The preliminary rounds of the third exam were held at the Konoha Training Ground, with 24 examinees. They would fight in pairs, and after half were eliminated, the remaining examinees would move to the arena for the continuation of the exam, until a winner was decided.
It wasn't only the winner who could be promoted to Chunin; Genin who performed exceptionally well in the arena exam could also be promoted.
Even if one encountered a strong opponent at the beginning and lost the match, as long as they had a good performance, it wasn't impossible to be promoted.
After the unified assembly where the exam rules were explained, the Examiner took out the drawing slips and began assigning opponents to the examinees.
Naraku's opponent was a girl from the Hyuga Branch Family, tall and agile. Her forehead protector was neatly tied on her head, perhaps to conceal the Caged Bird Seal.
He glanced at the girl's name on the notice board.
Hyuga Haru.
Unfortunately, the girl was not as bright as her name suggested; her expression was serious throughout, as if she held a deep grudge against him.
Naraku didn't mind; after the Hyuga Clan's luxurious package of the Caged Bird Seal and psychological manipulation, it would be a miracle if her personality were cheerful and lively.
Standing firm on the training ground, Naraku drew his short sword, preparing for a strong offensive using the White Fang's sword style and Ninjutsu.
The Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan could see through an opponent's Chakra flow and had a certain resistance to Genjutsu. Additionally, a weapon was somewhat advantageous against the bare-handed Gentle Fist Art, which led to his plan.
"Ready—Begin!"
As the referee's command echoed, Naraku and Hyuga Haru moved simultaneously.
Naraku unleashed several fierce slashes, but contrary to common sense, when Hyuga Haru used the Gentle Fist Art, her palms were wrapped in Chakra, making it not so easy for the blade to break through her defense. Coupled with her Taijutsu foundation and reaction speed, avoiding the blade was not difficult.
Seeing that his sword style was ineffective for a long time and he almost got hit by two of her palms, Naraku jumped back a few steps to create distance, preparing to change his approach.
Fortunately, Hyuga Haru had not yet mastered the Eight Trigrams Empty Palm, which gave him time to adjust his moves.
He gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, holding it to his side, and in an instant, thrust forward at Hyuga Haru, but she activated her Byakugan, ducked, and struck the flat of the blade with her palm.
A surge of immense force came from the sword. Naraku released his grip, and the short sword spun out with the force, arcing through the air before landing on the ground, half its blade embedded in the soil.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!
Naraku had already completed the hand signs as the sword flew out. In the blink of an eye, a man-sized fireball surged towards Hyuga Haru. She could almost see the air in front of her twisting from the high temperature, and a faint smell of scorching.
At the last moment, Hyuga Haru finally managed to use the Substitution Jutsu, letting a wooden log take her place to be engulfed by the raging flames, while she appeared on the other side of the training ground, her left sleeve mostly burned away, a slight burn on her arm, and her Byakugan also deactivated.
Naraku didn't give her time to breathe; the hand signs for Lightning Release: Lightning Net were also complete. Several bolts of lightning interwoven into a net surged towards Hyuga Haru, showing no mercy.
"That Uchiha brat, his hand sign speed is so fast!"
"How many per second? Did you see clearly?"
"It seems to be five..."
"So strong, as expected of an Uchiha."
The Ninja watching the exam whispered among themselves, reaching Kakashi's ears and causing the corners of his mouth to curve slightly.
He looked into the training ground. Naraku had been suppressing Hyuga Haru ever since he changed his attack method. The latter, not having mastered long-range Ninjutsu, could only be kited by Naraku until her Chakra was exhausted.
In the arena, Naraku looked at the panting Hyuga Haru, who had barely dodged the Lightning Net with Taijutsu. Her left arm was completely unable to be raised, making it impossible to use the Three Body Jutsu. She could only use Gentle Fist with her right arm, greatly reducing her threat.
But he dared not be careless. Even a lion uses its full strength to fight a rabbit. If he were to unexpectedly stumble, he would not only lose face in Konoha Village but also in front of the audience in another world.
Thinking of this, Naraku quickly raised his hand to make hand signs, fluidly performing the Lightning Release: Thunder Needle that Kakashi had once used. More than ten senbon needles formed from lightning-attribute Chakra flew towards Hyuga Haru.
