Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

"That boy is very capable."

Uchiha Chihaya, however, kept her eyes glued to the battle. "Yakumo, don't get distracted. Look closely. Hotaru is indeed in terrible condition, only able to unleash four or five tenths of her full strength, but that boy is certainly not giving it his all either."

Upon hearing this,

Yakumo frowned even more deeply and immediately began to scrutinize Xiao Li closely.

However, due to limitations in experience and other factors, she failed to notice anything amiss with Lee. In fact, among all the Jonin present, only a few truly skilled individuals noticed something strange about Lee.

"Look closely."

"Uchiha Chihaya said in a deep voice."

Yakumo had no choice but to patiently observe carefully. When Li kicked and broke a section of the rock pillar again, she noticed the unusual thing about Li's ankle. She was confused for a couple of seconds, then suddenly realized, "Is it a sandbag? No, no, it's an iron block?"

Beside her, the vine flower, which had been dozing off in a daze, widened its eyes at that moment, staring incredulously at the boy in the tight-fitting clothes.

Is it really that amazing?

Despite fighting with iron leg braces, he still possessed such agility. If those leg braces were removed, perhaps only Yakumo could confidently claim victory. Yakumo couldn't help but bite his lip, a hint of frustration rising in his heart.

For no other reason than that five minutes had already passed.

The two players on the field were still locked in combat.

Tsuchigumo Hotaru's attempt to finish the battle quickly has failed, and her condition is steadily declining, while Lee seems to have finished warming up, and his condition is clearly in top form... With this shift in momentum, the outcome is already obvious.

"firefly!"

Yakumo gripped the railing tightly, unwilling to give up.

as predicted,

Another minute passed, and Hotaru, whose chakra was almost depleted, raised her hand to admit defeat. Just like that, the first round of the preliminary competition came to an end. The exhausted girl was ultimately unable to create a miracle and could only end her Chunin Exam here with resentment.

Hayate Gekko loudly announced, "Rock Lee wins the first round and passes the preliminary round." The moment his voice fell, the cute girl with her hair in a bun in the corridor cheered loudly, and even Guy, the dignified Jonin, shouted and yelled, making Neji Hyuga, who was standing next to him, almost turn around, not wanting to face the stares from all sides.

Li, who had just won his first victory, excitedly ran up into the corridor.

"Xiao Li, well done."

Akai gave a thumbs-up with a broad smile to the disciple who walked up to him.

"However, we must not be complacent, but continue to work hard."

"Yes, Teacher Kai!"

Xiao Li responded loudly and excitedly.

Compared to the joyful atmosphere on one side, the atmosphere on the other side wasn't exactly like a funeral procession, but it was clearly impossible to be cheerful. Hotaru, who dragged her heavy steps forward, showed a bitter smile on her face. "Chihaya-sensei, Yakumo, Fujika, I... lost."

Yakumo opened her mouth, wanting to say something to comfort her companion, but found her mind blank and didn't know what to say.

However, Teng Hua squinted her eyes and said very calmly, "That watermelon-headed guy is very strong. Even I wouldn't be a match for him. There's nothing to say. Ying, you don't need to take it to heart. If you're not convinced, you can find a chance to win back later. This isn't a battlefield where losing is often equivalent to dying. We still have a long future ahead of us."

Hearing Fujika's words, Yakumo took a deep breath, finally suppressing his guilt and resentment, and said, "Hotaru, Fujika is right. Losing this time is nothing. Master has told us before that winning and losing are common things. As long as we are alive, there is still a chance."

"I understand, I understand, it's just... I'm not reconciled."

Ying answered softly.

This time, Fujika remained silent as well. Yakumo empathized with her and was choked with emotion, unable to speak.

"The second round is about to begin."

Uchiha Chihaya broke the silence by speaking up, drawing everyone's attention to the electronic display screen. Looking at the bright red names displayed on it, it was clear that this wasn't an internal war between Konoha ninjas, but one side was still Konoha ninjas.

Gojiro Rokuro vs. Tenten

This time, it's a clash between the Hidden Mist Ninja and the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Tian Tian, ​​it's your turn."

