The expressions of the two people present instantly became more pleasant.
Hozuki Suigetsu glanced apprehensively in Karin's direction, noticing a glint on her glasses, as if she was quite satisfied with this drawing ceremony.
This is not...
Is it time to get beaten again?
Hozuki Suigetsu had offended Karin in the Forest of Death exam field and was severely beaten. His entire team together was no match for Karin, and if he went up alone now...
"I forfeit!"
Hozuki Suigetsu wisely raised his hand in resignation.
A group of Genin cast curious glances at Hozuki Suigetsu, feeling he was a bit too cowardly, except for the trio from Gaara's team.
Chojuro, seeing Hozuki Suigetsu forfeiting so quickly, hastily advised, "Suigetsu, don't give up so easily. At worst, it's just death..."
"Chojuro!"
Hozuki Suigetsu grumbled discontentedly, "Don't make it sound so easy, because you're not the one who's going to die! Anyway, I'm no match for that violent girl!"
In the audience corridor.
Akihara Kagura frowned as he watched this scene and asked in a deep voice, "Can't the Hidden Mist Village ninja and the Hidden Sand Village ninja be assigned together? This way, if their ninja die here, it could stir up trouble between the two villages..."
"..."
A group of Jonin gave Akihara Kagura strange looks.
"Lord Kagura..."
The Jonin leading the Sand Village team, Maki, was a bit embarrassed and cautiously asked, "Shouldn't the Chunin Exams still ensure basic fairness?"
"And besides... cough cough..."
The Jonin leading the Mist Village team, Hozuki Mangetsu, started coughing and said in a low voice, "Shouldn't these things be said quietly, at least not so that we can hear?"
The Chunin Exams in Konoha Village are quite unreliable!
Fortunately, their two villages will soon be waging war with Konoha, so the village's ninjas won't have to come to this wretched place for the Chunin Exams anymore...
Anyway...
At least the current preliminaries are still fair.
The second match quickly began, Uchiha Sasuke versus an unknown Mist Village ninja.
Though Uchiha Sasuke was deeply troubled by Orochimaru's Curse Seal, he stubbornly won this match. Unfortunately, his Curse Seal acted up, and Kakashi Hatake had to find a way to help his subordinate solve the problem.
The third match, Hidden Sound Ninja Zaku versus Aburame Shino, with Aburame Shino emerging victorious.
In the fourth match, Kankuro versus Chojuro. Kankuro, the puppet master from the Hidden Sand Village, was noticeably more ruthless. Chojuro's personality was somewhat gentle, but his Water Release Ninjutsu was stronger, allowing him to easily defeat Kankuro without disgracing the Mist Village completely.
The fifth match, Haruno Sakura versus Yamanaka Ino, saw the two Konoha Village girls clash fiercely and both fall down exhausted, leading them both to be disqualified.
The sixth match, Temari versus Tenten, was noticeably more visually appealing than the previous one. Tenten's ninja tools ultimately could not compete with Temari's Wind Release Ninjutsu, and she was even blown into the air by it, spitting blood and perilously close to falling from a great height.
Clearly.
If she fell, she would certainly be seriously injured, and could even break bones.
Temari looked at the falling girl from the sky with a mocking smile on her lips, raising her ninja fan as she waited quietly, intending to humiliate the Konoha ninja when Tenten fell onto her fan.
However, a vine unexpectedly sprouted from the ground, catching Tenten in mid-air. This was Akihara Kagura's first time stepping in, having never acted before, drawing curious gazes from everyone present.
"Thank you, Lord Kagura!"
Might Guy showed a grateful expression.
Karin, standing beside Akihara Kagura, curiously observed him and glanced at the severely injured Tenten, "Lord Kagura, do you need me to heal her?"
"Hmm."
Akihara Kagura waved his hand nonchalantly, placing Tenten on the ground as he coldly declared, "A temporary rule: in Konoha Village, it's forbidden to humiliate opponents. Only I can do such things..."
"..."
You're a bit too domineering!
Several people's hearts silently cursed him.
Originally, the Sand Village's team leader, Maki, was somewhat dissatisfied and wanted to reason with Akihara Kagura, but this guy didn't seem to be one for reasoning!
"Thank you."
Tenten, one of the direct beneficiaries, struggled to open her eyes and thanked him, never expecting the village's extremely opinionated Hokage Assistant to choose to save her.
"..."
Akihara Kagura glanced at Tenten and said nothing more.
"You finally felt like saving someone again?"
As Kakashi Hatake had just managed to stabilize Uchiha Sasuke's Curse Seal issue and came back to watch the exams, he happened to witness this scene.
"Isn't it nothing surprising?"
"Maybe this little guy even forgot himself."
Akihara Kagura glanced at Kakashi Hatake and then at the drowsy Tenten, not hiding his past.
"Seven years ago, after I participated in the Chunin Exams, I was transferred to the Dark Department by the Third Hokage, and Lord Danzo kicked me out of Root. On my first night, homeless and sleeping in the park, a little girl with a bun hairstyle passed by and brought me a blanket..."
"Good deeds do get rewarded..."
Kakashi Hatake nodded knowingly.
Just as they were talking, the seventh match began, Nara Shikamaru facing off against Kin from The Hidden Sound Village, with the usually unmotivated Nara Shikamaru coming out victorious.