Chapter 129: Preliminaries, All Familiar Faces
There were four days left until the end of the second exam. While other candidates were still struggling in the forest, fighting tooth and nail for a scroll and sleeping in the open, Haruko was lying on the terrace on the top floor of the Central Tower.
"Sizzle... Ah. Comfortable..."
The rocking chair made from Earth Release creaked as it swayed. Haruko took a sip of orange juice with ice cubes, one hand gesturing in the air.
Single-handed seal weaving.
It sounds simple, but in reality, it requires an absurdly high level of control over Chakra and proficiency in the technique.
Although yesterday's battle was one-sided, he discovered a troublesome point: if he was holding a sword, he couldn't weave seals.
Thinking back to the original work, there were several people like Haku who could weave seals with one hand, and Sasuke in Boruto could even weave seals with one hand while holding a sword.
Haruko felt that with his own Chakra control, there was no reason he couldn't do it, so he just practiced it casually.
Of course, the main reason was—he was bored anyway.
"Sigh, this is boring. I'm done practicing."
After practicing for a while without finding the feeling, Haruko stood up and took a deck of cards out of his pocket—which he had asked Goku to bring.
"Time to find someone to play cards with."
...
Four days passed in a flash.
When the gates of the main hall opened again, Haruko yawned and walked downstairs with the refreshed Izumi and Inuzuka Hana.
A dozen or so candidates who passed were already in the hall. Haruko swept his gaze over them and was surprised to find his three old teammates: Mino Ichi, Maki Retsu, and Kamano.
"Yo, not only did you guys not quit, but you actually passed?"
The three of them were in a sorry state right now. Not to mention that they were all covered in dust and dirt, the bloodstains on Ichi's bandages hadn't even dried yet.
"Haruko..."
Although they had expected it, seeing the clean and energetic trio of Haruko, Maki Retsu's mouth still twitched.
"We got lucky and barely passed at the last minute. It's also thanks to you not taking those Heaven scrolls from the Amegakure Ninja..."
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, walked slowly onto the high platform, with all six guiding instructors of the passing teams standing behind him.
"First of all, I would like to congratulate you all on passing the second exam..."
Haruko had no interest in listening to the Old Man's long-winded speech, so he just observed the teams that had passed.
'There are quite a few familiar faces..."
Among the six teams present, three were from Konoha. Besides the team with Haruko and Ichi, there was the team with Yakushi Kabuto.
One of his teammates was burly and had the "Food" crest of the Akimichi clan on his body; the other was wearing sunglasses and a high-collared trench coat, clearly from the Aburame clan.
'Medical, main tank, scout, and ranged support. It's a very comprehensive team as well... The second seed prepared by the Old Man? It's just that they're a bit old."
Looking at the three teams from other villages, they were from Hidden Sand Village, Kumogakure, and Hidden Grass Village, respectively.
Apart from Maki and Atsui, after observing carefully for a while, Haruko finally remembered who that familiar-looking white-haired "boy" from Hidden Grass Village was.
'So it's Ryūzetsu... It's really too flat, I didn't even notice."
Yes, the "boy" was actually a "girl." In the original work, she was a member of the 'Grass Flower' of Hidden Grass Village and possessed the Kekkei Genkai of "Dragon Life Reincarnation," a budget version of the Samsara Heavenly Life Technique.
As for the teammates of these three? Haruko looked for a long time but couldn't identify them.
...
Unknowingly, the speaker had changed from the Third Hokage to Gekko Hayate, who announced that because there were too many people who passed the second exam, a preliminary round for the third exam needed to be held.
"Sigh... What a hassle..."
"Isn't that all thanks to someone?"
Kakashi, who had appeared beside him at some point, retorted to Haruko's muttering.
"According to Ibiki's expectations, less than one-third of the people should have passed the first exam. Now, there shouldn't be more than four teams left."
...
