Chapter 196: "We Forfeit!"
Added 2025-02-28 03:18:28 +0000 UTCSasuke noticed the Third Hokage and the others, and they noticed him as well.
When the Third Hokage saw Sasuke, his eyes glimmered with an unusual light.
No one said a word.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Nearly two hours later, the participants of the second round of the Chūnin Selection Exams began arriving at the scene.
These participants mainly consisted of Konoha's "Rookie Twelve."
The Sand Village trio appeared as Temari and Kankurō supported an unconscious Gaara.
The remaining two teams were from the Hidden Rain Village.
Other than them, no one else arrived.
"What happened to Gaara?"
Ignoring the stares of those around him, Baki hurried to Temari and Kankurō.
The Sand Village team had a mission to accomplish—this was a matter tied to their interests.
Especially Gaara!
He was the Sand Village’s human weapon and could not afford to fail during such an important task!
"Gaara fainted," Temari explained softly. She looked up at Baki, took a deep breath, and a hint of relief appeared on her face.
"Gaara is fine. He’s just unconscious and should wake up in a few days," Kankurō added, also visibly relieved.
After all…
The two of them had been living in fear within the Forest of Death during this time.
They weren’t afraid of wild beasts.
They weren’t afraid of poisonous insects.
They weren’t even afraid of other ninja.
But every time they saw someone wearing a Konoha forehead protector, their hearts would tremble.
Konoha’s genin were simply terrifying!
"How could Gaara faint?"
Baki’s face was full of confusion. He couldn’t understand how someone like Gaara could be eliminated in just the second round of the Chūnin Exams.
"It’s a long story," Temari said, glancing in Sasuke's direction. Her eyes, filled with awe and fear, also carried a trace of admiration.
This boy…
He really is handsome!
Cough, cough, cough…
Suddenly, at this moment, the Third Hokage cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. His gaze lingered on Sasuke for a moment longer than the others.
"The reason I’ve gathered everyone here," he began, "is because…"
"During the second round of the Chūnin Selection Exams, some unexpected events occurred."
Whoa!
The Third Hokage’s words caused an immediate stir.
The ANBU standing behind him all blushed beneath their masks, clearly embarrassed. If not for their masks, they might have found it hard to stay in the room.
The supervising jōnin waiting on the side were also full of questions, wondering what had happened.
However…
The ninja standing in front of the Third Hokage all had strange expressions on their faces. One by one, they glanced at Sasuke, their eyes filled with meaningful looks.
They all knew what the "unexpected events" were.
It was the fact that all the scrolls—every single one—had been taken by Sasuke alone!
But no one said a word.
They waited for the Third Hokage to continue.
"The Heaven and Earth Scrolls were meant to eliminate half of the teams," the Third Hokage said.
"However…"
"Due to unforeseen circumstances…"
"We’ve decided to remove the Heaven and Earth Scroll restriction. Instead, we’ll proceed directly with a one-on-one elimination round among those who made it here!"
The Third Hokage’s deep voice echoed, making it clear he wouldn’t allow the third round of the exams to be disrupted. This situation wasn’t what he wanted, and he had to regain control to prevent unforeseen consequences.
Whoa!
The Third Hokage’s announcement caused all the participants' eyes to light up.
What did this mean?
A second chance!
Most of them had been on the verge of elimination, but now they were back in the game!
A trace of joy appeared on everyone’s faces.
“This is a great opportunity!”
“Wait!”
Suddenly, a cold voice broke the silence, shattering everyone’s fantasies.
The voice was familiar to all, as they had all been robbed of their scrolls by its owner.
Uchiha Sasuke!
Swish!
In an instant, all eyes fell on the handsome young man dressed in white. Every gaze was filled with awe and reverence.
+50 (25)
The number in front of Sasuke's eyes jumped dramatically, starting at a remarkably high level.
Naruto, watching the scene, grinned widely.
Sakura, on the other hand, widened her eyes and instinctively tugged on Sasuke’s sleeve, trying to stop him, but to no avail.
Teams Guy, Team Eight, and Team Ten all turned their attention to Sasuke, their eyes brimming with shock and disbelief.
“Sasuke, is there a problem?”
The Third Hokage squinted slightly, his eyes sharp despite being partially concealed by his eyelids.
“There is.”
Sasuke nodded. Then, in front of everyone, he flipped his wrist, revealing a stack of scrolls—an entire collection of Heaven Scrolls and Earth Scrolls.
+100 (50)
The number in front of Sasuke's eyes jumped again.
Everyone stared at Sasuke in utter disbelief, completely shocked.
Even though they had anticipated that Sasuke might have collected all the scrolls, seeing them in person was another matter entirely.
So many!
“Hokage-sama!”
