Prelims

Half an hour remains before the second exam ends.

The Third Hokage and the jonin of each village arrived one by one.

"Look it's the Sandaime!!" Akiku looked at the old man with the signature hat, her eyes full of stars.

Ereki shares a similar sentiment.

For the first time, Naruto had a better understanding of the old man who barges into his house.

He didn't expect the gramps who seemed no different from other old men, to have an idol-like existence in the eyes of other people his age.

As if aware of their gazes, the Hokage looked at them, nodded, and smiled.

"Well, my determination to become Hokage is even stronger now," Izuno said.

Then, the two teams, led by the invigilator, slowly walked into the queue and lined up.

Naruto looked at Team 7, and was very confused. He knew the strengths of his former teammate Sasuke. Even if Sakura was dragging them down, they shouldn't have had this much difficulty. From his brief interactions with Sai, he was similar to Sasuke. It didn't make sense for team 7 to be injured this badly, was there some other team that he overlooked?

Sakura has her entire body covered with bandages. Judging from the exposed skin, it must have been corroded by something.

Not only her, Sai is also in bandages and scars...

"Sakura, are you okay?" Ino asked beside Sakura.

Team 10 and Team 7 came in at the same time.

Sakura shook her head slightly, "I'm fine."

Ino looked worried but didn't say much.

Naruto withdrew his gaze from them and looked towards the high platform, where he saw the Third Hokage slowly taking a few steps forward.

"First of all, congratulations on your success in getting here." The Sandaime took off the pipe from the corner of his mouth and said slowly.

"But since the third exam needs will be another filter for the ones fit to become a chunin."

Shikamaru glanced at Team 7 beside him.

Although with their help, Team 7 managed to pass the second exam, there's not much they can do to help in the qualifying round coming up.

"Ugh!" Sasuke groaned, clutching the back of his neck in pain.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" Sakura, standing behind him, asked quickly.

Naruto could see clearly that there was a strange three-magatama pattern on the back of Sasuke's neck.

It seems like a lot has happened...

"Since the third exam is a test of individual competency, if someone feels that they are unable to participate, they can concede and it will not affect the team's results," said a jonin holding a book and presiding over the preliminaries after the Sandaime's speech.

"You will have one minute."

"I give up!" A white-haired ninja raised his hand and said.

Naruto remembers him. During the first exam, this person seemed to pay great attention to Sasuke, what was his name? Kabuto?

"I give up, and my teammates who's injured..."

Before Sakura could finish her words, Sasuke stopped her, "Sakura!"

"But, you're…" Seeing Sasuke's painful expression, Sakura was about to raise her hands again.

"Let's go, Sakura!" Kakashi appeared next to her and said.

"Kakashi-sensei, please… Sasuke can't…." 

"Sorry, I'll take her away right now." Kakashi ignored her and smiled apologetically at Genma Shiranui.

Looking at Sakura who was forcibly taken away by Kakashi, Naruto could see a sense of relief from Sasuke.

"Is there anyone else who wants to give up?" Genma Shiranui asked again.

"..."

"In that case, the order of the next battles will be randomly selected by the machine. Spectators will go to the second floor to watch the battle."

After taking a look at the names displayed on the screen, Naruto and his two teammates walked towards the stairs along with the others.

" Sasuke Uchiha VS Yoroi Akado!"

On the field, Sasuke and a strangely dressed Oto-nin stood opposite each other.

"You don't seem to be in a good condition." Akado smiled cruelly.

Genma Shiranui glanced at the two of them, and waved his left hand, "Start!"

…

"Well done." Hayate smiled at his three pupils.

"Easy!" Izuno smiled confidently.

"To be honest, I recommended you three take the Chunin Exam with the idea of ​​letting you gain some experience. I didn't expect you to go so far." Hayate chuckled.

"Please, sensei, even if you have no faith in us, you don't need to say it like this, right?" Kaminarimon hooked Naruto's shoulder and chuckled.

Hayate smiled and nodded.

At this time, the battle on the field has entered a stalemate.

Although Sasuke was ill, Akado only trash-talked for a mental advantage. He attacked cautiously, expanding his advantage bit by bit.

Just when everyone thought that Sasuke would lose due to his physical condition, a shocking reversal occurred.

Without using any ninjutsu, Sasuke suddenly broke out, knocking the oto ninja to the ground with a series of heavy and powerful kicks.

"Wow." Kaminarimon opened his mouth slightly.

"As expected of the top student of our grade." Izuno also nodded.

They were close to Team 7 when they came in, so they could see their injured condition.

Even if Sasuke faints and falls to the ground in the next second, it would not surprise them.

But even with such serious injuries, Sasuke was still able to win. From this point of view, he was worthy of the name of Uchiha.

"Oh yeah Naruto, why weren't you the number 1 student at that time?" Izuno asked in confusion.

After getting to know him for a bit longer, she understood Naruto's skills.

His combat prowess is off the charts, and his theoretical results put her to shame. She was only able to help in the first test because of her special ninjutsu. 

"My marks were bad." Naruto shook his head slightly.

"I heard that there was a student who was always absent from classes, even the final exam," Hayate mentioned nonchalantly.

Izuno looked suddenly enlightened.

"I see..."

From what she saw in Naruto in the short while, it does make sense that he might not have taken the final exam seriously.

This guy could have been fishing on the day of the exam.

..

One preliminary qualifier after another.

The spectators had a better understanding of the fighting styles of ninjas in other villages.

The fourth fight, Akiku Izuno VS Ino Yamanaka.

The Izuno clan's cat-like ninjutsu VS the Yamanaka clan's mind-related technique!

Although Izuno has grown tremendously in the past six months, it is a pity.

Compared with the eldest daughter of the Yamanaka clan, she was slightly lacking and ultimately lost.

The fifth fight, Temari VS Tenten.

Temari, a representative of the suna ninja, easily won with her outstanding wind release ninjutsu.

The sixth fight, Shikamaru Nara VS Jin.

IQ diff equals skill diff, and this resulted in Shikamar's victory.

The seventh fight, Naruto Uzumaki VS Hinata Hyuga.

On the field, Naruto looked at Hinata, who was sitting next to him in the first exam and nodded slightly.

"Naruto-kun, long.. long time no see," Hinata said, her cheeks turned red inexplicably.

"Long time no see," Naruto said.

"Start!" Genma stepped aside the moment he finished speaking.

"Hinata, show me your fist." Naruto slowly pulled out the Kusabimaru.

"Yes." Hinata nodded slightly and slowly opened her posture.

After the girl entered the state, she no longer looked cowardly and had a certain assertive aura of her own.