Naruto knew firsthand just how limited Teacher Kakashi's chakra reserves were.
'How could someone so drained possibly withstand Might Guy's relentless onslaught of taijutsu attacks?'
"Could Bushy Brow Teacher have been holding back all this time?" Naruto muttered under his breath.
'Huh?'
'Are you underestimating me that much?'
Kakashi's lips twitched, about to retort, when Sakura interjected in his defense.
"That's not quite right!" Sakura shook her head, raising a finger as if delivering a profound analysis. "Teacher Kakashi is a master of Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu, possessing over a thousand Ninjutsu techniques and the Sharingan, a copy-eye capable of perceiving and mimicking Genjutsu."
"While Teacher Might Guy excels in chakra, strength, explosive power, endurance, and speed, he inevitably becomes hesitant and restrained when facing Teacher Kakashi, Konoha's Number One Technician, hindering his performance in battle."
"In essence, Teacher Might Guy is like a hardened clod of earth, while Teacher Kakashi is like resilient flowing water. No matter how hard the earth, it will eventually soften into mud when met with a persistent flow of water!"
"So, when Teacher Might Guy meets Teacher Kakashi, he softens up. And sometime hardens up, depends on the situation, right?"
Naruto nodded with a look of sudden realization, praising Sakura: "I see now! As expected of you, Sakura, your analytical skills are still amazing!"
Kakashi initially nodded in agreement, but as Sakura continued her explanation, he began to feel increasingly uneasy.
'What kind of misleading analogy is this?'
Kakashi's lips twitched.
He opened his mouth to say something, but seeing Sakura's earnest expression and Naruto's dawning comprehension, he swallowed his words.
'Ah, I used to be such an innocent youth!' Kakashi sighed inwardly.
'How can you deliver such innuendo with a straight face?'
Though Sasuke maintained his usual calm demeanor on the surface, he couldn't help but shoot Sakura a surprised glance after her appalling analogy.
'Looks like my analysis hit the mark! Even Sasuke is impressed.'
Seeing Sasuke's slightly astonished gaze, Sakura smirked inwardly.
"Alright! Let's put this discussion aside for now," Kakashi said, clapping his hands together.
His deadpan eyes narrowed slightly as he added, "Focus on preparing for the Preliminary Selection Exam. I know you're all strong, but there are some exceptional candidates this time. Stay sharp and don't let your guard down!"
"Hai!" x3
After Kakashi left, other examinees began to trickle into the corridor.
Anko Mitarashi, her expression calm and betraying no hint of anything amiss, raised an eyebrow as she watched the candidates gather.
'Still quite a few left!'
"First off, congratulations on passing the Second Exam!" Anko announced loudly to the genin candidates, who had lined up in a square formation.
"Next, Lord Hokage will explain the details of the Third Exam," Anko continued, bowing respectfully to the Third Hokage beside her. "Lord Hokage, please do the honors!"
The Third Hokage nodded, stepped forward, and launched into a lengthy discourse on the rules and brutal realities of the Chūnin Exam.
"Next, I'll keep this brief."
"While the Chūnin Exam is ostensibly for selecting Chūnin, in reality..."
"Considering..."
"Because..."
"Therefore..."
"Leading to..."
"In conclusion, these are the rules and objectives of the Chūnin Exam."
After twenty minutes of rambling, the Third Hokage finally concluded his remarks.
"Next, I'll elaborate further on..."
The Third Hokage took a sip of water, cleared his throat, and continued.
Another twenty minutes passed.
"Finally, let me emphasize one last point..."
Hearing this, the examinees were dumbfounded. Even Sasuke grew impatient, sensing a hint of murderous intent in Orochimaru's eyes, who was disguised as a Sound Ninja Jōnin.
'Is this old geezer deliberately trying to provoke Orochimaru into action?'
"Ahem..."
Hayate Gekkō, the appointed referee, stepped forward with a radiant aura, interrupting the Third Hokage's endless series of "last points."
"Lord Hokage, please forgive my impudence. Allow me, the referee, to handle the proceedings from here."
"Young man, you've chosen a narrow path!"
The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes at him, but ultimately smiled. "Of course."
Hayate Gekkō breathed a sigh of relief and turned to address the group of examinees. "I am the referee for this exam. Ahem, Hayate Gekkō, and I will be serving as the... ahem..."
'Heh.'
Seeing Hayate Gekkō's sunken eyes and dark circles, Sasuke chuckled inwardly, thinking of a certain time-management master skilled in group activities.
"From this point on, it's individual matches. You may withdraw at any time!" Hayate Gekkō announced.
As expected, Kabuto Yakushi was the only one to withdraw. Everyone else chose to continue participating.
"Now, let's announce the pairings for the first round!"
Hayate Gekkō cleared his throat, and the LCD screens on the walls began to flicker rapidly.
"Uchiha Sasuke versus Akadō Yoroi!"
Half a minute later...
"First round: Uchiha Sasuke wins!" Hayate Gekkō announced, glancing in surprise at the unconscious Akadō Yoroi.
This Akadō Yoroi had seemed strangely excited when Sasuke appeared, muttering something under his breath.
Sasuke only listened to him for five seconds before instantly defeating him with a Genjutsu.
"As expected of Sasuke-kun! His fighting style is so cool!" Yamanaka Ino exclaimed excitedly, her eyes sparkling as she watched Sasuke slowly approach.
Beside her, Nara Shikamaru sighed deeply, feeling a sense of impending doom.
'Even if I got serious, it would take a tremendous effort to defeat that guy. And he just took him down in an instant? Ugh, this is such a pain. The gap in our strength is just too vast. I might as well just surrender if I ever have to face anyone from their team,' Nara Shikamaru thought wearily.
After Sasuke's match ended, the second bout began:
"Zaku Abumi versus Aburame Shino!"
Ten minutes later:
"Aburame Shino wins!" Hayate Gekkō announced, glancing at Zaku Abumi, who had blown off his own arm, leaving himself critically injured and unconscious.
"Third match: Tsurugi Misumi versus Kankuro!"
"Kankuro wins the third round! Next, the fourth match will begin!"
The candidates' names flashed rapidly across the liquid crystal screen once more:
"Rock Lee versus Uzumaki Naruto!"
___
This Sasuke Is Strange 315 advanced chapters: (5 ch updates everyday)
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