Chapter 152: The Matchups for the Final Round

"Draw your lots."

Ibiki Morino, with his usual stern expression, stepped to the center of the arena holding a box for the lots. Shinho and the others instinctively lined up in front of him.

"There are fifteen number slips in the box," Ibiki explained. "Drawing two consecutive numbers means you're matched against each other."

Shinho pondered briefly.

Would Tsunade manipulate the draw? Despite the fair appearance, it wouldn't be hard for the host village to tweak the results a little behind the scenes. But then he shrugged—it didn't matter much who he faced, with one exception: Gaara.

Or more precisely, not Gaara himself but the One-Tailed Beast, Shukaku. 

When it came down to sheer size and destructive power, no matter how many beast phantoms he combined, none could match a Tailed Beast.

Beating Shukaku seemed unlikely, but Shinho's speed and defenses would at least allow him to dodge and counter from a distance.

Wait.

If Shukaku made an appearance, that would mean Orochimaru's plan was already underway. At that point, the match would be pointless.

Musing on this, Shinho reached into the box and pulled out his number: seven.

Not bad. He liked the number seven.

"Form pairs according to the numbers you've drawn," Ibiki called, scanning the group.

"I'm number one." Sasuke Uchiha stepped forward with a stoic look, satisfied. 

Being number one felt like a good omen, as if it foretold his victory in the Chūnin Exams.

"What? Sasuke? Why not Shinho?" Naruto muttered, his shoulders slumping as he stood next to Sasuke.

"…" Sasuke held back a smirk. 

He hadn't expected to be paired with Naruto, but it was just as well—it would take some real effort to win. 

Fortunately, Naruto's reliance on taijutsu left him with many disadvantages to be exploited.

"Me or Shinho, it doesn't matter. The result will be the same for you," Sasuke said coolly. "A loss."

"Don't you underestimate the power of youth!" Naruto retorted, flashing a thumbs-up with a toothy grin. 

"One month from now, I'll defeat everyone and take first place!"

"Oh, good luck," Sasuke replied with a shrug.

"Darn it!" Naruto grumbled, frustrated. "I'm gonna beat you to a pulp first!"

"Numbers three and four, step forward," Ibiki interrupted their bickering.

"I'm number three," Temari said anxiously, hoping she wouldn't be paired against Gaara or Shinho. 

Relief washed over her when her opponent was revealed: a rather unenthused Shikamaru Nara.

Shikamaru sighed deeply. Fighting against a girl—especially a pretty one—was bound to be a pain. At least he hadn't drawn a teammate.

Wait, actually, wasn't that bad news?

If he'd drawn Shinho, he could've forfeited right away, and no one would have questioned it. After all, he wouldn't stand a chance.

But surrendering to an opponent from Sunagakure would look bad. Extremely bad.

"I'm number five!" Kiba declared before Ibiki could even call out, striding forward confidently with Akamaru barking on his head.

Hinata glanced at Shinho and relaxed a little.

"Huh? It's Hinata?" Kiba's face fell. "How am I supposed to fight her?"

As her teammate, he knew Hinata's skills all too well.

"Number seven," Shinho announced, stepping forward along with Hinata.

In response, Gaara's lips twisted into a wide, menacing grin, bloodlust radiating from him. 

After the preliminaries, he had marked Shinho as one of his top opponents, and now his wish was granted. His excitement was palpable, sending a chill through the Genin around him.

But Shinho's expression remained calm. He'd anticipated this outcome, so it didn't surprise him in the least. 

If anything, it confirmed that Tsunade hadn't tampered with the draw.

"So it's Gaara and Shinho," Naruto muttered, his face a bit worried. "That guy actually killed people…"

Gaara's bloodthirsty performance in the preliminaries had left a lasting impression on Naruto, who, even as a protagonist in a shōnen manga, had never directly killed anyone—both because of his character and the genre itself.

"Don't worry," Sasuke said quietly. "He's no match for Shinho."

"This guy's done for!" Kankuro exclaimed excitedly from the sidelines. 

Shinho's speed might be impressive, but against Gaara's absolute defense, it would be useless. 

