"Ah!" Naruto stomped his foot and quickly rushed at Neji, his left fist clenched tightly as he struck toward Neji's stomach.
Neji cried out in pain — how did his speed increase so much?!
Then Naruto kicked Neji under the chin, sending him flying.
"Big Ball Rasengan!" Naruto prepared to finish the fight, condensing a glowing orb several times larger than a normal Rasengan in his hand.
Menma: (ω)! Naruto Academy?!
But now wasn't the time to be surprised. Menma hurried to stop him — if Neji took that hit, he'd be dead.
Menma stabbed a kunai into Naruto's location mark and vanished in a flash.
Appearing beside Naruto, he caught his brother's arm and said calmly, "Naruto, that's enough."
He then turned to Shiranui Genma. "You should've stepped in earlier — this attack could've killed him."
Genma: "..." Damn it, I was about to move, but he was faster.
He quickly announced, "The first-round winner — Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Naruto! Naruto! Naruto!" the audience roared, chanting his name again and again. They had been completely won over by Naruto's performance. After all, he had just defeated the Hyuga clan's prodigy — Neji Hyuga — without resistance.
"Neji…" Rock Lee stared in disbelief. The opponent he admired so much had been defeated so decisively.
TenTen beside him looked worried.
"Kakashi, is this the strongest candidate you mentioned for this year's Chunin Exams?" Guy asked. As Neji's teacher, he knew his student's power, but he hadn't expected such a one-sided loss.
Kakashi shook his head. "Not this Uzumaki— the other one." Even he wasn't sure how strong Menma was now, but one thing was certain: Menma's strength already surpassed his own.
Menma was a master at exploiting his advantages. Combined with the Flying Thunder God Technique, almost no one in this world could kill him.
"The other Uzumaki?"
"It seems I haven't been training Lee and Neji hard enough! Our training will be doubled — this is youth!" Guy declared passionately.
Kakashi: ￣□￣｜｜
"That's right. It seems Konoha has many young talents," the Kazekage said.
"Thank you for the compliment," Tsunade replied, feeling pleased inside. Well done, Naruto.
She was grateful for the decision she made six years ago — to return and take up the role of Hokage. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been the twin Uzumaki! Seeing the younger generation grow so strong filled her with pride.
Tsunade, you're awesome.
Arena:
Menma patted Naruto's head and said deliberately, "Good job, Naruto. The reason I stopped you is because if your opponent hadn't dodged, he would've died. This is an exam — there's no need to kill. But your fighting approach was perfect. You used your advantages and gave your opponent no room to breathe."
He didn't want Naruto to misunderstand his interference, so he explained clearly.
"Brother, I understand." Naruto grinned brightly. Hearing his brother's praise made him genuinely happy.
Next up — Uchiha Sasuke vs. Yamanaka Ino.
Fired up by Naruto's performance, Sasuke entered the arena with determination. His brother Itachi even appeared to watch. Sasuke activated his Sharingan from the start and quickly overwhelmed Ino.
"In the second round, the winner — Uchiha Sasuke!"
But Sasuke wasn't satisfied. His eyes drifted toward Naruto outside the arena. Next time, it's my turn to face you.
Naruto met his gaze, and sparks seemed to flash between them.
Come on, Naruto.
Sasuke!
Third Round: Temari vs. Nara Shikamaru
Temari entered first, full of confidence and fighting spirit.
In contrast, Shikamaru looked utterly unmotivated. If Menma hadn't been watching, he would've forfeited on the spot.
ε=(ο｀*))) sigh
"Begin!"
The moment the match started, Temari launched the first attack — hurling her weapon at Shikamaru. He dodged quickly.
He muttered, "Becoming a Chunin doesn't matter, but as a man, I can't lose to a woman. Guess I'll have to win."
Temari struck again. "Wind Style: Wind Cutter!"
The sharp wind blades could slice flesh and even cut through fog and smoke.
"Substitution Jutsu!" Shikamaru barely escaped, hiding behind the grove that was the only cover on the field.
Temari smirked. "Running away? Interesting. You're pretty fast."
Why are my opponents always women? Shikamaru groaned internally. He wasn't trying to be sexist, but he genuinely disliked fighting women. A man couldn't lose to them — but hitting them also didn't feel right.
"Kamaitachi!" Temari swung her giant fan, creating a violent storm. The vacuum blades within it slashed at Shikamaru.
He blocked with his arms — "Ah! It hurts!" — cracks formed on his skin as dust swirled everywhere.
Shikamaru immediately countered. "Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
A shadow snaked toward Temari, but she leapt back, barely escaping. The shadow stopped abruptly.
So there's a limit? Temari smirked. She marked the farthest point of the shadow's reach with her fan.
"I see it now — your Shadow Possession Jutsu has a range limit. No matter how you stretch or reshape it, it can't exceed the area your shadow covers. Am I right?" she said confidently.
"Haha, that's right," Shikamaru admitted, scratching his head and striking his signature "thinking pose."
Outside the arena, Menma smiled faintly. "Shikamaru has already won."
Naruto blinked. "Huh? Shikamaru won?"
Menma didn't answer directly. "Naruto, based on the battle so far, who do you think is stronger?"
"Temari," Naruto said immediately.
"Then keep watching," Menma replied.
Sure enough, through a series of clever moves, Shikamaru successfully trapped Temari. His shadow linked with hers — Shadow Possession complete!
However, after multiple uses of the jutsu, his chakra reserves were nearly depleted. Shikamaru calmly raised his hand. "I surrender."
Even though he lost, his tactical mastery impressed the entire audience. Many believed he already had the qualities of a Chunin.
After all, in a team mission, when Shikamaru's shadow connects, victory is assured.
"The winner — Temari!"
Shikamaru trembled slightly as he walked back. Please don't let Menma suddenly hit me for giving up.
"Shikamaru."
Hearing that familiar voice, Shikamaru flinched and looked up. Menma stood before him.
"Brother Menma, I'm sorry. I lost."
"No, you didn't lose — only your age did. Temari is older and has more chakra than you. Give it a few years, and you'll definitely surpass her."
Shikamaru sighed in relief. Heh, looks like I dodged a beating this time.
(End of Chapter)
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