White Zetsu knew well that the intuition from Spectator Pathway was always sharp—there would never be a warning without reason.
"Keep watching. If necessary, hypnosis is allowed," he sneered, a cruel smile curling his lips.
"Takigakure, Uesugi Koeru—this might be a test from 'Adam,' or a 'countermove'? It doesn't matter. Soon, I will gain power equal to 'Adam's'!"
Yes, very soon, under everyone's watchful eyes, he would ascend to Sequence Four!
"Go, tell that 'madman.'"
White Zetsu let out a sinister chuckle as he looked out the window.
"Hasn't he been searching for the Twilight Hermit all this time? Now, I've lured them all out."
"Yes."
The masked Anbu silently disappeared from the office.
Lowering his head to look at the discarded face mask, White Zetsu snorted coldly.
"It's fine. Soon, I won't have to wear this disgusting face anymore. Just hold on a little longer. Hm, Hatake Kakashi... Hmph, an interesting fellow. Could it be that he's realized I'm an imposter?"
Hatake Kakashi.
White Zetsu had to admit, this guy had a sharp instinct.
Ever since suspecting the 'Third Hokage' might be an imposter, Kakashi had been avoiding him for various reasons—even leaving the village for a while.
But it was only a small problem. As soon as he advanced, Kakashi wouldn't matter anymore.
Unfortunately, White Zetsu didn't understand one thing.
Battles between Beyonders in the Pathway System were often unpredictable.
But that didn't apply to the 'Spectator' Pathway. Especially when both were from the same path, the higher-ranked opponent would completely dominate the lower-ranked one.
Both could dive deep into the Sea of Collective Subconscious and peer into the island of consciousness, but for Uchiha Sogetsu—who had already reached the rank of 'Angel'—White Zetsu's so-called schemes, layouts, and plans were nothing more than child's play.
White Zetsu didn't even know that the Anbu he had 'hypnotized' had silently transformed into someone else's shape.
The third test in the Forest of Death was conducted by drawing lots for one-on-one battles.
The winners would advance to the final round—the Chunin Exam held officially in half a month, witnessed by the Kage-level and nobles of each country.
As for the losers, they would have to try again next year.
Soon, the names started scrolling on the electronic screen and finally stopped at Dosu and Uchiha Sasuke.
"Sound Village's Dosu versus Leaf Village's Uchiha Sasuke."
The pale and sickly-looking Hayate Gekko, acting as the referee for this exam, called out the names of the two fighters.
"Sasuke, from the Sound Village!"
Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly, her worry for Sasuke showing.
"Don't worry, leave it to me."
Sasuke hugged the uneasy Sakura briefly, then her gaze inexplicably shifted toward the resting room.
Naruto seemed to still be inside.
"Both fighters, please enter the arena immediately."
Hayate Gekko urged once again.
"I'm going."
Sasuke withdrew her gaze and smiled faintly.
"Watch how I beat up that jerk who bullied you!"
"Please be very careful, they're strong."
Sakura reminded her anxiously once more.
Whoosh!
In a flash, Sasuke suddenly appeared on the lower fighting stage.
"What a beautiful Body Flicker Technique!"
From the stands, Kurenai Yūhi's ruby-like eyes lit up with admiration.
"To be so skilled with Body Flicker at such a young age... even many Jonin can't match this kid. Maybe he'll inherit the title of 'Body Flicker' in the future."
"That's right, the only things left to gain are experience and age."
As Kurenai Yūhi's devoted admirer, Asuma Sarutobi nodded in agreement.
"No wonder he inherited the 'Uchiha' bloodline. His talent is truly amazing."
The Jonin discussing quietly above didn't let their words reach the arena.
Hayate Gekko looked at both sides, then raised his hand.
"Duel... start!"
Dosu, wrapped in bandages like a mummy, glared at Sasuke darkly.
"Last time, that monster girl protected you. This time, no one will save you."
"I'll say the same to you."
Sasuke's eyes were cold and sharp.
