"Ah! Sasuke!"
"What kind of chakra is that?!"
Naruto could hardly stay calm as he watched Hinata's massive palm strike slam Sasuke into the ground, creating a deep crater in the shape of her handprint.
That power was absolutely ridiculous!
On the other side of the arena, Neji Hyuga exhaled deeply. Because the incident with Hizashi's death had never happened in this timeline, he no longer harbored hatred toward the main family or resentment toward destiny. He no longer bore any ill will toward the heiress he was meant to protect.
What he felt now, watching Hinata's performance, was awe and admiration for Hatake Kaede.
He knew that Hinata had never been particularly gifted. But after training under Kaede for just two years, she had reached such terrifying strength… so much so that she had completely surpassed him!
He had no doubt now: his Rotation wouldn't be able to block Hinata's Vacuum Palm.
Even if he somehow blocked the first strike, the next would surely knock him to the ground.
"I wish I could be that man's student too…"
Neji murmured to himself, glancing toward Hinata with a touch of envy in his eyes.
In the arena,
Swish!
Hinata withdrew her chakra and took a few steps back.
Hayate Gekko swallowed as he dropped down beside the cratered Sasuke, crouched to check his condition, then declared, "Hyuga Hinata… wins!"
A cold sweat was visible on his forehead.
If Hinata hadn't stopped when she did, he honestly wasn't sure he could've gotten to Sasuke in time. He might've ended up as the second person embedded in the arena floor.
As the announcement echoed through the stadium, Hinata deactivated her Byakugan. The strands of hair that had been fluttering from her chakra calmed and fell around her shoulders. She looked up toward the third level of the stands.
With her Byakugan's 360-degree vision, she had already noticed Kaede's arrival.
"Sensei."
She leapt gracefully to the third level and bowed before him.
Kaede had been standing with his hands behind his back, watching the fight below. When he noticed Hinata approaching, he turned and gave her a warm smile.
"Mm. Very well done."
At that moment, Naruto, Sakura, and the others followed Hinata's gaze to the third level, and finally noticed the figure standing beside Kakashi.
After a brief moment of silence…
Everyone in the arena bowed in unison.
"Hokage-sama!"
"You may continue," Kaede said calmly, sweeping his gaze across the arena and nodding lightly at Hayate, signaling that there was no need to pause the exam.
With the Hokage's arrival confirmed, excitement visibly spread among the participating Genin. Neji, Lee, and others straightened up with renewed spirit, eager to prove themselves and earn the Hokage's recognition.
Meanwhile, Ino Yamanaka, Sakura Haruno, Tenten, Temari, and several other girls couldn't help but steal glances toward the third level where Kaede stood. Their eyes sparkled with a quiet thrill.
Sasuke and Naruto were handsome in their own right…
But compared to Kaede, the young Hokage, the legendary ninja, they were like fireflies beside the moon. Even the occasional, gentle smile from Kaede seemed to dazzle them like a genjutsu, leaving their hearts unsteady.
"…Big brother,"
"I think during the final round, you'll need to tone it down a bit."
Kakashi glanced down at the girls' dreamy expressions, the corner of his mouth twitching. He turned to Kaede and muttered, "Otherwise, you're going to be a serious burden to the shinobi responsible for crowd control."
This wasn't sarcasm. This was a straight-up complaint.
"Then just assign two extra squads to handle it."
Kaede gave him a side-eye.
He hadn't even done anything, what was there to tone down?
But to be fair, having a charm that couldn't be contained was a bit of a hassle. Being too popular wasn't always a blessing. Life really was hard.
In the end,
Sasuke was eliminated in the third round of the Chunin Exams.
After the round of eliminations, twenty candidates advanced to the fourth and final stage. In a typical Chunin Exam, more candidates would pass, usually after just two or three rounds.
But this particular exam was an open event with a significant element of performance. These types of Chunin Exams intentionally eliminated the majority of Genin, leaving only a small, elite group for the final round to put on a proper show.
Among the original Konoha Twelve, four were eliminated.
The remaining eight, including Hinata, advanced to the final round. Joining them were candidates from the other former Great Shinobi Villages, for a total of twelve finalists, including Temari, Kankuro, and others.
"The fourth round will begin in three days."
"At that time, nobles and generals from all across the Land of Fire will be attending as guests. Many of them may become future clients for your missions, please prepare accordingly."
With Hayate Gekko's final announcement, the third round came to an official end.
=============
Afterward,
Naruto wasted no time. He immediately went looking for Kakashi.
"Kakashi-sensei! I need special training!"
Sasuke's crushing defeat had hit him hard. Between Hinata and Haku, the opponents in this exam were terrifying. Especially Hinata, he had no confidence in defeating her with his current strength.
Kakashi looked at him, smiled slightly, and said, "Alright."
Meanwhile,
Sasuke limped away from the arena in silence.
Outside the exam grounds, he suddenly came face-to-face with a tall figure in a black cloak: Uchiha Itachi.
He stopped in his tracks.
"Big brother…"
"I already heard."
Itachi placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Hyuuga Hinata is one of Sensei Kaede's students. After training under him, she's no longer the same. Your strength is already impressive."
Sasuke lowered his head slightly. After a moment of silence, he looked up at his brother and asked:
"Big brother, I want to know… how to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan."
He wanted more power.
Itachi stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly spoke in a low, intense voice:
"My foolish little brother… do you think you're capable of awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan? Do you think you have the heart and talent for it?"
A crushing pressure radiated from him.
His eyes morphed, revealing the swirling tomoe pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Sasuke froze in place.
He stared at Itachi, completely stunned.
As Sasuke instinctively stumbled back two steps, clearly shaken, Itachi closed his eyes. The Mangekyo faded, replaced by his regular black pupils once more.
He flicked Sasuke lightly on the forehead and gave a small, familiar smile.
"To awaken the Mangekyo, you must experience overwhelming emotional trauma, you must lose someone you truly love. You need a wave of emotion ten times stronger than what you just felt. Can you handle that? I think… it's still too early for you."
Then, gently ruffling Sasuke's hair, Itachi turned and began walking away.
"Let's go home."
Sasuke stood there pale-faced and speechless for several long seconds before he finally regained his composure.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria