From the night of genocide, marching towards the strongest.

Naruto, who was deep in thought, was startled when he caught a glimpse of the scene to his left out of the corner of his eye, but he quickly realized what was happening and his eyes turned cold.

On the rooftop, a middle-aged man with white hair reaching his waist was seen intently staring through binoculars at the open-air bathhouse in the distance, occasionally letting out lewd chuckles.

Leaf Village Whirlwind!

boom!

The white-haired man, who was completely focused on his work, never expected to be attacked and was kicked away by Naruto.

"What are you doing! What are you doing!? Why did you suddenly attack me, you brat?"

"How dare you spy on Konoha in broad daylight! Since you were caught by the righteous Naruto, you're just unlucky!"

"What 'voyeurism'? That's such a vulgar term! This is gathering material, do you understand? Can a writer's affairs be considered voyeurism?"

"Enough talk, let's fight!"

Bang bang bang!

After a fight...

"Hey old man, you said you were sent by Kakashi-sensei to give me some pointers?"

Naruto crossed his arms and looked at Jiraiya with suspicion, who seemed unreliable no matter how he looked at him.

Jiraiya nodded, looking smug, and said, "Of course, Kakashi begged me for a long time before I finally agreed."

"And don't call me a peeping tom! I am the invincible White-Haired Toad Messenger of the Three Ninjas, who knows no east, west, south, or north, and I am also the Sage Jiraiya!"

After saying that, Jiraiya tossed his hair and struck what he thought was an incredibly cool pose.

"Alright, you lecherous immortal, what are you going to teach me?"

"Don't call me the Lustful Immortal, I'm the Toad Immortal!"

"Alright, you lecherous immortal!"

"..."

Jiraiya remained silent for a moment, then extended his right palm. Streams of tangible chakra spun rapidly, coiling together to form a chakra sphere, revealing a smug expression.

"Kid, you've never seen such powerful ninjutsu before, have you? Want to learn it? If you do, I can..."

Before he could finish speaking, Naruto also raised a Rasengan and glanced at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya: "......."

Jiraiya chuckled and continued, "Haha, actually learning the Rasengan is just the beginning. Being able to combine it with your own strengths to create your own..."

As they were talking, Jiraiya saw the Rasengan in Naruto's hand, which was the size of a fist, suddenly grow larger, turning into a blue ball of light the size of a head.

Dayama Rasengan!

Jiraiya: "......."

What an annoying brat!

...........

Grass Lizard Marsh!

At the same time that Naruto met Jiraiya, Sasuke sat motionless on the ground for a long time.

He suddenly stood up and then slowly untied the bandages around his eyes.

I blinked gently, adjusting to the light I hadn't seen for nearly twenty days.

His clear black and white eyes suddenly turned a ferocious scarlet color.

At the same time, a massive amount of Yin Release power emerged around Sasuke, forming a skull-like shape.

The three black tomoe spun faster and faster, and veins and flesh emerged from the skull, which was wrapped in a chakra-like outer garment. The skull grew larger and larger, and suddenly it coalesced into the image of a giant!

Finally, the giant donned a majestic Tengu armor, and a longsword wreathed in black flames and flashing with purple lightning suddenly appeared in his hands!

The three tomoe in his eyes suddenly transformed into a pair of white six-pointed stars with a black curved triangular dart inside, and three black dots around the edges.

Ethereal and beautiful, mysterious and ominous!

Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan!

Chapter 144 The Finals Begin (Please Subscribe)

Ten days later, the Chunin Exams finals will begin.

Because it is a Chunin Exam involving multiple countries, it can be considered a rare large-scale event in the ninja world.

After all, considering the importance of the ninja system and intelligence, the Chunin Exams are already the highest-level open competition.

Upon hearing the news, tourists flocked to Konoha from all over the ninja world. The nobles and daimyo of the Land of Fire, who had received invitations from Konoha, also sent their distinguished officials to watch the match on their behalf.

For a time, Konoha Village was packed with people and bustling with activity. The shop owners of Konoha Village also made a fortune by taking advantage of this large-scale event held in Konoha.

Sakura got up early and, after breakfast, began a simple morning training session as a warm-up for the final at noon.

After finishing her warm-up, Sakura began to check her ninja tools one by one, carefully wiping each kunai and shuriken.

"I'm off!"

After tidying up her ninja tools and putting them in her waist pouch, the girl looked at her parents and said casually.

Her tone didn't sound like someone going to the Chunin Finals at all, but rather like a young girl going shopping.

Haruno Chizuru laughed heartily and asked loudly, "Sakura, do you want Mom and Dad to take you there?"

