bdsm-fiction Chapter 328 The second exam has come to an end!
Chapter 328 The second exam has come to an end!
The atmosphere inside the Konoha Dome had been completely ignited after the first fierce hand-to-hand battle.
However, the following tiebreakers did not allow the audience to relax at all; instead, they made them feel the cruelty of the Chunin Exams even more acutely.
"Bang!"
With a dull thud, the second playoff match came to an end.
Sarutobi Asuma lay sprawled on the shattered arena floor, panting heavily. Sweat, blood, and dirt smeared all over his face, his eyes filled with resentment, yet he had no strength left to move a single finger.
"Cough cough..."
Opposite him, Yunyin's hope knelt on one knee, clutching his blood-soaked left arm, his face deathly pale.
His chakra was nearly depleted, but his resolute eyes remained fixed on the fallen Asuma.
"Konoha, Sarutobi Asuma, incapacitated!"
The referee raised his right hand high: "The winner is Yunyin, hope!"
A gasp of amazement erupted from the audience, mixed with a few sighs of regret.
"What a pity, it was so close..."
"Asuma from Konoha is very strong in both taijutsu and wind release, especially his initial burst of speed, which completely overwhelmed the people from Kumogakure. It's a pity that he couldn't sustain it."
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, watched his son being carried off the stage from the VIP seats, took a deep drag on his pipe, and the smoke rings he exhaled seemed thicker than usual.
Although he felt a pang of heartache, he understood that this was the price of growing up.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, it seems your son is still too much of a stretch." Onoki gloated and mocked mercilessly.
"Asuma had forcibly opened the Eight Gates to fight the specially made puppet, which had already severely exhausted his body."
The Third Hokage spoke calmly, not wanting to waste any more words, simply saying, "To be able to push the elites of Kumogakure to this point under these circumstances, he has already proven his strength."
The Fourth Raikage, A, scoffed: "A victory is a victory. No amount of excuses can cover up the fact of defeat. Are you going to go to the battlefield and tell the enemy to let me recover from my injuries before fighting again?"
The third match that followed was even more brutal.
Hiro Tsugami of Iwagakure and Nagisa Shirasa of Sunagakure engaged in a thrilling duel on the arena.
"Earth Release·Yellow Spring Marsh!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
The two had briefly worked together in the quarantine zone and were familiar with each other's fighting styles.
This led to a prolonged stalemate in the match. In the end, Hiro Tsugami, with his extremely refined control of chakra and a calmer mind, struck Nagisa Shirasa's blind spot with a hidden weapon.
"The victor is Iwagakure, Hiroshi Tsugami!"
When the referee announced the result, Hiro Tsugami, having exhausted his chakra, fainted on the stage, making it a Pyrrhic victory.
The fourth match is an internal conflict within the Hidden Mist faction.
Zabuza Momochi carried a large sword, his entire body radiating a suffocatingly bloody and murderous aura.
Although Hozuki Anne possessed the secret technique of water transformation, she still seemed somewhat powerless against Zabuza.
"I won't kill you, but you don't deserve to stand here."
Zabuza knocked Hozuki An unconscious with a single slash, then coldly uttered a single sentence, ending the battle.
He didn't even glance at the audience; he simply dragged his injured leg and slowly walked off the stage.
In the fifth match, Haitsuchi of Iwagakure faced off against Yashamaru of Sunagakure.
Under Yashamaru's Wind Release technique, Haitsuchi finally revealed a weakness.
Yashamaru won by a narrow margin, securing the last qualifying spot for Sunagakure.
……
When all five additional matches were over, all the lights inside the Konoha Dome were turned on.
Nishikawa Tetsu once again stepped onto the platform, holding a brand-new list in his hand, his smile confident and ostentatious.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Distinguished guests!"
His voice, amplified by the loudspeaker system, resonated throughout every corner of the arena.
"After a brutal selection process and fierce competition, the second round of the first Joint Chunin Exams of the Five Great Ninja Villages has successfully concluded!"
"Let's congratulate the sixteen genin from each village who have advanced to the third exam!"
"Whoosh—!!!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
Inside the private box, the Fire Country Daimyo slapped his thigh in satisfaction and turned to the Finance Minister, saying, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! This kind of extreme competition is much better than those boring song and dance performances!"
"Not only that, Your Excellency," the Finance Minister said in a low voice, "look at the performance of those ninja from other villages. Although they are very strong, Konoha is not using scientific ninja tools at this time, yet they still occupy most of the top ten spots. Konoha's strength is unfathomable."
The daimyo nodded in deep agreement; Konoha was indeed not to be underestimated.
On the high platform, Nishikawa Toru cleared his throat and continued to announce:
"To give the advancing contestants ample time to recover from their injuries, and also to showcase Konoha's most perfect competitive form to the entire ninja world, the third Chunin Exams final will be held at the Konoha Dome in one month!"
These words caused an uproar in the room.
"A month?! That's way too long!"
"Exactly, are we supposed to just sit here and wait for a month?"
Nishikawa Tetsu smiled slightly, as if he had expected this reaction.
"Please be patient, everyone. This month is not only for the contestants, but also for all of you, the audience."
He snapped his fingers, and various commercials and tourism promotional videos immediately started scrolling across the big screen.
"For the next month, Konoha Starlight City and Konoha Mansho Town will be fully open! Everyone can experience Konoha's latest technological products, savor international cuisine, and enjoy the top-notch service of the Yanjiu Institute. Our Konoha Grand Hotel is also offering a limited-time exclusive package during the Chunin Exams; we welcome friends from other villages to stay for an extended period!"
"..."
In the VIP section, the mouths of the village leaders twitched uncontrollably.
This isn't a postponement of the exam; it's clearly Konoha's way of keeping these outsiders here and ripping them off for a whole month!
"That damn brat..." The Fourth Raikage, A, gritted his teeth, but he had to admit that the vending machines that could be seen everywhere on the streets of Konoha were indeed quite useful. He even considered whether he should take advantage of this month to buy more and bring them back to Kumogakure.
Ignoring the resentful stares, Nishikawa Tetsu continued to loudly announce the final rules: "The third final match will adopt the purest one-on-one elimination format!"
"Random draw, sixteen to eight, eight to four, four to two, and finally the champion will be decided!"
"Who will stand at the pinnacle of the ninja world? Who will seize the legendary forbidden technique scroll and the custom-made equipment? One month from now, at the Konoha Dome, we'll see you there!"
As Nishikawa Tetsu made his impassioned announcement, fireworks once again burst into bloom above the Konoha Dome.
The second exam has come to a successful conclusion!