Chapter 57: Yagyu: I Ended Boruto

After Might Guy left with Rock Lee and Kankuro came to take Gaara away, the high-hanging screen flashed with the final match-up for the tenth and last duel.

Temari VS Tenten!

"Huh… Shikamaru, I seem to have gotten a bye," Choji remarked.

"Yeah, congratulations," Shikamaru replied dryly.

"Mm, I'll ask my dad for a reward when we get home," Choji said cheerfully.

"I suggest you don't," Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes. "Besides us, Team 8 also passed completely. We'll probably face one of them in the third exam, and we're no match for them. It'd be embarrassing to lose."

"That's why I should ask my dad for a reward now—so I can bribe Yagyu and the others later," Choji responded.

"Choji, you…" Shikamaru was momentarily stunned by Choji's unexpected wisdom.

Meanwhile, the fight between Temari and Tenten had already begun. Watching Tenten unleash a barrage of weapons from her storage scrolls, attacking Temari from a distance, Yagyu couldn't help but feel some sympathy.

This sympathy was not only for Tenten but also for Team Guy as a whole.

If it were a 3v3 match and they gave it their all, Team Guy would undoubtedly be the strongest team in this Chunin Exam.

Yagyu didn't fear Gaara because his water-style jutsu and genjutsu could counter him. However, Lee's speed and Eight Gates techniques could just as easily counter Yagyu's genjutsu and most of his ninjutsu.

In a team battle, Team Guy would definitely rank at least second, if not first. But unfortunately, this was a solo competition, and Team Guy drew some of the worst possible opponents.

Neji was defeated by Yagyu in an instant, Lee was almost crippled by Gaara, and now Tenten had to face Temari, who specialized in wind-style jutsu.

Despite being the most well-rounded team, they became the only one of the four teams to face complete elimination.

Such bad luck could only be described as "unbelievably unfortunate."

As expected, Temari defeated Tenten with just three swings of her fan.

Tenten's impressive number of weapons and impeccable throwing technique didn't manage to scratch Temari, and she almost got injured by the weapons being blown back at her.

It was one of the rare, utterly one-sided matches.

With Temari's victory, the elimination rounds officially concluded.

Out of the ten matches and one bye, eleven genin advanced to the third stage of the exam:

Sasuke Uchiha, Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuga, Kankuro, Shikamaru Nara, Yagyu, Ino Yamanaka, Naruto Uzumaki, Gaara, Temari, and Choji Akimichi.

Of the eleven participants, eight were from Konoha, and three were from Sunagakure. The third stage of the exam would not only be an internal competition for Konoha but also a contest between the new generations of Konoha and Sunagakure.

Hiruzen Sarutobi descended from the stands with Anko Mitarashi, the proctor of the second exam, holding a box. The remaining genin would now draw lots to determine their opponents for the official matches of the third stage. He also informed them of the date of the final exam.

The third stage was a major event that would attract many wealthy and noble spectators, as well as many civilians from the Land of Fire and neighboring countries. Therefore, a lengthy preparation time was necessary.

Additionally, to give the participants time to improve themselves, the third stage was scheduled to start a month later at 10:30 a.m.

The participants began drawing lots.

Since Sasuke Uchiha was still bedridden, he would automatically take the last spot.

Shino drew number 9.

Hinata drew number 5.

Yagyu drew number 3.

Once everyone had finished drawing, Anko quickly organized the match-ups for the final stage. Like the elimination round, there would be one participant who received a bye due to the odd number of contestants.

The match-ups were as follows:

1. Naruto Uzumaki vs. 2. Choji Akimichi

3. Yagyu vs. 4. Shikamaru Nara

5. Hinata Hyuga vs. 6. Ino Yamanaka

7. Gaara vs. 8. Sasuke Uchiha

9. Shino Aburame vs. 10. Kankuro

Bye: Temari

Seeing the match-ups, Yagyu was taken aback.

"My opponent is Yagyu? What a drag…" Shikamaru muttered, scratching his head in frustration.

Standing nearby, Yagyu overheard Shikamaru's words and glanced at him with a fleeting look of pity.

Facing me isn't the worst part. What's really tragic is that you'll lose your future wife!

"Wha…!"

Suddenly, Yagyu's mouth twitched as he whispered two words that only Hinata could hear, though she didn't understand them.

Yagyu realized he had just achieved something remarkable!

He had… ended Boruto!

Hinata didn't like Naruto, Sakura didn't like Sasuke, and Ino was nowhere near Sai. Now, Shikamaru had missed his chance to impress Temari, too.

Which meant the future would no longer see Boruto Uzumaki, Himawari Uzumaki, Sarada Uchiha, Shikadai Nara, or Inojin Yamanaka!

And more importantly, no more Boruto: Naruto Next Generations!

After announcing the match-ups and the exam date, Hiruzen dismissed the group, and the jounin left the tower together.

Yagyu and his companions also departed with their respective instructors.

By the time they left the Forest of Death, it was already dusk.

As promised, Kurenai treated her team to a feast.

"Hinata, Shino, see you in a month," Yagyu said as they parted ways at a crossroads after dinner.

For the next month, they wouldn't be seeing each other much. The third stage was where family honor was truly on the line, and Hinata's father, Hiashi, who wasn't disappointed in her, along with Shino's clan, would undoubtedly attend to watch.

To ensure they didn't embarrass their families, the next month would be filled with hellish training.

During this time, Yagyu also had many things to accomplish. Even if he had free time, he wouldn't be seeking out Hinata, Ino, or Sakura.

Lee's performance had put rare pressure on Yagyu.

Back when Yagyu had only read the manga and watched the anime, he had been incredibly impressed.

Now, witnessing it firsthand, the shock was even greater.

That kind of speed—where even if you could sense it or see it coming, your body couldn't react—was terrifying just to think about.

Lee's display showed what it truly meant to be invincible and unstoppable.

What was more frightening was that in the ninja world, there were many others even faster than Lee.

Yagyu realized that before he worried about his weak defense, he needed to focus on boosting his speed to its current maximum.

If he could improve his speed, weaker defense wouldn't matter as much—unless he faced some massive AOE attack, he could likely escape most dangerous situations.

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