"I forfeit." A Hidden Mist, wrapped in bandages next to Terumi Mei, raised his hand to forfeit.
He was the one severely injured by Might Guy. Although he was lucky enough to survive, five days were not enough for him to recover from his injuries, so he directly forfeited.
Terumi Mei remained indifferent; at this point, she didn't care what decisions her teammates made because it was time for individual performances.
"That green tights Taijutsu kid, the cool-acting white-haired masked ninja, and Hoshigaki Kisame," Terumi Mei silently recited her rivals for the championship, ready to focus on their battles.
Since Obito excelled in Fire Release but had been defeated by her head-on once, Terumi Mei didn't include him.
Hiruko nodded in agreement and then asked, "Is there anyone else who wants to forfeit? If no one forfeits, the preliminaries will begin."
No one responded to Hiruko's words. At this stage, unless really unable to continue, no one would want to give up.
"Very well, then you can pay attention to the information on the big screen. Once the drawing is complete, it will display your preliminary opponents and order." Seeing no more forfeits, Hiruko pointed at the giant display screen behind him.
About five minutes later, the once-black screen lit up, and lists of matchups appeared.
Mokgetsu glanced briefly and lost interest because Kakashi, Obito, and the others were sure to pass.
It wasn't that they could easily defeat everyone; rather, the draw wasn't entirely random. Those arranging the draw wouldn't let strong candidates clash in the preliminaries to ensure the third exam was exciting enough.
"First match, Uchiha Obito vs. Kono Hideyoshi, candidates please prepare for battle." A minute after the list appeared, Hiruko announced.
"I'm the first one up. Watch me be the first successful one." Obito said confidently.
Previously, they obtained many data cards from a team of Konoha Ninja, among which was Kono Hideyoshi's data card.
Kono Hideyoshi graduated at ten, participated in a Chunin Examination at twelve last year, entered the third stage but didn't become a Chunin.
In Obito's view, still not becoming a Chunin at thirteen meant he couldn't be too strong; even Kakashi, who he had defeated, was Chunin at six.
"Good luck!" Nohara Rin smiled, cheering for Obito.
"Be careful, don't lose to someone weaker than you." Kakashi reminded plainly.
With the blessings of his two teammates, Obito walked to the center of the open ground. Kono Hideyoshi exchanged a few words with his teammates and walked over as well. The rest of the candidates, guided by examiners, went to the second floor to watch and avoid disturbing the battle.
"He looks young, but passing the Forest of Death means he can't be underestimated." Kono Hideyoshi thought while looking at the much younger Obito.
"Begin the battle!" Hiruko shouted immediately upon seeing both ready, then retreated to the edge.
"Breath of Flame, Full Concentration Breathing!" Obito instantly entered Full Concentration mode, rapidly enhancing his physical abilities and Fire Release power.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bomb!"
Entering Full Concentration Breathing, Obito immediately sealed and gathered chakra in his throat, spewing a large blaze.
Like multiple Fire Dragon Dances, the fire swiftly spread towards Kono Hideyoshi, transforming a ten-meter surrounding area into a fiery world, encircling Kono Hideyoshi.
Seeing the fierce flames seemingly about to engulf him completely, Kono Hideyoshi was dumbfounded. This was a Genin; he had been a Genin for several years and had never seen a Genin use such strong Advanced Fire Release.
Even Hiruko, not far away, was surprised by Obito's Fire Release. This caliber of Fire Release was rare even among Chunin.
"A genius like Orochimaru and Jiraiya." Hiruko couldn't help but feel some envy.
Realizing he couldn't cope, Kono Hideyoshi dropped his Kunai, saluted with a French military gesture, and said, "I surrender."
Unable to fight at all, Kono Hideyoshi figured it was better to lose early and suffer less.
"Uchiha Obito wins!" Hiruko straightforwardly announced Obito's victory; the opponents were simply not on the same level.
"Uchiha Obito, wasn't he known as the tail-ender? How did he become so strong?" The Konoha Ninja, who graduated before Obito's rise, were puzzled.
"Tail-ender? That guy's a bona fide monster." Having witnessed Obito single-handedly battle a Hidden Mist Jonin, Nara Shiomizu sighed.
Obito's Fire Dragon Bomb sparked huge discussion in the exam.
Though Obito shook off the tail-ender title in a practical exam in the fourth grade, only Might Guy and a few others from his year were in this Chunin Examination. Most of the other Konoha Ninja were several years older than Obito.
Those who had graduated long ago wouldn't follow Ninja Academy news, in their perception, Obito was still the Uchiha tail-ender.
"No matter how strong your Fire Release is, it's no match for me." Terumi Mei remained calm.
"How did Obito's Fire Release become so strong, how did he train?" Asuma showed a puzzled expression.
He vaguely remembered that during training, Obito's Fire Release wasn't much stronger than his. It had only been over half a year, and he seemed like a different person.
Asuma instantly lost his confidence in defeating Obito; the Fire Release seemed too ferocious.
"While we are working hard, maybe they are working harder," Namiashi Raido couldn't help but say.
Having lost to Obito earlier, Namiashi Raido was not reconciled, intending to win back in the Chunin Examination. After seeing Obito's Fire Release, he no longer wanted to face Obito.