Kazekaze and Sarutobi arrived at Field No.1 together.
No matter what, Sakumo was Kazekaze's teammate. In the future, he wouldn't just become a renowned figure in the shinobi world—the man who killed Sasori of the Red Sand's parents—he would also be the father of Kakashi, the Sixth Hokage!
Because of all these connections, Sakumo was the only Genin in this Chunin Exam that Kazekaze actually cared about.
As expected, when Kazekaze arrived at Field No.1, Sakumo was still in the middle of his match.
'That guy…'
Kazekaze's gaze quickly shifted to Sakumo's opponent.
The other fighter was a head taller than Sakumo, with blue hair and yellow eyes, an M-shaped fringe, and a ponytail tied at the back. He was dressed in a blue ninja uniform.
'He's… he's…'
Kazekaze racked his brain, but couldn't remember this guy's name.
'Wait a second, did his name ever even appear in the original story?'
But Kazekaze was absolutely sure—the one fighting Sakumo was from Sunagakure. And in the future… He would become the Third Kazekage!
'I never expected him to be part of this Chunin Exam too. And he just happened to run into Sakumo in the final round.'
Kazekaze couldn't help but marvel at the coincidence.
Although Sakumo was a rare genius, famous for his "White Fang of the Leaf" title, his opponent was none other than the man known as— "The Strongest Kazekage in Shinobi History!"
'Right now, Sakumo is only eight years old. He just graduated from the Academy. His tactical thinking and real combat experience are still lacking. Most importantly, the Third Kazekage possesses a Kekkei Genkai.'
Kazekaze clearly remembered that the Third Kazekage had a unique bloodline limit, allowing him to convert his chakra into magnetism, forming Iron Sand that could be shaped into any form for attack and defense.
It was several levels stronger than Toroi's Magnet Release! However… The Third Kazekage also held the unfortunate title of the most humiliated Kazekage in history!
Not only did the Naruto series never even give him a name, he also got killed by Sasori of the Red Sand and was turned into a human puppet.
Before transmigrating, Kazekaze had even discussed this on forums— "How the hell did Sasori manage to kill the Third Kazekage silently?"
There were tons of theories, but none of them were convincing. Even now, Kazekaze still couldn't wrap his head around it.
'How did Sasori pull it off?'
And to make things even worse… Somehow, Orochimaru got his hands on the Third Kazekage's DNA and later used Edo Tensei to— Revive him.
At the time, Orochimaru's Edo Tensei wasn't perfected yet, so the Third Kazekage retained his consciousness. And guess who the first opponent he ran into was? The very man who had killed him— Sasori of the Red Sand! Seeing himself turned into a human puppet, the Third Kazekage had nearly exploded with rage on the spot!
'If I were him, I'd probably slam my head into a rock and end it right there.'
But no matter what… Despite his ridiculous death, the Third Kazekage was still the strongest Kazekage and had Magnet Release. There was no way Sakumo could win against him.
"Sakumo's lost." Kazekaze shook his head in regret.
If a Genin could pass the first round, they had a chance to be promoted to Chunin regardless of their performance in the finals. But the first round was pure elimination— Losing meant waiting another year to try again.
'Sakumo just wasn't lucky enough.'
In Kazekaze's eyes, every ninja left in the final round was strong. No matter who Sakumo fought, his chances of winning weren't high. So Tobirama had truly left it up to random drawing. And Sakumo, the ultimate unlucky bastard, ended up against the future Third Kazekage!
"Sakumo will lose?" Sarutobi frowned.
Right now, the fight was reaching its climax. Both sides were still evenly matched. From his perspective, it would take more time before a winner was decided.
However— The moment Sarutobi finished speaking— Sakumo faked a shuriken attack, then used the Body Flicker Technique to instantly appear behind the Third Kazekage!
(Note: Since the Naruto series never gave the Third Kazekage a name, making up a new one doesn't feel right. So, we'll just call him Third Kazekage.)
The next second— Sakumo decisively drew the Chakra Short Blade from his back and held it against the Third Kazekage's throat. The blade gleamed with a cold light, reflecting the Third Kazekage's side profile.
According to the rules of the shinobi world— Once you expose your back to an enemy, you're dead!
"Impressive." Sarutobi gulped and let out a stunned sigh.
At the same time, he felt a wave of admiration— 'What's with all these monstrous kids in Konoha right now?!'
Kazekaze was already beyond words. And now, Sakumo—who had barely graduated from the Academy and had almost no real combat experience— Had just executed a flawless attack.
If Sarutobi hadn't witnessed it himself, he wouldn't have believed an eight-year-old Genin could pull off such a move. At this point, the exam proctor could just announce the result. However— Even in such a dire situation, the Third Kazekage's expression remained completely calm.He spoke slowly, praising Sakumo.
"As expected of Konoha. Even seven- or eight-year-old brats have such high-level combat skills. If it were anyone else, they would have lost by now. But unfortunately for you, your luck ran out when you met me."
Sakumo narrowed his eyes.
"Surrender. I don't want to kill you." He didn't know where the Third Kazekage got his confidence from, but there was no reason for him to hesitate right now.
He even **double-checked his chakra—** there was nothing wrong. This wasn't an illusion. His Chakra Short Blade was definitely pressed against the Third Kazekage's throat.
"Go ahead. If you think you can." The Third Kazekage replied without hesitation.
He didn't take Sakumo's threat seriously at all. Then— Sakumo's expression suddenly darkened. He tried to move his Chakra Blade closer to the Third Kazekage's neck. But to his shock— His blade wouldn't budge. It was as if it had frozen in mid-air!
Worse still— He couldn't even pull his blade back!
The Third Kazekage's lips curled into a smirk. He slowly turned to face Sakumo, looking at him with mocking amusement. Then— The Chakra Short Blade in Sakumo's hand suddenly turned against him!
The proctor hesitated. But then, the Third Kazekage turned and spoke with absolute confidence—
"Proctor, I think it's time to announce the result. Otherwise… I might actually kill him."