https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-323-Might-Guy-s-Terrifying-Strength-5-2k-/12558427/
Chapter 322: The Start of the Third Exam
Chapter 322: The Start of the Third Exam
On August 5th, the Chunin Exams officially commenced.
The third stage of the Chunin Exams was held in a massive circular arena.
At the center of the arena was a vast open space, encompassing small groves of trees and ponds with limited water. All the examinees would be battling within this area.
Surrounding the combat area were tiered seats for the audience, filled with noble officials, wealthy merchants, local residents of Konoha, and ninjas.
The Third Hokage did not sit with the regular audience; he had his own special seat, elevated even higher than the regular stands.
"There are so many spectators," Hinata Hyuga remarked as she gazed upon the sea of people in the stands.
Prior to this, the largest event Hinata had attended was the Fire Festival, but even that didn't compare to the number of people present now.
"Don't worry, Hinata. Just do your best and showcase your true strength, and I know you'll win," Obito encouraged, mistaking her awe for nervousness.
Hinata covered her mouth and giggled. "Obito, you underestimate me. I won't be fazed just because there are people watching."
Hinata wasn't the type of girl to be shy or timid. She might worry about the outcome due to the strength of her opponents, but the presence of an audience wouldn't make her nervous.
"Hehe, that's more like it," Obito said, scratching his head and laughing sheepishly.
Unlike Hinata, Obito couldn't care less about the audience. The larger the crowd, the more excited he became, as this was a perfect opportunity to make a name for himself in Konoha.
"Let's hurry up. We're almost out of time," Kakashi prompted.
Obito and Hinata both nodded, and the trio quickened their pace through the passage exclusively for examinees, leading to the center of the arena—their battleground.
Their timing was impeccable; they arrived just as the sixteenth examinee took their place, completing the full roster of participants.
As all the examinees assembled, some spectators cheered, evidently eager for the impending battles.
"Do you hear that, the crowd is cheering for you," said the proctor, Hizashi Hyuga, with a smile. "You are the stars of today's show."
Hearing Hizashi's words, Obito's heart swelled with determination. If he could claim victory under the watchful eyes of everyone present, it would be his first step towards becoming the Hokage.
Might Guy wore a confident smile on his face and gave a thumbs-up to a green-clad figure in the audience who was jumping up and down in excitement.
Mei Terumi clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. If she could secure first place, she would gain the recognition of the Fourth Mizukage and her path to becoming the next Mizukage would become clear.
Zabuza Momochi shot a complex glance at Kakashi, who was only a few positions away from him. If he won, his next opponent would be Kakashi.
Zabuza was unsure how to approach this battle. His opponent had even bested an jonin-level opponent during the preliminary rounds.
"The rules for the third exam are simple," Hizashi continued. "Just like in the preliminaries, you must either knock your opponent out of commission or force them to surrender."
"If there are no questions, all examinees except for Examinee Number One and Number Two should return to the waiting room until they are called."
The waiting room was set up so that examinees could still observe the battles in the arena, allowing them to gather information on their potential opponents.
With such straightforward rules, none of the examinees had any queries. They paired off and made their way through the examinee passage back to the waiting room, leaving behind Kisame Hoshigaki, Examinee Number One, and Yamashiro Aoba, Examinee Number Two.
Kisame stood expressionlessly in his designated spot. In this exam, there were only two people he was concerned about: Might Guy and Kakashi Hatake. Aside from them, he believed he could handle any other opponent.
Unlike Kisame's nonchalance, Yamashiro was far less composed. He stared at Kisame with a look of grim determination, having witnessed Kisame's impressive performance in the preliminaries and knowing he was among the strongest batch of examinees.
Hizashi directed the two examinees to their respective positions and then waited for about a minute before shouting:
"Match one, Kisame Hoshigaki versus Yamashiro Aoba, begin!"
His voice, amplified by the arena's sound equipment, reached every corner of the venue, capturing the attention of the chattering spectators and focusing it on the battle stage.
"That Kisame fellow is from Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages," remarked an official-looking spectator.
"After all, Kirigakure is in the Land of Water, so it's more troublesome for them to come to the mainland," replied another official.
"Nevertheless, there are differences among the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Our shinobi from the Fire Nation should be stronger."
The officials beside them nodded in agreement. This sentiment wasn't just because Konoha was the hidden village of the Fire Nation, but also because of their impressive track record of victories.
Although the spectators had faith in Yamashiro, it didn't diminish the gap between him and Kisame.
The instant Hizashi declared the start of the match, Yamashiro leaped backward and performed a jutsu, summoning a multitude of crows.
Caw! Caw!
The harsh, croaking caws of the crows immediately filled the entire arena.
The crows swirled around Yamashiro, obscuring Kisame's vision and creating a cacophony to disorient him.
Shwish! Shwish!
Yamashiro swiftly threw several shuriken at Kisame.
