The fifteen-minute break ended.
Kitazawa walked up to the drawing box.
Only eight students had made it into the third round, which meant the third round would produce four winners.
Even though Kitazawa knew them well, it was still hard to guess who would ultimately win.
Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto should be able to advance to the fourth round.
As for the other six, it could be anyone—mostly luck.
Kitazawa reached in and drew two slips of paper.
After one glance, his eyebrows lifted.
Hyuga Neji and Rock Lee.
In the original Chunin Exams, Rock Lee had always wanted to challenge Hyuga Neji, but Gaara's interruption meant it never happened.
"Third Round, Match One—Hyuga Neji versus Rock Lee!"
Kitazawa announced immediately.
"Awesome!"
Rock Lee lit up with excitement. "Neji, we finally get a youth-filled battle!"
Even though his greatest rival in life had now become Uzumaki Naruto, challenging a genius still made his blood boil.
Especially since, before the Advanced Class, he and Neji had been classmates.
Neji simply nodded, expression unchanged.
Since joining the Advanced Class, the people he'd been chasing were Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.
But that didn't mean he took Rock Lee lightly.
After Lee learned the Eight Gates, his threat level skyrocketed.
Even so, Neji still believed he could beat him.
"Aren't you going to take off your weights?"
After stepping onto the field, Neji asked calmly.
He'd noticed Lee wearing weights back in Lee's first-round fight against Chino.
"Just what I'd expect from you, Neji!"
Lee gave him a thumbs-up. "I'll take them off right now. If I don't, there's no way I can beat you!"
With that, he removed the weights.
Bang! Bang! The ground shook.
A lot of people looked stunned.
Those weights were clearly heavy.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Lee shot forward like lightning, appearing right in front of Neji.
Neji calmly stepped back, slipping past the spinning kick.
He didn't use the Fatefeather Bow. Instead, he raised a hand and struck toward Lee's right leg with his palm.
Lee instantly felt his right leg go numb.
This is bad… he thought. In his excitement, he'd nearly forgotten about Neji's Gentle Fist.
"Violent — Leaf Adamantine-Strength Whirlwind!"
Lee forcibly twisted his body, green chakra clinging to his left leg as he kicked at Neji.
Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!
Neji didn't take it head-on.
He thrust his left palm out—an invisible shockwave rippled outward.
BOOM!
Palm and kick collided at a distance.
A visible blast of air spread in all directions, a sharp howl tearing through the air.
"Eight Gates! First Gate—Gate of Opening, open!"
Chakra erupted from Lee, forcing open the blocked chakra points in his right leg.
Neji didn't press in with Gentle Fist. He used the moment to widen the distance.
Multiple Arrows!
Once he steadied himself, he drew his bow.
Nine Yin Release arrows screamed out, sealing every angle around Lee.
"Nice!"
Lee shouted, thrilled. "Leaf Gust!"
The First Gate let him draw out one hundred percent of his body's capability.
Right now, he was at his absolute peak baseline.
Lee blurred into an afterimage, snapping out three kicks in rapid succession.
All nine Yin Release arrows were kicked away.
"Primary Lotus!"
The moment he knocked the arrows aside, Lee lunged for Neji.
Air pressure surged with his movement.
Neji's vision flickered—Lee's right leg was already inches from his face.
At the critical moment, Neji spun, activating Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven.
Lee's Primary Lotus was forcibly interrupted, and he was bounced away.
Neji stopped Rotation at once and drew out the Fatefeather Bow.
Burst Arrow!
A Yin Release arrow flew out and detonated midair.
Lee's body jerked to a halt.
Spiral Arrow!
Seeing the explosive arrow take effect, Neji immediately followed up.
"AAAAH!"
Lee trembled, forcibly regaining clarity. "Second Gate—Gate of Rest, open! Third Gate—Gate of Life, open!"
In an instant, green chakra air currents formed and wrapped around him.
Neji's pupils contracted—he felt suffocated.
Lee's expression turned feral, powerful chakra currents roaring off his body.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
Lee was suddenly right in front of Neji.
He was so fast it looked like teleportation.
Neji reflexively raised the Fatefeather Bow.
BOOM!
Lee's kick slammed into the bow.
The force whipped the surrounding air into a rolling storm.
Neji's right arm went numb as a massive surge of strength drove him backward.
"Leaf Gust!"
Lee roared and chased him down again.
Yin Release Chakra Mode!
In the crisis, an enormous amount of chakra burst from Neji.
But the moment the Yin Release currents appeared, Lee's attack was already there.
Neji's body jolted—he was kicked cleanly, searing pain exploding through him.
Thankfully, the Yin Release coating on his body had some defensive effect; otherwise, he would've blacked out on the spot.
