Gekko Hayate threw out a handful of notes, and each note landed precisely in the hands of the participating Genin.
"The next stage is individual combat," he announced. "You will fight the opponent indicated by the number on your slip. The winner will qualify for the third exam!"
Gekko Hayate coughed a few times and asked the others to clear the space in the center.
"Oh my!"
Suddenly, a lazy voice echoed through the hall, and Haruto appeared at the entrance of the examination room.
"Looks like I arrived just in time," Haruto said with a relaxed smile.
"Boss Haruto!" Naruto waved excitedly, calling him over to watch the fights.
"Oh, watching a live match is much more thrilling than reading a comic," Haruto mused as he glanced around the exam hall. "No wonder the rich love buying front-row tickets!"
He smiled and flashed beside Naruto.
"Well done, Naruto!" Haruto praised. "This exam should be no problem for you."
"No!" Naruto stared across the room at Gaara. "That guy is strong. I've never fought him before. I hope he's my opponent next!"
"Haha!" Haruto chuckled to himself. "Too bad... that won't happen this round."
He looked around at the other Genin. Just as he expected, most of the ones who made it this far mirrored the original timeline.
"Brother Haruto!" a gentle voice called.
"Oh, it's Hinata." Haruto turned with a smile. "Congrats on passing the second exam!"
"Thank you. It was all thanks to your items... and Pikachu." Hinata smiled bashfully.
Naruto turned to her. "Oh hey, Hinata!"
The moment she heard Naruto's voice, Hinata blushed furiously and dashed off to hide behind Kurenai.
"What a weirdo," Naruto muttered.
Haruto laughed. "Friendship blooms easily, but love remains shy."
Naruto scratched his head in confusion while Haruto turned toward the Hokage's stand.
"Let's begin," Hiruzen commanded after noticing Haruto's gaze.
"Yes, Lord Hokage," Gekkō Hayate answered with a cough. The screen behind him began to spin.
Soon, two names appeared.
"The first match—Uchiha Sasuke versus Akado Yoroi!"
"Tch." Sasuke clicked his tongue. "Never even heard of this guy. What a waste."
Sakura, watching from the sidelines, sighed in relief. "At least Sasuke-kun won't have to strain himself just yet..."
Akado Yoroi smirked to himself. "Perfect. I'll get to touch Sasuke right away."
"Please step forward!" Hayate instructed.
Haruto watched the match unfold and smiled. "So, the world's correction force is still strong. Even with everything that's changed, Sasuke still ends up facing this leech."
Naruto fidgeted nervously. "Why isn't Sasuke winning?"
Inside the arena, Sasuke struggled. Orochimaru's cursed mark was flaring painfully, and Yoroi's Chakra-draining ability kept draining what little energy Sasuke had.
"This isn't like him..." Kakashi frowned from the stands.
But then Sasuke roared, downed a high-grade energy potion, and launched into a furious Taijutsu combo.
Akado Yoroi couldn't keep up.
"Boom!"
Sasuke knocked Yoroi out cold.
"Man got bodied..." Haruto muttered. "Guess we won't see him again in the story."
Next was Shino versus Zaku Abumi.
As expected, Shino's insects blocked the air vents in Zaku's arms, causing an internal backlash. Zaku screamed as his arms exploded.
The following matches continued like in the original story—until Sakura vs. Ino.
This time, Sakura's punches were reinforced with gloves from Haruto's shop, and Ino summoned her Blue Rose Army.
The crowd cheered as the two girls clashed, and several male Jonin were clearly watching a bit too closely.
Even Hiruzen leaned forward with interest.
Meanwhile, Kakashi quietly sealed Sasuke's cursed seal offscreen, since it hadn't flared during the match.
Ultimately, Ino narrowly won with a clever strategy, thanks to her training with Haruto.
Naruto's fight against Kiba was chaotic as ever. This time, Naruto grabbed a random pipe and beat Kiba senseless.
"You idiot!" Naruto grinned. "This is just a stick! I didn't even need my final move!"
"The winner is Uzumaki Naruto!" Hayate announced after Kiba and Akamaru were KO'd.
Then came the Hyuga cousins—Neji versus Hinata.
And unlike the anime, this time... things were going to be different.
End of the Chapter.
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