"I didn't expect her to pass the second exam so smoothly. I thought it would be tough for her even if she managed to pass, but it seems she didn't get injured at all. Could this be luck?"
The Third Hokage gazed at Kaguya standing in the lineup, lost in thought.
Sasuke, standing behind Kaguya, stared at her back. He had struggled through the second exam, yet she seemed to have faced no difficulties at all, not even getting her clothes dirty.
Is this the difference between us?
Sasuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
Others were also surprised as they looked at Kaguya. From the start, they hadn't expected much from her. No matter how strong she was, she was only one person. How could one person pass a test meant for a team of three?
Yet, Kaguya had indeed advanced without a scratch. No one could believe it was just luck.
In the lineup behind the teachers, a person with vertical pupils stared unblinkingly at Kaguya, lightly licking his lips with a sinister smile.
The Third Hokage walked forward with his hands behind his back, cleared his throat while holding his pipe, and said, "Now we will hold the third exam. All of you must continue to work hard, as this concerns not only your honor but also the honor of your villages."
At that moment, a figure appeared in front of the Hokage, kneeling down and saying, "Lord Hokage, please excuse my intrusion. I will hand over the proceedings to Hayate Gekko, who will serve as the referee."
The Hokage took a puff of his pipe and said, "Yes, I leave it to you."
The pale-faced Hayate Gekko turned around and addressed the candidates, "Nice to meet you all."
He coughed a few times before continuing, "Before the third exam begins, I need you all to do something." He then started coughing again.
Kaguya was exasperated. This guy looks like he has tuberculosis. Hayate Gekko's sickly appearance, especially his dark eye circles, made her worry that he might collapse at any moment.
"We will hold a preliminary round to determine who qualifies for the third exam," Hayate Gekko slowly said.
"A preliminary round? What does that mean?" Shikamaru, who hated trouble, shouted out upon hearing about the extra round.
"Teacher, what does a preliminary round mean?" Sakura asked, confused. "Why can't the remaining candidates go straight to the third exam?"
"Because the first two exams were too easy," Hayate Gekko replied. "So the number of remaining candidates is a bit high. According to the rules of the Chunin Exams, we must hold preliminaries to reduce the number of participants for the third exam."
"As the Hokage mentioned, many important guests will be present at the third exam," Hayate Gekko said calmly. "So the exam can't be too long and will have time limits."
Kaguya shrugged and sighed. This is like performing for an audience, isn't it?
"Therefore, if anyone feels unwell," Hayate Gekko started coughing again before he could finish.
Kaguya couldn't help but think, you're the one who looks the most unwell.
"Sorry," Hayate Gekko cleared his throat. "Or if you don't want to continue after hearing this explanation, you can now apply to withdraw because the preliminaries will start soon."
"They're starting right away?"
"We just barely passed the second exam."
"What a hassle."
Although everyone complained endlessly, having gone through countless hardships and even life-and-death trials to get here, there was no way they would give up easily.
But just then, Kabuto Yakushi in the line raised his hand and, with an apologetic smile, said, "Um, I have decided to withdraw from the exam."
The surrounding candidates looked surprised, especially Naruto, who didn't understand why the senior he looked up to, Kabuto, would quit. Only Kaguya had a slight smile; she knew why.
Kabuto was worried that he might inadvertently reveal his true strength, so he chose to forfeit. After all, everyone here was no fool, and no matter how convincing his acting was, there was always a chance of a slip-up.
"You're Kabuto Yakushi from the Leaf Village, right? You can leave now."
"Yes."
Kabuto stepped out of the line and walked away, waving to Sasuke with a smile before leaving.
At the same time, Kaguya noticed Sasuke not far away, clutching his neck as if in pain.
Kaguya's eyes narrowed. It seemed that Orochimaru had already planted the curse mark on him.
"Then, if no one else is withdrawing," Hayate Gekko coughed, "let's begin the preliminaries."
Kaguya, feeling drowsy, yawned. Finally, it was starting; she hoped it wouldn't be too boring.
"The upcoming preliminaries will be one-on-one battles, real combat. There are exactly twenty of you left, so there will be ten rounds. The winners will move on to the third exam." Hayate Gekko said solemnly, "There are no rules. The match ends when one side dies, collapses, or admits defeat."
This was similar to the original story, with twenty participants.
Kaguya felt something was off. By her count, there should have been twenty-two people, so after Kabuto left, there should have been twenty-one. How did it become twenty? Did someone else withdraw?
"If you don't want to die, surrender immediately. But if I see an obvious outcome, I'll step in to stop the match to reduce the number of corpses." Hayate Gekko coughed again.
Kaguya smirked. Despite his gentle appearance, Hayate Gekko had a sharp tongue.
"Now, the fate-deciding," Hayate Gekko said as the wall behind him split open to reveal a screen, "this is it. The electronic bulletin board will randomly display the names of the two ninjas for each round."
Kaguya couldn't help but want to complain about the world of Naruto. Despite being a ninja world, it had so many high-tech products, from televisions to computers, even wireless communication.
"Alright, let's begin," Hayate Gekko said, "Now announcing the participants for the first round."
Everyone looked up, nervously watching the names flash on the electronic bulletin board.
For a moment, the candidates' hearts were in their throats.
Finally, the names on the bulletin board stopped.
Yoroi Akado vs. Sasuke Uchiha.