He'd finally get revenge for Crow's destruction. The thought of his shattered puppet pained him deeply—it was like losing a spouse.

"Gaara?" Tsunade murmured, frowning slightly. How could Shinho be so unlucky? It was almost as if her "lucky kiss" had backfired. 

Thinking of the bet she'd made with him, she felt an ominous sense of foreboding.

"Numbers nine and ten, step forward," Ibiki announced.

Despite Gaara's murderous aura, Ibiki, a seasoned interrogation officer, was unfazed.

"At last!" Rock Lee did a series of flips to the front. "Come, Neji! Let's test the power of youth together!"

Lee had already spotted Neji drawing number ten earlier.

"…" Neji Hyūga, for once, just wanted to run. 

As a Hyūga, he prided himself on his elegance, which his teammate Lee (and his teacher Guy) were always shattering bit by bit.

"It's really my two adorable students against each other?" Guy lamented. "Ah, the bittersweet pains of youth!"

"Who do you think will win?" Kakashi asked with a grin, enjoying the scene.

"No idea," Guy replied with a shake of his head.

"I expected you to say Neji."

"Lee has learned that technique. This is probably for the best," Guy said, suddenly smiling as he raised his voice. "Lee! Challenge genius with all your strength, so you'll never regret your youth!"

"Yes, Sensei!" Lee's body shook with excitement. "I will not fail, Sensei! I'll give it everything I have!"

"…" Neji wanted to protest but ultimately just turned his head, avoiding eye contact.

"The Eight Gates?" Kakashi mused, interested. "Now that would be something."

The eleventh and twelfth numbers belonged to Ino Yamanaka and Zaku. 

There wasn't much to discuss there—Zaku, the only non-Konoha or Sand Genin among the fifteen, was the weakest of the bunch. Ino, now boosted by Shinho's help, had a high chance of winning.

For the thirteenth and fourteenth slots, it was Torune Aburame vs. Yakumo Kurama.

In truth, Shinho wasn't sure who would win. Torune had nano-sized poison bugs, which were immune to genjutsu. 

However, Yakumo's genjutsu could turn illusions into reality. If something became real, was it still genjutsu?

And as for number fifteen—Shino Aburame—he would automatically advance to the next round.

"Hokage-sama."

Ibiki Morino held out a scroll with both hands.

"That's that, then," Tsunade said, glancing at the scroll. "The finals will begin in one month."

With that, she turned and left, setting the tone as others followed her lead and exited.

"See you, Shinho-kun!" Ino waved as she said goodbye to Shinho.

Despite Zaku's relatively low skill, she and Shikamaru would be undertaking special training to prepare. Hinata and the others would be training just as hard.

"You all got fairly average luck," Kakashi said, stepping forward.

"I think mine's great," Naruto huffed, feeling smug.

"I think so, too," Sasuke said, equally determined.

"Good, that's the spirit," Kakashi said, reassured by their confidence. 

Then he turned to Shinho. When it came to bad luck, Shinho had the worst, having drawn Gaara, a powerful opponent with apparent bloodlust. 

A single misstep, and he could be seriously injured. Still, considering Shinho's strength, Kakashi remained optimistic.

"For the next month, I'll be putting you all through some intensive training," he said, pausing before adding, "except for Shinho."

"Kakashi-sensei," Shinho asked, "could you teach us the Shadow Clone Jutsu?"

Unlike ordinary clones, shadow clones have substance and some resilience, and most importantly, the knowledge and experiences of the clones return to the original after they dispel. 

It's essentially a way to gain experience rather quickly.

Of course, it had its drawbacks. It drained a lot of chakra, which most ninjas couldn't sustain, and absorbing a large amount of memories and experiences at once could be mentally overwhelming—or even deadly.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Kakashi looked momentarily taken aback. "That technique is risky—if you don't have a large chakra reserve…"

He trailed off, noticing that all three of his students had ample chakra, especially Naruto, whose chakra reserves were absurdly large.

"I suppose I can teach you that," he said, changing his mind. "Naruto will learn the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, while Sasuke and Shinho will learn the regular Shadow Clone Jutsu."

