The Preliminary Matches Before the Finals

Yuta was boredly observing other participants while standing with his teammates near the entrance to the training grounds 44 also known as the forest of death.

'Well, even if there will be no challenge here, maybe I can see some interesting jutsu, who knows…' Yuta thought.

After some time, another unfamiliar Jonin came and announced that he is a proctor for the second stage of the Chunin exam. Shortly after every team was given a scroll and was guided to their specific entry point, so no other team would start at the same point.

Shortly after the exam begun and Yuta's team went straight to the forest.

"What is our plan?" Hikari asked, she looked bored and uncaring about the current situation.

"Let's wrap this up quickly" Yuta said indifferently, he wants to be done with this stage fast, as venturing through the forest for the five days straight is pointless, most interesting participants will get to the finals anyway, so even if Yuta wants to observe some jutsu being used, the finals will be the best place for that.

"Let's go to the tower in the center." Itachi said calmly, "Our scroll is Earth, so we will fight everyone on our way until we get the Heaven scroll and complete the second stage of the exam."

And with no objections the team went in the direction of the tower in the center of the forest.

Yuta was very familiar with the forest, as he spends a lot of time here in the time-loop, and the team proceeded to the center of the forest without a problem.

Yuta was using sensory technique all the way but didn't sense other teams yet. The group arrived at the tower and stayed in the open, waiting for opponents. Not a single person on Yuta's team thinks highly about their opponents it seems, as they didn't prepare any traps nor hide themselves, just standing there in the open, observing the surroundings.

"I sense a squad coming from north-east" Yuta suddenly spoke, "Chakra signatures belong to one of the Konoha squads."

"Would we attack our own comrades?" Hikari asked jokingly with a slight smile while unsheathing her sword, seems like that was a rhetorical question.

Itachi just waits silently.

Shortly after a three young man in Konoha shinobi attire runs out to the clearing and spotted Yuta's team, they come closer and one of them said, "Isn't it the youngest participants in the Chunin exams? Uchiha Itachi, right? I never believed the rumors about you, like how strong an eight-year-old kid even can be, right?" The man smiled evilly and his teammates thinking the same it seems.

Yuta and Hikari sighed helplessly at a same time, while Itachi moves forward and said calmly, "Why don't you just check it out yourself?"

The three Konoha genins attacked Itachi with kunais, but in a few seconds all of them were beaten up and lay on the ground unconscious, Itachi didn't even pull out a weapon against them.

"What morons" Hikari said looking at them with disdain.

Itachi grabs a scroll from one of them and it was a Heaven scroll, the one they needed to complete the second stage of the exam.

Not wasting any more time, the team went into the tower. They entered and proceeded to the huge empty hall.

"Now what?" Hikari asked looking around.

"Just wait, I guess." Itachi replied, and the team starts waiting.

A half an hour later an unfamiliar shinobi appeared in front of the team and said, "You completed the exam already? It's only being two hours since the exam started, it will be a new record, that's for sure!" He said enthusiastically and grabbed the two scrolls from Itachi.

"Scrolls are correct ones, congratulations! Which team are you?"

"Konoha's team-two" Itachi simply replied.

'As if he can't tell which team are we, it's only us who is this young after all…'

"Good, you may proceed to the second floor, there is rooms for you and a kitchen, you may rest now, the exams continue when the five days is over."

"Wait a minute" Hikari interjected, "Are we not allowed to leave tower and should stay all five days here?"

"Correct" Shinobi said without elaborating and left.

"Just great…" Hikari said annoyed, and team-two went upstairs to check the place where they are supposed to stay for five days.

It was a hall with many small rooms along the perimeter of the tower and there are tables and benches, the tables are empty.

"It's nothing to do here…" Hikari became even more annoyed.

"I will practice some fuinjutsu" Yuta said and went to unoccupied room.

"I have some books with me to study" Itachi said and also left.

"Just great!" Hikari exclaimed annoyedly, being left alone by her teammates.

These five days ended up fast for Yuta, as he was used to spending years inside his tiny apartment with shadow clones while studying and practicing fuinjutsu.

And now Yuta and all other participants that made it are standing in the circular hall of the third floor of the tower, waiting for the next announcement.

Yuta observes his surroundings and finds that only thirty participants including him made it to this point. It was a one squad each from Kusagakure, Takigakure and Amegakure, and two squads from Sunagakure, the other five squads including his - are from Konoha.

All the participants have at least low-Chunin level chakra, and some of them higher than that.

After some time waiting a Hokage with a dozen other shinobi appears in front of the group of participants.

"Congratulations to all of you for successfully completing the second stage of the Chunin exam!" Hiruzen said warmly with a light smile, "All of you did an excellent job and shown great skills so far, your respective villages should be proud for having you!"

'Sigh, here we go again…' Yuta thought acting like listening attentively while in reality he just praying that Hiruzen's speech will be over soon.

After ten more minutes of speaking about young talents, shinobi villages pride, the importance of peace, and the will of fire, Hiruzen said, "It's thirty of you who made this far, but only sixteen of you will participate in the third and final stage of the exam."

The whispers of displeased participants sounded among the group.

"And who to decide who will go to the finals and who won't?!" An angry exclamation sounded from one of the Suna squads.

"You don't have to worry, you won't be treated unjustly here." Hiruzen said warmly, appearing like a kind grandpa calming down his grandsons, "We will hold the preliminary matches here and now to select the best of you."

With that answer the participants calmed down instantly and Hiruzen gave his farewell and left to the sidelines to observe the matches. Participants were presented with a box and asked to grab a paper out of it. When Yuta grabs a paper and unfolds it, he saw a number 6 on it.

When everyone gets their number, they were asked to go to the specific place on the elevated platform on the side of the hall and wait for their turn to fight. After that, the preliminary's referee announced the numbers 12 and 18 to come into the center and start the match.

With those preliminary matches started, Yuta was excited at first to observe the fights, but soon gets disappointed, as participants didn't show much, the ninjutsu was mostly weak and used rarely, it mostly just taijutsu, throwing kunais and shurikens and things like that.

'I guess the Chunin exam that was shown in the anime was exceptional and with strong and interesting participants, but this one is completely different, I won't be seeing anything good here it seems.'

As matches continue, Yuta noticed that it was most definitely rigged, as foreign participants with the strongest chakra were placed against each other, and Konoha participants with the strongest chakra was placed against the foreign participants with the weakest chakra. This way Konoha was able to eliminate some strong foreign participants and push more Konoha's Genins to the finals.

'Konoha really does anything and everything to increase its influence by any means it seems, I should expect the same from the other shinobi villages too. If this exam would be hosted in Sunagakure for example, it safe to assume that me, Itachi, and Hikari would be placed against each other in this kind of situation…'

As matches continued, Yuta's number 6 was called. Yuta jumped in the center of the hall and waited for his opponent. It was adult looking man from Ame, as Yuta recalls he has one of the strongest chakra among the foreigners that is not fought yet.

"What is a kid doing here?" The Ame guy said mockingly when looked at Yuta, but Yuta didn't respond and waited for the signal to start the fight.

Shortly after the referee swung his hand and exclaimed "Begin."

Yuta observed his opponent expectantly, waiting for his move.

'This guy must be one of the strongest participants here if I don't count my own squad, let's see what he will do, maybe I will see some good jutsu here after all…'

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[AN: Yuta wants to see some good jutsu there but that is unlikely to happen…

8 chapters in advance on patreon /SycoreNovels Any support will be appreciated!

Thanks for the power stones!]