Upon hearing the announcement, the barely seated Sasuke felt exhausted and began to slump. At the critical moment, Kakashi used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind him, using his foot to support Sasuke and prevent him from falling.
Watching Kakashi's Body Flicker, Takeru noted it was almost as fast as his Soru. The Body Flicker Technique utilized Chakra for high-speed movement, with the required Chakra varying based on distance and elevation. It seemed highly practical, perhaps even more so than Soru, which, though relying solely on physical strength, created sonic booms from air friction, making it quite conspicuous.
"Well, not bad," Kakashi said with a light laugh, genuinely surprised Sasuke had won under such conditions.
Above, while happy for Sasuke, Naruto couldn't resist mocking him for the messy victory.
As Sasuke secured victory by copying Lee's moves, the spectators' thoughts swirled, many gaining newfound respect for him.
Orochimaru grew even more interested, his entire body trembling with excitement.
Yoroi was taken away by the medical team, while Kakashi quickly escorted Sasuke away to seal the Cursed Seal.
Next was the second match: Shino vs. Abumi Zaku. Zaku's arms had been broken by Sasuke's rampage and were still bandaged, putting him at a clear disadvantage.
Zaku initially claimed he could only use one arm, severely weakening him since his ability relied entirely on the sound holes in his palms.
He could use the powerful Air Wave, capable of shattering rock… his sole technique but versatile in application. At full strength, he was mid-tier among these Genin.
Unfortunately, Shino was far stronger.
While Hinata worried for her teammate, Kiba reassured her, adding that Shino was the one person he absolutely didn't want to fight.
Though not explicitly stated, Kiba, through Akamaru and his own keen sense of smell, understood Shino's terror.
Ui and Ritsu, seeing Shino step onto the field, felt a wave of discomfort.
"If you fight me, you won't be able to stand again. Withdraw," Shino calmly advised Zaku.
"Hmph! For a guy like you, one hand is enough!" Zaku charged angrily at Shino.
Shino simply extended his right arm, blocking the attack.
"You can't beat me with one hand," Shino stated flatly after blocking.
"Stop talking!" Feeling belittled, Zaku's sound hole rumbled, releasing a Air Wave at the seemingly off-guard Shino.
Caught at close range, Shino was blasted back.
However, as the smoke cleared and Shino stood up, something felt off. A rustling sound filled the arena.
Ui and Ritsu, with their Observation Haki active, instantly covered their mouths in horror. They could see countless insects crawling in and out of Shino's skin, moving freely across his body...
"Hmph, let's see you bluff now!" Though also creeped out, Zaku wasn't intimidated. He soon found himself surrounded: Shino on one side, a sea of insects on the other.
With only one usable arm, he could only defend one direction, leaving the other open to attack.
Just as Zaku smugly tried to use his 'injured' right arm as well, attempting an Air Wave, he found he couldn't release it. Intense pain shot through both arms, followed by a sudden explosion.
Struggling to look at his palms, he saw them covered with insects, especially the sound holes, which were completely blocked.
"How did this happen?!" Zaku couldn't understand when this had occurred.
"Earlier, when I advised you to withdraw, I gave the insects a suggestion as a precaution: to use their bodies to block that troublesome sound hole and not move. That's the real 'one hand up my sleeve'," Shino explained calmly.
"Damn it!" Even with both arms effectively useless, Zaku refused to give up.
Seeing his stubbornness, Shino punched Zaku in the head, sending him flying and ending the fight.
Zaku's arms exploded because Shino's insects blocked the exhaust ports.
When Zaku tried to use Air Wave, the trapped energy had nowhere to go but back into his arms, causing them to rupture.
Meanwhile, Kakashi and Orochimaru were engaged in a standoff over Sasuke.
This time, however, Orochimaru didn't linger. After stating that Sasuke would seek him out for power, he avoided clashing with Kakashi's Chidori and left.
Back at the preliminaries, after confirming Zaku's condition, Hayate quickly declared Shino the winner.
Neji used his Byakugan for the first time to observe Shino, learning from Guy that Shino was the heir to a clan that controlled insects.
"Now, let's proceed to the next match!" Soon, Hayate announced the next pair.
The board displayed Takeru and Kankuro.
"Hmph, finally my turn. And that guy... time to settle this now," Kankuro said excitedly upon seeing Takeru was his opponent.
Takeru simply smiled lightly. He hadn't expected Kankuro, but regardless of the opponent, he wouldn't lose.
"Takeru-nii, do your best!" Ui said earnestly as Takeru prepared to step down.
"Hehe, Ui, the other guy should be the one worried," Ritsu said with her usual carefree attitude.
Gaara frowned at the seemingly overconfident Kankuro, internally calling him an idiot.
"It's them!" Sakura was surprised seeing the match-up.
"Takeru, go get him! Beat that arrogant guy!" Naruto shouted from above. Though not close to Takeru and even somewhat envious of his looks, Takeru had saved him and Konohamaru once and was from his village, so Naruto cheered for him.
Kiba and Shikamaru watched curiously, wondering what abilities Takeru would use. They recalled Kabuto saying Takeru couldn't use Chakra.
Below, Takeru and Kankuro quickly took their positions, stopping at a set distance.
"This time, I'll show you my power," Kankuro declared.
"Is that so? I look forward to it," Takeru replied with his usual calm smile.
"Tch, such an annoying guy," Kankuro muttered, frowning.
"Then, the third match... begins!" Seeing both ready, Hayate announced.
"Let's make this quick!" Kankuro said, unloading the puppet Crow from his back.
Takeru knew the 'Kankuro' before him was actually the puppet in disguise, while the real Kankuro hid within the bandages.
Though arrogant, Kankuro wasn't foolish. He planned to test Takeru with the puppet first, then use Crow's surprise attack when Takeru engaged it...
However, Takeru simply stood with his arms crossed, ignoring the deliberately exposed weakness.
After a stalemate with Takeru still not attacking, the puppet-Kankuro, controlled by the real one, launched a Taijutsu assault.
Takeru smiled lightly, dodging the punches and kicks with ease, then lightly kicked the puppet away.
Watching the relaxed fight between Takeru and 'Kankuro', the spectators above grew puzzled.
"Well, your puppet skills shouldn't be that poor, should they?" Takeru addressed the Kankuro hidden in the bandages with a bored tone.
"What do you mean?" Most above were confused.
"Huh? How did you know?" Kankuro was taken aback. He then emerged from the bandages, frowning at Takeru.
Under everyone's surprised gazes, the puppet's outer layer rapidly peeled away, revealing its true form: a humanoid puppet with three eyes and four arms...
"It's a normal thinking. Using a puppet to trick the enemy, probe their techniques, and at the critical moment, launch a special attack with the puppet," Takeru stated, directly revealing his strategy.