Grinding his teeth, Neji drew on his Yin Release power.
In an instant, one Yin Release arrow after another materialized around him out of thin air.
But Lee's terrifying speed let him evade them all.
Burst Arrow!
Neji willed it.
Three explosive arrows detonated at once.
Lee was affected and froze for a split second.
Neji used the opening to retreat and force more distance.
That dangerous exchange finally ended.
If Yin Release Chakra Mode hadn't allowed instant, rapid attacks, he would've already lost.
"He actually pushed Neji this far?"
Kiba Inuzuka gaped.
"I seriously didn't expect Lee to get this strong," Yamanaka Ino said in awe.
Lee's practical-exam rankings in the Advanced Class had never been particularly good.
Since joining, he rarely made the top ten.
The reason was the weakness of pure taijutsu fighters: poor ranged options.
His sudden leap in strength now was thanks to the Eight Gates.
The extreme speed granted by the Eight Gates let him close distances instantly, dragging fights into the close-quarters rhythm a taijutsu specialist loved.
And the Eight Gates didn't just boost speed.
"No wonder the Eight Gates is the strongest taijutsu," Kurama Yakumo nodded.
But for her, it was nothing but envy.
Learning the Eight Gates was basically impossible for her.
"This is youth!"
Naruto clenched his fist. "Just watching has my blood boiling!"
"Neji's already used Yin Release Chakra Mode," Tenten said, worry in her voice. "But I don't know if Lee can push his Eight Gates to the Fourth Gate."
"The strain on the body is huge," Nara Shikamaru said, studying Lee. "He already looks exhausted."
"You can't keep this up for long."
Neji's Byakugan saw it even more clearly than Shikamaru.
Even though the first three gates were considered the "safe zone," overclocking your body like this still put enormous pressure on it.
In other words: it doubled your fatigue.
"Then we settle it right now!"
Lee took a deep breath and shouted, "Fourth Gate—Gate of Injury, open!"
The green aura around him surged again.
Once the Eight Gates reached the Fourth Gate, the body started taking damage.
Neji's gaze sharpened—he was afraid Lee might keep opening gates.
But fortunately, Lee stopped after opening the Fourth.
One reason was that he hadn't fully mastered the Fifth Gate yet.
Another was that Might Guy had told him there was no need to gamble your life in sparring between classmates.
"Watch out, Neji!"
Lee accelerated violently and yelled, "Hidden Lotus!"
The instant Lee opened the Fourth Gate, Neji slammed both palms together.
A massive tree rose up in front of him.
BOOM!
Lee smashed into the tree at insane speed.
A shriek of sound erupted—countless gusts became shockwaves as the tree rapidly splintered into pieces under Lee's continuous hits.
Neji's heart shook.
That power was terrifying.
At that moment, Lee unraveled the bandages wrapped around his body.
He exploded forward again at extreme speed—right fist aimed at Neji, left hand gripping the bandage and aiming it at Neji too.
Neji understood immediately.
Lee wanted to bind him with the bandages—then finish with a lethal blow.
Neji instantly mobilized all his Yin Release and created a wood dragon out of thin air.
But he still didn't feel safe.
Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!
Neji spun, producing a spherical chakra barrier.
Lee pierced toward the wood dragon like an arrow.
The wood dragon shuddered all over under the impact.
Lee seized the moment and snapped the bandages forward—
But in the next second, the bandages were shredded by Neji's Rotation.
Lee had no choice but to force out his final punch.
He fell from above, crashing straight down at Neji.
In an instant, the air warped, the ground trembled, and dust exploded upward.
Centered on Lee and Neji, visible shockwaves tangled together.
"What an incredible fight," Jiraiya couldn't help praising.
"If you didn't know better, you'd think this was a jonin evaluation," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, stroking his beard with a chuckle.
As a teacher of the Advanced Class, the better his students performed, the happier he was.
"Who won?"
Nara Shikaku asked curiously.
"Neji," Hyuga Hiashi said, activating his Byakugan and feeling relieved.
"The Eight Gates is just too heavy a burden in the end," Uchiha Fugaku shook his head. "Lee's out of stamina—he collapsed."
As the dust cleared, it was exactly as he said: Lee was down on the ground, while Neji still stood in place.
"Even so, Lee did amazingly," Tsunade said with a smile. "He'll definitely become the next Guy."
After announcing the result, Kitazawa walked over to Lee and crouched down, hands extended.
Lee's injuries weren't from Neji—they were from the Eight Gates.
But since it was only the Fourth Gate, it wasn't too serious. Lee woke up quickly.
"Neji, we'll fight again next time!"