She spread her legs firmly, held one hand forward, and beckoned with her finger.
"Last time, while you took advantage of me and Naruto being unconscious, our teammate Sakura suffered a lot. I'll take back everything from you, with interest."
"If you think you can, then just try!"
Dosu shouted low, gathering chakra explosively in his soles.
Boom!
The neat stone bricks shattered into pieces. The opponent moved incredibly fast, rushing straight at him.
At first, to the group of genin watching, Dosu's speed definitely wasn't slow.
But when his fist hit Sasuke, there was no feeling at all—like he had punched through thin air. His pupils shrank sharply, his face suddenly showing shock.
Sasuke's figure vanished like a bubble.
At that moment, the crowd in the stands gasped.
"Is that... an afterimage?!"
Dosu wanted to shout the same thing in his heart.
"Your moves are too slow."
A light voice quietly sounded behind Dosu.
Behind him?!
Dosu whipped around suddenly, his arm swinging like a whip.
Crack!
The air cracked with the sound of impact.
Anyone could see Dosu's strength was no joke.
But Sasuke easily raised a hand to block the arm swing. The collision of their forces sent a shockwave exploding nearby, cracking the ground inch by inch.
"You're weak."
Sasuke's eyes were calm. Blocking Dosu's attack was barely even a warm-up for her.
"Konoha's ninja, don't get too arrogant!"
Dosu squinted, a cold smile of satisfaction appearing on his face as he rolled up his sleeve. "My attacks aren't so easy to block!"
On his arm, he wore a protective armor full of holes—a clear ninja tool.
"You lost, Uchiha Sasuke!"
Dosu slammed his palm onto his armored guard, snarling, "If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being careless—approaching me without knowing a single piece of information!"
"Oh?"
Sasuke tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing, "Looks like I didn't make myself clear enough."
"Take this, sound wave!"
Just as Dosu was about to inject chakra into the armored guard on his arm—full of holes designed to produce a piercing sound wave that would tear through Sasuke's body—
Sasuke sneered and suddenly clenched her five fingers tightly.
Crack!
The steel armor, specially made with holes for ninjutsu, was crushed by Sasuke's slender fingers.
Effortlessly, she squeezed the armor into pieces and grabbed Dosu's arm directly.
In an instant, Dosu felt his arm bones shatter, as if crushed by a stone mill, sending unbearable pain through him and forcing out a dreadful scream.
"Ah—!!!"
Sasuke looked down coldly at the struggling Dosu and said lightly, "You're just too weak."
"Sasuke, let him go!"
Hayate Gekko's expression changed as he hurried forward to separate them.
At this point, Dosu had clearly lost all ability to fight and should be considered defeated.
However, just as Hayate Gekko rushed in to pull Sasuke away by force, the latter whispered calmly, "Lightning Release: Chidori Senbon!"
Shh! Shh!
In an instant, brilliant lightning covered the girl's entire body like armor.
The bursting thunder crackled fiercely, tearing the ground around them apart.
Even Hayate Gekko, who tried to step forward and stop it, had no choice but to halt, unwilling to touch the exploding lightning.
"Ahhh!"
Dosu's scream slowly faded away.
When the lightning finally vanished, everyone looked back at the arena. Dosu was charred black all over, emitting a scent like roasted meat.
Uchiha Sasuke remained calm from start to finish. Not a speck of dust was on her clothes. Her tied-up ponytail fluttered in the wind as she turned to face the remaining Sound ninjas, coldly saying, "This was just a lesson. I hope you all pass the exam. If you don't accept it, I'm waiting for your revenge."
This is the pride of the last bloodline of the Uchiha clan!
She, Sasuke, fears no challenge!
Hayate Gekko stared at the severely injured Dosu in shock, eyes fixed on Uchiha Sasuke.
If he wasn't mistaken, that jutsu was S-rank. To have created a ninjutsu of such level at this age—truly worthy of being an Uchiha genius!
"Konoha, Uchiha Sasuke, wins!"
*******
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