After some time, all the finalists for the third round gathered in the room. The tension in the air was palpable as Taichi, the instructor, stood before them with a calm but authoritative presence. His eyes scanned the group of young shinobi, his hands holding a pad where he had carefully recorded their names.
Taichi cleared his throat, immediately drawing everyone's attention. "The third round of the Chunin Exams will be held in one month," he announced in a steady voice. "This will give all of you time to prepare for your matches. It will also allow the respective Kages of your villages and the Daimyos to gather and witness the finals."
A ripple of excitement and nervous energy passed through the room. A month to prepare. For some, it would be a blessing. For others, it might just be a countdown to humiliation.
Taichi stepped forward with a large wooden bowl in his hands. "Each of you will pick a chit from this bowl. The chit will have a number on it. Your number will determine your opponent." He held the bowl out in front of him. "Line up."
The finalists exchanged glances before forming a line.
'This is going to get interesting,' Yuto thought with a smirk.
One by one, the Genin took a chit from the bowl. Taichi began writing down the matchups on the board as the numbers were revealed.
1) Yuto vs Haku
2) Kankuro vs Toka
3) Dosu vs Karui
4) Omoi vs Kurotsuchi
5) Gaara gets a bye due to uneven participants
6) Lee vs Samui
7) Neji vs Naruko
8) Temari vs Hitomi
Once all the names were listed, the room buzzed with shifting energy. Some faces lit up with excitement, others darkened with unease.
Yuto's eyes immediately found Haku's across the room. A slow grin spread across his face. "Looks like we're up first, Haku," he said, his tone light but confident.
Haku smiled, her dark eyes flashing with quiet determination. "I'm ready for a rematch," she said softly. "But don't expect me to hold back this time. I will definitely win."
Yuto chuckled. "We'll see about that."
Kankuro swallowed hard when his eyes met Toka's. Toka's cold gaze pierced right through him, and for a brief moment, he swore he saw the flicker of lightning behind her eyes. He forced a grin, trying to mask his nervousness. "Well… this will be interesting," he muttered.
Toka's lips curled into a faint smirk. "Interesting? We'll see if you're still saying that when you're paralyzed on the ground."
Karui's eyes narrowed dangerously at Dosu, who stood with his arms crossed, an arrogant smirk on his face. "You've already lost," Dosu said simply, his tone laced with condescension.
Karui's eye twitched. "Big words for someone who's going to be eating dirt in the first ten seconds," she snapped.
Omoi stared up at the ceiling, a gloomy expression on his face. "Why does it have to be Kurotsuchi? This is bad… if she uses her lava style, my chances of survival are basically zero. This is such a drag…"
Kurotsuchi snorted as she crossed her arms. "If you're already this scared, you might as well forfeit now."
Gaara's scowl deepened when he saw his name had been given a bye. His arms were crossed tightly, and his brow furrowed in displeasure. "Tch… a bye? How boring."
Lee's eyes shone with intense excitement as he faced Samui. He clenched his fist and raised it high. "Our match will be legendary and full of youth!" he declared passionately.
Samui sighed, her cool gaze drifting away. "Why do I have to fight a weirdo?" she muttered under her breath.
Neji's arms were crossed as he looked at Naruko. "It's fate that I'll win this match," he said confidently. "No matter how much you've improved, you cannot change destiny."
Naruko's eye twitched dangerously. "Oh, really?" she said, her voice low and threatening. "I'm going to shove that 'fate' stick so far up your ass, you'll be coughing destiny for the next year!"
Temari's eyes studied Hitomi carefully. 'An Uchiha… she'll definitely use fire style. This won't be easy,' she thought.
Hitomi's smirk deepened. "I hope you're prepared, Temari," she said. "Because when I win, I'll be waiting for Naruko in the next round."
Temari's fan twitched at her side. "Don't get ahead of yourself."
Yuto took in the tension building between all the participants and shook his head with a small smile. 'This is going to be fun.'
Taichi clapped his hands, bringing everyone's attention back to him. "Now that the matchups are set, you have a month to prepare. Train hard—because the third round won't be easy." His gaze sharpened. "Dismissed."
As the Genin began to file out of the room, Yuto turned to Naruko and Hitomi. "Looks like things are about to heat up."
Naruko grinned. "Damn right! And when I crush Neji, I'm coming for you, Yuto!"
Hitomi smirked. "That's if you make it past Neji, Naruko."
Yuto laughed as they walked out of the room together. A month wasn't long, but it would be enough.
After all, the real battles were just beginning.