Chiba's eyes widened slightly as he observed Kayami Hyuga's attack.
'Fast and precise!' he thought, assessing Kayami's assault.
With a single palm strike, Kayami had rendered Yamada unconscious. Without even targeting specific chakra points, Akira Yamada was incapacitated.
'The opponent is too weak to elicit Kayami's true potential,' Chiba concluded.
Judging from that single palm strike, Chiba was certain that Kayami's Gentle Fist technique far surpassed Yukina's. While evading a single palm strike wasn't arduous, Chiba couldn't predict the trajectory of subsequent strikes.
During his rigorous training period, Chiba had sparred extensively with Kushina. His experience in physical combat allowed him to anticipate her movements to avoid her attacks. Otherwise, Kushina's relentless assault would have quickly overwhelmed him. This was also a testament to Kushina's advanced physical prowess. To evade her attacks, Chiba had to anticipate her possible moves while fighting, predicting the next blow to dodge it flawlessly. Gradually, Chiba had developed a certain level of combat intuition.
At the very least, Chiba could now accurately predict five to seven out of ten of Kushina's attacks.
However, Chiba was also acutely aware that this predictive ability was rooted in familiarity with his opponent. Daily training had given him considerable insight into Kushina's fighting methods, leading to such a high success rate in his predictions.
Chiba now had no inkling of Kayami's fighting style. If he wanted to avoid Kayami's attacks, he would need to rely solely on his reflexes. Without the ability to predict Kayami's actions, evasion would prove challenging.
Even worse, he could easily fall victim to an unexpected maneuver.
The Gentle Fist technique had the ability to target chakra points. If his chakra points were blocked, Chiba would gradually find himself at a disadvantage. After all, he possessed no special ability to instantly reverse the situation.
Moreover, this battle between himself and Kayami was not merely a friendly competition—it was a life-or-death struggle.
'I must exercise extreme caution.' Chiba reminded himself.
At that moment, Kayami looked down at the motionless Akira Yamada. The ninja spectators remained silent, their faces bearing expressions of fulfilled expectations. Clearly, Kayami's one-hit victory over Akira Yamada came as no surprise.
Kayami's overwhelming triumph was within everyone's anticipations.
From the sidelines, one could also gauge Kayami's formidable abilities.
Kayami slowly raised his head, fixed his gaze on Chiba, and then ascended the stairs silently, not waiting for the Proctor's announcement.
It was no longer necessary to declare the result.
"The third match victor: Kayami Hyuga!" The proctor dutifully announced, despite the obvious outcome.
"Kayami Hyuga, we've heard about him for quite some time, but unfortunately, the opponent was vastly outmatched. Otherwise, we might have witnessed a spectacular showdown," Orochimaru remarked with a smile, observing Kayami.
"Indeed, he's also a renowned prodigy in the village," Jiraiya agreed. "He's likely the strongest candidate this time."
"Yes," Tsunade concurred. This time, she didn't retrieve any scrolls to record anything, as if Kayami's prowess required no documentation.
Undoubtedly, the Sannin's evaluation of Kayami was the highest, far surpassing their assessment of Yukina.
On the second floor, Kushina and Minato were also engaged in conversation.
"This Kayami Hyuga may be unlikable, but his abilities shouldn't be underestimated. I fear he might be the most formidable contender here," Kushina evaluated.
Although Akira Yamada was not from a prominent clan, he still possessed considerable talent as a ninja. Otherwise, the Third Hokage wouldn't have permitted him to take the exam. It could be said that all the ninjas participating in the Chunin exam had outstanding qualities, even if they weren't geniuses.
Kushina didn't believe that Akira Yamada's abilities were inadequate. No matter how comparatively weak he might be, he would at least have the potential to become a Chunin. The fact that Kayami had incapacitated his opponent with a single palm strike spoke volumes. From a participant's perspective, the opponent was definitely not weak—Kayami was simply that exceptional.
But Minato's face reflected slight surprise.
'Kayami is faster and more accurate than before. His progress is truly remarkable.'
"Kushina, seeing this, do you plan to proceed with that bet?" Minato inquired. His experience and prowess surpassed Kushina's, and he had some familiarity with Kayami. From that single palm strike, he could discern more than most.
The reason he asked was because he feared Kushina might compel Chiba to face Kayami due to a bet.
As for why he was apprehensive?
Naturally, it was because Minato could deduce that, based on Chiba's performance against Kakashi, Chiba was not a match for the current Kayami.
Even considering Chiba's rate of improvement, even if he had made significant strides in these seven days, it would be challenging to bridge the gap between him and Kayami.
Forcing Chiba to face Kayami might inflict a devastating blow to Chiba's future growth.
"Of course we must continue!" Kushina's eyes met Minato's with determination.
Minato sighed and said, "I don't think we need to persist with this bet. If you truly care for your student that much, I can accommodate that, but let's drop the wager."
'Kushina... please, just accept it,' Minato thought.
He knew his lover's character. Although she was his partner, she never asked for favors from him. Even if it was something she opposed, if she insisted on it, he would silently support her. A strong-willed woman, she was exceptionally resolute in certain matters.
'What you desire, strive for it yourself. Rather than relying on the favor of others.' This was one of the principles she was determined to uphold.
Although these were some of the reasons why he had fallen deeply in love with her, right now, it was causing Minato considerable distress.
"Minato, don't underestimate my student. Don't underestimate Chiba!" Seeing Kayami's prowess, Kushina did not harbor the slightest doubt about Chiba, and firmly believed that he would emerge victorious.
Minato sighed inwardly but didn't press the issue further.
'Alas, I must find a way to persuade Kushina to abandon this bet,' he thought.
Kushina looked at Minato and seemed about to say something when the proctor's voice interrupted.
"The next match, the participants..."
Before he could finish, Kushina and Minato's eyes were drawn to the scrolling display screen.
"Chiba Taki!"
The first name had been selected.
Seeing this name, Kushina abandoned whatever she had been about to say.
'Is Chiba going to fight?' she wondered.
Meanwhile, Chiba, upon seeing his name, felt a pat on his shoulder. It was Hirohiko, handing him his ninja pouch.
"Thank you," Chiba said, accepting it.
At that moment, the second name appeared on the screen.
"Might Guy!"
Seeing the name, Chiba gripped the ninja pouch tightly.
'Guy? My opponent is actually Guy!'
'It's true, I was so engrossed in thought earlier that I didn't even notice Guy in the lineup. I didn't see him at all.'
'Have I lost myself in contemplation again? This habit...'
Chiba felt a mix of helplessness and excitement.
Might Guy was a special existence for many Naruto fans. And now, he was actually taking the Chunin exam alongside him! They were even about to face each other!
"The fourth match: Chiba Taki versus Might Guy!" the proctor announced.