After the sounds of discussion died down, everyone's gaze shifted simultaneously toward the Otogakure trio.
Zaku and Kin's faces instantly lost all color, their eyes filled with panic and helplessness as they instinctively looked toward their teammate, Dosu!
The expression on Dosu Kinuta's face was hidden beneath his bandages, but his stiff body and the shock and struggle visible in the eyes peering through the gaps in the bandages revealed his current state of mind.
'Damn it... why did I have to be matched against this monster!'
Dosu roared frantically in his heart:
'If... if only I were up against that Uchiha Sasuke! I could have followed Lord Orochimaru's wishes and properly tested the value of those Sharingan, shown off my abilities, and won my lord's favor! But now...'
Dosu felt helpless; he was indeed loyal to Lord Orochimaru and eager to complete the tasks assigned to him, hoping to show his worth in the exams, ideally by personally testing or even severely wounding Uchiha Sasuke to gain recognition.
But... he was 'Chunin' Dosu... not 'Sage of Six Paths' Dosu—!!!
Facing the monster before him who could clash head-on with a complete Tailed Beast and defeat it, he couldn't think of even a single possibility of winning.
This was no longer just a matter of a gap in strength, but... he didn't even have the qualification to chase after his shadow!
Go up and fight? How was that different from seeking death?
At that moment, the voice of their Otogakure Jonin instructor rang in Dosu's ear:
"Surrender, Dosu... there's no need for a pointless battle."
These words crushed the last remnants of struggle and reluctance in Dosu's heart.
Finally, Dosu lifted his head, looked toward Gekkō Hayate, the proctor in the center of the arena, and spoke with difficulty:
"Proctor... I... I surrender."
Gekkō Hayate didn't seem surprised by this result; he nodded and announced calmly:
"Tejima Shinichi's opponent has surrendered. The winner is Tejima Shinichi."
When this result was announced, although everyone present had anticipated it, actually hearing the surrender still caused a low murmur of discussion.
"He really surrendered..."
"A wise choice. If it were me, I'd surrender too."
"They're not even in the same league; going up would just be asking for humiliation!"
The Genin standing here had an average age of only thirteen or fourteen; each was proud and arrogant, and back in their respective hidden villages, they were all hailed as "geniuses."
However, facing Tejima Shinichi, they truly felt that their meager status of being called "geniuses"... was merely the qualification needed to stand on the same stage as him!!!
However, not everyone understood this scene.
"Eh—?!!"
Uzumaki Naruto's blue eyes widened in confusion as he pointed at the arena and shouted loudly:
"What's going on?! Why did that Otogakure guy just surrender?! Shinichi is strong, but surrendering without even fighting is just too spineless! He should at least give it a try!"
As soon as he said this, many people around him cast strange looks his way.
Inuzuka Kiba couldn't help himself and yelled directly at Naruto:
"Naruto, you idiot! Why don't you go try?! You go try fighting that monster who can trade blows with a Tailed Beast?!"
As the incident had developed, they had gradually learned what that giant beast was called... but knowing didn't make it better; the more they knew, the more disheartened they felt!
Akamaru, in his arms, also let out two woofs in cooperation, seemingly echoing Inuzuka Kiba's words.
"Naruto, you idiot!"
Ino also turned around, hands on her hips, glaring at Naruto with dissatisfaction:
"Shinichi's strength doesn't need to be proven through such a boring match! That Otogakure ninja surrendering was the wise choice; it's called having self-awareness! Do you think everyone is like you, just recklessly charging forward?"
Naruto was stunned by the shouting, but he still wouldn't admit defeat, craning his neck to retort: "So—so what! Even if you can't win, you can't just surrender! This is the Chunin Exams!"
Inuzuka Kiba rolled his eyes, too lazy to say more to this guy who couldn't grasp the situation.
Tejima Shinichi didn't show any reaction to Dosu's surrender and prepared to leave!!
"Takeshi, Yū, sorry, I have something important to take care of and need to leave for a moment."
Kobayashi Takeshi and Satō Yū were stunned for a moment, and though they didn't know the specific reason, they still nodded.
"Understood, Shinichi," Kobayashi Takeshi replied. "Go do what you need to do; we'll work hard."
Satō Yū also chimed in with a firm tone: "That's right, you've already brought us this far. The battles ahead are up to us now!!!"
Tejima Shinichi gave a slight nod and said no more. With a flicker of his body, he left the hall under a multitude of gazes, some filled with awe and others with curiosity.
Gekkō Hayate coughed twice, drawing everyone's attention back.
Cough!!....
"... In that case, let's prepare to start the next round."
...Meanwhile, in a hidden underground chamber within the Central Tower.
Uchiha Sasuke sat cross-legged on the floor, his upper body bare.
Surrounding him were complex runes written in special ink, with him at the center.
Behind Sasuke, Kakashi Hatake's hands formed a rapid series of hand signs!
Then—
"Evil Sealing Method!!!"
With his final low shout, Kakashi pressed his right hand onto Sasuke.
"Ugh, aaaaaah—!"
Almost the instant they made contact, Sasuke let out an uncontrollable roar of pain!
Evil Sealing Method!!
The Cursed Seal on his neck was suppressed by the runes of the "Evil Sealing Method," which finally enveloped the seal!
The intense pain drained the last of Sasuke's strength; his body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, completely losing consciousness.
Kakashi looked at the temporarily suppressed Cursed Seal and just breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then—
Clap, clap, clap...
The sound of clapping rang out abruptly in the silent chamber.
Kakashi's pupils constricted, and he whipped his head around!
In a dark corner of the chamber, a snake's body writhed and expanded unnaturally, its mouth defying logic as it regurgitated a human figure!
Orochimaru slowly emerged from the snake's mouth, clapping lightly.
"To have mastered sealing jutsu so skillfully..." Orochimaru said with a smile, his gaze landing on Kakashi. "You've certainly grown a lot, Kakashi!!"
In an instant, Kakashi adjusted his headband to reveal his left eye. His crimson Sharingan locked onto Orochimaru as he said in a deep voice:
"Orochimaru... with the Third Hokage hunting you, you still dare to show your face here?!"
"Heh heh heh..." Orochimaru chuckled lowly, his gaze moving past Kakashi to look greedily at the unconscious Sasuke. "If it's to get this child, even if Sensei himself makes a move... this bit of risk is worth taking!"