All characters and story belong to Kohei Horikoshi and Masashi Kishimoto
"Hahahaha," Yoroi laughed. "You've lost, Sasuke Uchiha!"
"My chakra... you're... stealing it..." Sasuke said with difficulty, immobilized on the ground by his rival.
"You've finally realized, huh?" Yoroi said with an amused tone. "I'm draining your chakra thanks to my special jutsu that I apply to my fingers, absorbing your physical and spiritual energy."
After a few seconds in which it seemed that Sasuke had lost everything, the black-haired man managed to deliver a powerful kick to his rival, sending him to the ground several meters away.
"Get away from me!" Sasuke said after the kick.
—So you still have some strength left, huh?— said Yoroi, amazed and getting up from the ground.—Impressive.—
—That was close…—Sasuke thought, panting from the amount of chakra he had lost.
"Next time, I'll make sure you can't escape my attack," Yoroi threatened, channeling chakra into his right hand.
The genin from Kabuto's team ran back towards Sasuke to finish the fight as he struggled to his feet. Yoroi tried to strike Sasuke, but although tired, he was faster and dodged every attack. The dark-haired man tried to counterattack, but Yoroi dodged by leaping backward.
"I can't beat him in a prolonged fight. I barely have any chakra left. I need to finish him off right away or I'll lose. I have to think of something, and fast!" Sasuke lamented.
"Hahaha," Yoroi laughed. "Are you already that tired? I was hoping to have a little more fun."
—The great Sasuke Uchiha... Is that all he knows how to do?—Gaara thought, disappointed.
"What the hell are you doing, you idiot!" Bakugo yelled from upstairs. "The only way you'll manage is by boring him to death! Back off or get your act together already! I don't want to be here wasting time all day!"
"Katsuki Bakugo. As kind as I remembered..." Minato thought sarcastically, a bead of sweat forming on his neck. "Though perhaps those are precisely the words Sasuke needs to snap out of his daze."
"Ah, ah, ah," Sasuke gasped, tilting his head toward Bakugo. "They're all watching me. I can't lose like this. That idiot Bakugo will remind me of it for the rest of my life." Then he noticed Rock Lee standing beside him. "Wait a minute... I've got it!"
"I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS TO PEOPLE WHO TURN THEIR BACKS ON ME!" Yoroi shouted angrily, charging at Sasuke. "YOUR LAST MISTAKE!"
Sasuke dodged Yoroi's attack again, but this time he moved much faster and positioned himself directly under Yoroi's chin. He immediately struck him hard in the jaw, sending him flying several meters off the ground.
"Heh. He used the same eyebrow move he used on him before the first exam," Bakugo thought with a grin. "A zero for originality, but at least it looks like he's going to get out of this one."
"That's my move!" Lee thought, sweat beading on his forehead.
—But what the...?—Guy thought in amazement.
—Hmm. You've finally decided to fight seriously, Sasuke Uchiha. —Gaara thought.
Sasuke jumped and positioned himself perpendicularly beneath Yoroi.
"To be honest, I borrowed that move, but from here on out, it's all mine," Sasuke told Yoroi.
"Huh?" Yoroi said, feeling Sasuke's index finger in the center of his back. "Kagebuyo?" (The Shadow Dance)
"And now...!" Sasuke's eyes widened in shock as the cursed seal spread across his neck. "AAAAHHHH!" he screamed. "Not again! It's getting stronger every time!" Marks began to appear on the left side of his face.
Even from so far away, Bakugo glimpsed small spots on Sasuke's ear and left cheek.
"Huh? Is that a product of the snake-face mark?" Bakugo thought, frowning.
"Is this the moment when I should act?" Kakashi thought, undecided.
—NOOOOOO! DON'T DO IT!—
Sasuke remembered the hug his partner gave him in the forest of death when he lost control.
"What the hell are you doing, you idiot! The only chance you'll have that way is to bore him to death! Back down or get your act together for once! I don't want to be here wasting time all day!"
