"Ahem, I declare the winner of the seventh preliminary match to be Hinata Hyuga."
On the field, Hinata helped Ino up, her face filled with apology. "I'm sorry. This is a competition, so I had to give it my all to beat you."
(T/N: Yes, the reader might think that there is a missing plot, but the author really starts with the chapter where Hinata directly wins.)
"It's fine. I understand," Ino said, her face downcast as she stood up. She sighed internally, disappointed that her journey ended here.
She looked up at the spectator gallery, her gaze meeting that of her best friend and rival, Sakura. In her heart, she thought, 'Sakura, it looks like I won't get the chance to fight you this time.'
Sakura felt a mix of emotions as well.
Although she knew that with her current strength, Ino wouldn't be a match for her, she still hoped to have a proper fight with her in this exam, as it was a promise they had made long ago.
But now, it seemed their promised duel would have to be postponed once again.
...
Meanwhile, in an unknown cave outside Konoha.
"Lord Orochimaru, what was the purpose of having us assassinate Sasuke?"
Dosu asked, staring intently at Orochimaru. Beside him, Kin and Zaku looked equally confused.
"Naturally, it was to test his strength."
"Test his strength? But he's so strong, we couldn't gauge his limits at all."
"Besides, he and his teammates now know that we are your subordinates."
"Hehe, I didn't expect him to be that strong either. As for them knowing your identities, don't worry about it. It won't affect our plans."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Zaku spoke up. "Lord Orochimaru, what exactly is our mission in your plan?"
Previously, Orochimaru had only told them the general plan for attacking Konoha but hadn't assigned them specific tasks, leaving them puzzled.
Now, with the plan about to begin, the impatient Zaku couldn't help but ask.
"Hehe, I know you're all eager to know your missions. Especially you, Zaku. You really want to prove yourself to me."
"Rest assured, this mission will definitely give you the chance to prove that you are worthy subordinates."
Orochimaru licked his lips, his smile appearing almost... caring.
"I definitely will, Lord Orochimaru!"
Seeing Orochimaru's "earnest" gaze, Zaku's face flushed with excitement, and he nodded firmly.
"Good. I will tell you the mission in a few days. For now, stay here. Don't go outside, or you might be discovered."
After saying this, Orochimaru turned and walked away.
But the moment he turned his back, the "caring" smile vanished, replaced by a sinister, terrifying expression.
'Heehee, being sacrificed for the Reanimation Jutsu will be more than enough proof that you are worthy subordinates!'
"Amazing! The shadow actually moved!"
.....
In the arena for the Chunin Exam preliminaries, Goku exclaimed in surprise at the scene below.
The match was currently between Shikamaru and Kiba.
Shikamaru had first laid a trap to knock out Kiba's ninja hound, Akamaru, and then stealthily extended his shadow, connecting it with Kiba's.
"Hehe, Mr Goku, that is a secret technique called the Shadow Imitation Jutsu. It allows the user to control another person's body with their shadow," Hiruzen Sarutobi, still acting as the commentator, explained to Goku.
"Controlling someone's body with a shadow? That's a really unique technique," Goku said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
If such a technique existed in his old world, would enemies like Frieza and Cell have been easier to defeat?
While he was pondering, Shikamaru on the field forced Kiba to slam his head against the wall, knocking him unconscious and securing the victory.
"There are only three opponents left. I wonder who Sakura will face," Naruto mumbled, observing the three remaining candidates besides Sakura after the match ended.
"Hmm, this one's from the Rain Village. His teammates were pretty weak, so he probably isn't much better."
"This one is thick-eyebrows' teammate. I think his name is Neji. His aura feels different... he must be strong."
"And this one is the teammate of that annoying painted-face guy. He's constantly giving off a faint killing intent. He looks annoying too."
Naruto muttered to himself as he observed them.
"What are you mumbling about, Naruto?" Sakura asked, finding it strange that he was looking around and muttering.
"Hehe, I'm predicting who your opponent will be," Naruto said with a simple-minded grin when asked.
"Oh? And who do you think it will be?"
"Hmm... I hope your opponent is that annoying-looking guy, so you can beat him up!" Naruto said, pointing at Gaara.
"Him?"
"Hahaha, Naruto, there's no way we'd be that coincidental with their team."
"You and Sasuke already fought people from his team. It's impossible that I'd get the last one too," Sakura said, covering her mouth as she laughed.
But her laughter was short-lived. The large screen displayed the matchup for the ninth preliminary round:
[Neji Hyuga vs. Rain Genin C]
With that, the only remaining candidates were her and Gaara. Which meant the final match would be Sakura vs. Gaara!
"Th-this is too weird! Why are all our opponents from that one team?"
"Kakashi-sensei, is this matchup rigged?" Sakura asked suspiciously.
Before Kakashi could answer, Hiruzen Sarutobi replied with a smile, "There is no manipulation. All results are random. I suppose you could say you and that team are destined to cross paths."
With the Hokage's assurance, Sakura suppressed her doubts and began to wonder why they had such a strange "destiny" with that team.
While she was thinking, the match on the field began—and ended.
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."
Smack, smack, smack...!!
After a fluid flurry of strikes, Neji's opponent, the Rain genin, collapsed stiffly, unable to move.
"Winner of the ninth preliminary match: Neji Hyuga!"
"Whoa, that guy really is strong."
Seeing Neji dispatch his opponent so cleanly and sensing his considerable ki, Naruto's eyes lit up, feeling an urge to challenge him right there and then.
"Finally, it's my turn. I didn't expect to be the last one. It feels a bit anticlimactic," Sakura said, finally snapping out of her thoughts and pouting as she looked at her name on the screen.
After waiting so long, she was starting to feel sleepy.
"As the saying goes, the best is always saved for last!" Kakashi said, half-joking and half-encouraging her, seeing her lack of enthusiasm.
"Go get 'em, Sakura," Goku said, patting her on the shoulder with an expectant smile.
"Hehe, Sakura, make sure you beat that annoying guy up good," Naruto said cheerfully, leaning in close.
Sasuke also nodded at her in encouragement.
Seeing everyone's support, Sakura smiled brightly, feeling her energy return. "Hehe, thanks everyone! I'll do my best!"