Chapter 215: Chapter 215

“The second round, match two: Hyūga Hinata versus Rock Lee!” Kitazawa announced.

Aside from the anticipated clash between Naruto and Neji, he hadn’t tampered with any of the pairings—there was simply no need.

Hinata versus Lee was destined to be one-sided. Gentle Fist was far too effective against pure Taijutsu users, and Hinata’s overall strength already surpassed Lee’s.

“Winner, Hyūga Hinata.”

After declaring the result, Kitazawa strode forward and healed Lee’s injuries. Like Naruto, Lee always fought with reckless abandon, pouring everything into each exchange. Vital strikes made his body take a beating, even if most were only surface-level wounds.

“Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!” Lee rose to his feet, turned to Hinata, and declared, “Fighting with our full power burns brightly with youth! Let’s battle again someday!” Then, with his usual passion, he exited the arena.

Hinata, however, lingered. Her pale eyes flickered toward Kitazawa with expectation.

After all, he had just patted Ino’s head earlier.

“You fought beautifully,” Kitazawa said warmly, giving her cheek a gentle pinch. “Keep up the good work.”

Hinata froze, then nodded firmly, her face blooming with joy as she left the arena, her heart light.

“The second round, third match: Uzumaki Naruto versus Inuzuka Hana.”

Kitazawa drew again from the box.

“Sis, just do your best,” Kiba encouraged quickly. “Naruto’s a monster. It’s normal if you lose.”

“Yeah, losing to Naruto is nothing shameful,” Ino chimed in.

“If it gets too rough, just surrender,” Shikamaru yawned lazily.

“Thanks, everyone,” Hana said calmly.

Naruto scratched his head. Even he could sense the awkwardness.

“This is respect for the strong,” Kiba explained, patting his shoulder.

“Heh, I’m still nowhere near strong enough,” Naruto replied with a grin. “The real strong one is Kitazawa-sensei.”

The memory of being effortlessly pummeled during training made him laugh sheepishly.

Kiba’s mouth twitched. This guy… a first-year, already comparing himself to Kitazawa-sensei, a seasoned Special Jōnin?

Naruto and Hana stepped into the ring, but the outcome was predictable. Despite having three ninja hounds, Hana was hopelessly overwhelmed by Naruto’s endless wave of shadow clones.

“The second round, fourth match: Hyūga Neji versus Kurama Yakumo.”

Kitazawa raised a brow, genuinely intrigued by this pairing. But after a moment of thought, he already knew the likely result.

Even Neji’s brilliance had its limits—Mangekyō-level illusions were nearly impossible to counter at this stage.

Neji entered the arena with his usual composed expression. He was a prodigy, confident enough to believe he could stand against Sasuke or even Naruto. Only Yakumo left him uncertain.

“Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!” Neji lashed out immediately, sending a burst of compressed air flying toward Yakumo.

Yakumo activated her bloodline limit, simultaneously leaping aside. She was a second too slow—the attack grazed her arm—but Neji was already ensnared in her Genjutsu.

Yakumo exhaled in relief. Neji’s technique wasn’t blindingly fast, but her Taijutsu was abysmal. Aside from a sloppy Leaf Whirlwind, she had little to rely on.

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. So that’s the key… if you strike quickly enough, you might defeat Yakumo before her illusion takes hold. He had no such jutsu yet, but Lightning Release was famed for its speed. A possibility for later.

“Winner, Kurama Yakumo.”

Kitazawa appeared at Yakumo’s side, healing her arm. Watching her, he made a decision: he should teach her Konoha-style Taijutsu instead of wasting time on Leaf Whirlwind. Her basics were too weak, but once she mastered the fundamentals, she could grow.

Time passed, and the second round of combat concluded.

“I’ll now announce the list of students advancing to the third round,” Kitazawa said, taking the roster from Iruka.

It was nearly identical to the lineup from the last Student Council exam—except Sakura had been added. Learning Water Release: Water Wave had put her a cut above many peers.

All of the Konoha 12 advanced, save for Chōji, whose late start on clan training left him lagging behind. The only outsiders to make it through were Hana and Yakumo.

“Rest’s over. The third round of practical combat begins now.” Kitazawa returned to the lottery box.

By this stage, the thirteen students knew each other well. Victories and defeats were almost predictable before the matches even began.

“The third round, first match: Nara Shikamaru versus Inuzuka Kiba!”

“Shikamaru, you’re going down!” Kiba crowed immediately.

