Just as Mamoru was still curiously observing the enthusiastic spectators above, a familiar voice drifted over.
"You guys finally showed up."
Shikamaru had his hands behind his head, his tone carrying his usual laziness. "We were just waiting for you two."
"Mamoru!" Tenten waved at him enthusiastically, a bright smile on her face.
Mamoru waved back with a smile.
"I told you to hurry up." Sasuke brought up the old matter again, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction.
"But we're not late, are we?" Mamoru immediately retorted. "What's the big rush?"
"What did you say?"
Seeing that he had clearly been delayed by greed for food yet showed no remorse and even talked back, Sasuke's brow couldn't help but furrow slightly.
Shikamaru interrupted at the right time, "Alright, you two brothers stop arguing."
"Okay, you two..." A slightly casual yet dignified voice chimed in.
It was Shiranui Genma.
"Hurry up and get in line."
This Jonin, serving as the chief proctor, had a senbon in his mouth and wore a dark head cloth. His demeanor seemed casual, but his slightly narrowed eyes revealed a sharp light as he scanned every candidate present.
Sasuke gave a light snort upon hearing this, said no more, and stepped forward.
Mamoru shrugged indifferently, casually shoved his hands into his pockets, and followed slowly.
The two came to the center of the field and stood in a row with the other candidates.
"Hold your heads high and face the audience!" Genma surveyed the young and vibrant faces before him, his voice rising a bit.
"In this final tournament, you are the well-deserved protagonists!"
As his words fell, a burst of enthusiastic cheers and whistles immediately came from the spectator stands above, the sound wave sweeping through the entire arena like a tsunami.
Mamoru looked up and saw that the three massive spectator stands were all filled to capacity. His gaze finally landed on the second floor of the central stand—the Hokage's exclusive viewing area. Sitting there was not only Hiruzen, but also the Kazekage from the Land of Wind.
Mamoru slightly narrowed his eyes. Deep within his black pupils, a faint blue light seemed to flash for an instant as the Six Eyes' sensory field quietly expanded.
Almost instantly, he captured a familiar and cold aura from that 'Kazekage'—Orochimaru.
At the same time, among the chaotic flows of Chakra in the spectator stands, some deliberately disguised and out-of-place auras were also mixed in, clearly hidden plants from other villages' ninjas.
'This Chunin Exam is going to be even more exciting than imagined.' He thought to himself, as undercurrents were already surging beneath the cheers.
While Mamoru's thoughts were drifting, Hiruzen on the high platform slowly rose from his seat and walked to the railing. With his hands behind his back, his aged yet still resonant voice was amplified by Chakra, clearly echoing throughout the entire arena.
"Distinguished guests! I express my heartfelt thanks to all of you for coming to Konoha to watch this Chunin Selection Exam!"
He paused slightly and continued, "Next, the eight candidates who passed the preliminaries will conduct the official selection matches!"
As his words fell, the stands once again erupted in thunderous cheers and applause.
On the field, Genma waited for Hiruzen to finish the announcement before turning his attention back to the candidates in front of him.
"Before the matches begin, I want to say a few words."
As he spoke, he took a folded piece of paper from the inside of his tactical vest, unfolded it, and showed it to the contestants.
"Look at this."
The match table was clearly listed on the paper, but the order was different from the previous preliminary matches. Only the few people whose names had been moved showed a hint of surprise on their faces.
Mamoru glanced left and right at the candidates present. He remembered there were clearly nine people when the preliminaries ended, but now only eight remained. The missing one was an Otogakure ninja.
He couldn't remember exactly what had happened to the person for a moment, they were likely 'finished.' However, this had no impact on him. According to the match table, his opponent was still Neji.
"The match groups have changed slightly." Genma tucked away the match table.
"Please confirm your opponent one last time."
"Shikamaru, looks like you don't have to fight an extra match." Mamoru nudged Shikamaru next to him with his elbow. "Happy?"
Shikamaru's eyelids drooped as he sighed, "Sigh, what's there to be happy about."
"Listen up, you lot."
Genma raised his voice to emphasize the rules. "Although the venue is different, just like the preliminaries, the rule is that there are no rules! The match will continue until one side dies or surrenders before a winner is decided!"
His sharp gaze swept over every young face as he added, "However, if I judge that the outcome is decided, I will forcibly stop the match. No resisting. Understood?"
There was a moment of silence as all the candidates signaled their agreement with looks or subtle movements.
Genma said no more and announced, "Then, girst round, the competing sides are Uchiha Mamoru and Hyuga Neji! These two candidates stay, everyone else return to the waiting room above to watch!"
Mamoru and Neji looked at each other and stood their ground firmly.
The other contestants turned one after another and walked toward a designated exit at the edge of the arena, where stone steps led to the contestants' waiting room located beneath the spectator stands.
Ear-splitting cheers erupted from the spectator stands.
The first match was the Uchiha Clan against the Hyuga Clan. The former prestigious clan versus the current number one clan of Konoha—this duel was highly anticipated by everyone.
In the stands, two girls were sitting next to each other, heatedly discussing the upcoming duel.
"No matter if the opponent is Neji or anyone else, Mamoru can easily take the win." Ino confidently reached out to brush her golden bangs.
Sakura hesitated for a moment and said, "Setting Neji aside, although Mamoru is very strong, Sasuke isn't bad either, right..."
Her voice gradually trailed off.
"Anyway, they can't compare to my Mamoru." Ino tilted her chin up proudly.
"Your... your Mamoru?" Sakura couldn't help but retort, her cheeks puffing out slightly. "Mamoru is so popular, you might not necessarily win."
"I won't lose." Ino clenched her fist, then winked mischievously. "Aren't you the same? Sasuke hardly pays any attention to you."
"What did you say?" Sakura's face instantly turned red. "Sasuke is just shy, don't you understand?"
The best friends who were leaning close together just a second ago simultaneously turned their heads away, huffing and refusing to look at each other.
"I won't lose to those ugly girls." Ino snorted, crossed her arms, and tilted her chin even higher.
"I will definitely win over Sasuke." Sakura replied, unwilling to be outdone, her hands clenched into fists on her knees.
(End of Chapter)
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