Over the next few days, nothing particularly special happened. The only exception was the following morning when Sakura was also sent back to the tower using the Flying Thunder God Technique by Naruto. She noticed Satsuki's face was unusually grim, shrouded in a low-pressure aura, which made her hesitant to ask too many questions.
Despite the five days of waiting being quite boring, Team 7 decided to make full use of this time to rest and recuperate, so they could face the upcoming assessment in optimal condition.
Subsequently, other Konoha teams also arrived. It was reassuring that Naruto's classmates from the same period—Ino–Shika–Chō, Inuzuka Kiba, Shino Aburame, and Hyuga Hinata's Team 8—all successfully passed the second assessment and had no serious injuries.
It seemed Orochimaru had indeed retreated, and Yakushi Kabuto, as Orochimaru's right-hand man, had not appeared either, likely having fled with him. This discovery slightly put Naruto at ease.
The five-day deadline finally ended. A final count showed that a total of 18 candidates had passed the second assessment. They were guided by Konoha Anbu to another venue, an open square. In front of the square stood a massive, imposing stone sculpture of clasped hands forming a seal. The Jonin instructors of each team and the examiners for this Chunin Exams were all present.
Naruto even saw Uchiha Fugaku among the examiners. But what he found strange was that Satsuki never looked in her father's direction, nor did she go up to greet him. This unusual silence made Naruto somewhat concerned.
Among the Jonin instructors, Might Guy was excitedly speaking to Kakashi. "Kakashi! Every time I think of your subordinates, I really envy you! Although my subordinates are equally excellent, they still have some way to go compared to that child Naruto."
Kakashi responded without turning his head. "To say such discouraging words? That's not like you at all."
"These aren't discouraging words, but rather facing the facts! After all, the path of youth can sometimes be filled with bitterness and harshness! But then again, your other two subordinates, even that genius of the Uchiha Clan, in terms of taijutsu, are probably still a bit inferior compared to my adorable disciple Lee!"
"...Hmm?" Kakashi finally turned his head, his exposed eye showing pure bewilderment, and slowly asked, "What did you just say?"
This completely heartfelt, unintentional disregard instantly froze Might Guy's enthusiasm. The frustration of being thoroughly ignored made a vein pop on his forehead, and he clenched his fists tightly.
Damn it... Is he trying to deliberately provoke me with this tactic of ignoring me? Might Guy roared in his heart, As expected... my eternal rival! I've noted this tactic!
Immediately after, the Third Hokage, standing at the forefront, began to explain the rules of the final Chunin Exams.
Hiruzen Sarutobi first elaborated on the deeper meaning of the joint Chunin Exams, essentially stating that the candidates' performance in the arena directly symbolized the strength and potential of their respective Ninja Villages, which would in turn affect the client nations' evaluation of the Village and the subsequent allocation of missions.
This was essentially a miniature war, disguised as an exam but in reality a competition between nations, much like a sports festival... a cruel sports festival where one could pay the price with their life at any moment.
Following this, a constantly coughing, pale-faced man wearing a standard Ninja vest walked forward with an unsteady gait.
"Cough cough... I am the examiner for this preliminary round, Gekkō Hayate. Let me explain in advance, what is about to take place is the preliminary stage of the third Chunin Exams. Cough cough... Because the main competition is a one-on-one format, considering the number of participants, you can choose to withdraw now."
He coughed incessantly while explaining the rules, his appearance as if he could cough himself to death at any moment made some candidates worry—Is this examiner really okay? It feels like even the most exhausted candidates after five days in the Death Forest are in much better condition than this person!
Although some candidates were slightly dissatisfied with Gekkō Hayate's explanation—that since the third official assessment would invite feudal lords and important figures from various countries to observe, and the competition time was limited, it was necessary to eliminate more than half of the contestants through preliminaries—no one raised an objection, or perhaps it was useless even if they did.
"It seems... cough cough... no one has chosen to withdraw," Gekkō Hayate said weakly. "Then, the preliminary round begins now. The rule is individual combat. There are exactly 6 teams, a total of 18 people, so there will be 9 matches."
"There are no additional restrictions on the rules. The battle will continue until one side dies, collapses, or voluntarily surrenders. If you don't want to die, please surrender in time. The contestants for each match will be randomly determined by that electronic screen."
Naruto looked up at the huge LED electronic display screen... Good, he no longer even had the desire to complain. It seemed he had gotten used to the distorted technology tree of this world.
As the names on the screen began to scroll rapidly, the lights flashed urgently, finally settling to display the opponents for the first match.
However, when they saw the two names, the entire examination hall instantly fell into an eerie silence, and everyone froze in place.
[Uzumaki Naruto VS Uchiha Satsuki]
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