"Hm, Shikamaru really does have a brilliant mind," Xia Li nodded, still impressed by Shikamaru's strategic thinking.
"No matter how strong your mental resolve is, without the proper tools, it's useless. The reason this worked so easily is because Ino and Choji are both exceptionally strong," Shikamaru added.
Though Ino and Choji said nothing in response, they both smiled.
Xia Li glanced at Shikamaru and smiled too. Unsurprisingly, he was the only one in the original story to advance to Chunin after the exams were interrupted. He truly deserved it.
"All right, take a good rest. Looks like the second round isn't over yet," Xia Li said, observing the others in the tower.
"Isn't there too many people?" Shikamaru remarked, noticing the crowd inside.
"Yes. After all, the third stage of the exam will be observed by feudal lords and some high-ranking officials. All participants must be elite. Otherwise, if they see two amateurs fighting, it would bring shame to any village," Xia Li explained.
"Tch… such a hassle," Shikamaru muttered, sighing at the numerous tasks he had to handle during the exam.
Ino and Choji maintained serious expressions while resting, but the way they relaxed made Shikamaru twitch with irritation.
Choji, as usual, was focused on devouring snacks, while Shikamaru wondered if Ino was somehow sneaking in a playful moment with Xia Li before resting.
Shikamaru soon noticed a glow surrounding Ino. Since she didn't have Lightning Release, it had to be Xia Li's doing—something far beyond normal comparison.
Turning away, Shikamaru began his own recovery. Though he muttered about the trouble he faced, he was quietly working hard. He didn't want to be dragged down by former partners—even if the person he had gotten along with previously had been nothing more than a shadow clone.
Gradually, more participants entered the tower, including Naruto's Team 7.
"Xia Li! You're here too!" Naruto exclaimed, eyes lighting up at the sight of Xia Li, completely ignoring the other village ninjas nearby.
"Hey, have you seen Iruka-sensei?" Xia Li greeted Naruto.
"Yes! Iruka said he'll treat me to Ichiraku Ramen later," Naruto replied, scratching his head with a grin.
Sasuke and Sakura followed, nodding at Xia Li to indicate they had encountered no major problems along the way.
"All right, take a rest. The next assessment will start soon," Xia Li said, then temporarily parted ways with Ino—after all, he wasn't a participant, and staying with them constantly wouldn't be appropriate.
Shikamaru soon came over to share his speculation with Team 7, leaving everyone astonished. Could it be that the Death Forest had so many people?
Shikamaru couldn't help but look at Naruto. If it weren't for Naruto's encouragement in the first round, so many might not have advanced.
If fewer participants had reached the second round, competition would be fiercer, and more would be eliminated—possibly even before a second round could occur.
But thanks to the story of Naruto, more people participated in the second round, and the difficulty decreased significantly.
Once the second round ended, as Xia Li predicted, a supplementary round was held with randomly matched participants.
After the terminally ill special Jonin "Moonlight Gale" explained the rules, the second round of the extra exam officially began.
Xia Li took a seat in the audience, watching the names on the large screen.
The first battle was between Sasuke and a ninja named Sulfur Copper.
Xia Li didn't remember this fight, so it was likely a trap.
For a moment, Sasuke hesitated at his opponent's strength—but only briefly. Soon, he used his newly learned Lion Combo taijutsu to secure victory.
"Lion Strike? I think I've seen Lee do that before," Xia Li raised an eyebrow, looking at Lee, who observed Sasuke with a serious expression. He hadn't expected Sasuke's taijutsu to be so powerful, especially since it was learned after the fact.
Xia Li recalled the original fight between Lee and Gaara. Though Lee was stronger now than in the original story, his strength was still limited. Taijutsu develops slowly, and Gaara's absolute defense still neutralized much of it. Defeat was inevitable.
Unless Lee could open the Sixth Gate and unleash a perfectly matched Night Guy, victory remained out of reach.
Xia Li thought ahead and made a mental note to tell Meitake about Gaara's unique defense next time they met. Had Meitake known in the original story, he would not have intervened to stop Lee until the end.
Other Jonin faced the same dilemma—they couldn't stop Xia Li, and even if Lee's limbs were immobilized by sand, at most they'd break a few bones that would heal in days.
They didn't understand Gaara's sandstorm attack, which could crush bones outright.
Meanwhile, the next two matches took place. Shino and Kankuro both won. The screen then displayed two more names:
"Ino Yamanaka vs. Haruno Sakura!"
Chapter 133: 'The Knocking of Death'
"Ino… I didn't expect to face her…" Seeing her name, Ino widened her eyes. She didn't want to compete with someone she was so close to.
