Chapter 65: Preliminary

July 7, Konoha Year 60, 3:00 PM sharp.

Having arrived at the central tower early, several teams that passed the second stage of the exam were assigned to a dormitory to await its conclusion.

At around this time, they all received a notice from the proctors and gathered in the first-floor hall. Among those teams was Team 8.

At present, there were twenty-four test takers in the hall, along with their respective jōnin instructors.

Just as Anko Mitarashi had warned, the second stage had halved the number of those who'd passed the first stage: originally, twenty-four teams—seventy-two people—advanced, but now only eight teams (twenty-four individuals) remained.

Most of those still in the running were from Konoha. To be exact, aside from Gaara's Sand Siblings and the trio from the Sound (led by Dosu), the others were all Konoha shinobi. These included Team 6, Team 7, Team 8, Team 10, Might Guy's Team 3, plus Kabuto Yakushi and his teammates.

"You three did great, arriving at the tower on the very first day," Kurenai Yuhi said, praising Izayoi's Team 8. Her gentle tone perfectly conveyed the warmth of a caring mentor.

In truth, as a specialized tracking-and-sensing team, Team 8 was actually a bit slower than they could have been, so they didn't feel particularly proud. Izayoi and Hinata simply responded with polite smiles.

Just then, Izayoi seemed to sense something. Glancing toward Team 7's direction, he locked eyes with Kakashi Hatake. Izayoi smiled and gave him a small nod, fully aware of why Kakashi was eyeing him: likely, he'd heard from Team 7 about who had unleashed that giant tornado of fire.

Before the test takers could chat much more with their mentors, Hiruzen Sarutobi (the Third Hokage) and the proctor team for the second stage appeared on the second-floor balcony. The jōnin instructors moved up to the observation area, listening to the Hokage's speech in silence.

Sarutobi described how the Chūnin Exams were a microcosm of warfare among allied nations. He explained that many dignitaries and spectators would attend the finals of the third stage, and how they needed to further narrow down the field so the resulting matches would be highly competitive and entertaining. With that, he introduced Gekko Hayate, the main examiner for the third stage.

"Ahem…I'm Gekko Hayate, the proctor for the third stage of the Chūnin Exams," Hayate said, coughing once into his fist. While scanning the twenty-four participants and checking the names on his clipboard, he continued, "Right now, we're only at the preliminary stage. The rules are simple: single-elimination. Lose once, and you're out. Win, and you advance to the official finals."

"In a moment, you'll see your twenty-four names flash on the screen on that wall. The system will randomize the matchups. Before we begin, does anyone want to forfeit? If not, I'll go ahead and upload the names."

"…I forfeit," said Kabuto Yakushi, raising his hand right after Hayate finished speaking.

This move drew the attention of Hiruzen Sarutobi and a few other proctors, but none of the other participants really cared. Unlike in the original storyline, Kabuto wasn't familiar to any of the other "rookies."

"Ahem…your name?" Hayate asked.

"Kabuto Yakushi."

"Alright. You're dismissed."

Crossing Kabuto's name off, Hayate glanced at the others. "We now have twenty-three participants left. That means there'll be one bye in the bracket. Anybody else want to drop out?"

No one responded, so Hayate spoke into a walkie-talkie. "Then I hereby declare the preliminary stage of the third Chūnin Exam…officially underway!"

Immediately, static flashed across a screen on the wall, followed by the names of the remaining twenty-three candidates, lighting up one after another as though someone were rapidly typing them in. Once the screen listed them all, it switched to a bold "VS" in the middle, while names on either side continued to flash. Several seconds later, the scrolling stopped:

Dosu Kinuta vs. Choji Akimichi

"The participants whose names are shown will remain here," Hayate announced. "Everyone else, please head to the observation deck on the second floor."

"Go for it, Choji!"

"Don't lose to some second-rate ninja, okay? If you win, Asuma-sensei will treat you to Yakinuku!"

"…Alright!"

At the mention of barbecue, Choji's eyes snapped open, and he nodded seriously with newfound motivation.

Meanwhile, Izayoi joined Kurenai on the balcony. He rested his arms on the railing but didn't focus on the fight between Choji and Dosu. Instead, he watched the Sound Village jōnin standing near Zaku Abumi and Kin Tsuchi. Nobody else seemed aware of that jōnin's true identity, but Izayoi saw immediately that it was Orochimaru.

He hadn't expected Orochimaru—having failed to brand Sasuke with the Curse Mark—to still be lurking in the central tower to watch the prelims. If that was the case, why wasn't the first match Sasuke vs. Yoroi Akado (as in the original story)? Maybe Orochimaru was simply here for entertainment…or had other plans?

Sensing Izayoi's gaze, Orochimaru locked eyes with him and gave a sinister smirk. Izayoi returned a polite smile and a nod, as though oblivious to Orochimaru's true identity.

By now, the outcome of the fight below had become clear. Although Dosu Kinuta hadn't revealed his abilities as blatantly as in the original storyline, Choji started things off with the Human Bullet Tank technique. Pulling his head into his body and covering his ears, he incidentally avoided being instantly knocked out by Dosu's sound-based attacks at point-blank range.

However, Choji's combat experience paled in comparison to Dosu's, who was used to skirmishes in smaller lands. Just as in the original, Dosu evaded multiple Human Bullet Tank charges, then feigned an opening that lured Choji's giant rolling body right into a wall. Seizing the moment, he used the moisture in Choji's body to unleash a sound-wave strike, knocking Choji out on the spot.

"Choji Akimichi is unable to continue. The winner of the first match: Dosu Kinuta," Hayate declared.

Watching from above, both Shikamaru Nara and Ino Yamanaka could only slap their foreheads in exasperation. Asuma Sarutobi, on the other hand, smiled around his cigarette. "At least Choji didn't get hurt. He's still plenty strong—it's just that his opponent was a bad matchup."

With that, Asuma flickered down to retrieve Choji and carry him back to the stands without heading to the medical station. The screen flickered again, revealing the next bout:

Sasuke Uchiha vs. Zaku Abumi

"I look forward to your performance, Zaku," Orochimaru said, giving the Sound ninja a small encouraging smile.

"Yes, sir!" Zaku nearly snapped to attention, eager to prove himself. "I won't let you down!"

On Team 7's side, Sakura reminded Sasuke, "Sasuke-kun, that guy uses sound-based ninjutsu. Be careful."

Naruto crossed his arms behind his head and offered his own brand of encouragement, half smug: "Hey, High-and-Mighty-san, you better not lose before I get a chance to fight you."

Sasuke halted on his way down to the arena floor and glanced back at Naruto, grinning. "Naruto, I'm looking forward to facing you, too."

For once, Sasuke didn't call Naruto the "dead last." Naruto blinked in surprise. His narrowed eyes slowly opened, and he just stared at Sasuke, dumbfounded.

Then a strange emotion welled up inside him, making his entire body tremble in excitement, goosebumps and all.

~~~

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