Central Tower, Hall.
All candidates who successfully passed the exam gathered in the hall, lining up to proceed to the next stage.
A total of 7 teams, 21 people, passed the exam.
5 teams from Konoha, 1 from Hidden Sand, and 1 from Hidden Sound.
This number was consistent with the respective villages' strength.
An interesting piece of news:
All three teams of the latest genin class, totaling 9 individuals, passed the exam.
Meanwhile, among the seventy to eighty Konoha genin participating in this Chunin Exam, most of whom had graduated long ago, only two teams passed.
Finally, it was no longer the worst class the teachers had ever led.
At this moment, inside the hall, the genin teams were in a chaotic buzz.
As the face of Team Seven, Naruto naturally stood at the very front.
He scanned the crowd and found that all the individuals he was interested in were present.
Good, no one disappointed him.
Then, Naruto noticed Hinata secretly looking at him. He suddenly turned his head and winked at her.
Hinata instantly blushed, her heart pounding, and shyly lowered her head to play with her fingers.
A shy little girl, quite amusing.
Next, he noticed another gaze, and Naruto looked over again.
It was Ino.
He also winked at her in greeting, and Ino winked back cutely.
See?
There's quite a difference in personality between people.
But this wasn't as fun.
Hinata was cuter, more fun to tease, to watch her blush and get shy.
He averted his gaze and looked at the stage.
The Third Hokage led the group, with the others being examiners, unfamiliar Konoha ninja, and the team leaders of each squad.
The team leaders were mostly familiar: Might Guy, Kakashi, Asuma, and the mature Kurenai.
Naturally,
There was also the most important guest of this Chunin Exam—our dear Orochimaru.
Noticing Orochimaru's gaze drifting over, Naruto's heart stirred.
Sasuke, don't blame me for being ruthless.
Then,
"Hiss~"
Sasuke clutched the mark on the back of his neck, letting out a strange sound.
"Sasuke-kun, are you alright?"
Sakura immediately asked with concern. Seeing where Sasuke was clutching, she looked to Naruto for help, "Naruto, quickly look, Sasuke's side effects are worsening."
"I'm fine," Sasuke interrupted Sakura.
It wasn't pain, just itchiness.
Like someone scratching the sole of his foot.
It made him want to scratch it.
"Is it starting, Sasuke-kun?"
On the stage, Orochimaru gazed at Sasuke with an appreciative look.
As expected, this prey had endured the curse mark's side effects and made it here.
In his memories (fabricated ones), Sasuke's strength in that battle made him even more envious.
Sharingan, and a three-tomoe one at that.
He could use it skillfully and possessed strong genjutsu abilities.
In the end, it took him many tricks to get his hands on him.
He suppressed the urge to lick his lips with his tongue.
Soon, the Sharingan would be his.
Meanwhile.
Gaara's eyes were fixed straight on that yellow-haired boy.
"Gaara~"
Kankuro noticed Gaara's undisguised gaze and deliberately prompted him.
Gaara retracted his gaze.
That man, only by killing him would his own existence have meaning.
On the other side.
"Youth! I feel like I'm burning up!"
Seeing so many strong opponents, Rock Lee's eyes blazed with excitement.
He excitedly glanced at his teammate Neji, then at two other chosen opponents, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto (referring to Naruto as "one vs seven," playing on his name).
He was utterly satisfied.
These were all opponents he respected, very strong.
Taijutsu master Neji, genjutsu masters Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.
In the upcoming matches, if he could just use that.
His extreme speed had a chance to defeat Neji, and his explosive chakra would ensure he wasn't controlled by genjutsu.
He would definitely defeat all three of them!
These three were all geniuses. If he could defeat them honorably in this Chunin Exam, it would be simply perfect.
What else could better prove his youth than this?
He, Rock Lee, could also reach the level of a genius through desperate training.
He was also a genius!
A genius of effort!
"Lee."
Tenten speechlessly called out to the already burning Rock Lee, telling him to calm down to prevent him from spontaneously combusting.
This boy seemed a bit too hot-blooded.
"All the people I was observing also passed the exam."
After a quick scan, Neji came to a conclusion.
Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, the red-haired one from Hidden Sand.
Among the three, especially Uzumaki Naruto, wasn't he still the dead last at the academy before?
How did he suddenly grow to this extent?
Could it be that the predestined fate he had always believed in, could there still be a chance for a loser to turn things around?
Heh, let me witness it then!
Genjutsu? He had a way to deal with it!
If it's just genjutsu, he would only be able to beat him back to his original form.
Naruto had long sensed the gazes of the three.
Unfortunately, his opponents were not them.
Yesterday, he had learned a lot of information from Uchiha Roku (a pun on 六筒, Six Barrels), a reporter from the Ninja World Daily.
One piece of information was:
Too many candidates passed the second exam, and their strengths were uneven.
Therefore, to improve the competitive level and avoid boring fights for the VIPs, it was decided to hold a preliminary round after the second exam, keeping only half the students for the third exam.
After learning this news yesterday, Naruto had made his plans.
The preliminary round would be determined by drawing lots.
Though called a drawing, the scope for manipulation was vast.
A powerful enough genjutsu could completely control the selection.
Naruto didn't care about others, but he had to draw the strongest opponent for himself.
So,
Last night, he "selected his concubine" from these four opponents: Gaara, Hyuga Neji, Rock Lee, and Yakushi Kabuto. In the end, he drew Yakushi Kabuto.
Therefore, Naruto couldn't respond to the gazes of those three.
At this moment, the second exam proctor, Anko-sensei, announced: "The second exam is over. Lord Hokage will now explain the rules for the third exam!"
The old Hokage immediately stated bluntly: This exam was a microcosm of battles between allied nations, serving as a substitute for war, and incidentally showcasing the power of each village to the various sponsors.
It was very direct, very naked.
It was Naruto's first time seeing the Third Hokage being so pragmatic.
If that's truly the case, he wondered if the Hokage would be happy a month from now, when he saw Naruto's true strength.
Anyway, hurry up and start the match!
He wanted to see blood flow!
After the Third Hokage finished his rambling, a referee named Hayate Gekko stepped forward to explain on behalf of the Third.
This examiner seemed a bit unlucky.
His dark circles were deep purple, and he constantly coughed.
He gave off the impression that his life wouldn't last much longer.
Hayate Gekko, as expected, announced the preliminary round, which had been leaked in the intelligence.
The content was also consistent with the intelligence: too many people, so another selection was needed.
The format was simple: this time, it had nothing to do with teams, purely individual battles.
Opponents would be determined by drawing lots.
However, before that, individuals could decide whether to continue participating in the match.
"We've made it this far, no one's going to withdraw, referee! Hurry up and proceed to the next step!" Naruto couldn't help but grumble, urging the match forward.
As a result, reality slapped him hard in the face.
"Um, I... I want to withdraw from the match."
No sooner had he spoken than someone raised their hand to withdraw.
Naruto turned his head and was stunned.
That gray-haired, glasses-wearing person, wasn't that Kabuto?
This... something's wrong, isn't it?
My match with you was arranged long ago, and it was supposed to be the first one.