen as a weak Genin who had been stuck at this level for years, performing only low-rank missions.
Before the match began, Kakashi warned Sasuke: "Don't use your chakra, or the curse mark will flare up again. It could kill you. If that happens, I'll stop the fight myself."
This left Sasuke frustrated and irritated—he couldn't even rely on basic ninjutsu.
As Sasuke and Yoroi stepped into the arena, the rest of the spectators, including Naruto, looked on with anticipation. Naruto deliberately avoided eye contact with Orochimaru, who had disguised himself as a Jōnin from Otogakure, not wanting to draw his attention or disrupt Konoha's collapse plan.
The match started.
Yoroi hurled a kunai at Sasuke, who tried to dodge but stumbled due to the pain caused by the curse mark. Taking advantage, Yoroi moved in, landing a hit. However, Sasuke managed to counter, locking Yoroi in a taijutsu hold.
But Yoroi smirked confidently. His hand glowed with a mysterious energy as he touched Sasuke's chest, instantly draining his strength. Sasuke struggled as Yoroi used his Chakra Absorption Technique, sapping away his energy.
This was exactly what Orochimaru wanted—to push Sasuke to rely on the curse mark's power. But Sasuke wasn't about to let himself lose. With a sudden burst of effort, he kicked Yoroi away.
From the sidelines, Naruto shouted, "Sasuke, remember how Lee outclassed you! Focus!"
Though annoyed by Naruto's comment, Sasuke realized the point: he needed to rely on pure taijutsu. Yoroi attacked again, but this time Sasuke evaded swiftly, using agility and strategy to gain the upper hand.
Finally, Sasuke found his moment. He executed a modified version of the Lion Combo, striking Yoroi repeatedly mid-air before finishing with a powerful kick to his stomach, sending him crashing to the ground.
But just as Sasuke began to collapse from exhaustion, Kakashi appeared, catching him and swiftly taking him to a private room. There, he prepared to apply the Evil Sealing Method to suppress the curse mark.
Naruto observed the scene with little interest, glancing dismissively at Yoroi, who was being carried away. "For someone with such a flashy chakra-absorbing ability, he sure fought like an amateur. If he could actually convert the chakra he absorbed into his own power, like Samehada, he might've been more impressive. Instead, he wasted every opportunity."
The second match was Aburame Shino vs. Akimichi Chōji.
Shino, a calm and strategic fighter with Chūnin-level skills, made quick work of Chōji, who surrendered almost immediately after being surrounded by Shino's kikaichū insects. The Konoha spectators shook their heads in disappointment, lamenting the contrast between Chōji and his powerful father, Akimichi Chōza.
The third match featured Kankurō against another of Kabuto's teammates, a shinobi with rubber-like limbs.
The battle began with the rubber ninja launching an aggressive attack, binding what appeared to be Kankurō with his stretchy limbs. However, when he twisted "Kankurō's" neck, the Genin gasped in shock—it was Kankurō's puppet, Crow.
The real Kankurō, hidden nearby, manipulated Crow to counterattack, swiftly defeating the rubber shinobi with a devastating strike.
In the fourth match, Sakura and Ino reignited their childhood rivalry. The two clashed with raw emotions, exchanging blows in a heated battle. Ino tried to outsmart Sakura by pretending her Mind Transfer Jutsu had failed, only to successfully control Sakura's body moments later.
However, Sakura's inner strength manifested as an unyielding second personality, driving Ino out of her mind. Both combatants exhausted themselves, leading to a draw.
The fifth match was Temari versus Tenten. Tenten launched an array of weapons, but Temari easily deflected them with her Three-Star Fan, overwhelming Tenten with powerful wind techniques. As Tenten was knocked out, Temari callously flung her into the air, only for Lee to catch her in time.
The sixth match was Nara Shikamaru versus Inuzuka Kiba. Kiba underestimated Shikamaru, viewing him as a lazy weakling. However, Shikamaru's superior intelligence quickly turned the tide. Using his Shadow Imitation Technique, he controlled Kiba and forced him to knock out his own companion, Akamaru. Shikamaru claimed an easy victory.
The preliminaries continued, showcasing the diverse abilities and strategies of the young ninjas. Each match brought them closer to their ultimate goal: the third stage of the Chūnin Exams.
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