Xiao Li stared wide-eyed at the screen and shouted.

The girl with her hair in a bun was also stunned for a moment. She thought that since Xiao Li had just come down, her team might have to wait a while before going on stage. She didn't expect to go on stage in the second round. This thing... could it really be random?

Whether it's truly random or not doesn't matter; her name appearing on the electronic display screen means she has to go down and fight.

"So soon? That's good, I'll be back soon."

The girl confidently dropped her words, turned around, and leaped down with a dashing and handsome air, taking a shortcut to Moonlight Gale. Meanwhile, the other boy, who saw his name appear on the electronic display screen, calmly greeted his companions and slowly walked down the stairs.

"Hey, Rokuro, don't go too far!"

Hozuki Suigetsu leaned on the railing and shouted loudly.

However, the short, green-haired, purple-eyed boy carrying a ninja tool that looked like a sewing needle seemed to be deaf, giving Hozuki Suigetsu no response. This made the white-haired boy leaning on the railing worry, and he couldn't help but ask his female companion beside him, "Mikan, what if Rokuro goes too far?"

"Probably not, right? Rokuro isn't out of his mind. Besides, this is Konoha's home turf! Even the Sixth Hokage is here. Even if Rokuro wanted to go too far, he might not have the chance." Mikan Shimizu said with a grin, looking completely relaxed.

Let's hope so!

Hozuki Suigetsu muttered something, finally letting out a helpless sigh.

In the end, this squad was just an elite team hastily put together to cope with the Chunin Exams and prevent the Mist Village from losing too much face. Although the three of them were descendants of powerful clans in the Mist Village and were not strangers to each other, there was no question of any tacit understanding between them.

Even though Shimizu Mikan is usually very outgoing, she's actually not easy to talk to. Hozuki Mangetsu can't command either Kojiro or Shimizu Mikan except for himself.

I see,

Gotachi Rokuro and Tenten stood facing each other twenty paces apart in front of the chief examiner, Gekko Hayate, both waiting patiently for him to announce the start of the competition.

"The second round of battle will be between Rokuro Karatachi and Tenten. Any objections?"

Moonlight and Gale proceeded methodically.

"No."

"No."

The boy and girl gave the same answer.

Seeing this, Moonlight Gale decisively waved his hand and shouted, "The second round of the competition begins." After he finished speaking, he calmly retreated. Unlike the first round, which had a brief buffer time due to someone's kindness, the second round of the battle broke out in an instant.

This adorable girl, Tian Tian, ​​shows absolutely no mercy when she gets going.

Shuriken and kunai rained down on Rokuro Karatachi like a storm. Faced with this overwhelming onslaught, Rokuro Karatachi calmly reached behind him and took down a peculiar ninja tool that looked like a sewing needle. He then swung the tool in his hand and knocked down all the incoming shurikens and kunai.

"Your movements are very swift!"

Every day, the girl scrutinized Rokuro Karatachi. Just by observing the boy's skill in parrying shuriken and kunai, she realized that this genin from Kirigakure was also skilled in taijutsu. However... coincidentally, the jonin leading her team, as well as her two teammates, were all taijutsu practitioners.

She has extensive experience fighting against ninjas skilled in taijutsu.

"Operating Equipment - Double Rising Dragon"

Before Rokuro could unleash the full power of his special ninja tool, Tenten launched a decisive attack, determined not to give him a chance to show off his skills. After all, the girl was a 'veteran' genin with a year of experience, and she was eager to see what the tool Rokuro was holding could do.

The girl took out two scrolls, which spun and leaped into the air like propellers. At the same time, the two scrolls were opened, like two white dragons ascending to the sky. A huge number of ninja tools were released from the scrolls like a tsunami, launching a barrage of indiscriminate fire in all directions.

Moreover, it wasn't just the common ninja tools like kunai and shuriken; there were also weapons of varying weights and lengths, such as machetes, sickles, axes, spiked clubs, and meteor hammers. Honestly, an ordinary genin would find it difficult to withstand such an attack, not to mention that this kind of indiscriminate, covering fire leaves little room for maneuver or dodging.

