While Team 7 was training hard, their opponents didn't dare to relax either.
For instance, Sasuke Uchiha's upcoming opponent was Rock Lee. This meant the victor between Team 3 and Team 7 would likely be decided in the very first round. As the Jonin leader of Team 3, Might Guy was a bit worried history would repeat itself. He had never managed to defeat Kakashi, and now his favorite student, Rock Lee, was facing Kakashi's prized student, Sasuke Uchiha. It felt like a repeating cycle.
"Lee! Don't stop!" Might Guy shouted, walking backward to encourage his student. "You must break through your own limits! It's only five hundred laps! Just two hundred more and you'll have done it!"
"..."
Rock Lee nodded seriously, panting as he replied, "Guy-sensei... even five hundred laps... I still feel it's not enough! This level of training is not enough to defeat a genius like Sasuke Uchiha!"
"Lee!" Hearing his student's words, Might Guy's eyes instantly filled with tears. "That's right! That's the spirit! Strive to break through your limits! Today, we will run a thousand laps!"
"Yes, Guy-sensei!" Rock Lee gritted his teeth.
Running a thousand laps around Konoha would probably take them until dawn, but this strange master-student pair didn't care. As ninjas specializing in Taijutsu, they were often seen as being at the bottom of the hierarchy. To surpass the geniuses, they had to put in more effort and sweat than anyone else.
Beyond that, they also needed an edge. For example, the Eight Inner Gates.
Rock Lee looked at his Jonin leader, his expression turning serious. "Guy-sensei... I have a request!"
"I accept, Lee!" Might Guy nodded without needing to hear more. "I permit you to open the Eight Inner Gates in battle. Your opponent is the top student of the new generation, in no way inferior to Neji!"
"..."
Rock Lee let out a satisfied sigh of relief, but a trace of sadness soon appeared in his eyes. "Originally, I wanted to save the Eight Inner Gates for my decisive battle with Neji. But unfortunately, we are all facing unprecedentedly strong enemies..."
"Whether it's you or Neji... I believe your efforts will not be in vain! You will definitely not fall in the Chunin Exams!" Might Guy roared with passion. "Run, Lee! The blood of youth is boiling! Let it burn through you until you defeat the person you were yesterday!"
"Yes, Guy-sensei!"
The passionate exchange between master and student didn't attract any attention from the guards. They were long used to it. After all, Might Guy was Konoha's well-known training fanatic.
As for the Hyuga Neji they mentioned, he was also training intensely.
Since Tenten had been eliminated by Temari in the preliminaries, she was now helping Neji train. It was just that their training method was a bit... extravagant.
"Twin Rising Dragons!"
"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"
Hundreds, even thousands, of ninja tools shot out from Tenten's scrolls, but Neji knocked them all aside with his revolving palm technique. Only a few shuriken managed to graze his clothes.
"It's not enough..." After using Revolving Heaven, Neji was completely exhausted. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to sit down in the crater at his feet. "Tenten, your speed still isn't fast enough..."
The girl with the double bun hairstyle tilted her head and frowned. "Even at this speed, Neji, you didn't block all of them. If I go any faster..."
"..."
Hyuga Neji froze for a moment, then clenched his fist. "It doesn't matter. The Byakugan can see the trajectory of every attack. I will avoid the vital points! Tenten, don't hold back for my sake. Attack me with all your strength. We don't have enough time. To defeat that guy Naruto, the defense of Revolving Heaven isn't enough!"
Besides, his Revolving Heaven was still only half-perfected. Because it was a secret technique of the main family, Neji, as a member of the branch family, had been forced to figure out the palm technique on his own.
"Okay..." Tenten's face showed a flicker of heartache, but she chose to respect her teammate's decision. They were a team that could entrust their lives to each other; there was no room for hesitation.
Perhaps because their Jonin leader was a fierce man like Might Guy, Tenten was also somewhat unconventional. A teammate like her was probably what many people dreamed of. She had the charm and cuteness of a girl, but also the persistence and seriousness of a true ninja.
Aside from the hardworking Team 3, Konoha also had its lazier members, like Nara Shikamaru. He was the only one from Team 10 to make it to the main tournament.
As the shining star of Team 10, his Jonin leader, Sarutobi Asuma, and his two teammates, Akimichi Choji and Yamanaka Ino, were all helping him train. Unfortunately, the Shadow Imitation Technique that Shikamaru specialized in was most effective when used as part of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation.
As evening approached, after barely finishing a day's training, Shikamaru leaned against a tree trunk, shaking his head. "Man, this is such a drag... I'm not suited for fighting..."
"Shikamaru, are you suited for anything?" Ino flicked him on the head. "You have to at least make it to the second round! And you absolutely cannot lose to that Sand Village woman! She'll kill you!"
"That... is a real possibility," Choji added, nodding with a serious face. "Naruto almost killed her brother in the preliminaries. That woman will definitely fight like crazy in the main tournament!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Asuma felt a sweatdrop forming as he listened. He couldn't help but ruffle Ino's and Choji's hair. "You two, don't put so much pressure on Shikamaru. It's rare for a life-or-death battle to actually happen in the third stage of the Chunin Exams..."
As he spoke, Asuma's tone shifted. He patted Shikamaru's shoulder. "But, if someone refuses to train hard and can't even withstand a single jutsu from the enemy, they might die so quickly that even we Jonin can't rescue them in time..."
"Asuma-sensei!" Shikamaru glared at his Jonin leader and held out his hands. "Actually, I have my own plan. The rules of the Chunin Exams aren't just about winning or losing, but about impressing the judges..."
"You want to play that angle?"
"What choice do I have?" Shikamaru glanced at his teacher, who looked like he'd just had a revelation, and continued his analysis. "Even if I make it to the second round, I have almost no chance of winning against either Sasuke or Naruto. It would be hard to even put up a fight. So, I have to focus everything on the first match. That Sand Village woman is tough, but I've already got a rough idea of her abilities. Dealing with her is a lot better than facing those two from Team 7!"
"Tsk... who could have known two freaks would show up among the rookies!" Asuma patted Shikamaru's head affectionately. "But, don't lose heart, Shikamaru! In my eyes, you guys are excellent ninjas too!"
"..."
These words obviously didn't comfort Shikamaru. He just pushed away Asuma's large hand in annoyance. "Sensei, no need to say that. If simple words could change the outcome of a battle, the Third Hokage would have unified the ninja world long ago..."
Asuma scratched his head awkwardly and sighed. "The old man is indeed very persuasive..."
-----
Bonus:
Might Guy: Lee, you have to make me proud!
Rock Lee: How do I do that?
Might Guy: I have never defeated Kakashi in my entire life. You must defeat Kakashi's student and reclaim your teacher's lost dignity!
Rock Lee: Um... Guy-sensei... have you never opened the Eight Inner Gates against him?
Might Guy: Lee! Defeating an opponent and killing an opponent are two different things, understand?
Kakashi: ...