As all the students stood ready, a man wearing a robe with the word "Sandaime" written on his back appeared and watched the spectacle silently.
Everyone greeted him with excitement, but Ryuken's gaze darkened as he saw him.(That damn old man… He's the one who made me graduate early and sent me to the war.)
After the match-ups were drawn, the first fight began: Gekkō Hayate vs. Genma Shiranui.The winner was Genma — though the fight was close, since both were skilled in taijutsu.Genma, however, was slightly faster. Using a smoke bomb, he exploited his opponent's inexperience and struck him down from behind.
The next match was Shisui vs. Asuma — and it quickly became the highlight of the tournament.It began with Asuma making the first move, throwing shuriken.Shisui deflected them with his own and formed hand signs.He took a deep breath — "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"A massive fireball roared toward Asuma.
Refusing to dodge, Asuma quickly made hand signs of his own."Doton: Doryūheki!"An earth wall rose up, blocking the flames.
Asuma hid behind the wall — but Shisui was already moving.He appeared from the side, giving Asuma no time to breathe and forcing him into a taijutsu battle.Neither gave an inch, trading blows until Asuma spotted an opening.
He drew a kunai, channeled chakra into it, and threw it at Shisui.Shisui saw something flying toward him but didn't notice the tag attached.He dodged slowly — and just as the weapon passed within five meters, it exploded.
Startled, Shisui stumbled back.Asuma seized his chance, forming hand signs."Fūton: Daitoppa!"
A gust of wind blew away the smoke — but to his shock, Shisui was gone.In that instant, Asuma felt a blade against his neck.He froze.The real Shisui had been behind him all along — the one who used the fireball earlier was a shadow clone.
The examiner raised his hand."Winner: Shisui Uchiha. Exchange the seal of respect."
Hiruzen, who had been observing everything, nodded thoughtfully.(Asuma may still be weak, but he fought well against a genius like Shisui. There's no shame in this loss — his tactics were solid. As a genin, he's ready.)
Shisui smiled, clasped Asuma's hand in the sealing gesture, and said,"That was a good fight. Let's do it again sometime."
Annoyed by his loss, Asuma replied,"I've still got a long way to go… but don't get cocky. I'll surpass you one day."
Shisui nodded eagerly and returned to the crowd to watch the next match.
The next fight was Kurenai vs. Rin.The moment they made the hand seal, Kurenai cast a genjutsu.But Rin had anticipated it — she had already prepared a smoke bomb filled with strong poison and threw it at Kurenai before the illusion fully took hold.
Kurenai tried to maintain her genjutsu even as the poison spread through her system.Meanwhile, Rin disrupted her own chakra flow to break free.Weakened by the poison, Kurenai lost control of the illusion.Rin quickly donned a small gas mask, drew a kunai, and held it to her opponent's throat.
"Winner: Rin Nohara," the examiner declared.
From the sidelines, Obito ran up to her with shining eyes."Rin, that was amazing! The way you tricked her with the poison — I'm gonna win my match too!"
Next came Anko vs. Obito.As they faced each other, Obito smirked arrogantly."Today's your lucky day, Anko. I'll go easy on you — just a quick defeat."
Anko frowned, irritation flashing in her eyes."Oh really? Let's see if you can back up those words, loser."
The examiner raised his hand. "Begin!"
Obito charged in first, engaging in Uchiha-style taijutsu.Anko matched his pace, forcing him to struggle to keep up.She began to gain the rhythm, pushing him back.
Obito leapt away, throwing shuriken to buy time.Anko backflipped, creating distance.
Then Obito formed hand signs."Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
A smaller fireball than Shisui's shot forward.But before it reached her, Anko threw a smoke bomb.Inside the thick smoke, she created a shadow clone and hid herself.Her clone formed water-style hand signs — "Suiton: Suijinheki!" — summoning a wall of water that turned into steam.
Using the cover, Anko circled behind Obito.He sensed her presence just in time, forcing another close-range fight.Anko smiled — her plan was working.
Obito realized something was off, but too late — her clone appeared behind him and struck him down.
"Winner: Mitarashi Anko," the examiner announced.
From the stands, the Hokage raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.(It's rare to see an Uchiha lose to a civilian… Hmm, Obito Uchiha. His grades may be the lowest, but he fought well to the end. I'll allow him to pass along with the others. Still… I'm more interested in the next match.)
Hiruzen's gaze turned toward Ryuken, who was stepping onto the field to face Might Guy.But before he could begin, a message arrived — one that made his expression darken.
Next Chapter: Ryuken Uchiha vs. Might Guy