Hyuga Haru could only dodge again. After barely avoiding most of the Thunder Needles, the last two pierced the outer side of her thigh, instantly making her entire leg go numb.
She forced herself to watch Naraku's movements, only to find that he had vanished from her sight. She quickly activated her Byakugan again to search, but saw nothing.
At this moment, a ripple of Chakra came from behind her.
Hyuga Haru's pupils contracted, and she immediately turned her head.
Naraku had already rushed in low behind her, holding the sword that had been knocked away earlier, poised to slash upwards and sever her shoulder.
The sword light was like a white silk ribbon, swiftly filling her entire vision.
But in the end, it was merely a breeze across her face; the blade stopped at her left shoulder, tearing only a layer of clothing.
"Combat over, winner Uchiha Naraku."
The referee, experienced as he was, announced the result of the match as Naraku stopped his attack.
There was no point in arguing. Hyuga Haru could only accept it, looking at the Uchiha, who was her opponent but much younger than herself, she pursed her lips in reluctance and formed the reconciliation sign with him.
If it weren't for the blind spot in her Byakugan just now… Remembering the Caged Bird Seal on her forehead that shackled all members of the Branch Family, Hyuga Haru's already numb heart felt a fresh pang of pain.
By the time she recovered, that Uchiha had already walked out of the training ground, chatting with the son of the white fang, as rumored.
"Haru? Are you alright?"
A young man's voice sounded beside her. She turned to him and nodded: "I'm fine, Hizashi."
"You should get your burns treated at the Hospital as soon as possible. It might get infected if you wait too long."
Hyuga Hizashi took her right hand, and the two walked out of the training ground together.
"Don't be so sad, Haru. It's normal not to pass the first time."
"Hizashi, teach me the Eight Trigrams Empty Palm tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure, but I'm very strict, you know."
"Of course."
...Kakashi's opponent in the preliminaries was from the Aburame Clan.
His opponent was skilled, but still a notch below Kakashi. After Kakashi burned a significant number of his insects with Lightning Release and Fire Release, he decisively conceded.
A day later, the 12 winners were regrouped and entered the arena for the next round of battles.
Naraku and Kakashi again defeated their opponents, entering the top six.
Also among the top six was Might Dai, who had advanced triumphantly.
Ever since entering the one-on-one final matches, Might Dai had rarely met his match. As long as the Ninjutsu wasn't too effective against him, most opponents were dealt with before he even opened the Third Gate.
Next, Naraku had a bye, and Kakashi won another match, with both entering the semi-finals of the final four.
Might Dai had truly bad luck; in this round, he encountered a member of the Kurama Clan. The Genjutsu was too troublesome, wasting a lot of his stamina and Chakra, and he ultimately suffered a regrettable defeat.
However, Sakumo received early news that the higher-ups greatly appreciated his Taijutsu skill. Furthermore, Might Dai's strength was indeed exceptional; purely in terms of Taijutsu, only a handful of Jonin could surpass him.
So, the higher-ups decided to promote Might Dai, but when he went on missions in the future, he would have to try to find teammates who could compensate for his Genjutsu weakness, otherwise, it would not be approved.
Unless he could, through future training, resist a certain level of Genjutsu.
When the final two match-up lists came out, Naraku couldn't help but marvel at his good fortune. With only four people left, he still hadn't faced Kakashi.
If he won his semi-final match tomorrow, he would meet Kakashi in the finals.
Just thinking about it made him a little excited.
Regardless of whether the final was a win or a loss, this fated confrontation would attract a lot of attention, both from Konoha and from another world.
As night fell, Naraku opened the system store, deciding to strengthen himself further.
[Chakra × 1]
[Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique]
[Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique]
[Lightning Release: Swift Lightning Arrow]
Buy, buy, buy!
Why shouldn't I use the popularity points I earned through my own strength to strengthen myself?
After buying the items he needed, feeling the abundant Chakra within him and his mastery of Ninjutsu, Naraku hugged his blanket and fell into a beautiful sleep... The next day, Naraku got his wish, narrowly winning his battle against a member of the Kurama Clan, and Kakashi also won.
For the first time since graduating from the academy, the two became genuine opponents in a match...