The only difference between the two was the number of clones. The Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu allowed for hundreds or even thousands of clones to be produced at once, while the regular jutsu could only produce a few.

Shinho nodded; he had no objections. Learning the jutsu was mostly for his teammates' benefit, as shadow clones couldn't summon Gu insects.

Sasuke also had no issues with it. If he wanted to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu, his mother, Mikoto Uchiha, could have taught him.

The Uchiha clan didn't give much weight to the technique, preferring to focus on developing their Sharingan. After all, shadow clones couldn't summon the Susanoo.

"Huh?" Naruto scratched his head. "Do I have enough chakra for such techniques?."

Kakashi's eye twitched; Naruto's obliviousness was almost painful. 

Not everyone had a chakra battery at their disposal.

"First Training Ground, tomorrow morning," Kakashi said, waving them off. "Dismissed!"

As Shinho was about to leave, a familiar figure appeared before him. Though she wore an ANBU mask, her long purple hair was a giveaway.

"Shinho, come with me," Yūgao Uzuki said. "The Hokage is waiting for you."

Shinho nodded, saying a quick goodbye to his teammates before following Yūgao out of the tower.

A short distance away, Tsunade stood silently, deep in thought.

"Sensei," Shinho greeted her as he approached.

"For the next month, don't wander around too much," Tsunade instructed. "It's best if you stay close to me to avoid any run-ins with Orochimaru."

"What about Team 7's training?" Shinho asked, surprised.

"What training?" Tsunade looked puzzled. "What could Kakashi possibly teach you?"

Kakashi: Rude.

"The Shadow Clone Jutsu," Shinho replied.

"I can teach you that," Tsunade said without hesitation.

Seeing her determined expression, Shinho knew that arguing would be pointless, so he agreed.

"Perfect! You can practice being the Hokage, too. For the next month, you'll be in charge of all Konoha's affairs," Tsunade added, the corners of her mouth twitching upward, and showcasing a proud expression.

"I knew you were up to something," Shinho muttered.

"What was that?" Tsunade teased, pinching his cheeks. "I'm still your teacher, brat!"

"Would any teacher really act this childish?" Shinho asked in return.

"Why not? A teacher can do whatever she wants with her student," she laughed.

"…" Shinho mentally noted her behaviour, determined to find a way to get back at her for this, preferably by pinching her cheeks.

"Let's go home!" Tsunade said, gesturing grandly. "Work can wait until tomorrow."

"Are you sure it's okay to skip your afternoon work?" Shinho asked, walking alongside her.

"It's fine," she replied nonchalantly. "Now that the preliminaries are over, most of the foreign shinobi will be leaving, and Konoha's workload will lighten."

"Is there any word from Sunagakure?" Shinho asked.

"None yet," Tsunade paused, studying him. "You want information on Gaara?"

"Something like that," Shinho said indifferently.

"Oh?" Tsunade mused, grinning. "Is it Gaara or maybe… Temari?"

"…?" Shinho shot her an exasperated look as he rolled his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Rude!" She tried to flick his forehead, but he dodged, causing her to pout.

Who's the real rude person here? Huh?

Shinho finally noticed the subtle change in Tsunade's demeanor.

She was still herself, but lately, she seemed more lively, even playful. Before, her femininity had mostly come from her striking figure, but now, her personality seemed to add to it.

"I've already asked the ANBU to gather intel on Gaara," she said as they walked. "You'll have it by tomorrow."

"Thank you, Sensei," Shinho said, a bit touched. She was growing more considerate by the day.

Back at the Senju residence, Tsunade tossed aside her Hokage robe and immediately sprawled out on the couch. 

With her arm tucked behind her head, her sleeveless top slightly askew, and her legs stretched out, she looked completely at ease.

Shinho took a few seconds to appreciate the view before heading to his room to train.

When night fell, Shizune quietly entered the house. 

The influx of shinobi for the Chūnin Exams had filled the hospital with injured patients, making it the busiest place in the village.

Noticing Tsunade asleep on the couch, Shizune shook her head with a fond smile. 

She didn't wake her up, just peeking into Shinho's room to see him training, then moved on to the kitchen to start preparing dinner.

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