The early arrivals included the three Suna ninja. Except for Gaara, who remained expressionless, Kankuro and Temari seemed somewhat nervous—understandable given their intentions. Surprisingly, Baki still dared to show up openly. Should one call it bravery, or sheer confidence in being unnoticed?
Most other candidates arrived accompanied by mentors or teammates. It was surprising that Sakura Haruno came alone. Considering Kakashi and Sasuke were absent, and Naruto was also running late, she didn't have much of a choice. Sakura simply greeted Mizuki before immediately scanning the crowd for Sasuke. Finally arriving just before the start was Naruto Uzumaki.
"Is everyone here? Then go on in. Today is your stage—perform well," announced Examiner Mizuki Shiranami, guiding the candidates and explaining some important notes.
"Hold on! It seems like Sasuke hasn't arrived yet!" Naruto cried anxiously.
"We can't wait any longer," replied Mizuki. "This isn't the first or second test. Important guests are watching you today. We can't possibly keep the Daimyo waiting."
"But what if Sasuke arrives just in time?" Sakura asked worriedly.
"If he hasn't shown up before his match starts, we'll have no choice but to declare him forfeited. His opponent will win by default."
"How could that happen?" Sakura and Naruto exchanged anxious glances down the road from where they'd expected Sasuke, seeing no sign of him.
"Enough stalling. Let's get inside," said Mizuki after finishing explanations, ready to fulfill his examiner duties.
...
Once most of the audience and participants had entered, the VIPs entered the stadium seating area with their entourages. After settling in properly, the Third Hokage and Fourth Kazekage finally arrived fashionably late, taking seats opposite each other on the main platform.
"Why does he only have one bodyguard again? What exactly is going through the Third Hokage's mind?"
Rather than increasing his security as expected, was this an expression of self-confidence? Or perhaps fulfilling the duty of Hokage while displaying strength and firmness? Could it even be atonement for past mistakes, anticipating Orochimaru's approach?
Mizuki then glanced toward Orochimaru disguised as the Kazekage, though the distance made clear observation difficult. Neither of the two Great Kage had excessive protection surrounding them; after all, they themselves symbolized formidable military power.
Putting aside distant concerns, Mizuki quietly stood in the rear corridor, scanning the entire venue, hoping some familiar faces would surface in his mind.
"Still no sign of Kabuto Yakushi?"
After searching thoroughly without spotting that deeply hidden spy, Mizuki gave up reluctantly.
Meanwhile, below, the match between Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuga had already begun.
Speaking strictly about talent, among the Twelve Shinobi, Neji Hyuga was rare indeed—a genuine prodigy. In terms of ninja potential, perhaps only Shikamaru Nara was his equal—or superior.
Indeed, Shikamaru Nara—not the destined child, Naruto Uzumaki, nor Indra reincarnation Sasuke Uchiha. Shikamaru possessed an intelligence advantage overwhelming all others, although regrettably burdened with an extremely lazy personality.
If he had even a little more passion for ninja arts, his future achievements would definitely be limitless. The Shadow Imitation Technique, which people still talk about enthusiastically today, was actually an improved creation of Shikamaru's based on the Shadow Binding Technique passed down in his clan.
Shikamaru Nara was also someone Mizuki deeply regretted not being able to fully utilize. His intelligence had never truly been applied where it was most needed. Because of his personality, he relied heavily on his intellect to solve problems, always taking the easiest route when facing difficulties while neglecting training his physical strength. Although his abilities weren't weak by any means, compared to the other candidates, he was clearly at a disadvantage. His match against Temari demonstrated his extraordinary talent but also exposed the huge flaw of insufficient hard power. Sooner or later, he'd realize that without sufficient strength to back up his clever tactics, he'd eventually pay the price.
Then there was Neji Hyuga, another rare genius. [Gentle Fist] seemed custom-made for him. With Byakugan assisting, his chakra control within mid-to-short range was simply breathtaking. He used and showcased the characteristics of [Gentle Fist] to perfection.
Unfortunately, the current Neji had not yet broken free from his clan's restrictions and didn't quite possess the capacity of a true strong individual. Nevertheless, with his amazing natural talent, three years later, Neji would become the first among the Konoha Twelve Shinobi to be promoted to Jonin.
This time, if he hadn't encountered Naruto Uzumaki—the Jinchuriki—who broke through his point-sealing ability using Nine-Tails chakra, thereby turning defeat into victory, Neji Hyuga might have become another Genin besides Shikamaru Nara to advance to Chunin within this Chunin Exams.
The battle process on stage also followed closely with the original storyline. No matter how dominant Neji was, before the Nine-Tails' power, even the slightest leakage of its energy was difficult for Neji to resist. Without being able to finish quickly, [Gentle Fist] became ineffective. If the fight dragged out into a test of endurance against Naruto Uzumaki, Neji wouldn't stand much chance of winning.
In the end, results hardly changed—Naruto Uzumaki still barely secured the first victory. The battle was quite spectacular, and Naruto's victory earned loud applause from the audience present.
Perhaps this was the first time Naruto had ever received public recognition. Overjoyed after defeating such a powerful opponent, Naruto couldn't wait to show off in front of Sasuke—but found that Sasuke still hadn't arrived.
Seeing the match end, Mizuki withdrew his gaze and glanced around, noticing the audience seemed significantly larger than just earlier.
Hm? That unfamiliar Anbu over there... isn't that Yakushi Kabuto? When did he get here?
Suddenly, Mizuki spotted a suspicious Anbu figure at the back corner of the stadium seating area—he must be Yakushi Kabuto. He really was a veteran multi-faced spy, managing to slip in unnoticed despite Mizuki's deliberate search.
Still, it wasn't yet the right time to act decisively. Kakashi had not returned yet, and until the main force gathered completely, he shouldn't move recklessly.
Thinking this way, Mizuki redirected his gaze back to the arena below. It was finally Sakura Haruno's turn to appear. This usually unremarkable Sakura probably deserved everyone's surprise as well.
"Well, since your teammates and squad leader haven't shown up yet, I really shouldn't get involved or root for you, seeing as I'm just a temporary instructor with my own mission to worry about. Good luck then~"
To Mizuki's surprise, someone actually cheered for Sakura. Looking at Yamanaka Ino sitting at her seat, throwing all decorum aside and shouting at the top of her lungs, and Rock Lee, who had just arrived, waving his crutches around excitedly while blowing exaggerated kisses, Mizuki couldn't help but think that Konoha's standards for enthusiastic ninja supporters were shockingly low.
"Jonin Guy, is it really alright to be this reckless when Rock Lee's injuries haven't healed yet?"
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