Chapter 18: Sasuke! If you don't come soon, the match will be over! 

Below the preparation seats, unlike the cheers above, there was an indescribable chill in the air.

Everyone watched Gaara warily, the murderous aura around him almost tangible.

"Hey, Gaara..." Kankuro spoke cautiously, unable to maintain his feigned smile, "There's still time..."

"Shut up," Gaara cut him off with a single sentence.

Kankuro's face turned ugly, but he dared not retort, only clenching his teeth and standing aside.

Shikamaru watched this scene, his usually listless face showing a hint of seriousness, "Such a strong killing intent. Here, only Naruto could fight this guy... No, Sasuke's strength isn't weak either, and then there's Hyuga Neji. According to Lee, Neji's strength far surpasses his own."

"Tch, what a hassle," Shikamaru clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Why did Sunagakure Village have to produce such a troublesome guy."

On the other side, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Naruto return to the spectator seats with excitement, and he too relaxed slightly. But before he could fully ease his tension, a shadow suddenly appeared beside him, an Anbu.

The Anbu whispered into Sarutobi Hiruzen's ear, "Hokage-sama, Kakashi-senpai has sent a message. He's on his way with Sasuke, and there's still no news of Orochimaru."

"I see," Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, glancing at the Kazekage beside him without a hint of emotion. "If we keep these people waiting, things could get complicated."

"Yes," the Anbu nodded lightly. "Most of the ninjas here are sent by Daimyos and other countries. They're here to meet the last of the Uchiha clan. Hokage-sama, perhaps it's time to announce that Sasuke is disqualified."

Konohagakure doesn't want to expose Sasuke, after all, he's the only remaining Uchiha and possibly one of the only two Sharingan in the ninja world.

Anyone who knows Kakashi understands the power of the Sharingan. Not to mention, as the copy ninja Kakashi, his name is even on the watchlist of other countries. Getting Sasuke or the Sharingan would be a significant boost for any country.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed subtly, "If that's the case, then let's postpone..."

"Let's postpone the match between Sasuke and Gaara," the Kazekage cut in.

The Anbu was startled, instinctively casting a hostile glance at the Kazekage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't surprised; he thought it would be odd if the Kazekage hadn't heard. He waved the Anbu away and turned to the Kazekage with a smile, "Kazekage-sama, are you interested in Sasuke?"

"Heh heh..." 

The Kazekage chuckled darkly, "As the Anbu just said, most of the ninjas here are drawn by the Uchiha name. I'm no exception. I, too, would like to see our village's Gaara battle the Uchiha's Sharingan."

"A trial, perhaps?" Sarutobi Hiruzen took a couple of puffs of his cigarette, pondering.

Sarutobi Hiruzen would keep Sasuke hidden if possible, especially now that he's targeted by other countries and the dangerous Orochimaru is lurking in Konohagakure. Showing up now would do no good.

But there's another matter to consider – the joint Chunin exams.

It's about a village's honor. If Sasuke, the most anticipated participant, doesn't show up, the people present would likely be disappointed in Konohagakure.

After all, Konohagakure still holds the title of the premier village, and sometimes you can't back down.

With that thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed again, but he still managed a strong smile, "In that case, let's postpone the match between Sasuke and your village's Gaara to the very end."

If Sasuke still hasn't arrived by then, Sarutobi Hiruzen swore he'd send Kakashi to guard the borders between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.

Below, Shiranui Genma's eyes flickered, and he nodded slightly to show he understood. Then he announced to the surrounding audience, "The next match is postponed as the last one because the participant Sasuke has not yet arrived. If Sasuke is still absent then, he will forfeit the match and be disqualified."

"What!" Naruto, just climbing the stairs, turned in disbelief, "Does that mean I won't be able to face him in the final showdown?"

Shiranui Genma rolled his eyes and said, "You should rest now, your turn to fight will come soon."

After that, he didn't care about the reactions of others and announced, "Next up is the third match, Aburame Shino from Konohagakure village versus Kankuro from Sunagakure Village. Please come to the arena."

"Darn it!" Naruto was fuming, watching Genma ignore him, "Where the heck did you go, Sasuke?"

When he heard his name, Shino didn't hesitate. He put his right hand on the fence and jumped up, ready to leap over.

Just then, Kankuro next to him suddenly looked upset and raised his hand, "Referee, I forfeit."

Shino, who was already mid-jump, forcefully stopped and hung on the fence. His face still showed no emotion, just calmly looking at Kankuro.

Kankuro forced a smile, 

"My puppet has some issues. I planned to fix it before competing, but I overestimated my skills."

Of course, that was a lie.

His puppet, named Crow, was in perfect condition, and it even had many things inside that couldn't be shown, like poison needles and stingers. Most of the poisons were very potent and couldn't be treated quickly.

These things were meant for life-or-death fights, not for playing house in a competition. And if Crow was accidentally exposed, their plan would likely be under great suspicion.

So, it was better to forfeit.

"Is that so," Shino didn't seem to doubt Kankuro's intention. He pulled himself back from the fence and stood aside, his expression still neutral.

Below, Shiranui Genma frowned deeply and gave Kankuro a long look, "Kankuro from Sunagakure Village forfeits. The winner is Aburame Shino from Konohagakure Village. Next is the fourth match, Temari from Sunagakure Village versus Nara Shikamaru from Konohagakure Village. Please come to the arena."

Above, Shikamaru, with his hands behind his head, seemed to casually glance at Temari, "Are you going to forfeit too?"

Temari's face turned sour, mainly out of anger, "Hmph, pineapple head, I'll be waiting for you down there."

As soon as she finished speaking, Temari grabbed the giant iron fan she had been carrying on her back, fanned once towards the arena, and as a huge gust of wind arose, she jumped onto the fan, gliding down to the arena like she was riding the wind.

Shikamaru watched this scene speechlessly, 

"Isn't there a staircase right there?"

After saying that, he shook his head and walked towards the stairs.

What, jump down? You say he's a ninja and jumping down won't hurt him, and it's actually pretty cool?

Yeah, but what does that have to do with Shikamaru?

Why jump when there are stairs? Isn't that just silly?

Shikamaru headed for the stairs, but just as he was about to enter the stairwell, he saw Naruto, whose face also didn't look too good. It was because the referee had mentioned disqualifying Sasuke earlier, and Naruto was still waiting to settle the score with Sasuke. How could he let Sasuke lose by default?

It's too troublesome.

But it was useless.

Especially when Naruto saw Shikamaru getting ready to climb the stairs, he got even more annoyed. He really wanted to fight Sasuke, but this guy always seemed so lifeless. It was strange for Naruto to feel happy about it.

Kurama saw this and grinned, egging on, "Naruto, just throw Shikamaru down. If he doesn't want to look cool, we'll help him out."

Naruto's eyes lit up, and his smile turned sly without him realizing it.

He wasn't exactly a model child. Skipping classes with Clone Jutsu, peeping with Transformation Jutsu, and all sorts of weird pranks—he had long wanted to change Shikamaru, and now was the perfect chance.

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