Even if you're talking about parrying, you can block common ninja tool shots like kunai and shuriken, but the trajectory of things like machetes and sickles isn't so simple and easy to predict. And heavy weapons like spiked clubs and meteor hammers are simply too much for anyone without real strength to withstand.

however,

It is a pity.

The girl's attacks had no effect.

How could that be?

Tenten stared in disbelief at Rokuro Karatachi, who stood unharmed against the wall. Not only was Rokuro Karatachi completely unscathed, but a large area around him was also empty, unlike the rest of the area which was covered with the ninja tools she had released.

Is that all you've got?

Finally, Rokuro Karatachi, who had been silent until now, spoke up and unleashed a barrage of taunts.

Tian's face flushed red with anger, and she immediately pulled out two more scrolls. But just as she was about to continue her attack, Gouju Rokuro stopped observing and launched a swift and decisive attack, throwing the [Long Sword - Sewing Needle] directly into the air.

Seeing the long sword flying towards her, Tenten had no choice but to unroll a scroll, pull it out, and a sickle that had fallen to the ground flew into the air, deflecting the incoming long sword to the side... Just then, the girl noticed something at the end of the long sword. When she saw Rokuro Kojiro swing his hands in the air, the long sword that had just passed by suddenly turned in mid-air and flew back towards her back.

Suddenly it dawned on me.

It's steel wire.

Steel wire coated with a matte material.

Tenten's reaction was also one of dissatisfaction. She released the scroll with her left hand and made a pulling motion. Another woodcutter's knife that had fallen to the ground flew up and once again deflected the long sword that was aimed at her back. Like Rokuro, Tenten's Double Rising Dragon was not a one-time waste. She also used the steel wire to prepare for its second and third use.

"You used a wire mesh to block my attack, didn't you?"

After seeing through the wire trick, Tenten deduced how Rokuro Kuraki withstood her double dragon strike.

"Noisy."

Gouju Liulang said coldly.

During this conversation, he relentlessly attacked Tenten with his long sword, Sewing Needle. Despite being knocked away seven or eight times, he did not give up. It must be said that, despite both being ninja tool users and wire users, Rokuro Karatachi's long sword, Sewing Needle, had a huge advantage in agility. That long sword was as flexible and free as Rokuro Karatachi's arm.

In comparison,

Despite wielding a vast number of ninja tools, she was constantly overwhelmed by Rokuro's relentless attacks, unable to spare a single move to retaliate. She was also completely unaware of the traps Rokuro had silently laid. By the time she realized something was amiss, she subtly shifted her body and discovered that she had become a moth trapped in a spiderweb.

Around her,

It was covered with steel wire.

She merely turned around, and her entire body was slashed multiple times by the steel wire. Blood instantly stained the girl's body, reminding her of the Iwa ninja who had chosen to retreat earlier. That Iwa ninja had numerous fine, dense cuts on his body; she had initially thought he had encountered some kind of monster…

So that's how you got injured!

When Tenten came to her senses, she realized that she had completely lost. In her frustration, she opened her mouth to admit defeat, but Rokuro Karatachi, who was holding the long sword and sewing needle, gripped the hilt tightly and pulled hard.

"That's good enough."

In the blink of an eye,

Rokuro saw that the wire he had set up was caught by a Konoha Jonin with a watermelon-shaped haircut. Instead of seeing the blood and flesh flying everywhere, the battered girl was freed from the wire and appeared on the open ground next to her. Standing next to the girl was a white-haired, plain-looking Konoha Jonin.

"Kid from the Mist Village, this isn't a battlefield. Winning is all that matters. Can't you see this kid is already planning to admit defeat?"

"Senju Tobirama said coldly."

Beside him, Guy released the wire, glanced at Tobirama Senju in surprise, and rushed to Tenten's side to help his student up. At the same time, he called for medical ninjas to come and provide support, not even bothering to watch the exchange between Tobirama Senju and Rokuro Karatachi.

It's called an exchange,