Chapter 20: The Chunin Exam Preliminaries Begin!
The air inside the massive chamber was thick with tension. After surviving the brutal second phase of the Chunin Exams, only a fraction of the original participants remained. The large, dimly lit hall was surrounded by balconies where the Jonin senseis stood, observing their students.
Genma Shiranui, the proctor for the preliminaries, stepped forward. "Congratulations on making it this far," he said lazily, chewing on his senbon. "But before you move on to the third phase, we have too many candidates. So we'll hold one-on-one battles—win and you advance, lose and you're out."
A giant electronic board behind him flickered to life, displaying a randomized matchup list.
Sasuke glanced at the screen, gripping the handle of his iron sword. He was still recovering from his fight against Orochimaru, the Curse Mark pulsing dully on his neck. But that didn't matter—he refused to lose.
The first match was announced.
Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akado
Sasuke smirked as he stepped forward. Yoroi, a shinobi with glasses and a mask covering the lower half of his face, grinned arrogantly. "I heard you're weakened after your little forest adventure. This should be easy."
Genma raised his hand. "Begin!"
Yoroi dashed forward, his hand glowing blue with chakra absorption energy. "I'll take all your strength!"
Sasuke sidestepped with ease, his Sharingan flaring to life. With a swift motion, he drew his iron sword and slashed. The blade sliced through Yoroi's sleeve, forcing him to leap back.
"What the—? A sword?" Yoroi sneered.
Sasuke wasted no time. He vanished in a blur, reappearing behind Yoroi. With a precise horizontal slash, he cut across his opponent's back—not deep enough to kill, but enough to send him crashing forward in pain.
Yoroi gasped. "D-Damn you!"
He lunged again, his hand reaching for Sasuke's neck, but Sasuke crouched low, sweeping his legs. As Yoroi fell, Sasuke spun mid-air and delivered a downward strike with his sword's flat side, slamming Yoroi into the ground with a loud thud.
The crowd murmured. Sasuke's speed was even sharper than before.
Yoroi groaned, barely moving.
Genma walked over and raised his hand. "Winner—Sasuke Uchiha!"
Sasuke flicked his sword, shaking off the blood before returning it to its sheath. He walked back to his team, ignoring the stares.
Kakashi nodded approvingly. "Good job, Sasuke."
Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka
Naruto grinned as he stepped up, cracking his knuckles. "Alright, dog breath, let's go!"
Kiba growled, crouching low with Akamaru beside him. "This'll be over in seconds!"
As soon as the match began, Kiba rushed forward, faster than Naruto expected. He landed a heavy punch, sending Naruto flying. "Tch, too easy!"
But suddenly, Naruto poofed into a log—Substitution Jutsu!
The real Naruto appeared behind Kiba and kicked him, but Kiba recovered quickly. "Let's go, Akamaru! Fang Over Fang!"
The two spun violently, becoming deadly tornadoes of destruction. Naruto barely dodged, rolling out of the way as they tore through the ground.
"Damn, that's strong," Naruto muttered.
Kiba laughed. "Scared?"
Naruto smirked. "Not really."
Kiba launched himself again, spinning. But this time, Naruto created three shadow clones, making it hard for Kiba to track him.
"Which one's real?" Kiba hesitated for a moment.
"Here!" Naruto appeared from above, axe-kicking Kiba's head into the ground. The impact dazed Kiba.
Naruto didn't waste time—he quickly used Uzumaki Barrage, sending Kiba flying with a brutal uppercut.
Kiba crashed into the ground and didn't get up.
"Winner—Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto grinned and pumped his fist. "Hell yeah!"
Hinata Hyuga vs. Neji Hyuga
This fight was brutal. Hinata, though determined, was no match for Neji's overwhelming skill. He blocked her strikes effortlessly and countered with precise Gentle Fist attacks.
"Fate has already decided this," Neji said coldly as he struck Hinata's chakra points, cutting off her ability to fight.
Despite the pain, Hinata refused to give up. Blood dripped from her lips as she struggled to stand.
Neji's final strike nearly crushed her, but before she collapsed, she smiled weakly. "You're wrong… people can change."
Neji frowned but said nothing as she was carried away for medical treatment.
Shikamaru Nara vs. Kin Tsuchi
Shikamaru sighed, hands in his pockets. "Man, this is so troublesome."
Kin smirked. "You won't be able to dodge my sound attacks."
But Shikamaru was smarter than she expected. Using his Shadow Possession Jutsu, he tricked her into hitting herself with her own senbon, knocking herself out.
"Winner—Shikamaru Nara!"
He sighed again. "What a drag."
Rock Lee vs. Gaara
This was the most intense fight so far.
Lee attacked at blinding speed, landing powerful kicks that Gaara barely blocked. His sand shield struggled to keep up.
"This guy's fast," Gaara muttered.
Lee grinned. "I'm just getting started!"
With Gai's permission, Lee removed his ankle weights. The moment they dropped, the entire floor cracked from the impact.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Then—BOOM!
Lee vanished and appeared behind Gaara in an instant, landing a devastating kick. Gaara's sand barely reacted in time.
Lee launched a relentless barrage of kicks and punches, forcing Gaara into a defensive position. No one had ever pushed him this hard before.
But then—Gaara's sand armor cracked.
Lee smirked. "Now for my ultimate move!"
He activated the Front Lotus, grabbing Gaara and spinning him mid-air at terrifying speed.
BOOM!
Gaara slammed into the ground from a deadly height. The impact sent dust flying.
Silence.
Then—Gaara stood up, unharmed. His sand had protected him.
Lee gasped. "No way…!"
Gaara scowled. "Enough."
With a wave of his hand, his sand wrapped around Lee's leg.
Before Lee could react—CRACK!
Gaara crushed Lee's arm and leg.
Lee collapsed. He had lost.
Gai appeared instantly, grabbing Lee before Gaara could kill him.
The match was over, but everyone knew—Rock Lee had earned Gaara's respect.
After all the matches finished, the remaining winners stood together.
Genma looked at them. "Congrats, you're moving on to the final round of the Chunin Exams."
Sasuke clenched his fist. He had won his match with ease, but the battles ahead would be even tougher.
His Sharingan flickered.
He would be ready.
To Be Continued…