The names on the electronic scoreboard flickered frantically. Every eye in the room followed the blurring text, breaths held in collective anticipation. Suddenly, the board went still, and the gaze of the crowd shifted upward as one.
The corners of Sasuke's mouth quirked upward; the name displayed was his own.
Kanon asked with a trace of anxiety, "Nii-chan, can you do this?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Leave it to me..." Sasuke started to say, but he immediately gritted his teeth, clamping a hand over the Curse Mark on his shoulder.
"Will the two candidates displayed on the board please step forward?"
"The first match: Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akado. Any objections?" Hayate Gekko inquired.
"None!" the two replied in unison, their voices burning with fighting spirit.
Watching the standoff between Sasuke and Yoroi, a sense of dread rippled through the spectators.
"Go for it! Onii-chan!!!" Kanon's voice erupted through the silence, echoing throughout the entire hall.
Everyone turned to look at her, Uchiha Kanon, the only girl left of the Uchiha lineage.
Kanon didn't seem to care about the stares; she simply flashed a peace sign at Sasuke.
Sasuke walked over to her and gently poked her forehead with his index and middle fingers.
"Don't worry."
"Even though this thing was left by him, it's still the way we siblings express our love, isn't it?" Sasuke said, stroking the Curse Mark on his shoulder with a confident smirk.
"Mm!" Kanon nodded. Her trust in her brother was absolute.
Hayate Gekko gave them both a nod, then stood in the center of the arena to announce: "Now, the first round... begin!"
"All non-combatants, please move to the spectator balcony."
As the others were heading up, Kakashi intercepted Sasuke.
"Sasuke, don't use your Sharingan."
"You know about this?!" Sasuke turned, staring hard at Kakashi.
"If the Curse Mark on your neck goes berserk, you'll die," Kakashi said, his tone grim.
"I figured as much..."
"It's fine. If that happens, the exam will be halted and I'll step in to stop you. I'm counting on you until then."
After Kakashi left, the battle ignited instantly.
Sasuke's start was incredibly difficult. Because he couldn't mold his chakra properly, he was constantly on the defensive. Watching from above, Kanon was consumed by a towering rage. Had Naruto and Sakura not been holding her back, she might truly have leaped down to tear his opponent limb from limb.
"Let me go! That bastard in the sunglasses… I'm going to shove them right up his nose!!!"
"Kanon, calm down! This is the Chunin Exams!" Sakura tried to reason with her.
Naruto gripped her arms tight to keep her from moving.
"Naruto, let go! Just watch me blow that guy away!!"
Naruto looked helplessly at Kakashi, but the Jonin simply stood with his hands in his pockets, appearing perfectly composed despite the chaos.
The usually clever and cute Kanon was now in such a blind fury that Naruto didn't know what to do. He ended up hugging her from behind and turning her away from the arena, as he was equally worried about Sasuke's performance.
Indeed, Sasuke was at a distinct disadvantage. Naruto, unable to restrain himself any longer, leaned over the railing and roared:
"Sasuke!"
"Are you even Sasuke Uchiha anymore?!"
"Stop embarrassing yourself! Fight for real!"
As if summoned back by Naruto's shouting, Sasuke's resolve hardened. He didn't look at Naruto; instead, he caught sight of Rock Lee out of the corner of his eye, and a flash of inspiration struck him.
At that moment, Yoroi Akado pressed his palms together and launched a fierce assault.
"Distracted? This is the end!"
Yoroi's attack was sharp, but Sasuke skillfully maneuvered away. Spotting an opening, he delivered a crushing kick directly to Yoroi's chin.
The force of the blow was immense, launching Yoroi into the air. Sasuke didn't let up; he vanished in a blur, reappearing instantly behind Yoroi's back.
Rock Lee and Guy were stunned. The move Sasuke was demonstrating was a variation of their secret technique, the Primary Lotus.
However, just as Sasuke began to weave signs behind Yoroi to finish him, the Curse Mark flared. A surge of agony twisted his face in mid-air.
With a guttural roar, he forcibly suppressed the power of the Curse Mark through sheer willpower, leaving everyone present in a state of shock.
Sasuke swung his left leg in a semi-circle toward Yoroi. His opponent managed to parry the strike, but the battle wasn't over. Sasuke spun his body in the air, culminating in a heavy, 360-degree rotating kick.
"This is an original of mine. I call it..."
With a resounding crash, Sasuke drove Yoroi into the floor.
"Lions Barrage!"
Naruto watched the scene, jaw agape. He set Kanon down and said nothing more. Sakura was moved to tears, knowing how hard Sasuke had fought for this victory.
Seeing Sasuke panting for breath, Kanon rushed down to the floor to help him up.
"I didn't lose, did I?" he asked, managing a smile for her.
Before he could say another word, Kanon threw her arms around him in a tight hug.
"Nii-chan... I always knew you wouldn't lose!"
"Yeah... so don't you lose, either. I want to face you in the finals."
"Count on it! I won't lose," Kanon nodded firmly.
"We all have to hold out until the end." Kakashi crouched down to inspect the injury on Sasuke's neck as the Medical Corps arrived.
Kakashi flatly refused the medical team's help.
"You won't be able to heal this. I'll handle it myself."
"Now, I'm taking him to seal that mark..." Kakashi said in a low voice.
"I want to wait until the preliminaries are over! I want to see who makes the cut," Sasuke protested.
"No, you're being too reckless. If we don't treat this immediately, the consequences will be dire," Kakashi told him.
Faced with no other choice, Sasuke followed Kakashi out. But before he left, he looked back at Kanon.
"Kanon, don't you dare lose!"
"Don't worry, Sasuke-niichan, I won't!" Kanon answered confidently. Her blue Uchiha coat fluttered in the draft, and with her refined features and flowing jet-black hair, she stood out as a striking figure in the arena.
"Then, let us begin the next match immediately," Hayate Gekko said calmly.
As soon as he finished, the electronic board began its next random selection.
This round featured Shino Aburame against Zaku Abumi.
Due to the severe injuries Zaku had sustained in the Forest of Death, a pierced abdomen and arms broken by Sasuke, the match ended swiftly in his defeat.
Shino returned to a warm welcome from Team 8. Kiba Inuzuka clapped him on the shoulder.
"Great job, Shino!"
Hinata also offered her congratulations with a gentle smile.
As the cheers died down, the room went silent once more. All eyes were glued to the scoreboard as the next pairing appeared.
"Is it me??" Kanon let out a bright smile, waving another peace sign to Naruto and Sakura on the balcony.
On the electronic board, the combatants were clearly displayed:
Kanon Uchiha vs. Kankuro!