Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

Xiao Li excitedly shouted to Kai in the stands.

He has already defeated the genius Uchiha—his efforts have not been in vain—and his next target is the opponent he truly wants to defeat, the genius of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Neji, who is both a comrade and a rival!

After the initial excitement, Xiao Li stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

The Lotus Flower requires the use of the Eight Gates to enhance the power of taijutsu, but each of the Eight Gates will cause damage to the user's body.

It's perfectly normal for Xiao Li to almost trip over himself.

However, for the ninjas who are still fighting, this is their greatest weakness!

Sasuke, who had been unconscious, suddenly turned into thick smoke and disappeared!

Lee only managed to capture Sasuke's shadow clone with his Lotus Flower.

With Naruto, who uses shadow clones as his main fighting technique, as a companion, it wouldn't be surprising if Sasuke, who has the Sharingan, learned to use shadow clones at some point.

Sasuke's use of Shadow Clones, which require the even distribution of his own chakra, while suppressing the cursed seal with chakra, was an incredibly bold move.

But this action also brought Sasuke victory!

On the now messy ground, soil was brought out by Xiao Li's lotus flower.

Sasuke's hands appeared out of the ground, seizing the opportunity when Lee's body was not in good condition!

In the raging winds that Lee had used to extinguish the fire, Sasuke seized the opportunity when the fire wall turned into a fire shield to hide his main body underground and use shadow clones to lure the enemy!

Lee's first instinct was to get rid of Sasuke.

However, it was too late!

Sasuke emerged from the ground and restrained Rock Lee.

Lee was also unable to immediately break free from Sasuke's side due to the use of the Lotus Flower.

You've probably heard about it, haven't you?

In Sasuke's red eyes, black double tomoe appeared in his pupils.

Lee stared right into Sasuke's Sharingan!

"In a one-on-one situation, do not look directly into the eyes of an Uchiha!"

That's... an illusion!

Even the most basic illusions are difficult for Xiao Li to deal with.

Moreover, this basic illusion technique is amplified in power by the Sharingan's eye power!

Chapter 49 I Admit Defeat

"Shadow clone!"

Kakashi calmly watched Sasuke and Lee's battle turn the tide.

Sasuke used shadow clones to lure the enemy, while his main body hid underground, waiting for the right moment to strike.

This is exactly the kind of tactical strategy that Naruto excels at!

Sasuke and Naruto are chasing each other and growing at an astonishing pace.

"Kai, I'm sorry, it seems Sasuke has won."

Kakashi looked at Guy beside him, his tone devoid of boasting, simply stating the facts calmly.

"As expected of my lifelong rival, Kakashi! I never imagined you were so skilled at teaching students! But! Lee and I will not be discouraged by a temporary setback! Youth is a flame that will never be extinguished!"

Kai clenched his fist in front of his chest, his eyes seemingly burning with an unyielding flame.

"Yes Yes……"

Because he knew Guy's personality so well, Kakashi was already used to Guy's "flashy" behavior.

He refocused his attention on Sasuke on the field, showing no concern whatsoever for Guy's countless declarations of youth.

"That damned Kakashi! He even manages to time his ignoring of people so perfectly! But that's what makes you my formidable rival!"

Kakashi could still hear Guy talking to himself, but Kakashi just frowned and focused intently on Sasuke's current physical condition.

Despite having clearly defeated Lee, Sasuke is now slightly hunched over and panting heavily, and doesn't look to be in much better shape.

Hayate Gekko, acting as the referee, intervened in the battle between Sasuke and Rock Lee, checking whether the dazed Rock Lee still had any chance of continuing to fight.

Sasuke silently covered the cursed seal on his shoulder and neck with his hand, waiting for Hayate Gekko to announce the outcome of the match.

The Shadow Clone Technique requires the user to distribute their chakra evenly; the Sharingan consumes chakra continuously once used…

Sasuke's chakra is no longer able to suppress the cursed seal.

"I hereby declare the winner of the first match to be—Uchiha Sasuke!"

Moonlight Gale fairly announced the result of the match.

