Chapter 322: The Third Exam Begins
On August 5, the Chunin Exams officially began.
The third stage took place in a massive circular arena. At its center stretched a broad open battlefield dotted with small clusters of trees and a few shallow ponds with limited water. All matches would be fought here.
Encircling the arena were tiered stands packed with spectators. Noble officials, wealthy merchants, local residents of Konoha, and shinobi from various units filled the seats, creating a sea of people and sound.
The Third Hokage did not sit with the general audience. He had his own viewing box, raised one level higher than the stands, giving him a clear view of every corner of the arena.
"So many spectators," Rin Nohara breathed, eyes wide as she took in the crowd.
Until now, the liveliest event she had ever attended was a village festival, and even that had never gathered this many people in one place.
"Rin, do not be nervous. As long as you do your best, you will definitely win," Obito said, assuming she was worried about losing face in front of so many onlookers.
Rin covered her mouth and laughed softly.
"Obito, you are underestimating me. I am not going to get nervous just because people are watching."
She was not the shy, easily flustered type. She might worry about victory or defeat depending on her opponent, but being observed by a crowd did not rattle her.
"Hehe, that is good then," Obito replied, scratching the back of his head with a grin.
Obito himself cared even less about the audience. The more people there were, the more excited he felt. This was the perfect stage to make a name for himself in Konoha.
"Let us go. It is almost time," Kakashi reminded them.
Rin and Obito both nodded. The three quickened their pace, passed through the special corridor reserved for examinees, and stepped out into the center of the arena, entering the designated combat area.
They arrived neither early nor late. Three minutes after they took their places, all sixteen examinees had gathered.
As the full roster appeared, some spectators began to cheer, clearly eager for the battles to begin.
"Do you hear that? Those cheers are all for you. Today, you are the protagonists," Hiruko said with a smile.
Obito's heartbeat sped up at those words. If he could take first place under the gaze of the whole village, it would be his first real step on the road to becoming Hokage.
Might Guy's face was full of bright confidence. He raised his thumb and beamed toward a patch of the stands where a certain green clad figure was practically bouncing with excitement.
Mei Terumi clenched her fists. If she could claim first place here, she would definitely draw the attention of the Elder and the Mizukage. Her path toward becoming Mizukage herself would become much clearer.
Zabuza's gaze was fixed on Kakashi a short distance away, his expression complicated. If he won his first match, his second round opponent would be Kakashi.
He truly did not know how he was supposed to defeat the boy who had cut down his jonin instructor.
"The rules for the third stage are simple," Hiruko continued. "Just like in the preliminaries, you win by defeating your opponent until they can no longer fight, or by forcing them to surrender."
"If there are no questions, examinees number one and two will remain here to prepare for the first match. All other examinees will return to the waiting room and await notification."
The waiting room also offered a clear view of the arena, so the examinees could still watch and collect information while they waited.
The rules were straightforward. No one raised any questions. In pairs, the examinees headed back through the corridor to the waiting room, leaving only Kisame Hoshigaki, examinee number one, and Aoba Yamashiro, examinee number two, standing in the arena.
Kisame's face was unreadable. For this exam, there were only two people he truly cared about: Might Guy and Kakashi Hatake. As for everyone else, he was confident in his victory.
Aoba Yamashiro, on the other hand, was much less relaxed. His muscles were tense as he stared at Kisame as if facing a deadly predator.
He had seen Kisame's performance during the preliminaries. The Mist shinobi was clearly among the strongest examinees.
Hiruko positioned the two at their starting marks. After a brief pause, he took a deep breath and shouted,
"First match, Kisame Hoshigaki versus Aoba Yamashiro, begin."
His voice, carried by amplifying equipment, rang out across the entire arena. The spectators who had been chatting fell quiet and turned their full attention toward the center.
"This Kisame Hoshigaki is a Mist Ninja. Even though Hidden Mist is one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, we rarely hear much about them," one official in formal robes remarked.
"Hidden Mist Village is in the Land of Water. It is more troublesome for them to travel to the Land of Fire," another official replied.
"Even so, there are still differences among the Five Great Ninja Villages. Our shinobi from the Land of Fire should be stronger," a third added confidently.
The officials around him nodded. This was not only pride in Konoha as the village of the Land of Fire, but also trust built on Konoha's long history of battlefield victories.
Their confidence in Aoba Yamashiro, however, could not erase the gap between him and Kisame.
The moment Hiruko declared the start, Aoba sprang backward and immediately formed hand seals, summoning a large flock of crows.
Caw. Caw.
Harsh, grating cries filled the arena as the birds appeared.
The cloud of crows circled around Aoba, obscuring Kisame's sight and interfering with his hearing.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Shuriken flashed through the air as Aoba used the cover of the flock to launch his weapons toward Kisame.
Kisame casually swung his massive sword, knocking the shuriken aside. Then he drove the blade into the ground at his feet and ran through a series of hand signs.
