Chapter 712 : Implications of a simple move!

One day before, Illumi sent his Shadow Clones to look out for Kakashi. Even though he created the battle strategy for Sakura, giving her some chance of winning against Gaara, he knew the risks if she failed. He wanted to ask Kakashi to rescue her when that happened.

Unfortunately, his clones couldn't find Kakashi. So, he visited Fujin, informed him about her attack strategy and asked him to save her in case Gaara retaliated. Considering the amount of disturbance her death would cause to the future, Fujin had no reason to refuse. That is why Illumi was calm throughout the match.

"Calm down. You're safe." Hearing Fujin's voice and seeing that she was no longer about to be engulfed by the sand, Sakura's fear subsided. Even though her heart was still beating rapidly, being next to Fujin and Guy made her feel safer. Her knees eventually gave out as she collapsed to the ground while breathing rapidly.

Lee immediately checked up on her and asked, "Sakura, are you alright?"

Sakura nodded. She looked at Fujin and said, "Thank you."

Fujin casually replied, "Don't worry about it."

He turned his gaze back to the arena, where Gaara was looking hatefully at Fujin. It was the second time Fujin saved his prey. Needless to say, Baki intervened before Gaara did anything stupid.

Hayate announced, "Due to outside interference, Haruno Sakura is disqualified. Gaara is the winner of this round."

Fearing that Sakura would be depressed, Lee said, "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. You did great!"

Renjiro added, "He is right."

Sakura glanced at him as Renjiro said, "You implemented your battle plan perfectly. In addition, you also displayed your skills perfectly, impressing everyone. Unfortunately, you didn't have any plans to save yourself from his counterattack. If you did, you'd have been promoted to Chunin irrespective of the result of the battle. Still, you should be proud of your achievement. During the next Chunin Exams, both of you should become Chunins."

It was as Renjiro said. Izumo said, "Her chakra control and Genjutsu are definitely on par with Chunins. Her ability to implement plans also shows her ability to lead squads during missions."

Kotetsu nodded and added, "True. By using 18 explosive tags, just under the permissible limit of 20, she also used the updated rules to the fullest. Unfortunately…"

Izumo continued his sentence, "Unfortunately, she didn't have any countermeasures and froze when the enemy attacked. That shows she isn't prepared to lead a squad. If she had defended herself until Hayate could rescue her, she would have been ready for a promotion."

Kotetsu and others around him nodded in agreement.

Needless to say, Illumi knew about it too. If he wanted to, he could have easily made some plans for Sakura to achieve that. However, he refrained from doing so. He glanced at Sakura and thought, 'Under normal circumstances, no one would train the Genins to counter their opponents or make plans for that. It is something that the Genin has to come up with to prove that they're ready for the promotion.

The only reason I helped Sakura with that was because of how unfair the match was for her. However, I didn't help her create a plan to protect herself until the proctor interfered. If I had done it, she would have been promoted even if she wasn't ready. Hence, I left it as a test for her. Unfortunately, she failed."

Illumi was slightly disappointed that Sakura didn't bother to think of any such countermeasures by herself. Still, he wasn't too bothered by it. He thought, 'Considering her talent at Yin Release and Chakra Control, her promotion is only a matter of time. This loss will be good for her.'

Sakura asked in surprise, "I could have been promoted if I had just defended myself? How?"

Renjiro said, "While strength is important to become a Chunin, it isn't the only aspect. These exams test various aspects of your skills to check whether you're prepared to become a Chunin and lead a squad.

As a leader, you need to be quick on your feet and have several plans to not only ensure that your mission is a success but also to ensure that your squad stays alive. This is also why Fujin scolded you after your fight against Gaara, Lee.

Use your time until the next Chunin Exam to improve on these aspects while continuing to increase your strength."

Lee and Sakura nodded and thanked Renjiro. Meanwhile, Hayate called Neji down to the arena as Naruto was already there. Naruto continued looking at Fujin and Sakura and thought in relief, 'Thankfully Fujin took action.'

He wasn't the only one. By now, most of the audience had realized that Sakura had been saved and was looking at Fujin's location since Hayate had pointed there while stopping Naruto. Immediately, murmurs began.

"Is that Councilman Fujin? The one who forced Orochimaru to run away twice?"

"He is. I didn't expect he would make a move."

"As expected of Lord Fujin!"

"Well, it isn't surprising. However, when did he even move? I am sure I saw Sakura being engulfed by the sand!"

"Hmph, you should focus on training. Do you think you can track a rank S ninja?"

While the ordinary people rejoiced and cheered, the ninjas, who had been training for the past few weeks and expecting a war, were relieved. Seeing how ridiculous Fujin's speed was first-hand increased their morale considerably.

Of course, there were also a few who looked at Fujin with animosity. However, they didn't dare to speak aloud and could only keep their thoughts to themselves.

'So, that's the Spectral Swordsman?'

'He's troublesome. I hope Kazekage-sama has made arrangements to deal with him. Otherwise, we're dead.'

'Hmph, he might have defeated Orochimaru-sama by ganging up on him. With us here, no one will help him this time and Orochimaru-sama will kill him!'

The Konoha, Suna and Oto ninjas weren't the only ones who looked at Fujin seriously. The various leaders from minor villages and countries, who were invited to watch the Chunin Exam, also took note of him. While none of them had any intentions of making a move against Konoha, their resolve to not mess with Konoha became stronger.

An ordinary-looking lady glanced at Fujin as well while thinking, 'So he is Suzuki Fujin. He looks quite ordinary. To think that someone like him could force Orochimaru-sama to retreat twice. Sigh, I'll have to be very careful. This battle will be a bloody one.'

Fujin ignored all the gazes and continued looking at the arena as Neji and Naruto finally stood face to face.

Kotetsu said, "I never imagined that all 3 of Kakashi's rookies would make it to the finals. A shame that they drew such difficult opponents. This might be how far he goes as well."

Izumo nodded and added, "Yes, but considering the surprise the kunoichi gave us, I wouldn't count him out just yet."

Hoka chuckled and said, "I know you guided Naruto a bit, but this is the end of the line for him."

Fujin chuckled as well and asked, "Care to put money where your mouth is?"

Sakura glanced at the two of them and questioned, 'Huh? Are these two betting on the match?'

"Sakura! Come and sit here!" She turned her head to see Ino calling her and joined her.

Hoka looked at Fujin with a deadpan expression and asked, "Who doesn't know how loaded you are? As if I'll risk bankrupting myself by betting against you."

Fujin let out a sigh and asked, "When did you lose your courage?"

Needless to say, Hoka knew Fujin too well to fall into his traps. He just turned his gaze to the two Genins. Fujin just chuckled and looked at them as well. Meanwhile, Renjiro wondered, 'Was Fujin just messing with Hoka or does he have confidence in Naruto? If it's the latter, then this battle might be fun.'

"Match two, BEGIN!"

Neji took his stance while saying, "Ho ho… It's more fun this way. I can't wait to see the despair in your eyes when the truth finally dawns on you!"

Naruto made a hand seal as he replied, "Quit yapping and fight! Multi Shadow Clone jutsu!"

[A/N: Next chapter : An Epic Clash!]

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