Chapter 75: The Target

Chapter 75: The Target

For Haruno Sakura, the greatest gain from this battle was the experience itself. Winning or losing didn't really matter, as the final Chunin Exam would inevitably be interrupted midway. Even the promotion to Chunin wasn't the most important thing.

Ninjas are not performers; fighting openly in front of an audience is not their primary way of operating. The real purpose of such public matches was to showcase strength to the dignitaries present and earn political advantages.

In fact, each village's ninja promotion process only uses the Chunin Exam results as a reference, while the real decisions are made through an entirely separate system. Just like how Naruto, despite defeating the so-called strongest Genin, Hyuga Neji, did not get promoted, while Shikamaru, who lost to Temari, was the one to advance.

If you think about it, Sakura might be the least qualified Genin among them. Her family background offered no significant guidance, and after graduating from the Ninja Academy, she always had the powerful Uchiha Sasuke and Naruto Uzumaki by her side, rarely facing enemies alone.

In the Land of Waves, she had Kakashi as the backbone, and despite the dangers, they managed to pull through safely. Even in the Forest of Death, although she was frightened, nothing truly critical happened. Encounters with Orochimaru were beyond comprehension—a massive power gap made everything feel unreal. In the original story, the fight against the Sound Trio was interrupted under Mizuki's influence. In the preliminary round, her match with Ino Yamanaka also ended unexpectedly due to Ino's injury, allowing her to proceed without proving herself. Therefore, the fight against Dosu was arguably her first true solo battle against a formidable foe.

In real combat, the difference between victory and defeat could mean life and death, especially against someone like Dosu, who fought relentlessly without retreating. This fight taught Sakura a harsh but vital lesson—being a ninja is not a game, and without giving it your all, death is inevitable.

Seeing Dosu, seemingly dead or alive, being carried away, Sakura steadied herself, glancing up at the audience who applauded and cheered for her. She couldn't quite discern her own emotions, so she just followed the passage back to the spectator stands.

However, just as she left the arena, the crowd erupted into dissatisfaction. Uchiha Sasuke, who was supposed to be next, was nowhere to be seen. Many people had come just to see the last heir of the Konoha clan, and his absence was causing widespread frustration.

In the end, Shiranui Genma had to seek instructions from the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. After some discussion, it was decided to postpone Sasuke's match with Gaara and proceed with the match between Aburame Shino and Kankuro. As expected, Kankuro, not wanting to expose his abilities, promptly forfeited.

Seeing such an anticlimactic turn of events, the audience grew even more dissatisfied. Under pressure, Temari had no choice but to step forward for the next match. Both sides were stalling for time, while Sasuke and Kakashi were still nowhere to be found.

"Aburame Shino advancing without fighting—is that lucky or unlucky?" Mizuki mused.

In the Chunin Exams, winning was of course beneficial, but winning by default wasn't necessarily a good thing. It gave the impression of being lucky rather than skilled, which wouldn't earn high marks in a promotion evaluation.

With Shino's abilities, if he had fought Kankuro, he might have proven himself as capable as Shikamaru and possibly secured a promotion to Chunin.

Kurenai Yuhi replied, "I'm not sure if it's luck or not, but I know Shino would have preferred to win through combat rather than a forfeit."

She was right—Shino, who always struggled to make his presence felt, wouldn't have been happy about advancing this way. He often worried about being overlooked, even by his friends.

Meanwhile, the match between Shikamaru and Temari started, but Shikamaru's tactical approach made the progress slow, leaving the audience somewhat bored.

"Asuma, earlier you seemed so confident in Shikamaru's abilities, but now you look a bit nervous," Mizuki teased, taking advantage of the slow pace to chat.

"Well, that girl from the Sand Village isn't weak, and she's exactly the kind of opponent that would give Shikamaru a hard time," Asuma admitted, taking a drag from his cigarette.

At that moment, Sakura, who had just finished receiving medical treatment, walked up to them.

"Mizuki-sensei, your method really worked! Thank you!" she said.

"It wasn't me. It was your own effort that made it work," Mizuki replied with a smile. "Get some rest. You still have another battle coming up."

Sakura nodded in agreement, though she probably misunderstood, thinking he was referring to her upcoming match with Naruto. Mizuki, however, was talking about the battle with the Sand Shinobi.

"An early investment, I guess. Naruto and Sasuke are out of my hands, but as the theoretical 'main heroine,' Sakura is worth putting some effort into," Mizuki thought to himself.

Naruto and Ino, noticing Sakura's return, hurried over to chat with her. While everyone was focused on Shikamaru's ongoing fight, Kakashi finally arrived with Sasuke.

"Yo, everyone's here, huh? What round are we on?" Kakashi greeted casually, while Sasuke was immediately pulled aside by Naruto to boast about his recent victory.

"The match was postponed. Sasuke's up next," Mizuki informed him.

Upon hearing that Sasuke hadn't been disqualified, Kakashi visibly relaxed, while Mizuki also let out a sigh of relief, knowing their strongest ally had arrived.

"Everyone, stay calm and listen to me," Mizuki said in a low voice, catching the group's attention.

"What is it?" The seriousness in Mizuki's tone made everyone alert.

"Take a look at the back left corner of the stands—the one in the ANBU uniform. He's not one of ours."

Kakashi subtly glanced over and replied, "Are you sure?"

"I've been observing since the beginning. He wasn't part of the original security detail. He must have infiltrated later."

Kakashi nodded, signaling his understanding, and discreetly assessed the arrangement and vigilance of the guards on the stands.

"Let's not act hastily," Kakashi instructed. "We don't know the enemy's primary objective yet. Making a move too soon could alert them."

Asuma interjected, "But if he managed to bypass all the security, he's no ordinary infiltrator. Shouldn't we strike first?"

"Not yet," Kakashi countered. "We still don't know their target. We can't risk acting blindly and causing a panic."

"What about the Third Hokage? He's the most vulnerable. Should we inform him?" Mizuki suggested. Though he knew the plot from memory, he couldn't directly say it. However, he knew that the Third Hokage's death would be the greatest loss in this chaos. Subtly hinting at the danger might help mitigate the damage.

For so long, the Hokage's strength had become an ingrained belief. The Third Hokage, known as the "Ninja Professor," had established a formidable reputation. Most people subconsciously ignored the reality that Hiruzen was already old, his combat abilities significantly diminished, making him a prime target for the enemy.

Kakashi nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Alright, I'll find a way to pass the message discreetly. Keep your eyes on that fake ANBU. Any sign of movement, report immediately."

The tension in the stands grew thicker, as everyone braced themselves for whatever was about to unfold.

---

Read up to 20 chapter ahead of time on patreon.com/Legendryweeb

{please give this novel 5 Star review and power stone}

*Thank you*