The Konoha Grand Arena was a circular venue spanning about two hundred acres. Besides a vast fighting competition ground, it had massive spectator stands capable of holding tens of thousands of people.
The walls surrounding the stands, which were over ten meters high, were carved with complex, profound, and densely packed Ninjutsu formulas to allow the audience to clearly and safely watch the ninja battles taking place in the arena.
The viewing platform for the five Kage was on a raised dais on the opposite side, higher than the audience stands, offering a commanding view of the battleground and allowing them to take in every detail of the ninja's performance.
There were eleven ninja from various nations participating in the Third Exam, which was the actual tournament. As the host of the Chūnin Exams, Konoha had one extra spot, claiming three in total: Orochimaru, Hyūga Bluebird, and Jiraiya. Manji was naturally included, but Orochimaru did not want to publicly reveal Chi's abilities yet, so he wasn't entered. Tsunade simply wanted to watch Orochimaru and the others fight, so she gave her spot to Jiraiya.
The participants were: Yotsuki A and his brother Yotsuki Tee from the Cloud Village; Nagai Moriyama and Sasori from the Sand Village; Hōzuki Mangetsu and Yagura from the Mist Village; and Ōnoki and Tsuchihara from the Stone Village.
With the eleven participants decided, the Chief Examiner of the Chūnin Exams—Konoha's Genjutsu Master, Yūhi Rō—took out a wooden lot cylinder wrapped in a Ninjutsu formula and began drawing lots.
In the high stands, the Raikage laughed heartily: "Haha, Sarutobi, your unruly student has certainly given you a lot of trouble this Chūnin Exam!"
"Hehe, not at all, not at all. Mr. Manrō's pupil truly has astonishing strength!" Yotsuki Manrō had a good relationship with the deceased Second Hokage, so his words contained a hint of friendly teasing. Sarutobi, being a rank lower in seniority than the other Kage, couldn't admit to it and humbly replied.
The Second Kazekage said faintly: "Sarutobi, you have raised a fine student. Even Hanzō speaks highly of that Orochimaru."
The moment the Kazekage spoke, all four Kage leaders looked toward Sarutobi.
Sarutobi's gaze narrowed. The Kage present naturally knew exactly what the Kazekage meant by Hanzō's praise.
If Sarutobi were to acknowledge the title of "Ninja World's Number One Genius," how would the other Kage's pupils feel? It would undoubtedly be an insult to the Kage's face. If Sarutobi answered poorly, it would also diminish his status and prestige as the Kage of the Land of Fire. The Kazekage's words clearly put Sarutobi in an awkward position.
However, Sarutobi maintained his kind expression and chuckled: "Although Orochimaru is not weak, those rumors are baseless fabrications. Besides, this competition is just a bit of friendly roughhousing among the younger generation. We Kage shouldn't be too petty, should we?"
Sarutobi's words were neither servile nor overbearing. He maintained his status while subtly shifting the topic and complimenting the Kage of the other nations. Regardless of the final rankings of their examinees, hearing Sarutobi say this made it easier for the Kage to accept the outcome.
Just then, the eleven examinees finished drawing their lots, and the Kage stopped talking to watch the matches.
To Orochimaru's surprise, he drew a bye in the preliminary round. In contrast, Jiraiya and Bluebird were both matched against powerful opponents.
The waiting examinees retreated to the stands. Orochimaru, Bluebird, and Jiraiya took seats next to Manji and the others.
As Yūhi Rō's voice announced: "The first match of the preliminary round officially begins!" a wave of cheers erupted from the tens of thousands of Konoha spectators in the stands.
The first match of the preliminaries was the Cloud ninja Yotsuki A versus the Stone ninja Tsuchihara.
The Stone ninja named Tsuchihara, who had kept a low profile during the first two Chūnin Exams, displayed a pure and highly proficient Earth Release Ninjutsu foundation during the fight. He defended the wild and fierce Lightning Release Taijutsu offensive of Yotsuki A methodically, but he was ultimately overwhelmed and defeated by Yotsuki A, losing the match.
The second match of the preliminaries was the Mist ninja Hōzuki Mangetsu versus the Cloud ninja Yotsuki Tee.
Although Water Release generally holds a slight disadvantage against Lightning Release, Hōzuki Mangetsu—who would later be known as the Demon Swordsman of the Seven Ninja Swords for his skill with all seven blades—initially showcased his tremendous strength. Summoning only one Explosion Blade, he secured a victory amidst the earth-shaking roar of the entire arena.
The third match was Hyūga Bluebird versus Ōnoki.
As the match was about to begin, Orochimaru carefully scrutinized Ōnoki, who was already standing in the middle of the arena, and then cautioned Bluebird with a serious tone: "Be careful, that Stone ninja is not easy to deal with!" Bluebird nodded and entered the competition area.
The damage caused by the previous two matches was quickly restored to its original state by Konoha's maintenance ninja using Ninjutsu.
Bluebird, clad in a pure white Hyūga uniform, stood quietly before Ōnoki.
It wasn't until he stood before the short, unremarkable Stone ninja that Bluebird truly understood the gravity in Orochimaru's warning.
The unassuming, short-statured Ōnoki possessed an incredibly contained internal aura, as vast as if mountains and great lakes were interweaved within him, creating immense pressure on Bluebird.
Yūhi Rō looked at the two fighters, whose auras were tightly contained, and announced: "The third match of the preliminary round: Hyūga Bluebird versus Ōnoki! Begin now!"
The moment Yūhi Rō finished speaking, the auras of Bluebird and Ōnoki surged out of their bodies like a floodgate opening.
Boom—
The clash of their auras instantly raised a powerful gust of wind, kicking up fallen leaves and dust and bending the grass.
Byakugan: Activate!
The unique field of vision from the black-and-white observation eyes amplified his 360-degree vision several times over. As countless pieces of information flooded Bluebird's mind, he radiated a self-assured confidence of having mastered the situation. Without waiting for Ōnoki to move, he pushed off the ground, darting out with the intention of seizing the initiative.
Bluebird's steps were light, and after a few leaps, he had circled the immobile Ōnoki—who was meeting movement with stillness—within an invisible Eight Trigrams Formation.
Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Air Palm!
Bluebird's eyes, bulging with pale blue veins, narrowed sharply. He unleashed thirty-six rapid, powerful, invisible palm strikes at Ōnoki!
Boom, boom, boom—
A continuous barrage of fierce Gentle Fist strikes compressed the air in front of Bluebird. The thirty-six palm strikes created thirty-six columns of compressed air, each as thick as a grown man's arm.
However, Bluebird's initial attack was not over!
Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher!
After unleashing the thirty-six palms, he quickly pulled his hands back, collecting them at his sides. A surge of pure chakra violently poured into his palms. After pausing at his waist for a mere tenth of a finger-snap, he thrust his hands forward!
The space about a meter in front of Bluebird seemed to contain a bomb. Under the impact of this violent force, there was a sudden, deafening "boom," followed by an explosion.
In the next instant, the fierce force unleashed by this Mountain Crusher immediately caught up with the thirty-six Air Palm strikes.
The two chakra forces, sharing the same origin, instantly fused, stacking their power, and increasing their momentum by more than double!
With two palms united: Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Mountain Collapse!
The fused forces of the two techniques formed a vacuum-punch column as thick as a barrel, forcing the air into non-stop, roaring explosions, rushing toward Ōnoki like a torrent or a tsunami!
The battle had just begun, and Bluebird had unleashed his strongest attack.
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