To be honest, Ino wasn't the type of ninja good at direct combat.
The Yamanaka clan specialized in coordination with the Akimichi and Nara clans—when the three worked together, the result was a synergistic effect far greater than the sum of their parts.
Each clan had its own strength:
The Akimichi excelled at brute force, the Nara at control, and the Yamanaka at sensory and intelligence techniques.
Sakura pulled a kunai from her tool pouch, eyes locked seriously on Ino.
This scene caused Naruto to freeze on the spot.
He couldn't help but recall when Sakura fought that so-called senior of hers.
Though he hadn't watched the full fight, he had seen the moment she punched Orochimaru away with a single blow.
And when she stomped the ground—the very earth beneath her feet shattered.
In Naruto's entire life, he had never seen someone with that kind of raw power!
Seeing the serious expression on Sakura's face now, Naruto stammered,
"Is... Sakura trying to kill Ino?"
Beside him, Sasuke glanced at Naruto and shook his head.
"No. It's because she respects Ino."
"That's why Sakura won't hold back."
"???"
Naruto stared at Sasuke, bewildered.
Did he even hear what he just said?
A serious Sakura could probably punch Ino straight into the ICU...
But in truth, Sakura was exactly what Sasuke described.
Holding back—
That would be an insult to the girl standing in front of her.
Yet Sakura also understood restraint. She wouldn't use her monstrous strength.
Ino looked at Sakura, who stood ready with unwavering seriousness, and clenched her teeth.
Fine, fine…
You want to be this serious?!
I hate you the most, Sakura!
Thinking this, Ino quickly pulled out a shuriken and a kunai from her pouch.
With a flick of her wrist, the shuriken shot toward Sakura at high speed.
At the same time, Ino charged in with the kunai!
"Using the shuriken to create an opening and then closing the distance with a frontal assault. A standard tactic."
"For most people, it's solid. But…"
Kakashi, watching the two girls below, couldn't help but speak.
"But what?"
Naruto asked curiously, like a little kid.
"Sakura's a taijutsu-type ninja…"
"From the moment Ino chose this tactic, the battle was already over."
Kakashi sighed softly as he watched the blonde-haired girl rush toward Sakura.
The Yamanaka were good at sensing, reconnaissance, and intelligence gathering—not head-on combat like this.
And more importantly—
She lacked information.
Sakura knew Ino well, but from what Kakashi knew, ever since Sakura was assigned to the Anbu directly after graduation, she rose from genin to tokubetsu jōnin in four years.
Her reappearance happened only during this new genin team assignment.
Ino had no chance to gather intel on her.
Kakashi glanced toward the second-floor central viewing platform where Hiruzen Sarutobi sat, calmly puffing on his pipe.
He was almost certain this match was arranged behind the scenes.
All the promising genin from the Fire, Wind, and Earth villages were kept apart—except for poor Kankuro, the unlucky one.
Even Sakura ended up facing her best friend. Clearly, Hiruzen didn't want his student's best friend to lose too terribly.
Clang!
Sakura casually deflected the incoming shuriken, then met Ino's kunai strike with her own.
Her other hand transformed into a blade-hand and struck like lightning—neither too hard nor too soft—landing precisely on Ino's neck.
As a taijutsu fighter and a skilled medical ninja, Sakura had absolute control over her strength.
Under that blow, the blonde girl's eyes rolled back, and she fainted into Sakura's arms.
Sakura vaguely heard her murmur something before passing out...
"Sakura… you jerk…"
Sakura blinked in confusion, glancing at the unconscious girl in her arms.
Was that… her imagination?
"Winner: Haruno Sakura!"
With Hayate Gekkō announcing the result, Shikamaru couldn't help but rub his forehead.
As expected, Ino had no way of standing up to Sakura.
With that, Konoha's next-generation Ino–Shika–Cho trio had all been eliminated…
At this point, only three participants had yet to compete:
Neji Hyuga, Hinata Hyuga, and Rock Lee.
Sakura carried the unconscious Ino back to the second floor and gently laid her down.
The final match pairing had been decided.
Hinata Hyuga vs. Neji Hyuga.
Rock Lee would receive a bye and advance directly to the final match in one month.
Sakura understood Hiruzen's reasoning.
Whether it was Rock Lee or Neji Hyuga, both were among the top talents of this generation.
And the final battle in one month's time wouldn't just be watched by the nobles of the Fire, Wind, and Earth countries—even the Kazekage and Tsuchikage would attend.
Letting someone like Hinata participate...
To be blunt—
That would be like Konoha deliberately embarrassing itself.
This decision went completely against the reason Hiruzen had Sakura participate in the Chūnin Exams in the first place.
Though harsh, this was the reality.
The internal conflict between the Hyuga main and branch families wasn't something Sakura wanted to get involved in either.
Hinata was kind and lucky...
Neji was bitter and cursed by fate...
Sakura didn't really know how to deal with the two of them. After all, it was a family matter.
Plus, Naruto's inexplicable feelings had already given Sakura a headache. Now was the perfect time to let Naruto show off in front of Hinata…
The two cousins, both possessing the Byakugan, stepped onto the arena.
Both activated their Byakugan and took up Gentle Fist stances.
Neji struck mercilessly.
Every move was vicious, no hint of hesitation.
Hinata, under this storm-like assault, looked like a delicate flower swaying helplessly in a gale…
Sakura watched silently.
In her heart, she had to admit—Hinata really wasn't suited to inherit the Hyuga clan.
Lacking strength could be trained over time.
But having too gentle a personality—that was the root problem.
If Sakura were in Hiashi Hyuga's position, she too would have felt utterly disappointed by Hinata.
In the end, when Neji was about to deal a decisive blow, Kakashi moved.
Not just Kakashi—
Kurenai, Might Guy, and Hayate Gekkō all stepped in together.
Seeing this, Sakura suddenly realized—where was Asuma?
As the leader of the Ino–Shika–Cho trio, Asuma was actually absent from the whole event?
"Why? Why?!"
"Is this the treatment given to the main house?"
"Is this the privilege of being from the main house?!"
Neji shouted, looking down at the bloodied girl who had collapsed with blood at her lips.
His eyes were full of hatred and pain, barely able to suppress the murderous aura rising in him!
At that moment, the orange figure beside Sakura moved.
Naruto leapt down into the arena...
---
(End of Chapter)