“Here are eleven Heaven Scrolls and *eleven Earth Scrolls!*”
“Except for one Heaven Scroll I threw out of the arena and one Earth Scroll I destroyed...”
“All the scrolls are right here!”
“Could it be...”
“Am I the unexpected factor you were referring to?”
Sasuke’s voice was calm, carrying a hint of questioning. His eyes gleamed faintly, and his composed demeanor made it seem as though none of this was an issue for him.
+120 (60)
The numbers before Sasuke’s eyes surged once more.
Whoosh!
In that moment, everyone took a deep breath.
Their gazes toward Sasuke were filled with astonishment. They couldn’t believe he had actually taken all the scrolls. Even more shocking was the fact that Sasuke dared to speak to the Third Hokage in such a manner.
How bold!
Immediately, all eyes turned to the Third Hokage, their expressions tinged with doubt and uncertainty.
The Third Hokage gave Sasuke a long, hard look, a flicker of resentment hidden deep within his eyes.
This development had been beyond his calculations.
The Third Hokage had assumed Sasuke would destroy all the scrolls. After all, given the size of what Sasuke was carrying, it didn’t seem possible for him to have so many.
And yet…
The Third Hokage hadn’t expected Sasuke to simply flip his hand and produce the scrolls.
This is space-time ninjutsu!
An unknown space-time ninjutsu!
He had underestimated Sasuke once again.
At that moment, the Third Hokage realized Sasuke had not only mastered the Flying Raijin Technique but had also learned other space-time ninjutsu.
So young and already so capable—what would he become in the future?
“Your scrolls...”
The Third Hokage fell silent, unsure how to respond. Just moments ago, he had been thoroughly humiliated.
This situation was far beyond his expectations. His earlier excuses would no longer hold.
“Hokage-sama, if you want the Chunin Exams to proceed to a revival match, it’s not entirely impossible.”
Sasuke suddenly interrupted the Third Hokage, stepping forward from the crowd and drawing everyone’s attention.
“With all the scrolls in my possession, I believe I have some say in the Chunin Exams.”
As Sasuke spoke, his gaze swept across the other candidates present.
Under his piercing stare, every examinee lowered their head, unable to meet his eyes.
“If you wish to continue participating in the Chunin Exams…”
“Then you’ll have to defeat me!”
“Even if all of you come at me at once, that’s fine!”
“As long as you beat me…”
“I’ll agree to let you have the revival match!”
Sasuke’s voice carried an unshakable determination.
In that moment…
Sasuke didn’t seem like an exam participant but rather the proctor of this Chunin Exam.
However.
No one questioned Sasuke’s words just now.
Even the actual proctors, Ibiki and Anko, showed expressions of approval in their eyes.
One person taking everyone’s scrolls—this had never happened in the second stage of the Chunin Exam.
Unprecedented.
Unrepeatable.
No one else could ever replicate what Sasuke had just achieved.
A genius of this caliber deserved such authority!
+150 (75)
The numbers before Sasuke’s eyes jumped once again.
For a moment, the Third Hokage fell silent.
The current situation left him in a dilemma.
If he didn’t agree to Sasuke’s proposal, the Chunin Exam obviously couldn’t proceed any further—it would simply end here.
But...
In a 6-9 manner, even the most scrutinized version reads perfectly!
If he did agree to Sasuke’s proposal, then...
What kind of changes might unfold?
The Third Hokage couldn’t figure it out.
He couldn’t think of a better solution.
“Fine!”
The Third Hokage let out a heavy sigh. He felt entirely backed into a corner by his role as Hokage. If not for protecting the position, he wouldn’t have let things get this frustrating.
Woosh!
As soon as he spoke, murmurs erupted among the crowd.
Every team was whispering to one another, discussing whether this idea could work.
Hearing the Third Hokage adopt his proposal, Sasuke’s lips curled into a faint smile. He was very pleased.
Then.
Sasuke took a step forward, standing boldly in front of all the examinees.
“You can all come at me together now,” he said indifferently, arms crossed over his chest, standing tall and proud. His jet-black eyes glimmered with disdain, and he exuded a sense of ease and confidence.
+180 (90)
The numbers before Sasuke’s eyes leaped once more.
“This…”
The crowd, seeing Sasuke’s imposing demeanor, immediately recalled how he had seized their scrolls earlier.
Involuntarily, they took a step back, their eyes filled with fear.
No one dared to step forward.
This young man was too strong!
He wasn’t someone they could defeat!
One second.
Two seconds.
...
Ten seconds.
...
Twenty seconds.
...
An entire minute passed. The scene was eerily silent. No one dared to take that step forward.
For a moment, the entire venue fell into silence.