Lee gave a thumbs-up.
"I'll be waiting," Neji nodded.
After this battle, he already saw Lee as an opponent on the same level.
The Eight Gates was even more terrifying than he'd imagined.
"Third Round, Match Two—Uzumaki Naruto versus Akimichi Choji!"
After Neji and Lee left the field, Kitazawa called out again.
"Choji, you got this!"
Ino pumped her fist.
"Don't push yourself—just stop at the right point," Shikamaru said casually. "Your opponent is Naruto, after all."
"I know," Choji scratched his head. "I'm already satisfied just making it to round three."
"Choji, come on—let's unleash our youth!"
Naruto said with a big grin.
"I'll go all out!"
Choji smiled and nodded.
Yang Release Chakra Mode!
Butterfly Choji Mode!
Just as he said, Choji went full power from the start.
A terrifying chakra surge swirled around him, and with his butterfly wings, he looked like a god descending.
Choji burst forward, flying right up to Naruto.
He clenched his right fist and fired a straight punch.
"Violent — Leaf Adamantine-Strength Whirlwind!"
Naruto twisted his body and kicked out.
BOOM!
Both of them were forced backward by the sheer force of the collision—
But Choji took two steps less.
That meant Choji's strength right now was far above Naruto's normal state.
"Partial Tailed-Beast Transformation!"
Seeing that, Naruto didn't hold back anymore. Blood-red chakra surged over his body.
Four tails whipped wildly behind him.
"Again!"
Naruto leapt up into a flying kick. "Dynamic Entry!"
Choji roared and clenched his fist again.
But when he threw the punch, his fist suddenly tripled in size.
Another fierce collision.
"Leaf Gust!"
Naruto slid back two steps, exhilarated.
Choji charged again.
With Yang Release Chakra Mode stacked with Butterfly Choji Mode, he could draw on full-body strength at will.
Combined with the Multi-Size Jutsu, he was able to trade blows with Naruto back and forth.
"Is this really Choji?"
Sakura asked, unable to believe it.
Choji had used Butterfly Choji Mode earlier, but because his opponent was Shikamaru, it hadn't looked as shocking.
Now that it was Naruto, it felt downright unbelievable.
After all, the Advanced Class knew exactly how strong Naruto was.
"Choji's on the back foot," Sasuke said calmly.
Naruto was only using a four-tail partial transformation—he still wasn't going all out.
But Choji's performance genuinely impressed him.
Because in Sasuke's memory, Choji was just a normal classmate who liked snacks.
"Naruto is still way too insane," Shikamaru shook his head.
"Choji's already done really well," Ino paused, then added, "way better than me."
Even though it wasn't her turn yet, she could already predict her own defeat.
At this point, her only possible opponents left were Sasuke, Hinata, and Yakumo.
No matter which one it was, winning would be extremely hard.
The happiest person right now was Akimichi Choza.
Choji's performance hugely boosted the Akimichi clan's reputation.
Like always, the fastest way to make a name is to pick a famous opponent.
Naruto's fame didn't need explanation—everyone in Konoha knew him.
The Fourth Hokage Minato's son, the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, and the "Konoha Dragon" who defeated Sasori of the Red Sand.
"Naruto!"
Choji pulled back, gasping. "One last hit!"
Thanks to Yang Release Chakra Mode, he could use Butterfly Choji Mode without relying on the forbidden pills.
But like the Eight Gates, Butterfly Choji Mode couldn't be sustained long.
Because it doubled his chakra consumption.
Butterfly Bullet Bombing!
Choji raised his left arm.
Butterfly-like chakra patterns spread across it.
Chakra burst from his legs as he gathered all his strength into his left hand.
He aimed at Naruto and threw the punch.
In an instant, the wind howled.
"Good! Let me see your youth—Leaf Dragon God!"
Naruto stretched out his arms and began spinning.
A gigantic blood-red dragon swallowed Choji whole.
The next second, a savage wave of air exploded outward.
Under Choji's punch, a hole appeared in the blood-red dragon—
But that was all.
Choji was quickly smashed away by the dragon, sent flying, his left arm torn open and bleeding heavily.
"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!"
Kitazawa flashed in, catching Choji.
He set him down and began emergency treatment.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Naruto canceled Leaf God and the partial tailed-beast form, hurrying over anxiously. "How bad is Choji's injury?"
"Just a minor wound," Kitazawa said casually.
Even if Choji died on the spot, he could bring him back—let alone something like this.
Of course, that was only true for him.
If a normal medical jonin were here, they'd probably panic and waste an hour or two.
"Alright. You two, head off."
Kitazawa withdrew his hands.
"Thanks, Kitazawa-sensei."
