Chapter 103

Seeing that no one had stepped forward for a long time to defend the ring, Hayate urged impatiently, "If no one steps forward to defend the ring…"

Before Hayate Gekkō could finish his words, a man jumped onto the ring.

This man was wearing a black hooded coat, with purple patterns painted on his face, and he was carrying something wrapped in bandages. Whatever was inside remained a mystery.

"Hey, there are twelve people in Konoha who passed this second exam, but none dare to take the lead. How about I come forward? Although only three of us from Sunagakure Village passed the exam, none of us did so by luck!"

Kankuro's implication was clear: although many from Konoha passed the second round, it was not necessarily due to their strength but perhaps luck instead!

He was deliberately provoking Konoha's genin, even casting a direct challenge to Kazuki of the Gekko Clan!

He intended to engage Kazuki to give Gaara a chance to advance!

Naturally, Kazuki saw through this despicable tactic at a glance.

He would not be provoked by Kankuro. For such a minor character, there were many in Konoha who could handle him.

"You think I'd snipe Gaara?" Kazuki thought.

Instead, he chose not to enter the ring, opting to put more psychological pressure on his opponent!

Kazuki ignored Kankuro's provocation, but the other genin from Konoha couldn't just stand by.

Among those most vocal were Kiba Inuzuka, Rock Lee, Sakura Haruno, and Ino Yamanaka!

Kiba Inuzuka: "Damn it, he's so arrogant! Akamaru and I will teach him a lesson!"

Rock Lee: "Tenten, let me go up. This guy is going too far! He's saying we passed our exams by luck!"

Sakura Haruno: "How dare he talk down to us in our own exam room!"

Ino Yamanaka: "This is infuriating! Shikamaru, go teach him a lesson for me!"

Shikamaru: "Huh?"

The Konoha genin clamored, but the person who stepped forward was beyond everyone's expectations!

While several in Konoha fumed, a man silently walked into the ring.

"Eh? Shino?"

Everyone stared in surprise at Aburame Shino, who was the first to accept the challenge.

This guy, usually reserved and seemingly unremarkable in battle, was the first to step up.

"Shino-kun probably didn't want to fight with one of his own, so he got in early," Hinata explained to the others, and they nodded in understanding.

Ten people could pass this exam.

Only one person could advance per round.

In other words, there were only ten battles in total!

Whoever won the challenge or successfully defended would secure a promotion spot.

The sooner someone accepted the challenge, the better their chances of choosing an opponent. If they waited until the end, they might end up fighting against one of their own from Konoha!

After all, with only six challengers from Sunagakure and Amegakure, even if all were defeated, two Konoha genin would still have to face each other!

Shino Aburame, calm and silent, made his way to the ring without saying a word.

Gekko Hayate, running out of patience, immediately announced the rules without letting the two participants exchange any words.

"This competition does not allow lethal force. If one party admits defeat or falls to the ground without losing the ability to fight, they will be considered defeated!"

"Do either of you have objections?"

"No," they both replied in unison.

"Then, let the match begin!"

As soon as the words fell, neither moved.

They appeared to be sizing each other up, but this was just a ruse.

Beneath the surface, they were already making subtle, calculated moves!

Kankuro discreetly extended chakra threads from his ten fingers, while Shino Aburame commanded his insects to creep silently towards Kankuro!

After a few seconds, Kankuro, the first to prepare, made the opening move!

He flung out chakra threads, and five poisoned kunai flew toward Shino!

Shino dodged effortlessly and returned a kunai of his own toward Kankuro.

Kankuro's next move stunned everyone.

He didn't dodge!

"Is this guy crazy?" the crowd thought, except for Gaara, who remained calm, and Temari, who smirked.

Boom!

The kunai plunged into Kankuro's body with a dull thud.

"The sound is off," Hinata Neji noted calmly.

"What's off about it?" Rock Lee asked curiously.

"A kunai piercing a human body doesn't make that sound. It sounds like wood being pierced," Tenten clarified for Neji.

"Wood? How can a human body be like wood?"

Rock Lee was baffled, but the unfolding scene soon answered his questions.

The exaggerated Kankuro suddenly opened his mouth wide in an unnaturally grotesque way.

From his mouth came the words, "A Thousand Senbon!"

This sudden attack caught even Shino off guard, and he couldn't avoid all of them.

Two senbon struck Shino's shoulder!

Quickly pulling them out, Shino noticed a purple wound!

"Poison? How despicable!"

"Woof woof!"

Kiba Inuzuka was enraged at seeing his comrade wounded but knew he couldn't interfere.

There was no rule against poison in the arena, as long as it didn't kill the opponent—using even a Tailed Beast Bomb would be allowed!

Realizing his predicament, Shino blocked the chakra flow in his arm to slow the poison's spread.

His insects didn't need hand signs to act; they only needed time to approach the opponent.

"This shows the importance of carrying antidote pills! If Shino had an antidote now, he could turn this fight around. Kankuro's sneak attack would become meaningless!" Kazuki said, instructing Sakura on the importance of preparedness during missions. Sakura nodded eagerly, absorbing every word.

"Haha, admit defeat! The poison will incapacitate you in under three minutes, and in five, you may die!"

The voice came from within the bandaged package.

No one expected that Kankuro would hide himself inside the bandages, letting his puppet fight outside!

"What a dirty trick!"

Many wondered how they would have fared against Kankuro's puppet manipulation if they hadn't discovered his ploy.

While most felt they could handle the poison, none were keen to lose. Kankuro's skills in puppetry didn't equate to invincibility. Eliminating him before the poison took hold would be the key.

Shino thought the same. Despite the sweat dripping from his brow, he maintained a stoic composure.

"Hmph, still thinking of turning the tables? I'll put an end to this quickly!"

Kankuro switched positions with his puppet and skillfully grabbed the Karasu puppet with both hands, launching it toward Shino.

It moved as fast as a chunin sprinting at full speed!

The puppet brandished six swords, all aiming for Shino's chest.

Shino, slowed by the poison, struggled to evade. After several clumsy dodges, he suffered further injuries.

The battle appeared one-sided, and the outcome seemed inevitable!

But suddenly, the Karasu puppet paused!

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