+200 (100)
The numbers before Sasuke’s eyes soared again, reaching an incredibly terrifying level.
He now stood like a one-man army, guarding a pass.
No one dared to face him head-on!
Not even if they all attacked at once!
Time continued to tick by.
Sasuke remained standing at the center of the arena.
The Third Hokage’s expression darkened. His gaze fell on Sasuke’s back, noticing the Uchiha clan emblem.
He wished he could personally step into the arena!
His eyes swept over the examinees present, and his heart filled with a mixture of pity and anger.
These people...
Even given an opportunity, they couldn’t seize it!
Now they had a chance to turn things around, but instead, they shrank back.
Was Sasuke really that terrifying?!
In truth.
The Third Hokage viewed things from the perspective of an elder.
To him.
Sasuke was just a child.
Nothing to be afraid of!
These examinees were also children!
It was like adults seeing the “leader” of a group of kids—there was no sense of fear, just the thought that the child was a bit mischievous.
But...
Within the circle of children.
The leader’s authority became evident!
In the current circle of Genin, Sasuke could be described as invincible. No one dared to challenge his dominance.
Neji’s eyes were fixed on Sasuke, his gaze calm. He knew this had nothing to do with him.
If it had been before his scroll was taken—
He might still have a faint glimmer of hope in his heart—perhaps he could avoid facing Sasuke by sheer luck in the third round of the Chūnin Exams.
But if it came down to a direct fight against Sasuke...
Impossible to win! Neji knew this very well.
Standing behind the Third Hokage were a dozen ANBU members, all of whom had tried to attack Sasuke together and were completely defeated.
If Sasuke hadn’t held back...
All those ANBU would have been killed.
Neji didn’t think the candidates present could, even combined, surpass the strength of those ANBU standing behind the Third Hokage.
Rock Lee stood behind Neji, also watching Sasuke, his expression equally grim.
To put it bluntly, he felt stifled.
It was a feeling he couldn’t quite put into words.
As a ninja who excelled in taijutsu, he found it frustrating that he was utterly outmatched in his area of expertise by Sasuke.
This left him with a deep sense of helplessness.
...
Everyone present had their own thoughts, but they all shared one belief: Sasuke was unbeatable.
He was just too strong!
Time passed.
Five minutes later, the scene remained unchanged—no one dared to make a move.
+220 (110)
The numbers before Sasuke’s eyes flickered again.
“Hokage-sama,” Sasuke said, breaking the silence.
“It seems everyone is quite satisfied with the results of this year’s Chūnin Selection Exam.”
“So...”
“Do you think there’s any need to wait any longer?”
Sasuke turned his head to look at the Third Hokage, his gaze meaningful, his expression becoming even more aloof and arrogant.
+230 (115)
The numbers before Sasuke’s eyes continued to climb.
“...”
The Third Hokage remained silent.
At this point, it was no longer appropriate to forcibly continue the Chūnin Exam.
So many people were watching.
There were still many candidates from outside the Hidden Leaf Village present.
If the exam were forcibly prolonged, the intent would be too obvious. Besides, the Third Hokage couldn’t bring himself to push for it any further.
“Anko,” the Third Hokage said, taking a deep breath and looking toward her with a helpless sigh. “You were the proctor for the second round of the Chūnin Selection Exam. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
He didn’t want to deal with it anymore.
Nor could he.
At this point, he had already started thinking about how to handle the aftermath of having no third round of the Chūnin Exam.
“Yes!”
Anko immediately stepped forward, scanning the crowd before fixing her gaze on Sasuke.
“Based on the rules of the second round of the Chūnin Selection Exam...”
“And...”
“The rules of the second-round revival matches...”
“The team that has advanced to the third round of the Chūnin Exam is Uchiha Sasuke’s team.”
“Members of the team are as follows...”
“Uchiha Sasuke.”
“Uzumaki Naruto.”
“Haruno Sakura.”
Anko announced the results of the second round. Her emotions had now calmed, though she still couldn’t help but feel amazed.
What kind of genius was this boy, to take every scroll from all the other candidates?
“Wait!”
However, at that moment, Sasuke’s voice rang out again.
By now, every time Sasuke spoke, it stirred the nerves of everyone present. Their curiosity grew—what would Sasuke say this time?
+240 (120)
The numbers before Sasuke’s eyes ticked up again.
“What is it?”
Anko blinked, staring at Sasuke, her own curiosity piqued.
Whoosh!
With her question, every gaze—whether from the candidates, the supervising jōnin, the ANBU members, or even the Third Hokage—focused on Sasuke.
“What I want to say is...”
A sly, mischievous smirk curled at the corner of Sasuke’s lips, giving him an air of dangerous charm.
“We’ve decided to forfeit!”