"I'll make him eat his words," Sasuke thought, gritting his teeth. "No! I won't let this thing control me! No way!"
The marks receded before the willpower of the dark-haired man until they disappeared completely, leaving only the three original marks of the cursed seal.
"Huh?" Bakugo rubbed his eyes to make sure he could see properly. "Is the fatigue making me hallucinate again?"
"The cursed seal has receded!" Anko thought, astonished that she too had noticed the appearance of the black marks.
—Well done.— Kakashi thought, with a smile beneath his mask.
—Heh. It's time to finish!—Sasuke said to Yoroi.
In the air, Sasuke tried to hit Yoroi in the abdomen from his left side, but he protected himself with his arm.
"I'm stronger than you, brat!" Yoroi shouted confidently.
But Sasuke's attack didn't end there. He spun his body 360 degrees and, using the momentum of the spin, delivered a powerful punch from Yoroi's right side, this time successfully connecting with his abdomen. As Yoroi fell from the blow, Sasuke managed to land another kick, his heel striking Yoroi in the face. And just inches before Yoroi hit the ground, Sasuke launched the final attack of his combination, parrying it once more.
—Shishi rendan! (lion combo)—Sasuke named the movements he had applied.
Yoroi spat blood and collapsed unconscious. In contrast, Sasuke managed to get up with difficulty and repeated gasps.
"I declare this match over," Hayate announced after examining Yoroi. "The winner of this preliminary round, Sasuke Uchiha, advances to the third exam."
"It's about time! I almost fell asleep!" Bakugo shouted from upstairs.
—Ah ah.—Sasuke gasped. —Shut up.—His body couldn't take it anymore and he was about to lie down, but Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke and held him with his knee while reading his favorite book, Icha Icha Paradise.
"Mmm... Not bad," Kakashi said, turning the page of his book.
—Heh. —Sasuke smiled
"That's funny. Before what you called Shishi Rendan (Lion's Strike), your technique was very similar to Guy's taijutsu. I suppose you must have copied it from Lee with your Sharingan," Kakashi said.
"She won!" Sakura shouted, releasing the pent-up tension that had nearly given her a heart attack during the fight.
"Tsk," Bakugo muttered. "But in such a pathetic way that it looks like he's the one who got beaten up."
"But the important thing is that Sasuke-kun can finally rest. Thank goodness..." the pink-haired girl whispered the last part.
"Incredible. He only saw me do it once and he copied my jutsu perfectly..." Lee thought in amazement. "So that's his special gift. You're truly great, Sasuke. You just keep getting stronger. I'm a little jealous."
"Impressive. But you won't master high-speed taijutsu and the lotus form just like that. It takes more than the Sharingan. It takes brutal training that slowly eats away at your flesh," Guy thought. "Even so... That last move. It reminds me of my old rival when I was younger."
"Last year, Neji Hyuga was the most promising rookie. This year it seems to be Sasuke. Although the Fourth Hokage's son might show us what he's made of," Tenten thought. "But whether it's Naruto or Sasuke, neither of them can rival Neji. I'm sure of it."
"This boy is something special. That he's developed the Sharingan to such a level at such a young age..." Kakashi thought. "Not since Itachi has there been anyone from the Uchiha clan so promising."
—I still can't believe the way the cursed seal has receded... How did it do that? Is it able to control it?—Anko thought, unable to believe it.
Kankuro watched as Gaara held his arm to calm himself down.
"No, not again," Kankuro said worriedly. "Please, stay calm, Gaara. Although, if he loses control, I won't be the one to calm him down."
"I always knew I would win!" Ino said with a smile.
"Hmm. I don't know if there's anyone left weak enough to beat him. What a drag, if I lose my mom's sure to scold me," Shikamaru lamented.
"I'm so hungry... And there are still 7 more fights... I don't think I can last that long without fainting from hunger," Choji commented.
"That fight was amazing! Believe it!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "I hope I get to fight next!"
—Yes, it has been...—Hinata said in a low voice.
"Bah, it wasn't that special," Kiba replied.