"No need, I'm all grown up now, not a little girl anymore." Xiao Ying wrinkled her nose and said, "Mom and Dad, you can watch from the audience later."

Haruno Mei sighed, looking at her carefree daughter, and unusually refrained from criticizing her.

He stepped forward, straightened Sakura's collar, hesitated for a moment, and said with some concern, "If you encounter any danger during the exam, just give up immediately. Your parents won't blame you."

Haruno Mebuki has been retired for many years, but she still has a certain network of connections, although she is unaware of Gaara's identity as the Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beast.

But they also knew that he was a cruel, bloodthirsty, and extremely powerful ninja!

"That's right! For us, the Chunin Exams are completely unimportant; your safety is the most important thing, Sakura!"

Haruno Chō crossed his arms, nodded, and agreed earnestly.

Sakura looked at her parents with her clear, emerald-green eyes and felt a surge of warmth in her heart. After a moment of silence, she whispered, "Thank you, Mom and Dad."

"However, I will not give up!"

At this point, the girl smiled broadly, revealing an incredibly radiant smile, her delicate brows exuding a dignified and heroic air.

"Believe me, Mom and Dad, I will definitely defeat that guy and become an excellent ninja in front of you!"

Sakura has grown up.

Looking at her spirited daughter, Haruno Mebuki was momentarily lost in thought before smiling, her usually stern eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

"Okay! Mom and Dad believe in you!"

"Then I'll be going now!"

Sakura chuckled and walked out of the house.

Haruno Mebuki and her husband exchanged a glance and shook their heads helplessly: "This crazy girl is becoming more and more uncontrollable."

"Trust our daughter!" Haruno Chō stepped forward and put his arm around his wife's shoulder to comfort her.

"I hope Sakura is safe."

Haruno Mei sighed. Although Sakura's previous attitude had affected the two of them to some extent, how could parents not worry about their children?

The huge final venue was packed with people, and the noise was deafening.

Led by referee Genma Shiranui, the seven candidates participating in the official Chunin finals entered the examination room one by one.

"Why haven't Sasuke and Naruto arrived yet?"

Nara Shikamaru looked around with his dead fish eyes and, noticing that Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto were nowhere to be seen, muttered to himself, "And that guy from the Sound Village isn't here either."

As he muttered to himself, Shikamaru looked at Sakura, who stood calmly to the side, with a questioning gaze.

Seeing Shikamaru looking over, Sakura gently shook her head and whispered, "Sasuke and Naruto will definitely come."

Sakura knew that her two companions were definitely training hard right now.

Naruto goes without saying; he always regarded Sasuke as his greatest rival and dreamed of defeating him.

Although Sasuke didn't say anything, he never underestimated Naruto's challenge.

The audience seats were now full, and the Third Hokage and Orochimaru, disguised as the Fourth Kazekage, had taken their seats.

"Welcome, everyone. Now, please welcome the Hokage to give his address on the upcoming Chunin Exams!"

A loud voice suddenly came from the highest stand in the examination hall, and the noisy crowd inside instantly fell silent.

The Third Hokage nodded, and seeing that the venue had quieted down, he said with satisfaction, "Thank you all for taking the time to come and watch the Chunin Selection Exams held by Konoha this time. On behalf of Konoha, I would like to express my gratitude to you all."

He cleared his throat lightly: "Now, I'll just say a few words..."

"What's going on?!"

Kankuro's expression changed, and he said angrily, "This guy keeps rambling on and on, he could talk all day!"

In the stands, Orochimaru frowned and narrowed his eyes slightly.

If this old man were to really talk, he could go on and on until dark!

"Lord Hokage, it's getting late, let's start the match quickly!"

Orochimaru interrupted.

The Third Hokage, who was speaking eloquently and fluently, paused for a moment, glanced at the "Kazekage" in front of him with a strange expression, and nodded with a smile: "What the Kazekage-sama says is true. It is indeed getting late. Let's begin the match."

The Third Hokage waved his hand and shouted to the audience, "Then please enjoy the match!"

After the Third Hokage announced the start of the competition, not only the examinees but also Genma Shiranui, who was serving as the examiner, breathed a sigh of relief. Genma Shiranui then explained the competition rules to the examinees.

"Then the first match is Kankuro versus Shino Aburame!"

After explaining the rules, Genma Shiranui glanced at the list in his hand and said to the group, "Except for those two who stay, the rest of the candidates, please leave!"

After the other examinees left, Genma Shiranui turned to look at Kankuro and Shino Aburame and announced, "Then the competition begins!"