The battle with Sasuke came to an end, and the names on the big screen continued scrolling.
Soon, the second match was announced:
Aburame Shino vs. Sak
Sasuke glanced at the matchup and made a quiet assessment.
"With such a gap in ability, there's no way Sak can win."
Shino's parasitic insects were a perfect counter to Sak's abilities, making the outcome almost inevitable.
As the battle began, the two exchanged a few blows before Shino distanced himself. Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke immediately noticed something: Sak's arms were already covered in parasitic insects. They had even crawled into the air tubes in his palms, but he hadn't realized it yet.
Still oblivious, Sak aimed his hands at Shino.
"Die, Konoha Genin!"
"Final Decapitating Air Wave!"
He grinned viciously and gathered chakra, ready to unleash his attack.
But the next second—
BOOM!
His own hands exploded violently, spraying blood everywhere.
"What?!"
The crowd gasped in shock. Just moments ago, it seemed like Sak had the advantage, yet now, the match had ended in an instant.
However, Jōnin like Kakashi weren't surprised at all. They had seen it coming.
Sak was quickly carried away, and the match concluded with Shino's victory.
The third match followed soon after: Kankuro vs. a member of Kabuto's team.
Using his puppet techniques, Kankuro easily crushed his opponent—literally. The enemy was caught in his puppet's grasp, and in the blink of an eye, his entire body was broken apart. A clean and efficient win.
This match made several spectators uneasy. Seeing how dangerous puppetry techniques could be, they made a mental note to be cautious around Kankuro.
Fourth Match: Haruno Sakura vs. Yamanaka Ino!
A fierce battle erupted between the two kunoichi.
Fueled by their rivalry and their shared feelings for Sasuke, neither backed down. They exchanged punches, kicks, and jutsu, determined to prove themselves.
The audience was stunned by their intensity.
"Even though their skills aren't very high-level, their fighting spirit is commendable," Kakashi mused.
"Haha! A battle between lifelong rivals!" Might Guy exclaimed with excitement. "Kakashi, this reminds me of my youthful battles with you!"
Kakashi turned to him with an unreadable expression.
"Ah? Kai, were you saying something?" he asked, clearly having been too engrossed in the fight.
Might Guy: …
The match reached its climax when both Sakura and Ino landed simultaneous punches on each other's faces. They collapsed at the same time, unconscious.
Result: A draw.
The audience was surprised.
"A tie?!"
"I never expected this!"
Fifth Match: Tenten vs. Temari!
"This matchup is unfortunate for Tenten," Sasuke thought.
Tenten specialized in throwing ninja tools, but against a Wind Release user like Temari, this strategy was useless.
Sure enough, Tenten unleashed a flurry of weapons, but Temari casually swung her iron fan, generating a powerful gust of wind that blew them all away.
Some weapons even reversed direction, striking Tenten instead.
The match ended in total defeat.
As Tenten fell, Rock Lee rushed forward and caught her before she hit the ground.
His expression darkened.
"You didn't have to humiliate her like that!" he snapped at Temari.
"Humiliate?" Temari scoffed. "She was just too weak. It's not my fault she lost so easily."
"You…!"
Just as Lee was about to step forward, Might Guy stopped him.
"Lee, if you want to prove your strength, do it in the arena!"
Lee clenched his fists but nodded.
"Understood, Guy-sensei."
Might Guy turned to Temari.
"Mark my words. Lee will show you what true strength is!"
Temari simply rolled her eyes, unimpressed.
For now, only Sasuke had earned her attention.
Sixth Match: Shikamaru vs. Kin Tsuchi!
A battle of pure strategy.
With his Shadow Imitation Jutsu and superior intelligence, Shikamaru effortlessly outmaneuvered Kin, forcing her into a losing position.
With no options left, Kin was forced to surrender.
Seventh Match: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba!
Kankuro smirked.
"Heh, that loudmouth's finally up. Let's see if he's as strong as he acts."
Temari, however, dismissed him.
"People who talk too much are usually weak. I wouldn't expect much."
"I'm more interested in Sasuke."
Meanwhile, Gaara's expression darkened.
"Hmph. We'll find out soon enough… once our plan is set in motion."
Kankuro and Temari shuddered slightly.
"That monster inside him… it's stirring again."
Back in the arena, Kiba was feeling confident.
"Lucky me! This match is in the bag."
Naruto had always been the dead-last at the Academy. In Kiba's mind, there was no way he could lose.
But reality hit him hard.
The moment the fight began, Kiba was caught off guard.
Naruto was faster.
Naruto was stronger.
And his Shadow Clone Technique was an absolute nightmare to deal with.
Even after using Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu, Kiba was only barely keeping up.
"How did this loser suddenly become so strong?!" Kiba thought, stunned.
Naruto grinned. "Time to end this!"
Using a clever Transformation Jutsu, Naruto disguised himself as Akamaru and tricked Kiba.
The real Akamaru was knocked unconscious.
Then, with a barrage of Shadow Clones, Naruto overwhelmed Kiba and knocked him out cold.
Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!
The audience was in disbelief.
"No way! Naruto actually won?!"
Shikamaru sighed, resting his chin on his hand.
"Ugh… does this mean Kiba and I are now the weakest?"
Sakura cheered.
"Naruto, that was amazing!"
Meanwhile, Yuhi Kurenai was deep in thought.
"How did Naruto improve so much…?"
Her gaze flickered toward Sasuke.
"Is this because of Kakashi's training? If even Naruto is getting this strong, then Sasuke's true strength must be terrifying…"
The big screen scrolled again.
Eighth Match: Hyūga Hinata vs. Hyūga Neji!
A tense atmosphere settled over the room.
"The Hyūga Clan duel…" Kakashi muttered.
Jōnin gathered around, watching closely.
"Neji is considered a genius, so this is going to be a tough fight," one of them remarked.
Yuhi Kurenai clenched her fists.
"Hinata…"
The match was about to begin.