A couple of nurses took Yoroi away on a stretcher.
"Sasuke Uchiha, you should come with us to the hospital to have your injuries checked," said a third nurse.
"That's a good idea, Dandulo," Minato said to the nurse who jumped down to the ground. "But first, Kakashi needs to speak with his student privately. After that conversation, I'll ask an ANBU to take him to the hospital. Don't worry, Dandulo."
"As you command, Hokage-sama," replied the nurse named Dandulo. With that, he withdrew and accompanied the nurses who were transporting Yoroi.
"Kakashi, remember what we talked about earlier. You know what you have to do," Minato said very seriously. The Hokage then returned upstairs in an instant.
—Yes, yes. I haven't forgotten. —Kakashi thought, scratching the back of his neck.
Then Kakashi placed his hand on the shoulder where Sasuke had the mark.
"Come on, come with me," Kakashi whispered into his disciple's ear.
"But what about the rest of the preliminary matches? I want to see who advances to the third exam," Sasuke complained.
"Forget it," Kakashi replied.
"What?" Sasuke snapped.
"I need to counter-seal that mark on your shoulder right away. So don't even think about arguing with me. You're coming with me whether you like it or not," Kakashi warned him. "If we delay, it could be too late. I've been lenient with you enough already. Come on, let's go."
Sasuke said nothing more and got up from the floor, walking slowly towards the exit of the room accompanied by his sensei.
—Sasuke-kun...—Sakura thought worriedly as she saw Kakashi and Sasuke leaving the room.
—Cough, cough, cough.— Hayate coughed. —Okay, let's move on to the second match.—
The 14 genin aspiring to become chunin stared at the screen, eager to see whose names would appear. After a few seconds, the names Tenten and Temari were displayed.
"Damn it! How long am I going to be waiting here? With my luck, I'm sure I'll be the last one to fight, just like at the sports festival," Bakugo said, nostalgically recalling his fight against Uraraka.
"Sports festival? What's that?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Forget it, forehead girl," Bakugo replied, annoyed with himself for saying the sports festival thing out loud.
"What do you mean, forget? And stop calling me forehead girl!" Sakura said, a vein throbbing in her forehead. "If you don't want me to ask you questions, don't say weird things! It's not the first time I've heard you talk about that..." (A/N: See the end of chapter 36: Weirdos)
"Team Four-Eyes has been completely eliminated," Bakugo commented, trying to distract Sakura. "All three members of the team wear glasses, two have retired, and the other lost to that useless Sasuke. What a strange team."
"Don't change the subject now and tell me what the sports festival is!" Sakura demanded. Bakugo hid his face, sweating profusely, to avoid confronting Detective Sakura. Luckily for the blond, the pink-haired girl's mind shifted to something else after hearing Bakugo's words. "Now that I think about it... Kabuto also said some strange things..."
"I already told you that everyone on his team is a weirdo. So I don't need to know what you heard from that four-eyes to know he's a weirdo, forehead girl. I couldn't care less," Bakugo said, grateful that Sakura had dropped the subject of the sports festival.
—Well, it turns out the weird things I was saying were about you, Bakago!—Sakura retorted with her particular insult mixing baka and Bakugo.
"Huh? What did four-eyes say about me?" Bakugo asked with interest.
—Sure… Now that I've told you it's about you, you don't care anymore . —the pink-haired girl said the last part, imitating Bakugo's serious tone.
"Don't you dare imitate me!" Bakugo threatened, clenching his fist.
"You're so easily annoyed it stops being funny," Sakura said, smiling because it seemed Bakugo wasn't as ill as she'd thought if he was acting like his usual self.
"Okay, stop playing hard to get and tell me what four-eyes said about me," Bakugo said.
"Well... it wasn't that strange. Maybe it was the tone he used when he said it, or the context..." Sakura said, rubbing her chin.
"Get to the point already, forehead girl!" Bakugo yelled, losing what little patience he had left.
—When he examined your wounds, Kabuto whispered that you were one of them —Sakura finally said.