"Water Release, Exploding Water Colliding Wave."
A massive surge of water erupted from Kisame, his chakra rapidly transforming into a roaring torrent that rushed straight at Aoba.
Aoba frowned and retreated quickly, ordering his crows to climb higher.
But Kisame's water volume was overwhelming. In a short span of time, the entire combat area had turned into a vast pool.
Aoba managed to avoid the initial blast of water, but he had no choice except to stand on the surface and fight as Kisame advanced.
Bang. Bang.
They clashed again and again. Even with the interference of the crows, Aoba was steadily driven back.
The current terrain was far too disadvantageous for him. Kisame could slip beneath the surface at any time to avoid the crows, while Aoba had no reliable way to seriously injure Kisame.
"What a terrible matchup," Aoba thought helplessly.
To make things worse, his primary affinity was Fire Release. Against Kisame's overwhelming Water Release, his main strength was directly countered.
"He has some skill. He is not weak at all," Kisame judged after trading several blows, realizing that Aoba was stronger than he had expected.
He had no glaring weaknesses. In every aspect, Aoba Yamashiro was solid.
"Water Release, Water Dragon Bullet Technique."
With the arena already flooded, Kisame spent little chakra to condense a giant water dragon and send it crashing toward Aoba. The swirling water easily scattered the flock of crows that had been hampering his vision.
"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique."
Aoba made one last desperate attempt. He spat out a Great Fireball to collide with the incoming water dragon, then ordered the remaining crows to shield his body. In the same instant, he held his breath and slipped beneath the surface, swimming as quietly and quickly as he could toward Kisame.
But Aoba underestimated Kisame's experience as a Mist shinobi.
Even with the heavy noise of water and fire colliding and his own movements kept subtle and controlled, Kisame still sensed him in the depths.
Kisame pretended not to notice. Then, the moment Aoba closed in, he suddenly dove underwater and engaged him at close range.
Splash.
A huge column of water exploded upward as Aoba's body was launched out of the pool by Kisame's full powered strike, sent tumbling across the air.
It still was not over.
Kisame shaped the surrounding water into a concentrated stream and blasted it at Aoba before he even landed.
Bang.
The torrent slammed him straight into the wall at the edge of the arena.
For the average spectator, it had all happened in the blink of an eye.
They saw Kisame unleash a Water Release that flooded the arena, the two exchange a handful of taijutsu strikes, then Fire Release and Water Release collide. A moment later, Aoba was smashed into the wall and lay motionless. The entire match had taken only a few minutes.
"It seems this one is an elite shinobi from Hidden Mist. He cannot be measured by ordinary standards," the official who had claimed earlier that the Land of Fire's shinobi were stronger said, stroking his beard without a trace of embarrassment.
"Indeed. After all, Hidden Mist came from far away. They must have sent one of their village's strongest geniuses," another official said, quickly agreeing.
"I did not expect a Mist Ninja to be this strong. I wonder what their mission efficiency is like over there," one wealthy merchant mused, watching Kisame with new respect.
The Mist shinobi in the stands smiled faintly at the praise.
The Konoha shinobi, however, had darker expressions. They had lost the opening match.
On Hiruzen's right, Danzo frowned, displeasure clear on his face.
With his experience, he could see that Aoba had not been particularly weak. Kisame was simply too strong. Even so, losing in such a public and important event was, in Danzo's eyes, a humiliation for Konoha that should never have occurred.
On Hiruzen's left, the Elder only allowed himself a slight smile. He said nothing and did not show too much satisfaction.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, neither frowned nor smiled. His gaze remained calm as he watched the arena, his inner thoughts impossible to read.
"Kisame Hoshigaki wins."
Once Hiruko confirmed that Aoba had lost his ability to fight, he declared the result simply and firmly.
Medical ninja immediately entered the field, carefully lifting Aoba and carrying him away for treatment. Kisame turned and walked off toward the waiting room.
"Rin, you can do it," Obito said, leaning forward as soon as the match ended.
"You can use a lot of Water Release at the start. You will have the terrain advantage early on," Kakashi added quietly as he walked up beside her.
Although the arena had drainage channels, they clearly were not very effective. The water level had dropped since the peak of Kisame's technique, but much of it still remained.
For Rin, it was an ideal battlefield. At least at first.
Of course, if the fight dragged on too long, the water would eventually disappear.
"Right," Rin said with a smile, nodding to them both.
"Second match, Rin Nohara versus Nara Shiosui. Examinees, enter the arena," Hiruko's voice rang out from the center of the field and echoed into the waiting room.
Rin waved to Obito and Kakashi, then walked toward the light of the arena.
"Midori will be cheering you on," Inuzuka Midori called out in turn, shouting encouragement for Nara Shiosui as he headed toward the door.
Shiosui nodded, then followed, footsteps steady as he made his way to the battlefield.
He still had not managed to gather much information on Rin during Mugetsu's special training, but he had gained something else. His taijutsu had improved, even if only a little.
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