Neji and Omoi's match had been short and lacked any giant monsters to get the audience's hearts racing, but the spectators still enjoyed it immensely.
Ordinary civilians usually ran as far away as possible whenever shinobi fought. Otherwise, even nine lives wouldn't be enough to survive. As a result, most people never had the chance to see what a battle between ninja actually looked like.
Today, they got more than their fill.
In the arena, Hayate waved toward the waiting room.
"The contestants for the third match, it's your turn."
Sasuke and Naruto exchanged a glance filled with rivalry.
The two stood up at the same time. Instead of jumping directly from the viewing platform into the arena, they followed Gaara's example, leaving through the door and walking down the stairs toward the battlefield.
With every step, the excitement and fighting spirit in their hearts steadily rose.
Before this massive audience, before the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, they would prove through battle that they were superior to the other.
Before Hayate could even speak, both had already introduced themselves.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
"Uzumaki Naruto."
One was the son of the Uchiha Clan Head, the most prestigious clan in the shinobi world. The other was the son of Konoha's Fourth Hokage. Their backgrounds alone were enough to excite every spectator, especially the people of Konoha.
Hayate declared: "Then the third match begins now!"
Unlike the first two matches, this Konoha-versus-Konoha showdown started in a very shinobi-like fashion.
The two knew each other too well, so naturally they began with verbal attacks.
Sasuke smirked.
"Naruto, are you ready for another defeat?"
Naruto flashed a mysterious grin.
"Sasuke, talking big won't help you. I prepared a brand-new trump card just for you."
Sasuke remained unimpressed.
"Really? I'm looking forward to it. If it's just the same old tricks as before, then today's victory belongs to me."
"I won't disappoint you."
Once the trash talk was over, both launched into motion simultaneously, circling one another at high speed.
At the same time, their hands reached toward the ninja pouches at their waists.
A moment later, kunai and shuriken filled the air, perfectly matching the audience's stereotypical image of a ninja battle.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Metal rang continuously as the projectiles collided between them.
As members of the Uchiha Clan were masters of thrown weapons, Sasuke held the advantage in this area. Before long, Naruto was reduced to defending himself with a kunai in hand.
Naruto was very familiar with this style of combat. Knowing he couldn't compete head-on, he formed hand seals before the next volley arrived and created a large number of Shadow Clones.
A small portion intercepted the incoming weapons while the rest charged toward Sasuke.
The taijutsu battle began.
A crowd against a single opponent.
Sasuke showed no fear whatsoever.
His three-tomoe Sharingan darted left and right, effortlessly tracking every punch and kick coming at him from all directions.
He even had enough spare attention to counterattack and steadily reduce the number of clones.
When it came to dynamic vision, the Sharingan had never feared anyone.
Throughout the close-quarters fight, both Naruto's real body and his Shadow Clones kept their heads slightly lowered, completely avoiding eye contact with Sasuke.
Against an Uchiha with a three-tomoe Sharingan, looking directly into their eyes was practically suicide.
Naruto understood that very well.
Of course, even if he did look, it wouldn't be a problem.
As the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, and currently on fairly good terms with the big fox, he wouldn't be easily caught in a genjutsu.
But Sasuke didn't know that.
Information like that was best saved for a crucial moment when it could be used for something underhanded.
Shinobi weren't righteous heroes.
Using dirty tricks in battle was practically routine.
Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!
Naruto's Shadow Clones exploded one after another.
An ordinary person would have collapsed long ago from the accumulated pain, but Naruto was completely fine. His nerves were absurdly resilient.
In the end, Sasuke used a spinning kick to destroy Naruto's final two clones.
But at that moment, Naruto's real body suddenly burst up from underground behind them and unleashed a move he had learned from Lee.
Shadow of the Dancing Leaf!
The kick shot straight toward Sasuke's vulnerable chin.
Sasuke crossed his palms to block, but the tremendous force still launched him into the air.
Naruto didn't wear bandages and couldn't use the Lotus techniques, so instead he drew the short blade from his back and swung it several times in rapid succession.
Wind Release: Vacuum Sword!
The Shadowless Sword demanded extremely precise chakra control. Among the younger generation with Wind Affinity chakra, only Tenten could currently use it.
However, Naruto could still perform Vacuum Sword, its precursor version.
The Wind chakra within Vacuum Sword wasn't nearly as condensed. The distortion in the air was obvious, making it easy to see and far less suited for stealth.
The airborne Sasuke wasted no time either.
He drew the short blade at his waist.
Uchiha Style: Sword Leap Flame!
A crescent-shaped blade of fire sliced through the incoming Vacuum Sword with perfect precision.
The two attacks exploded in midair, scattering sparks through swirling winds and creating a spectacular display.
Normally, among the five elemental chakra natures, Fire countered Wind.
But Naruto possessed what was essentially Chakra-on-a-whole-other-scale.
He played by the principle of overwhelming force. By simply pouring in more chakra, he brute-forced his way through the elemental disadvantage.
The moment he landed, Sasuke charged straight at Naruto and slashed.
Naruto refused to give an inch, raising his own blade to meet the attack.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The battle shifted from taijutsu into swordsmanship.
Cold flashes of steel filled the air as their weapons collided again and again.
Wind- and Fire-attribute chakra poured wildly from their blades, scattering in every direction like fireworks.
The audience watched the dazzling spectacle with great excitement.
As they fought, Naruto casually pulled out his favorite tactic again.
Human-wave tactics.
A whole crowd of Narutos surrounded Sasuke and hacked away at him from every direction.
Sasuke knew that when it came to chakra reserves, he was nowhere near Naruto's level. If the battle continued like this, he would inevitably lose once his chakra ran dry.
Just like all those matches he had lost to Naruto over the years.
