Half an hour later, the crowds had gathered again.
Medical teams had patched up most of the collapsed genin. Some still leaned on their teammates; others sat on the ground, exhausted but awake, waiting for the moment that would decide everything:
The official results of the first three rounds.
Finally, the leading proctor stepped forward with a long parchment scroll.
The stadium went silent.
The scroll unfurled.
---
1st Place — Yugito Nii
Total Score: 1800 Points
A roar erupted from the Cloud delegation.
Passing her round-two Jōnin beast in under a minute—and surviving 180 meters inside the domain—put her far above the rest.
She barely smiled, hands resting protectively over her stomach.
---
2nd Place — Rock Lee
Total Score: 1300 Points
Passing round two against special Jonin beast under four minutes
Even without chakra, he had pushed more than anyone inside the domain (200m ).
Guy fell to his knees, crying rivers.
"YYOOOOOUUUTTTTH!!!"
Most spectators took a respectful step back.
---
3rd Place — Naruto Uzumaki
Total Score: 960 Points
Naruto pumped his fist in the air.
"Dattebayo! I knew hard work would pay off!"
Iruka cried.
Hinata fainted.
Kakashi clapped silently like a proud parent.
---
4th Place — Gaara of the Sand
Total Score: 850 Points
A quiet murmur swept through the stadium.
Gaara's performance had stunned everyone—especially since he was failed in defeating elite Jonin beast and only got 150 points.
Kankurō whistled.
Temari smirked with genuine pride.
---
5th Place — Sasuke Uchiha
Total Score: 740 Points
He clicked his tongue, annoyed.
His Sharingan had helped in the earlier rounds, but the physical domain trial had punished him in ways he didn't expect.
Still—top five.
He glanced at Akira in the distance.
"…I'll surpass him one day."
---
Positions 6 to 29
The proctor continued:
6th — Tetsuya Kumo (320 pts)
7th — Yamanaka Ino (260 pts)
8th — Hyuga Hinata (235 pts)
9th — Kaito Sora (180 pts)
10th — Jiro Hanma (150 pts)
And on it went—
Names from Konoha, Suna, Kumo, Kiri, and Iwa filling the list.
Finally:
29th — Ren Shigure (40 pts)
The last qualifying participant.
Everyone below Rank 29 was officially eliminated from the Chūnin Exams.
---
Gasps
Cheers
Tears
Silence
Frustration.
Some collapsed again—not from exhaustion, but heartbreak.
Others embraced their teammates.
The Third Round had changed everything.
Those who dominated Round 1 and Round 2 were overtaken by pure willpower monsters in the third round.
This exam…
was not just a test of strength.
It was a test of body, mind and endurance.
Exactly as Akira intended.
---
Akira nodded to himself:
"Not bad. Three weeks of rest for me… and training for the others. Perfect."
He already knew the next three weeks would be crucial—especially for Team 7.
Naruto, Sasuke, and even Sakura had unlocked frightening potential in these rounds. With proper guidance, their strength would skyrocket before the final exam.
Meanwhile, Akira had nothing to do but relax, eat, and occasionally terrify people with his Sharingan.
A perfect schedule.
---
Just as Akira finished his third skewer, a cheerful voice called out:
"Akira! I passed! And we must celebrate tonight!"
Ino Yamanaka ran toward him, face glowing with excitement.
Akira smiled and patted her head lightly.
"Congratulations. Tonight's dinner is on me. Order whatever you want."
Ino brightened even more.
"Really?! Then I'll get extra dessert!"
"Sure."
A simple reply.
A devastating reply.
---
A moment earlier, in the Yamanaka flower shop…
Ino's mother and father had also heard those exact words.
Ino's father:
"…Dinner… on him? On HIM? My daughter… dinner… someone else's money…with someone else...?"
Ino's mother:
"…Honey, calm down—"
But the damage was done.
Ino's father's heart shattered into microscopic pieces.
The daughter he had raised with love, discipline, and flower-scented shampoo for thirteen years was now…
…eating food bought by another boy with another boy.
The betrayal.
The disrespect.
The moral collapse of a generation.
When Inoichi tried to walk out of bedroom, Ino's mother grabbed his ear with two fingers and twisted so hard that even an ANBU would scream.
"OUR DAUGHTER IS GROWING UP! AND YOU WON'T DARE TO STOP IT!
RIGHT???"
"AAAAAA—!! Woman! Have mercy!!"
Back in the training ground, Akira sneezed once.
He blinked.
"Feels like someone cursed me… meh."
He continued eating barbecue without any guilt.
---