With Naruto supporting him, Choji turned and left.
Kitazawa's gaze returned to the field as he walked back to the drawing box.
He casually drew two slips.
Uchiha Sasuke and Yamanaka Ino.
How to put it…
Even though Ino had learned the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, it would still be very hard for her to defeat Sasuke.
The Bringer-of-Darkness Technique could be said to counter most Uchiha.
Just not the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
After all, even Senju Tobirama couldn't beat Uchiha Madara back then.
And once Sasuke versus Ino was set, it also meant the fourth match would be Kurama Yakumo versus Hyuga Hinata.
For Hinata, Yakumo was a very tough opponent.
Mangekyō Sharingan–level genjutsu was simply too troublesome.
Still, Hinata had mastered Yin Release Chakra Mode—she might not be unable to win.
"Third Round, Match Three—Uchiha Sasuke versus Yamanaka Ino!"
Kitazawa snapped back and called out.
"Ino, good luck," Sakura said, looking at her.
"Why aren't you cheering for Sasuke?" Ino asked, startled.
"Because Sasuke-kun will definitely win. He doesn't need cheering," Sakura replied bluntly.
"…"
Ino was speechless.
It made perfect sense—yet it still irritated her.
"When did Sakura learn reverse cheering?" Kiba couldn't help laughing.
Sakura twitched at the corner of her mouth.
She really wasn't trying to jinx anyone!
"For Ino to make it this far already means she's way stronger than us," Shikamaru said with both hands behind his head.
"True."
Ino shot Sakura a smug look. "At least I made it to the third round."
"…"
Sakura's chest hurt with anger.
Sasuke and Ino stepped onto the field.
Both were calm.
One was sure he'd win; the other was sure she'd lose.
Super Beast Imitating Drawing!
Ino thought for a moment and gave up on conventional genjutsu.
After all, in front of an Uchiha, normal genjutsu was hard to make work.
Two massive lions flew out from her scroll and charged at Sasuke.
Sasuke immediately activated the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
He drew the Sword of the Thunder God and met the lions head-on.
He effortlessly dodged their attacks and slashed their bellies open with the blade.
Then he looked at Ino and swung his sword.
A blinding arc of lightning flew out from the Sword of the Thunder God.
Ino dodged while forming hand seals.
Ninja Art: Mind Butterfly!
An invisible mental shockwave shot toward Sasuke.
"Too slow."
Sasuke accelerated and avoided it.
Leaf Style: Willow!
His right hand flicked—the Sword of the Thunder God became a blur of afterimages.
Ino stiffened in place.
Luckily, she reacted fast, dispelled the illusion immediately, and used the Leaf Body Flicker Technique!
She widened the distance, and the moment she landed, she formed seals and cast the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.
But after reading her hand signs, Sasuke vanished instantly.
Amenotejikara!
He appeared behind Ino, raising his sword toward her.
"I… I surrender."
Ino froze for a beat, then said decisively.
The gap between her and Sasuke was simply too big—she couldn't turn it around with Super Beast Imitation or the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.
Sasuke nodded and sheathed the Sword of the Thunder God.
Beating Ino didn't make him happy.
Because the real challenge was what came next.
At this point, every remaining student could undeniably threaten him.
And the biggest threat was Naruto. After that came Yakumo, Neji, and Hinata.
"Winner: Uchiha Sasuke!"
Kitazawa promptly announced the result.
Sasuke and Ino left the field.
"Third Round, Match Four—Kurama Yakumo versus Hyuga Hinata!"
Kitazawa continued.
"You two, good luck!"
Ino clenched her fist.
If it were before, she would've believed Yakumo would win—but now, she wasn't sure.
Because Hinata's Yin Release Chakra Mode didn't look inferior to Yakumo's genjutsu bloodline limit.
"Thank you," Yakumo said calmly.
"Thank you," Hinata echoed.
The two walked to the center.
"No idea who'll win," Shikaku said with a smile. "This one's genuinely hard to predict."
"I think Yakumo has the higher chance," Fugaku said after a bit of thought.
He knew exactly how terrifying Mangekyō-level ocular techniques were.
"Not necessarily," Tsunade said evenly. "Yin Release Chakra Mode gives Hinata the qualifications to stand against Yakumo."
Hiashi had been about to cheer for Hinata, but since Tsunade had already said it, there was no need.
"And Hinata has the Moonchaser Bow," Hiruzen added with a chuckle. "Jinchūriki are hard to control with genjutsu."
Everyone quickly understood.
Yin Release Chakra Mode was essentially an imitation of partial tailed-beast transformation.
Satori could help Hinata break out of genjutsu.
~~~
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