Kisame casually slashed at the shuriken with his longsword, deflecting them, and then drove his sword into the ground. He swiftly formed a series of hand seals.
"Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave!"
Kisame gathered a massive amount of chakra and performed a water-attribute chakra nature transformation, spewing forth a colossal torrent of water that rushed towards Yamashiro.
Boom! Boom!
Despite the crows' interference, Yamazaki was knocked back with each exchange of blows.
This restricted battlefield greatly disadvantaged Yamazaki. Kisame could easily dive into the water to avoid the crows' attacks, while Yamazaki had no effective way to strike back.
"What a tough draw," Yamazaki thought helplessly. To make matters worse, his fire jutsu was countered by Kisame's water style.
"Not bad. Stronger than I expected," Kisame remarked after several exchanges.
Although Yamazaki had no outstanding qualities, he was well-rounded in all aspects.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
With ample water in the arena, Kisame effortlessly gathered a massive amount of chakra and formed it into a gigantic water dragon that crashed towards Yamazaki. The crows surrounding him were instantly scattered by the powerful surge.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Yamazaki made a final desperate attempt. He first unleashed a fireball to block the incoming water dragon and then controlled the remaining crows to shield his body. He held his breath and dove underwater, swiftly swimming towards Kisame.
However, Yamazaki underestimated Kisame's prowess as a ninja from Kirigakure. Despite his caution and the noise from the colliding jutsu masking his movements, Kisame detected his presence underwater.
Pretending not to notice, Kisame suddenly dove into the water as Yamazaki drew close and engaged him in underwater combat.
Splash!
A massive surge of water erupted, and Yamazaki was blasted out of the water, flying backward.
But it wasn't over yet. Under Kisame's control, a stream of water rushed towards Yamazaki before he could land.
Boom!
The water stream slammed Yamazaki into the wall at the edge of the combat area.
To the ordinary spectators, the fight hadn't lasted long. They saw Kisame use a water jutsu to flood the arena, followed by a brief hand-to-hand combat exchange, a clash of water and fire jutsu, and finally, Yamazaki being knocked into the wall—all within a few minutes.
"It seems this man is an exceptional ninja from Kirigakure; we can't judge him by the standards of ordinary ninjas," said the official who had previously commented on the strength of Fire Country ninjas, stroking his beard. He showed no sign of embarrassment.
"Indeed. Kirigakure must have sent their very best talent, considering the distance they traveled," another official agreed.
"I didn't expect the ninjas from Kirigakure to be so strong. I wonder how efficient they are with commissions," a wealthy merchant commented, impressed by Kisame's display of strength.
The ninjas from Kirigakure smiled upon hearing this, while the ninjas from Konoha in the audience looked less pleased. They had lost the first match.
Danzo, sitting to the right of Hiruzen Sarutobi, furrowed his brows, his displeasure evident.
Although he could tell that it wasn't a matter of Yamazaki's weakness but rather Kisame's overwhelming strength, in Danzo's eyes, losing in such an important event was an embarrassment for Konoha and something that shouldn't have happened.
On the left side of Hiruzen sat Homura, who merely offered a faint smile, neither saying anything nor looking overly happy.
Hiruzen's expression remained unchanged as he watched the arena, his thoughts unreadable.
"Kisame Hoshigaki wins!" Biuu announced promptly upon seeing that Yamazaki had lost his ability to fight.
Soon after Biuu's announcement, medical ninjas took Yamazaki away for treatment, while Kisame headed towards the waiting room.
"Good luck, Rin," Obito called out to Nohara Rin, offering her encouragement after the first match concluded.
"You can use a lot of water jutsu at the start. You'll have an advantage with the current state of the arena," Kakashi whispered to Nohara Rin as he walked up to her.
Although there was a drainage system in the combat area, it wasn't very effective, and while the water level was gradually decreasing, it still provided a beneficial environment for Nohara Rin.
Of course, if the fight dragged on too long, the water would eventually disappear.
"Mhm," Nohara Rin nodded with a smile to both of them.
"The second match, Nohara Rin versus Nara Yukata. Contestants, please enter the arena promptly," Biuu's voice echoed through the waiting room.
Nohara Rin waved goodbye to the two and made her way towards the combat area.
"I'll be cheering for you, Yukata," Inuzuka Midori said, offering encouragement to Nara Yukata, who was about to enter the battle.
Nara Yukata nodded and turned towards the arena.
Although he hadn't been able to gather any information about Nohara Rin during his training trip with Mutsuki, his taijutsu had improved somewhat.
PS: Only one chapter today. I tried to take a day off yesterday, but it didn't work out, and I ended up sleeping at 2 a.m. again. I'll try my best today, but if it doesn't work, then so be it. I'll focus on writing the book first. Lately, I haven't been in the right frame of mind for translation.
(End of Chapter)
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