Naruto: I, Naruto, don't want to try anymore.

Chapter 101 Cheating

"Huh? Preliminary rounds? Why? Isn't it said that the Chunin Exams usually only have three rounds?" Ino asked, puzzled.

"That's theoretically correct..."

Jiraiya laughed and said, "Unfortunately, there will be many VIPs from outside watching the third exam, so time will be limited."

"Therefore, if you feel unwell or do not wish to continue, I suggest that you withdraw from the exam in advance."

"We've come this far, how can we just back down now!"

Kiba Inuzuka couldn't hold back any longer and said, "If we withdraw now, all the efforts of the three of us will have been for nothing, right? It's just the preliminaries, so bring it on!"

"Well... that's true."

Jiraiya shook his head helplessly: "However, I think you should also be aware of the gap in strength between the contestants this time, so withdrawing from the competition at this stage only represents a personal decision and will not affect your teammates."

"Um... in that case, I'll abstain!"

Shikamaru raised his hand without saying a word.

"Huh?! What are you doing, Shikamaru?"

Ino looked at him incredulously: "You've come all this way, and you're just going to give up like this?"

"Because there's no point in continuing."

Shikamaru tilted his head, his tone full of helplessness.

"Our competitors are all incredibly strong, like monsters. The gap in raw power is something we absolutely cannot bridge at this stage."

"Even if we manage to get through this round of preliminary selection, the result will only be a struggle for another round or two in the finals. Considering the risks involved, my mom's nagging is actually not that troublesome."

Shikamaru shrugged, his face full of smugness.

It's impossible to win, absolutely impossible to win.

These guys got it wrong from the start!

With Naruto around, even if Konoha's Ino-Shika-Cho team manages to advance by sheer luck, they'll probably suffer a humiliating defeat in the finals.

That girl, also from the Uzumaki clan, wouldn't hold back at all, and that Uchiha guy wouldn't show any mercy either.

The guys from Sunagakure seem to have some connection with Naruto, and the guys from Otogakure look at Naruto with awe.

Getting stuck in this round isn't a big deal, but if we lose badly in the finals, not to mention the impact on Konoha, there will probably be a lot of gossip in the village afterwards.

Thinking of this, Shikamaru's face darkened, and he slowly shook his head at Ino and Choji, giving them a subtle wink.

"I...I...I also abstain!"

Seeing this, Choji quickly raised his hand as well. He trusted Shikamaru's judgment, and besides, he didn't want to fight Naruto.

"Tsk... one or two at a time."

Ino gritted her teeth: "Ugh! This is so annoying! I'm forfeiting too!"

As a teammate, she also trusted Shikamaru's judgment.

At the front of the group, Asuma, the Jonin leading Team 10, sighed slightly.

He initially applied for the exam for Ino and the other two mainly because he believed in their abilities.

But Naruto's arrival changed the nature of the exam, turning the initial goal of promoting as many Chunin as possible into the goal of minimizing the number of deaths.

From this perspective, only the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, with whom he has some connection, are the only ones who could possibly help Konoha save face in the finals.

It was precisely because of this that the injured Konoha team "by chance" approached them during the second exam.

It seems that Shikamaru has realized this and has absolutely no intention of getting involved in this mess...

"Does anyone else want to quit?"

Jiraiya glanced around, not caring about saving face.

Konoha's current state is entirely due to those old guys. The reason I became Hokage was because those old guys begged me to take the position.

It's embarrassing enough, but he would never put pressure on three children over something like this.

Moreover, the reason he came here, besides explaining the reasons for the qualifiers, was also to encourage some less skilled Konoha players to back down.

From the moment Naruto arrived, this exam had become utterly meaningless.

Even if there are ten thousand different outcomes, the only difference lies in the manner in which Naruto humiliates Konoha.

"Since no one has withdrawn, the preliminary rounds will begin."

As Jiraiya spoke, a sickly figure appeared and came to the front of the group.

"Ahem... Next, I, Moonlight Gale, will serve as the examiner for the preliminary rounds. This time, we will be conducting a one-on-one combat battle."

"Eighteen people, nine rounds, cough cough..."

"There are no restrictions; the fight continues until one side dies, falls, or surrenders."

"However, when I believe the outcome is decided, in order to minimize casualties, I will enter the field to stop the match and decide your fate..."

As Moonlight Gale spoke, a large screen behind him lit up.

Seeing this, Naruto smiled slightly and glanced at Sasuke.

Sasuke immediately understood, gave a cold laugh, and stepped forward.

"Wait a minute, isn't this something?"

"What's the problem?"

The moonlight and the gust of wind paused slightly.

Sasuke tilted his head slightly and looked at the large screen: "This thing is impossible to completely eliminate the possibility of backstage manipulation."

"There are a total of eighteen people, and Konoha has six spots. With our intelligence, we could easily manipulate things to get all of Konoha's people through, making the outcome of the battle unfair, wouldn't it?"

Moonlight Gale's expression darkened.

It wasn't because of Sasuke's doubts, but because Sasuke actually guessed correctly...

The Third Hokage was in charge of this Chunin Exam. Due to the disparity in strength between the examinees, and in order to prevent Konoha from suffering a humiliating defeat, the Third Hokage did intervene in the order of the matches.

But in this situation, admitting it is impossible...

Are you questioning my impartiality as an examiner?

"That's right."

"Then you can quit."

Moonlight and a gentle breeze coughed lightly.

"Samui, let's go."

Upon hearing this, Naruto chuckled and turned to leave. Samui flashed behind Naruto, ready to leave together.

Upon noticing Naruto's commotion, Gaara and Kimimaro turned and left without saying a word.

"Hey, you guys are just leaving like that?"

Seeing this, Deidara hurriedly followed, saying, "Then I'm not playing anymore, Kurotsuchi, how long are you going to stay? Let's go!"

Upon seeing this, Moonlight Gale was immediately taken aback.

He just wanted to put on airs as an examiner, so why did they all leave at once?

wipe!

This won't do!

The remaining six candidates are from the same village. What's the point of taking the exam?

If all the villages leave and then spread the word back home, it will be as if Konoha cheated even if they didn't!

"well…"

Seeing this, Jiraiya sighed helplessly: "Please wait, everyone. Let's draw lots instead."

"Why didn't you do it earlier?"

Naruto stopped and rolled his eyes at Jiraiya reproachfully: "You always have to resort to cheating tricks~"

He didn't know whether Konoha had cheated or not, but he was happy just to feel disgusted.

Sure enough, Jiraiya immediately gave Naruto a look of utter disbelief upon hearing this; he knew Naruto's mouth all too well…

"Ahem... Don't talk nonsense."

Hayate Gekko's expression darkened: "The computer-matched slots were an oversight on the part of our examiners, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the Hokage-sama—it was actually the Third Hokage who requested them."

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of all the Konoha ninja present changed.

The ninjas leading the teams from the other villages also wore mocking expressions.

"How fair and just, Konoha, huh..."

Sasuke sneered and silently put away his Sharingan.

Moonlight Gale broke free from the illusion and noticed the strange atmosphere. His already pale face, which looked somewhat weak, turned even paler.

"Alright, Sasuke, isn't this fun?"

Naruto patted Sasuke on the shoulder, his tone playful.

He never expected that Konoha would actually cheat!

"Humans make good use of tools precisely because they deeply understand their own weaknesses. From this perspective, isn't this also a recognition of our strength?"

"..."

Jiraiya's face turned ashen; he was truly fed up with those old bastards!

This is the first update for today! There will be another update later! Please vote and follow my posts! Thank you everyone!

(End of this chapter)