章節 113: Chapter 113
Chapter 113
The Third Hokage, well aware of Haneda's expertise in genjutsu, wasn't surprised by the outcome. He continued announcing the next match:
"Next match: Uchiha Obito versus Might Guy."
"Yosh! Didn't expect my opponent to be Rinto!" Guy exclaimed, flashing his signature sparkling grin.
"Dammit, bowl-cut! How many times do I have to tell you? My name is Uchiha Obito! Uchiha Obito!!"
"Okay! Uchiha Rinto, let's start!" Guy made the seal of confrontation, and Obito, glancing nervously at the Hokage on the stage, gritted his teeth and made the same seal.
At that moment, a special Jonin raised a red flag. Just as he was about to drop it, Rin's voice echoed through the arena.
"Do your best, Obito!"
Hearing her, Obito's face flushed slightly. He also noticed the encouraging looks from Haneda and Kakashi, further strengthening his resolve to defeat Guy. But just as the flag dropped, Guy delivered a swift roundhouse kick, shattering Obito's resolve and knocking him down, sending his goggles flying off his forehead.
"Winner: Might Guy," the special Jonin announced, ending the match.
Haneda glanced at Obito, who lay on the ground, defeated, and sighed in resignation.
He walked over to help Obito up.
"You okay, Obito?"
"I'm fine! It's just that damn bowl-cut Guy caught me off guard again!" Obito grumbled, glaring at Guy. He hadn't been ready, and Guy had attacked first—how unfair!
"*Sigh*... You were way too distracted…" Haneda quietly sighed at his lovestruck friend's lack of focus. This scene was all too familiar, reminding him of when they were kids and Guy had kicked Obito flying back then as well. Some things never changed.
Just then, Kakashi also walked over.
Looking at the disheveled Obito, Kakashi couldn't resist his usual mocking tone:
"Hey, loser. Where's that 'mighty' Sharingan of yours now?"
"Shut up, Kakashi! I was caught off guard! I didn't even have a chance to dodge!!" Obito yelled in his defense.
But Kakashi's merciless teasing continued as always.
Rin also came over, concerned. "Obito, are you hurt?"
"Not at all, Rin-chan!" Obito quickly changed his tone, trying to appear cool in front of her.
Seeing Obito still being healed by Haneda, Rin sighed, "Next time, don't get distracted, Obito. You won't become Hokage like this."
"Next time for sure," Obito laughed awkwardly.
Later, Kakashi faced an unknown Genin and defeated him in an instant, while Asuma and the others also passed their matches with ease.
After the preliminary matches concluded, the Third Hokage announced that the individual tournament would take place one week later.
...
On their way home, Haneda and Obito walked together.
Thinking about how everyone he knew except himself had passed the preliminaries, Obito casually said, "Hey, Haneda, what do you think is the quickest way to get stronger?"
"Quickly improve your strength? Obito, do you want to pass the Chunin Exams sooner?" Haneda glanced at Obito, noticing how he avoided eye contact. Haneda instantly understood.
Obito was likely feeling down after losing to Guy, being mocked by Kakashi, and seeing Asuma—whom he had boasted about beating—pass the exam. It must've bothered him.
"Yeah, if I can't even become a Chunin, how am I supposed to become Hokage?" Obito sighed, remembering how Haneda had once taught Minato-sensei the Chidori. His eyes lit up as he eagerly said, "How about you teach me some more powerful jutsu, Haneda? What do you think?"
"Uh... I've been working on a new jutsu recently… Sorry, Obito, maybe next time," Haneda smiled apologetically, gently flicking Obito's forehead.
"Argh! You're flicking my forehead again! Do you think I'm too dumb, is that it? Is that why you won't teach me anything?!" Obito grumbled.
In the past, Haneda had often taught him, but ever since Haneda returned from his mission in the Rain Village, things had changed. Haneda spent more time alone in the Forest of Death, training.
Seeing Haneda hesitate, Obito figured it wasn't fair to keep pestering him. He turned his head and muttered, "Alright, I see you're busy. I'll just ask Minato-sensei. He's good with Fire Style, too."
"Yeah, and Kushina-sensei's temper could give you some fire, too," Haneda teased with a grin.
"Let's just head home and rest," Obito sighed, accepting his defeat.
...
A week later, the individual tournament began as scheduled.
By mid-morning, the spectator stands were filled with people—representatives from various nations, merchants, politicians, and even many Leaf Village citizens. The Chunin Exams, besides promoting peace by deterring wars, also served to attract clients to hire Leaf Village ninjas. This was one of the hidden reasons why the Leaf frequently co-hosted the exams with other villages.
Pakura, representing the Sand Village, arrived with Maki and the others to watch the matches. They had seats near the Third Hokage.
At that moment, the Hokage himself, flanked by his ANBU guards, approached. Noticing that Pakura and her group were glancing frequently toward the arena's entrance, he smiled and asked, "Is there a particular ninja from the Sand that you're rooting for?"
Pakura, maintaining a respectful tone, replied, "I've heard that your village's Hatake Kakashi defeated Maki's team. I'm curious to see what kind of genius Hatake Kakashi is."
"I see," the Hokage said knowingly, taking a puff of his pipe before sitting down to await the match's start.
With Haneda and Kakashi possessing far beyond average Jonin-level abilities, and with their captains and teachers backing them, it was unlikely the Sand Village would have any real opportunity to act. Moreover, the Sand lacked a significant number of talented shinobi, so the Hokage wasn't too worried.
Shortly after, Haneda and the other eleven participants entered and stood in a row.
A Jonin responsible for the third stage jumped down from the stands, holding a tube filled with numbered slips. He explained, "The matchups for the individual tournament will be determined by drawing lots. There are twelve slips, labeled 'A' and 'B' from one to six. The numbers determine your opponent, and the top six will be selected from the winners."
"The judges will score your performances, and the top four will be promoted to Chunin. If you disagree with the rankings, you can challenge any of the top four, but you only get one chance."
"Now, let's begin the drawing."
Haneda exchanged a glance with Kakashi, and without hesitation, both stepped forward to draw their lots.
Haneda drew 'A-1,' and Kakashi drew 'A-2.'
"Looks like we won't get to fight each other right away, Kakashi," Haneda remarked, a bit disappointed as he looked at Kakashi's lot.
"I guess we'll meet in the semifinals or finals, then," Kakashi smiled.
After they finished, Guy, Asuma, and the others stepped forward to draw. Asuma drew 'B-1,' Guy drew 'A-3,' and both Kurenai and Rin ended up with '6,' meaning they would face each other.
With the drawing complete, everyone except the first combatants left the arena, leaving Haneda and Asuma to face off.
Excited, Asuma stood about five meters away from Haneda and shouted, "Haneda! I can't believe I get the honor of being your opponent! This is going to be epic!"
Seeing Asuma so fired up, Haneda couldn't decide if Asuma was lucky to face him or incredibly unlucky. He didn't respond immediately.
From the stands, Obito, standing next to Minato, shouted loudly, "Haneda! You've got to crush Asuma for me!!"
"Got it, but no need to go that far," Haneda replied, using genjutsu to telepathically convey his message to Obito.
每周推薦票狀態
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