“Being too arrogant never ends well,” Shikamaru replied dryly.

“I beat Ino, you lost to Ino. The outcome’s already decided.”

“That doesn’t follow at all,” Ino huffed. “Just because I beat Shikamaru doesn’t mean you can.”

“I’ll crush him, you’ll see!” Kiba tossed his head and strode confidently into the arena.

“Kiba’s too full of himself! Shikamaru, teach him a lesson!” Sakura cheered.

Sasuke’s grip tightened on his sword hilt. Kiba’s cockiness was starting to look uncomfortably familiar—though compared to an Uchiha, his bravado felt shallow.

“I’ll give it a shot,” Shikamaru sighed, strolling in casually while his brain whirred at full speed.

“Be careful, Shikamaru!”

Kiba summoned his Shadow Clone and transformed into the Two-Headed Hellhound. Shikamaru had anticipated this, flinging four shuriken.

The beast swiped them aside effortlessly and charged, front paws pounding toward Shikamaru.

“Shadow Imitation Jutsu!”

The instant their shadows overlapped, Shikamaru rolled, his hands flashing through seals. His shadow surged forward, snaring the monstrous form.

The Hellhound froze—but Shikamaru went pale. The chakra drain was immense, far greater than expected.

“What—?!” Kiba strained as his body locked up.

Sweat dripped down Shikamaru’s face as he forced the Hellhound’s paw to rise against its own will, aiming at one of its heads.

“Ughhh!” Kiba roared, forcing himself to resist. The two locked in a battle of wills.

Realizing he couldn’t hold it, Shikamaru abruptly released the jutsu. Kiba’s body, still exerting strength, collapsed forward. The Hellhound’s enormous shadow spilled across the arena—covering the shuriken scattered earlier.

“Shadow Imitation Shuriken!”

One shuriken glowed with chakra, anchoring the Hellhound’s shadow. Kiba staggered, suddenly pinned in place, his body twisted awkwardly against the ground.

“Damn it—move!” Blood rushed to his eyes as he struggled in vain.

Shikamaru didn’t waste the opening. He flicked six more shuriken straight at Kiba’s heads.

“No!” Kiba cried out, powerless to stop them.

Kitazawa appeared in a blur, intercepting the weapons.

“Winner, Nara Shikamaru.”

The announcement silenced the arena. The Hellhound might’ve been durable, but its heads were weak points. Six shuriken would’ve left Kiba gravely injured.

“How could this be…?” Kiba dismissed the Hellhound and his clone, disbelief etched across his face.

“Shikamaru actually won?” Tenten murmured in surprise.

“The Hellhound’s size became its weakness,” Neji explained calmly.

“Exactly.” Ino nodded. “The larger the shadow, the easier it is for Shikamaru to trap it.”

“Damn it!” Kiba clenched his fists. “If only I were stronger, I could’ve broken free instantly!”

“That logic doesn’t hold,” Sakura retorted. “What if Shikamaru had as much chakra as Naruto? You wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

Kiba froze, mouth half-open. He couldn’t find a comeback.

“The second match of the third round—Uzumaki Naruto versus Uchiha Sasuke.”

Kitazawa’s voice cut through the air, calm yet heavy with meaning.

The chatter around the arena died instantly.

Compared to the earlier bout between Shikamaru and Kiba, this clash carried far more weight.

“Finally.”

A spark of excitement flickered in Sasuke’s dark eyes.

He had been waiting for this—another chance to face Naruto.

The sting of his crushing defeat in the last exam still lingered. But now… now things were different. He had awakened his Two-Tomoe Sharingan, mastered Leaf Style Swordsmanship, and sharpened his skills considerably.

More importantly, Neji had already demonstrated the key to fighting Naruto.

And the Sharingan excelled at imitation.

“Sasuke!”

Naruto flashed a wide grin and raised a thumbs-up. “I can feel it—this is gonna be another battle of pure youth!”

“There’s no youth here,” Sasuke replied coldly, stepping into the arena. “Only your defeat.”

“Youth doesn’t allow for failure!” Naruto shot back, charging after him.

From the stands, Kiba folded his arms. “Honestly? I think Sasuke’s got this one. He looks way too confident.”

“When doesn’t he?” Ino quipped.

“True…” Kiba muttered, scratching his head.

“Don’t underestimate him!” Sakura declared proudly. “Sasuke-kun will definitely win this time!”

“You always say that,” Ino rolled her eyes.

