After being taught a lesson and not daring to retaliate, several Rain Ninjas quickly left the arena in disgrace.
Naruto gave Itsuki and Yakumo a thumbs-up, grinning. "Itsuki and Yakumo are really reliable. Unlike Teacher Kakashi, who's always trying to smooth things over!"
Kakashi's expression darkened. If he were a student, he could do whatever he wanted. If something went wrong, the adults would take responsibility.
But as a teacher and a Konoha Jonin, bullying candidates from other countries could cause a diplomatic incident.
Of course, Itsuki was happy to see Yakumo teach those Rain Ninjas a lesson so they wouldn't dare speak out again.
After the Rain Ninjas left, the arena grew much quieter.
On the field, the battle between Sakura and Shikamaru had entered its final stage.
Sakura had used all the ninja tools on her body and could no longer restrain Shikamaru directly, leaving her vulnerable to his shadow.
"Let's fight!"
Refusing to remain passive, Sakura seized a brief opening when Shikamaru's shadow missed, turning around and rushing at him.
Shikamaru used a substitution technique to save himself, but Sakura successfully cast an illusion on him.
"Finally succeeded!" Sakura thought, watching Shikamaru freeze in place, her face lighting up with pride.
So what if he has a high IQ? Shadow mimicry alone isn't enough to beat me!
But just as Sakura approached to fully subdue him, her body suddenly stiffened.
"How… could that be?" she gasped.
Shikamaru shook his head, breaking free from the illusion. The shadows on the ground connected together.
"Shadow Imitation Technique, success!" Shikamaru grinned.
"Do you really think I've been hiding and doing nothing? Every time you use explosive tags or ninja tools to alter the terrain, I've calculated the angles."
"The competition arena is like a maze now. Residual chakra in the terrain acts like a natural barrier. It doesn't have much effect, but it can cause visual confusion."
Shikamaru controlled Sakura's movements with his shadow, giving her a glimpse of the altered battlefield.
Sakura had been so focused on attacking that she hadn't noticed the terrain.
She hadn't expected Shikamaru to exploit even this small advantage.
"But… I'm sure you were caught in an illusion just now!" Sakura gritted her teeth.
She wouldn't have approached recklessly otherwise.
Shikamaru smiled. "Yes, I was tricked, but I expected you'd use an illusion. I had already started disrupting the chakra flow before being affected, so your illusion broke almost immediately."
His clever disguise, combined with the barrier-induced visual confusion, had created the illusion for Sakura.
"Now, the match is over. Admit defeat!" Shikamaru said, pressing a kunai against Sakura's neck. Competitions were such a hassle!
Although Sakura mimicked the motion, her hands were empty—she had discarded all her ninja tools while chasing him.
This was exactly what Shikamaru had anticipated.
"Damn it!" Sakura cursed inwardly. Her physical strength was superior, but her IQ was being outplayed.
She had expected to win this match, but now she was powerless.
Losing here could damage her reputation, provoke ridicule in the chat group, and even disappoint Tsunade, possibly affecting her chances of becoming her disciple.
She refused to accept defeat.
Suddenly, Shikamaru's body stiffened again, his shadow retracted, and his expression dulled.
Sakura smiled, sheathed the kunai she had mimicked, and pressed a kunai to Shikamaru's neck instead.
When Shikamaru broke free and saw this, he was utterly confused.
"What's going on?" he muttered. How could she use illusions while bound by shadow?
"Hehe, this is my secret. Can't tell you!" Sakura said smugly, raising her kunai. "What do you say now? Any other ideas?"
Shikamaru sighed. "Okay, I give up."
He voluntarily admitted defeat, and the referee immediately declared Sakura the winner.
Almost no one in the arena understood how she had won.
Initially, everyone thought this was just a fight between beginners.
Now, facing Sakura, even the strongest spectators were taking her seriously.
If her secret remained unknown, even the most skilled ninja could be defeated by her.
"Great, Sakura is awesome!" Naruto cheered, more excited than if he had won himself. A typical fangirl-like reaction.
"Kakashi-sensei, do you know what just happened?" he asked, turning to the teacher, who had no clue.
"You should ask Sakura," Itsuki said with a smile, pretending to be mysterious.
He had his suspicions but wasn't entirely sure.
Sakura had turned the tide seemingly out of nowhere.
Her body was bound, she couldn't form hand seals, and she lacked Sharingan-like abilities.
The truth? Sakura had a second personality, which had acted independently in the mental space to cast the illusion.
She had known of this second personality but had only just realized it could perform jutsu independently.
The fear of ridicule in the chat group triggered her second personality to act, saving her in the match.
Though shocking, such phenomena were not unheard of in the ninja world. This became a secret technique unique to Sakura—a hidden trump card.
Tsunade, upon learning this, repeatedly warned everyone in the chat group not to reveal it in real life.
Itsuki, observing the messages, nodded knowingly. It matched his suspicions exactly.
Even Shikamaru, with his IQ of 250, couldn't have predicted that Sakura had a second personality capable of independent illusions.
With this match concluded, the preliminaries for the third exam officially ended.
"Then I declare the preliminaries for the third Chunin Exam over!" Hayate announced, reading out the winners. "Congratulations to everyone advancing to the third round."
Hokage then stepped down from the field.
Next, Third Hokage explained the main competition and called for the lot draw.
Unexpectedly, six women were promoted—beyond expectations, as female ninja only made up a quarter of participants.
Of course, nobody knew that Itsuki had influenced this result.
Final draw results:
No. 1 Naruto vs. No. 2 Neji
No. 3 Ino vs. No. 4 Sakura
No. 5 Hinata vs. No. 6 Karin
No. 7 Tenten vs. No. 8 Yakumo
No. 9 Gaara vs. No. 10 Senju Itsuki
The two winners from No. 7–10 would need to play one more game to advance to the semi-finals, while the remaining four would face off in pairs.
Itsuki didn't interfere with the draw this time, but the distribution looked almost perfect…
[PS: Many people were curious about Sakura's second personality—now you've seen it.]
...
Author's Note:
The full completed version of Konoha Harem Chat Group: I Can Fabricate the Future (Completed) is now on Patreon!
🔥 I also have additional 18+ fanfics available for readers who enjoy exclusive mature stories. 😉
1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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