"Are you hesitant?" Xia Li asked. He didn't need to worry about Xia Li's words. The opponent had already drawn blood, so there was no reason to hold back. Still, Xia Li wasn't sure about Ino; he couldn't recall her reaction clearly.
"Of course not," Ino said, fixing her gaze on Xia Li for a moment before stepping down from the stands.
Xia Li observed her determined posture, realizing that his young girlfriend might be even more capable than he had imagined.
"Don't worry. Ino will be fine," Shikamaru and Choji reassured him.
Indeed, Xia Li understood. In the original story, Sakura would have lost if not for her secondary persona countering Ino's secret technique—yet it had ended in a draw.
Now, Xia Li had strengthened Ino's physique beyond the original, and her mastery of her secret technique was more advanced.
Sakura… Xia Li scratched his head. He hadn't intended for her to face Ino directly. His guidance had been based on Sakura's future potential.
As Xia Li considered this, the fight had already begun.
These two battles were rare contests between ordinary ninjas with no special combat skills.
"Sakura, sorry. I won't hold back to keep up with Xia Li," Ino said, landing a punch on Sakura's abdomen.
"I also want to see someone," Sakura replied with a strained smile, quickly separating from Ino. She was clearly outmatched. Ino had become much stronger since school days.
Though Sakura recognized Ino's patterns, her physical capacity had increased significantly. Even familiarity with the attacks didn't make defense easy.
Xia Li reflected: "This could be tricky."
Kakashi sighed as he observed. It seemed unlikely Sakura would win. The Yamanaka clan likely hadn't even used their secret techniques yet, though in this context, they could prove decisive.
"Quick, Sakura!" Naruto shouted, cupping his hands as a megaphone.
"Keep your voice down, idiot," Sasuke groaned, holding his head. He wanted his friends to win, but Ino was Xia Li's girlfriend, so he couldn't feel happy.
"That guy… I shouldn't have helped him cheat," Ino muttered, annoyed at Naruto's shouting.
"Well, it's Naruto after all," Sakura said, a mix of resignation and excitement.
Suddenly, Ino paused. She felt a breeze, carrying Xia Li's cheering voice.
"I need to try harder," she said with a smile, adjusting her breathing and forming hand signs.
Sakura squinted—here it comes. A Yamanaka secret technique…
But if the opponent slips, their mind cannot return to their body immediately. That's her chance.
"Hey, that technique has low hit probability. Precision wins," Shikamaru muttered, frowning. Seeing Xia Li's smile, he realized there must be more to it.
Indeed, Ino had completed the seal, raising her hand toward Sakura—forming the Mind Transfer Technique stance.
"Is it coming?" Sakura tensed, knowing her fate depended on escaping in the next moment.
"Flourish!!"
Suddenly, Sakura's mind exploded with a roaring sensation, her vision went black, and all strength seemed to vanish.
Realizing she had been tricked, Sakura understood—it wasn't a standard transfer technique.
"The winner is Yamanaka Ino!" The chilling voice confirmed her loss. Ino pressed a kunai gently against Sakura's neck, claiming victory.
Most spectators didn't understand why. They remembered the Yamanaka secret techniques differently.
After the Moonlight Gale declared Ino the winner, Ino comforted Sakura and headed toward the hall.
"Why?" Sakura asked, her voice weak.
"That's not just a mind-transfer technique—it's a method to transfer intent into the opponent's body," Ino replied, withholding further explanation. It was a secret, meant only for teammates.
Unlike standard telepathy, this technique acted at close range on the opponent's consciousness, creating a thunderous mental shock in moments of extreme tension.
This was the first time Ino had used it—and the effect was incredible.
Xia Li watched, smiling. It seemed that information really was useful. The Yamanaka technique exploited mental fragility under extreme stress, perfect for the clan.
Ino's "Mind Transfer" caused Sakura's mind to reach maximum tension, then released a thunderous shock, leaving her incapacitated.
Xia Li was impressed; he hadn't expected the effect to be so absolute.
Ino had learned a powerful and precise mental attack, unique to this world.
When Ino returned Sakura to Team 7, her body had recovered, but her mind remained slightly shaken.
Ino, worried she'd overdone it, happily ran to embrace Xia Li.
"Xia Li, that technique was amazing!"
"Indeed. Don't be too merciful to enemies, but also don't be too harsh with friends," Xia Li advised. Mental trauma heals slowly, but thankfully, Ino was resilient enough.
"Ah, I understand. It's my first time using it, didn't expect such great results," Ino said, thrilled to have learned such a practical technique.
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