“But she’s not wrong,” Shikamaru cut in, studying the fight seriously. “Leaf Style Swordsmanship gives Sasuke a huge advantage against Naruto’s unarmed style and his Shadow Clones.”

“Exactly!” Sakura agreed instantly, her eyes glued to Sasuke.

The battle began.

Naruto launched into his usual opening: Multiple Shadow Clones combined with a hail of kunai and shuriken.

Sasuke mirrored him with Shadow Clone Technique—but this time, instead of relying on Shuriken, he drew his blade.

Leaf-Style Swordsmanship.

Three Sasuke clones dove straight into Naruto’s formation, their swords gleaming.

With every swing, clones burst apart into puffs of smoke.

In moments, the thirty clones Naruto had summoned were wiped out.

“You’ve gotten a lot stronger, Sasuke!” Naruto admitted, genuinely impressed. The old Sasuke never could’ve cut through that many clones so fast.

In a blur, Sasuke appeared in front of him. His blade flashed downwards in a white arc.

The speed left Naruto breathless. He barely bent backwards in time, lashing out with a sharp kick toward Sasuke’s wrist.

The hiss of cutting air rang out.

Sasuke, wary of Naruto’s raw power, didn’t meet it head-on. He pulled his hand back and slashed down, blade sweeping toward Naruto’s leg.

Naruto’s eyes widened.

Using his palms for balance, he raised both legs, clamping Sasuke’s sword between his feet.

Blue chakra flared violently.

“Violent: Leaf Hurricane Strong Whirlwind!”

Naruto spun backward, unleashing a devastating kick.

Sasuke’s brows furrowed. Without hesitation, he wrenched his sword free and retreated.

Naruto flipped midair, landing in a crouch, already forming seals.

“Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Over a hundred clones exploded into existence, filling the arena.

On the sidelines, Hiruzen’s gaze sharpened.

“So, he’s feeling the pressure.”

Kitazawa’s earlier training had drilled restraint into Naruto—thirty clones at a time. It saved chakra, made command easier, and avoided giving opponents like Sasuke or Neji too many openings.

But summoning over a hundred now meant Naruto knew thirty wouldn’t cut it.

“Which leaves only one option…” Hiruzen thought. “The Rasengan.”

Across the field, Sasuke’s lips curved into a smirk.

“More clones won’t help you, Naruto. You’re thinking about using Rasengan, aren’t you?”

Naruto blinked. “Huh? How’d you know?!”

“Obvious,” Sasuke scoffed. He signaled with his hand, and his clones flanked him, forming a tight three-man stance.

“Come at me.”

Naruto clenched his fists. “Go!”

“Dynamic Entry!”

Three clones leapt forward, legs snapping out in flying kicks.

Sasuke’s blade sang through the air—slash, slash, slash!—and the clones vanished instantly.

Another clone rushed in with a spinning kick, shouting, “Violent: Leaf Hurricane Strong Whirlwind!”

“Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!”

Sasuke didn’t even meet him head-on. His clone unleashed a massive fireball, while another stabbed from behind. The clone barely managed to disperse the flames before being skewered and dissipating into smoke.

“Rasengan!”

Naruto himself burst through, blue sphere spinning violently in his palm, aiming straight for Sasuke mid-Fire Release.

At the same time, his clones swarmed the other two Sasukes, trying to pin them down.

“Just as I thought.”

Sasuke smirked. Naruto had used the same ploy against Neji.

Shuriken hidden across the ground shot upward, flying at Naruto from both sides.

“Tch—!”

Naruto had no choice. He smashed his Rasengan against the incoming blades, scattering them in a burst of force—only to watch his chance slip away.

“Pathetic.” Sasuke’s voice cut cold. “This is Uchiha. Whatever you try, these eyes see through it all.”

From the sidelines, Kitazawa’s brows drew together.

Sasuke wasn’t just fighting as an Uchiha—he was mimicking Neji’s style, using his Sharingan like it was a Byakugan.

Where Neji struck pressure points, Sasuke carved through clones with precise swordsmanship. And where the Byakugan’s 360 vision gave Neji control, Sasuke simply multiplied his Sharingan eyes with clones.

Different methods. Same results.

Kitazawa exhaled slowly.

Was Naruto really about to lose?

He hadn’t expected it. Not in this exam.

And yet—if Naruto did lose again, the system would no doubt react.

Perhaps with a mission.

Perhaps with something even bigger.

——————

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