Chapter 53 : Preliminary

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood before the gathered Genin in the large hall. His expression was calm, but there was a hint of seriousness in his eyes as he addressed the participants.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Chunin Exams," he began, his voice silencing the chatty hall.

"These exams are an important tradition in our villages, and they serve to test your abilities, teamwork, and determination. Becoming a Chunin means taking on more responsibilities and leading others in missions. It's not just about strength but also about strategy, leadership, and judgment."

He paused, letting his words sink in.

I just stood there, waiting for the pointless speech to end.

It was finally time for the one-on-one fights to start. I had come here long before the final day to get enough rest. And I was right; things mostly went as in the anime.

Teams 7, 8, 9, 10, Team Sand, Team Sound, and lastly my own team passed the exam. It was exactly like the anime.

After I came to the tower with Karin, I got special permission from the teacher to let her stay here until the exam ended, as letting her cross the forest alone would be dangerous. And I couldn't go out of the tower either.

Of course, I had another way, but I mainly wanted to keep her in the tower because she hadn't decided what she wanted to do yet. I was hoping she would stay in Konoha, but whatever she decides, I'll agree with and help her as well.

For the last three days, I have been staying in this damn tower with nothing else to do, to the point where training alone in my room was the only thing I could do.

Of course, Karin was the same, so I ended up talking with her and Tenten, who passed the test with her team earlier than the other Konoha 9.

My own team didn't contact me after that; it was like both Misumi and Kabuto disappeared after coming here. Not that I wanted to interact with them either; I was just curious about what exactly they were up to.

Anyway, finally, all the teams were here, and the exam was about to start. The proctor, Gekko Hayate, explained the preliminary rounds.

Just like in the anime, there were too many candidates here to pass them to the finals, so a preliminary will be held.

I knew that, so I wasn't surprised, unlike those Genin who came to the tower on the last day, aka they won't have time to rest.

"If anyone wants to withdraw from the upcoming fights, then you can do it now. It's not a team fight, so your choice won't affect your teammates."

And just like in the anime, Kabuto was the first one to tag out. I just looked at him, as if asking why, acting my role, to which he just smiled at me.

Not explaining why he did so, he walked off while the Hokage and other Jonin looked suspicious about this.

Then soon the fights were called off. The first fight was between Shikamaru and that one girl from Sound. What was her name again? Hmmm, yes, Kin.

I remember that even in the anime, this particular fight took place. I only remember because Shikamaru strangely had to fight girls in both rounds. I wonder why the author was messing with his cousin so much.

There is no point in even saying who won at this point. With Shikamaru's brain, I can't tell that I can permanently beat him, at least not if he knows about my cards.

The next fight was between Kankuro and Misumi. Strangely, this fight was also just like the anime.

I believe that the first round was not random like the finals; maybe there was enough setup done to give some sort of edge to the Konoha Genin.

Just like in the anime, Kankuro won against Misumi, and honestly, Misumi is very weak, weak enough that even someone like Sakura can win against him if she plays her cards right.

The next fight was between Shino and Zaku, another member of the Sound team. I don't know whether this was like the anime; I can't remember everything, after all. I'm even surprised that I remember this much in the first place.

But here's a surprising thing about Shino: if anyone is really a Naruto fan, they will know that Shino has never lost a fight in Naruto, like ever.

The man is much stronger than anyone thinks. Almost effortlessly, he won the fight just using his bugs.

The next fight was between Choji and Dosu, another and the last of the Sound team. I don't remember Choji being in the finals, so I can't say whether Dosu won against Choji.

At least here, Dosu won the fight, and finally, I got a target to go after. I'm not sure whether Dosu is a Chunin level, but his sound ability is powerful. I have to see his match in the finals to figure out whether I should go after him or not.

The next fight was between Kiba and Naruto. In the anime, this was an iconic fight, Naruto for the first time showing in front of others that he is not the dead last of the class.

I mean, besides the literal nuclear bomb inside his body and the cheat-like Uzumaki body, if I have to give Naruto credit somewhere, it's that this guy never gives up, stays positive, and is hellishly unpredictable.

Pulling off moves like no one's business. I mean, honestly, besides Shikamaru's fights, if there was one person in early Naruto whose fights really gave me that ninja vibe and excitement, it had to be Naruto.

I loved those fights, and watching Naruto fight here in front of me was insane. But…

Unfortunately for Naruto, I have been fighting and training with Team 8 for a long time now, and even if I mainly train with Hinata, I did train with both Shino and Kiba.

This Kiba is not that arrogant, as the ass-kicking I gave him has humbled him enough, and more than anything, he has learned long enough that flashy moves are not the right way to go; sometimes tactics work better.

So honestly, I am a little interested in knowing who wins this fight. Technically, Naruto should win it. After all, Naruto is the protagonist and also has superior physical abilities.

But again, this Kiba is not the same Kiba who fought Naruto in the anime.

Let's see what happens.

xxx

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