The names on the big screen scrolled rapidly and finally stopped:
[First Match: Maki Retsu VS Atsui]
Haruko quickly escaped from Kakashi and walked over to pat his former teammate on the shoulder.
"Looks like your luck has run out. If you can't do it, just concede; don't have any psychological burden."
"Your encouragement... is quite unique, isn't it?" Maki Retsu's mouth twitched as he listened.
"But you're right. With my current condition, I'm afraid I can't continue... Sigh, I'll do my best."
On the field, Atsui was loosening his shoulders, and the ninja sword on his back was flashing with a cold glint under the lights.
"Then, the first match—start!"
The moment the battle began, Maki Retsu was preparing to distance himself and use Ninjutsu to probe—
But Atsui didn't give him that chance.
"Come on! Let me see the strength of a Konoha Ninja!"
The ninja sword was unsheathed, and a flash of fire cut across the arena.
That wasn't an ordinary sword light. The blade was wrapped in Chakra, and the Fire Release Chakra burned on the edge, forming a scorching arc.
"Demon Slaying Style · Flame Form First Style—Shiranui!"
Maki Retsu hadn't expected the opponent to rush in directly. Since his physical fitness wasn't an advantage, his dodging movement was half a beat slow.
"Ah!"
Maki Retsu cried out in pain and retreated—Atsui's sword had grazed his shoulder, leaving a charred wound.
"Don't think about running!"
Atsui chased after him, the sword light flashing repeatedly, each strike carrying scorching flames.
"Fire Release Chakra sword? This kid looks very young, I didn't expect him to be so..."
"The Kumogakure Ninja are really impressive..."
People in the audience began to whisper.
"This move looks quite familiar. Where did that Kumogakure kid learn it?" Kakashi glanced at Haruko.
"Hmm... I heard that many Kumogakure Ninjas are skilled with Chakra swords." Haruko stared at the arena and answered casually.
Maki Retsu had already been forced into a corner. His clothes were charred, and there were wounds all over his body.
"I... I concede!"
Maki Retsu raised his hand, looking dejected.
Soon, two medical Ninjas brought a stretcher onto the field and lifted him onto it.
Lying on the stretcher, Maki Retsu looked at the ceiling of the examination hall, a trace of unwillingness flashing in his eyes, but more of it was relief.
He had already been eliminated when he lost to that group of Amegakure Ninjas, and being able to barely pass the second exam was due to luck.
There was a gap in strength; even if he were in full condition against Atsui, his chances of winning would probably be slim.
If you're bad, just practice more; there's nothing else to say.
"Haha! The Konoha guys are nothing special!"
Atsui turned to face the audience and struck an exaggerated victory pose.
"How about that! This is the power of the Demon Slaying Style! I learned it from Mr. Yoriichi!"
There was a commotion in the audience.
"...Who is Yoriichi? And what is the Demon Slaying Style?"
"Maybe he's a famous person from their Kumogakure? But I've never heard of him..."
Clang—
Darui arrived beside Atsui in a flash and raised his hand to give him a punch.
"Shut up! Don't yell nonsense here!"
Atsui was dragged back, still muttering something.
...
The names on the big screen scrolled.
[Second Match: Inuzuka Hana VS Aoki]
Hana stood up from the audience, and the three Gaimaru brothers jumped down with her.
"We meet again." Hana greeted the opponent, "You didn't run away directly this time."
Aoki was Ryūzetsu's teammate and also the Hidden Grass Village Ninja who had ambushed Haruko a few days ago and then retreated comically.
Although his clothes had some damaged areas, there was no injury underneath, and his spirit looked good too.
"It's just a vase hiding behind that white-haired guy, do you really think I'm afraid of you?" Aoki, having his dark history brought up, retorted.
"Roar~ You really dare to say that. Then let's see if this vase of mine will smash you until your head is broken and bleeding."
Not paying attention to their banter, Gekko Hayate faithfully fulfilled his duty.
"Then, the second match—start!"
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