So after driving back the Shadow Clones with a sweeping strike, Sasuke sheathed his short sword and rapidly formed hand seals.
Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!
A stream of fire erupted from Sasuke's mouth. The moment it met the wind, it expanded dramatically, quickly turning into a massive sea of flames that covered nearly half the arena.
Normally, their sparring matches had no battlefield restrictions, allowing them to run wild wherever they wanted. But the arena had limited space.
Sasuke was using a battlefield-clearing tactic.
There would be nowhere for Naruto to run.
The tournament had rules. Leaving the arena counted as a voluntary surrender.
The proctor could move out of the way.
Naruto could not.
His Shadow Clones exploded one after another within the inferno, leaving only the original standing behind them, desperately looking for a way to avoid the attack.
The sky?
Underground?
But Naruto didn't want to dodge.
Nor could he use Water Release.
Forming hand seals, he puffed out his chest and poured out the maximum amount of chakra he could muster, forcibly turning the C-rank Wind Release: Great Breakthrough into something resembling a typhoon.
The tremendous gale blasted the sea of flames backward.
It swept past Sasuke and surged toward the spectator stands.
If that attack landed, the result would be catastrophic casualties.
Konoha would become the biggest joke in the shinobi world.
The ninja in the stands were dumbfounded.
What the hell is this?
This is supposed to be a fight between genin?
Since when are genin this ridiculous?
What does that make the rest of us chūnin and jōnin?
Regardless, they had to stop the attack.
They couldn't exactly let the civilians behind them get roasted alive.
However, before anyone could act, Makoto casually pointed forward.
A massive curtain of water enveloped the flames, carried them high into the sky, and then burst apart into a gigantic firework.
The spectacular display added a festive touch to the grand Chūnin Exams.
After the flames subsided, the arena fell quiet.
Aside from a slightly winded Naruto and Hayate standing off to the side, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.
It was as if the fire had reduced him to ashes.
But that was impossible.
Naruto remained on guard.
He didn't believe Sasuke could die so easily. With so many experts watching, dying would be harder than surviving.
There was only one explanation.
The bastard was hiding somewhere, waiting to launch a sneak attack.
Suddenly, a faint chirping sound echoed from beneath his feet.
Naruto's heart skipped a beat.
He instantly leaped away while rapidly condensing a Rasengan in his hand and thrusting it forward.
The moment he left the ground, Sasuke burst out from beneath the earth.
Bright lightning crackled around his right hand.
Enhanced by Lightning Release stimulating his cells, his speed was terrifying.
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Naruto.
Chidori collided head-on with Rasengan.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted.
Both were blasted away, tumbling across the ground several times.
By the time they struggled back to their feet, both were gasping for breath, utterly exhausted.
Naruto stared at him.
"How the hell did you get over there? You shouldn't have developed Earth Affinity yet. Don't tell me you dug a tunnel like a mole?"
Sasuke didn't bother hiding it.
"I trained specifically for this match. I can't use powerful Earth Release techniques yet, but digging a tunnel isn't a problem."
"Is that so? Pretty clever, Sasuke. The problem is... do you still have enough strength left to beat me?"
Sasuke snorted.
"Aren't you in the same situation? To counter my strongest Fire Release, you burned through all your chakra, didn't you?"
"Sorry, but I've still got a little left. Just enough to beat you."
Naruto wasn't lying.
He genuinely had some chakra remaining.
And beyond that, he still had the Nine-Tails, his personal rechargeable battery.
However, he had been specifically warned before the match. There was no way he would reveal his status as a jinchūriki in public.
As Naruto approached, Sasuke could only grit his teeth and force himself back to his feet.
Naruto looked directly at the rival who had challenged him since childhood and formed hand seals.
Two Shadow Clones appeared beside him.
"Do you still have enough strength left to deal with human-wave tactics?"
Three against one.
The advantage is mine!
Sasuke laughed.
"Human-wave tactics? Three people?"
"Looks like you're almost out of chakra too."
"And besides... did you forget something important?"
"What?"
"You idiot. You forgot to avoid looking into my eyes."
"Damn it!"
Sasuke's three-tomoe Sharingan spun as he fired off a genjutsu.
Naruto froze instantly.
"Sorry, Naruto. Looks like I win this one."
The seemingly dazed Naruto suddenly smiled.
"Oh? Really?"
The moment he spoke, both Shadow Clones formed hand seals simultaneously.
Transformation Technique: Uchiha Sako Technique!
The two clones abruptly transformed into female versions of Sasuke.
They wore revealing outfits.
Curvy figures.
Voluptuous chests.
Dangerous levels of fanservice.
One on each side, they rushed forward, wrapped their arms around Sasuke, and began acting spoiled.
"Sasuke-sama!"
"Sasuke-nii!"
Sasuke: "..."
His brain crashed.
Unable to process.
His entire life entered a state of confusion.
Absurd thoughts flooded his mind.
A female version of me... is actually really pretty.
If I had a little sister... she'd probably look like this.
Taking advantage of the opening, Naruto gathered the last of his strength and charged forward.
A rising uppercut slammed directly into Sasuke's chin.
The punch launched both Sasuke and the two Shadow Clones into the air.
Before the clones even landed, Naruto dispelled them.
Only poor Sasuke remained.
He crashed to the ground in a daze, completely incapable of resisting.
Gekkō Hayate stepped forward.
"The winner: Uzumaki Naruto!"
The final announcement brought a little clarity back to Sasuke's mind.
Lying on the ground, he ground his teeth furiously.
"Damn you, Naruto! I'm going to kill you!"
Naruto grinned.
"No problem, Sasuke. But I'm taking this victory with me."
"You shameless bastard! Using such a filthy ninjutsu! You're dead!"
"..."
Naruto suddenly realized something.
When he got home today...
He was probably—
No.
Definitely dead.
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