Xiao Li showed absolutely no sign of breaking free of the illusion. In a real battle, the time he spent trapped in the illusion would have already killed him more than once.

With his victory secured, Sasuke, who had been holding on, suddenly knelt down!

Everyone present who knew of the existence of the cursed seal was shocked!

The irregularly shaped black markings, resembling flames, began to spread across Sasuke's face.

"Third Hokage, we really should have stopped Uchiha Sasuke from continuing to participate in this exam..."

Standing beside the Third Hokage, Mitarashi Anko, who was also a Cursed Seal holder, knew very well the terrifying aggressiveness of the Cursed Seal when her own chakra was insufficient.

Hearing what Red Bean said, the Third Generation also fell into deep thought.

An unexpected situation arose for Sasuke.

Sasuke actually managed to force back the cursed seal's markings through sheer willpower—and suppressed the cursed seal once again!

The power of the cursed seal is like poisoned mead to Sasuke, who is currently severely lacking in chakra...

Even knowing it's poisonous, the honey scent still captivates Sasuke.

But in his final moments as his consciousness faded, Sasuke recalled Naruto's words of both admonition and comfort to him in the Forest of Death.

"A guy who can't even beat himself is even less likely to beat anyone else."

Sasuke struggled to his feet, his dark eyes fixed on Naruto in the stands.

"It seems I've barely managed to overcome myself this time..."

This was Sasuke's last thought after suppressing the cursed seal.

The next second, Sasuke, having lost all his strength, fainted.

Just before Sasuke was about to fall to the ground, Kakashi caught him with his Body Flicker Technique.

"No need, you can't handle his problem. I'll take him for treatment."

After confirming up close that Sasuke's cursed seal had returned to a stable state, Kakashi stopped the medical team, which had been prepared to assist him in preparation for the preliminary rounds.

The problem of cursed seals cannot be solved by simple medical ninjutsu.

Kakashi looked up at the Third Hokage, and after the Third Hokage nodded subtly in agreement, he used the Body Flicker Technique to leave the arena with the unconscious Sasuke.

"...I hope nothing bad has happened to Sasuke."

As fellow members of Team 7, Sakura was clearly more concerned about Kakashi and Sasuke's departure than the others.

"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei will protect Sasuke."

Naruto smiled at Sakura, his attention now focused on the screen that was flashing the names of the test takers again.

The names of the candidates for the second preliminary round have finally been confirmed.

Gaara VS Naruto Uzumaki!

……

"Cough cough!"

Hayate Gekko looked at the two names on the screen and shouted, "Gaara and Naruto Uzumaki, please come to the arena..."

Before Moonlight Gale could finish speaking, a sudden gust of sand flew across the field.

Standing in the sand was Gaara, with red hair and the word "love" etched on his forehead.

He looked up at Naruto, his eyes icy cold.

The members of Team 8 and Team 10, who graduated from the same ninja academy as Naruto, as well as Sakura, were all taken aback when they saw Gaara's gaze.

They shared the same illusion: they seemed to see Naruto from two years ago in Gaara.

"Naruto Uzumaki, come to the arena!"

Noticing the sudden awkward silence, Hayate Gekko reminded Naruto, who was still standing in the stands.

Naruto simply shook his head.

The preliminary rounds are for the right to qualify for the third exam. Who plays against whom, and who wins and who loses.

Naruto had no interest in any of them.

Even during Sasuke's previous battle with Rock Lee, Naruto was only slightly curious about Sasuke's tactical style.

Naruto's Chunin Exams are over.

His sole purpose in participating in the Chunin Exams was to make contact with Karin.

Even dealing with Kabuto was just a matter of going with the flow.

With his goal of contacting Karin achieved, the Chunin Exams were no longer of any significance to Naruto.

No matter who his opponent is, Naruto will not fight the Third Hokage.

However, the fact that his opponent would be Gaara added a touch of drama to Naruto's experience.

But that's about it.

"That one..."

Naruto scratched his head sheepishly and chuckled, "I give up..."

Hayate Gekko stared at Naruto, who wore a shameful expression: "Why did you suddenly give up?"