Chapter 28: The Preliminaries Begin
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Hayate. "I'll leave it to you."
Moonlight Hayate, facing the Hokage, stood up and turned his back to the assembled genin. In a steady, slightly hoarse voice, he said, "This is our first meeting, everyone. Before you take the third exam... cough... I'd like to ask something of you... cough... We will conduct a preliminary round to determine who qualifies for the third exam."
Huh? A preliminary round? It seems... there is such a part...
Ryouma couldn't remember the specifics either. After listening to Hayate's dry explanation—"By the way, it's individual battles from now on, and you can forfeit if you wish"—he finally recalled.
"Who would forfeit...?" Sasuke muttered with a frown, before a sudden, sharp pain flared in his shoulder.
The Cursed Seal...
Setting aside Sasuke's pain, Ryouma was racking his brain to remember the plot when a realization struck him.
That's right! I remember now, that person...
Ryouma's eyes found the bespectacled shinobi with the Konoha headband—Yakushi Kabuto. As expected, after a moment, Kabuto chose to withdraw.
"Alright, the preliminaries will now begin," Moonlight Hayate announced, his tone still flat, punctuated by an occasional cough. "From this moment, your fate will be decided..." He glanced at Anko, who nodded and spoke into a microphone. "Activate it."
A section of the wall slowly rose, revealing an electronic screen.
"This is it," Hayate explained. "On this electronic board, two randomly selected contestants will be displayed for each match. Let's begin now. Announcing the two contestants for the first match."
The genin stood on the tower floor, staring nervously at the large screen, their respective jōnin instructors standing behind them.
The screen flickered, names rapidly scrolling before suddenly freezing.
Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akizuki Ryouma!
Seeing the names on the screen, Ryouma couldn't help but start. It's Uchiha Sasuke?!
Uchiha Sasuke. Though not overwhelmingly powerful at this early stage, as the undisputed male lead number two in Naruto, his strength and potential were substantial. Even in his "weaker" period, you could never count out a sudden, explosive power-up!
"Ah... Ryouma-nii..." Hinata looked at Ryouma's back with deep concern. She knew he was strong, but his opponent was Uchiha Sasuke, the prodigy known throughout the academy. It made her heart flutter with anxiety.
"Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akizuki Ryouma..." Hiruzen Sarutobi took a slow pull from his pipe, then exhaled a cloud of smoke, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "It should be a splendid match... but Sasuke seems to be affected by that Cursed Seal. His strength is greatly reduced. This time, it seems..."
"That Ryouma, the one who graduated at sixteen?" Sasuke frowned, studying Ryouma, then touched the Cursed Seal on his neck, his brow furrowing deeper. "I should be able to handle him..."
"Alright, both contestants, please step forward." Moonlight Hayate coughed. Once the two were in position, he said softly, "Preliminaries, first match: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akizuki Ryouma. Begin!"
"Hmph. You use a sword?" Sasuke noted the long blade on Ryouma's back, his guard rising. He dropped into a slight crouch, a wince of pain flashing across his face from the movement.
"Huh? Are you injured?" Seeing Sasuke's reaction, Ryouma realized he was indeed hurt. He felt a pang of frustration. This is really bad. I'd forgotten this part of the plot from so long ago.
"Preemptive strike!" Sasuke decided. He drew three kunai from his pouch and hurled them at Ryouma!
The kunai collided mid-air, changing trajectory and shooting toward Ryouma from unexpected angles!
Impossible to dodge! Sasuke was confident in his thrown weapons.
Use the Instant Eye? Ryouma considered it for a moment, then gave a slight shake of his head. As the kunai closed in, a silvery light erupted around his form!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The moment the three kunai touched the silver light, they were instantly deflected, embedding themselves point-first into the stone floor tiles with considerable force.
"What?!" A chorus of shocked exclamations rose from the onlookers. They had all seen Ryouma block the attack, but none understood how.
"That sword..." Moonlight Hayate, a jōnin proficient in kenjutsu, understood swords deeply. Seeing Ryouma's blade, he couldn't help but feel a spark of admiration.
"This speed!" As Ryouma's direct opponent, Sasuke understood clearly that deflecting his attack wasn't just about having a good sword.
Sasuke had a chilling feeling that Ryouma's fluidity and precision with the blade might even surpass that of Momochi Zabuza, one of the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!
"If he's really that strong..." A bead of cold sweat traced a path down Sasuke's temple. He wanted to activate his Sharingan, but the pain from the Cursed Seal forced his head down. "He's just fast... His swordsmanship itself can't be that refined..."
Seeing Sasuke's evident pain, Ryouma shook his head slightly. "If it hurts that much... then let me help you end this quickly."
"Could it be—?!" Sasuke's head snapped up in horror, but Ryouma was already gone. A moment later, he felt a cold sensation at his throat. The silver long sword was resting lightly against his shoulder, emanating a chilling aura.
"It's over."
Silence descended upon the arena. Almost everyone stared at Ryouma in stunned disbelief, unable to comprehend how he had appeared behind Sasuke.
"That move of Ryouma's is so annoying!" Kiba, who had been on the receiving end of that same technique, touched his own neck with a shiver. "But it's truly terrifying! There's no way to counter it!"
"Ryouma-nii, you're amazing!" A strange light shone in Hinata's Byakugan eyes. She felt a surge of pride for Ryouma—the "dead-last" who failed to graduate for four years had now defeated the acclaimed genius, Uchiha Sasuke!
"Guy, did you see that clearly?"
"It wasn't pure speed!" Gai confirmed. While extreme taijutsu could achieve effects similar to the Body Flicker, it still left traces. The Body Flicker was different; it was like a space-time ninjutsu, teleporting from one point to another.
"The Body Flicker Technique..." Kakashi murmured, a flash of golden light appearing in his mind's eye.
"I... I lost? Just like that?" Sasuke's eyes seemed to lose their focus, the world draining of color. Then, his pupils suddenly shifted, turning a blood red. Around the pupils, three tomoe spun into existence.
The Sharingan!