"We snatched the scrolls so early. Shouldn't we be the first ones here?"
Naruto looked a bit excited as he gazed at the empty clan gathering hall.
"You guys are idiots! Woof!"
Kiba folded his arms across his chest, with Akamaru in his arms. He swaggered forward, looking smug.
"Kiba! Your team actually got here so early. Does that mean you're the first group?"
"Not really. The first ones were Sunagakure ninjas."
As he said this, his formerly proud expression turned a bit wary. His eyes were a bit unsettled, as if he'd seen something terrifying.
Naruto thought carefully. "Wasn't Sunagakure the village Gaara's from? You know, the guy with the strange markings on his face and a gourd on his back."
Only three of them took part this time, but they passed both the first and second rounds. They're really something!
................
"I didn't expect there to be so many people who passed the second exam."
The Third Hokage couldn't help sighing when he saw the large group of candidates below.
"Yes, Lord Hokage. There are quite a few top - notch ninjas among this year's candidates, that's why the pass rate is so high!"
"But there are too many of them. It might not be a good idea to conduct the final selection this way. The Daimyōs of various countries and some important people will come to watch then."
The Hokage thought for a bit.
"Add a preliminary round. Itachi, you'll be the judge for the preliminary round."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Itachi stepped out from the group of elite Jonin. He glanced at the candidates below, and his gaze fell on Sasuke, who looked calm.
He'd heard about Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. He never thought that son of a gun would target his little brother! He should've killed him right then and there when they met.
Itachi clenched his fists tightly. Sarutobi noticed Itachi acting weird and gave a soft cough to remind him.
Itachi took a deep breath. No, it was work time now. He had to focus on his work. He'd ask Sasuke about what happened later.
...
"Now, there are 21 Genin in the preliminaries. One's extra. Is there anyone feeling under the weather and wants to drop out?"
There was a lot of talking below. After such a tough selection, who'd quit now?
.....
"Sorry, guys. I still haven't recovered from my second - round injuries. I'm dropping out."
"Who's he?"
The Third Hokage looked at the young guy. He'd seen him in the Chunin Exams a bunch of times, but he never made it through.
"That's Kabuto Yakushi, an orphan taken in by the medical unit. He's taken the Chunin Exams seven times but never passed."
.....
"Well, it's just right. Now there are 20 people participating in the competition. This screen will randomly pick two people for a martial arts bout. The winner can participate in the third round of the Chunin Exams."
"Also, if I judge that one side can't fight or can't win, I'll directly declare them the loser!"
"What the hell are you talking about! Who are you and what right do you have to do this?"
Right away, someone stepped forward to object to such a statement. They thought it was unfair and wondered why they should listen to this guy.
Itachi gently closed his eyes. The moment he opened them and looked at the questioner, he activated his Sharingan.
The mysterious and dangerous red color of the Sharingan served as a warning, indicating to the provoker that his authority was not to be challenged.
"Because I'm Itachi Uchiha, an elite Jonin of Konoha. And let me tell you one more thing, I'm in a bad mood right now, so don't mess with me!"
The Genin who had been making a racket just now deflated like a punctured balloon and meekly stepped back, not daring to utter another word.
Who in the ninja world didn't know the name Itachi Uchiha? They didn't have the strength to go head - to - head with someone like him.
"Now, the competition begins!"
As the names scrolled on the big screen, a name that made Itachi's heart skip a beat appeared.
"Round 1, Sasuke Uchiha vs. Kai!"
Even as aloof as Itachi was, when he looked at his beloved younger brother, a worried look flashed across his face. What should he do? He clearly knew Sasuke's physical condition wasn't good. Should he use his privilege to forcefully stop Sasuke from participating?
Sasuke felt Itachi's intense gaze. His brother really worried too much. In the past, he had never told Sasuke anything and silently bore all the blame and hatred alone.
He left Sasuke all by himself and went into the lair of the devil to gather intelligence, never caring whether Sasuke would be worried, regretful, or able to bear the truth if he found out one day.
Now the situation has reversed. Dear brother, finally it's your turn to figure out what I'm thinking. Thinking of this, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a little smug.
Sasuke's look back at Itachi seemed to convey, "Mind your own business." Itachi's heart ached painfully. Forget it, if anything went wrong in the match, he'd stop it right away.
...
"Both contestants step forward. The match begins!"
Sasuke had no clear memory of this guy. What kind of jutsu did he use? He only vaguely remembered that it seemed to be quite disadvantageous to him at that time.
"What on earth does Lord Orochimaru see in you, Sasuke Uchiha? Clearly, I'm the most trusted subordinate of Lord Orochimaru!"
Kai whispered his complaint to Sasuke in a voice that only the two of them could hear. Sasuke was quite helpless. This tone made him feel like the third wheel in their relationship.
God knows that in both his past life and this one, his relationship with Orochimaru was just one of mutual exploitation. Orochimaru coveted his young body and Sharingan, while he needed Orochimaru's power.
?_?
Furthermore, I've never been Orochimaru's subordinate. I'm his freaking father!
....
"I'll prove to Lord Orochimaru who is his most useful subordinate!"
After saying this, he raised his arm and charged at Sasuke. Sasuke nimbly dodged with his excellent Taijutsu. He didn't even need to activate his Sharingan to easily avoid the attack.
Now the Cursed Seal on his neck was throbbing, especially when he used Chakra. However, for an opponent of this level, his Taijutsu was more than enough.
Taking advantage of the moment when Kai's punch missed, Sasuke crouched down and delivered a spinning kick, sending Kai flying to the ground. Kai struggled to his feet and charged at Sasuke again.
Looking at this ineffective attack, Sasuke decided to end this match. He used a Cross - body Climbing Lock to firmly hold one of Kai's arms in place.
However, instead of the expected cries of pain from his rival, Sasuke heard a sinister laugh.
"Thank you so much. You're so dexterous. It would've been really hard for me to get close to you using ordinary methods. But you just came to me on your own. Well, then I won't stand on ceremony!"
Sasuke was utterly confused and had no clue what this guy in front of him was blabbering about.
Suddenly, his Chakra began to seep out of his body little by little.
"You... You're absorbing my Chakra!"
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