The lottery that begins in Chapter 224
As the sun gradually rose, it cast beams of warm light into the slightly cool Konoha Arena.
The security personnel guarding the arena gates received orders from their superiors to open the gates, and a massive crowd instantly surged into the Konoha Arena like a dark cloud.
A cacophony of conversations arose, and the once empty audience seats were filled with spectators carrying sunflower seeds and drinks in less than ten minutes.
Figures wearing ANBU masks moved through the crowded stands. Most of the time, the crowd would make way for them, but occasionally there were a few stubborn ones.
As a result, the masked member raised an eyebrow, casually handcuffed these stubborn fools who couldn't tell the difference between the king and the queen, grabbed one in each hand, and sent them out of the venue.
High on the stands, Sarutobi and Rasa sat together, with two figures standing beside them.
One is Maki with an enigmatic gaze, and the other is Kakashi, who seems lazy and languid.
"Welcome all contestants to the third Chunin Exam. The Hokage will now give a speech." The time to begin has arrived, and a host holding a microphone makes his grand entrance onto the stage.
Of course, he is not the main character now; the one who will speak next is the Third Hokage of Konoha.
"It's an honor that everyone can witness this event in Konoha on this sunny day, an event that rekindles youthful energy..."
A slightly speechless sigh came from within the sealed space.
"The monkey's words are still so long." Hashirama looked through the seal at Sarutobi, who was talking animatedly in the stands and looked much younger, and rubbed his forehead.
"Well, the Third Hokage mainly felt the vigor of the younger generation, so it's normal for him to say a few more words..." Minato scratched his hair, saying this, but his expression was a little unnatural.
"Honestly, this old geezer always talks nonsense." Kushina didn't tolerate Sarutobi at all and complained with a disdainful expression.
Starting from the time of Kushina and the others, Sarutobi began to hone his eloquence. Now, after more than ten years of practice, he has finally mastered it.
She can drive someone crazy with her nagging.
"Then, it is now up to Lord Kazekage to share his thoughts." After speaking for a full twenty minutes, Sarutobi reluctantly put down the microphone and handed it to Kazekage Rasa, who looked rather unwell.
Rasa silently accepted the topic. He had no agreement with the Hokage's long and tedious speech, but as the Kazekage, he felt he should say something in this segment.
"I am very pleased to be able to hold the Chunin Exams with Konoha this time. This is an opportunity, an opportunity for Sunagakure to show itself again in the ninja world. As for Konoha, we will do our best to create a brilliant spark in this exam."
Although Rasa's words seemed long, compared to Sarutobi's twenty-minute speech, they were incredibly considerate of the audience.
When he put down the microphone, the audience hadn't even realized he had finished speaking. After a few breaths of silence, the audience erupted in applause that was even more enthusiastic than when the Hokage had finished speaking.
Rasa's lips twitched. Are the people of Konoha really this hospitable?
This made him a little embarrassed afterwards.
Maki, standing next to Rasa, twitched the corner of his mouth, much like Kakashi's expression. However, Sarutobi's expression remained full of smiles, as if he didn't care at all about the different applause he had just received.
"Ahem, Fengying's speech, though brief, summarized everything we wanted to say. Now, I will introduce the upcoming exam to everyone..."
Sarutobi took back the microphone, and seeing that the atmosphere was very lively, he decided to continue.
While Hashirama and the others in the sealed space were talking for ten minutes, Sarutobi had already started his enjoyable anime-watching routine.
As for the Will of Fire that Sarutobi mentioned?
Minato: I already understand that, and I'm just talking about chakra. It's not that I don't want to hear it, it's just that it's meaningless.
Kushina: That old geezer is rambling on again. It's so annoying. I'm leaving. I thought he'd come up with something new after all this time.
Hashirama: Huh? The Will of Fire? Ahem, I have something to say... (Tobirama covers his mouth, drags him to a small forest, and gives him a severe scolding)
"Ahem." A tall figure in the audience coughed clearly, not loudly, but enough to interrupt Sarutobi's speech.
"Lord Hokage, let me explain the rules to everyone now, since I'm the referee." Hayate's voice was slightly lazy and had a consultative tone, but it caused the previously frozen crowd to boil over again.
"Um, okay, then you can do it, Hayate."
Sarutobi watched Hayate's figure. Although it was a bit of a pity that he couldn't continue to use his eloquence, he was still quite moved to see his junior bravely step forward.
"Next up is the preliminary rounds. Besides Kabuto Yakushi, who withdrew early, are there any others who want to withdraw?"
Hayate asked a perfunctory question, since apart from Kabuto Yakushi who chose to withdraw before the end of the exam, the others had prepared for a month and there was little chance of them withdrawing.
Not one of the candidates was timid; those who made it this far were the elite of the elite, and few would choose to turn back.
"Alright, let's start by drawing the first group's match list from the device." As expected, Hayate nodded, avoiding Naruto's comical gaze, and flipped open the list in his hand, ticking off everyone's names.
The screen hanging on the wall began to show fluctuations in electricity, Kaka's screen began to change, and the two people's names began to flash continuously.
Kiba watched the scene nervously, silently praying that he wouldn't run into any members of Team 7, while Akamaru, perched on his head, also showed a tense expression.
"Ouch."
With Akamaru letting out a relieved roar, the two names were firmly displayed on the screen.
[Uchiha Sasuke] VS [Red Copper Armor]
Red-clad armor? In Sasuke's memory, this seemed to be a member of the same team as Kabuto, and also a senior member of Konoha.
However, he didn't intend to do anything just because this person was his nominal senior; at most, he would give him more performance opportunities later.
In this rare opportunity to make an appearance, as long as you leave a good impression, it will be much easier to accept tasks in the future, regardless of whether you pass the test or not.
The man standing next to Kensuke, wearing a mask and black round-framed glasses, turned his head and glanced at Sasuke.
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End of this chapter...