Chapter 22: The Examination in Progress—The Fruits of the Trio’s Training

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Exam in Progress, The Fruits of Three People's Training

The shuriken drew ever closer...

"Damn it~ Don't underestimate me! Hiss~~" Blood splattered everywhere. Chiton Armor hadn't expected there to be another shuriken hidden in the shadows. As it approached with deadly speed, he, in a fit of rage, rushed in front of Sasuke at the cost of a severely wounded arm.

"Damn it, I'll drain you dry, you bastard!" With his remaining hand, Chiton Armor gathered chakra and pressed it to Sasuke's head.

"Oh no!" Sasuke recalled how Shuster had warned them before the match to be wary of certain abilities, like Chiton Armor's chakra absorption, which had made him vigilant. But this lapse had allowed his opponent to catch him off guard.

"Ahhh~~~~~~~~" Sasuke felt all his strength and spirit draining swiftly into his adversary. He could muster no power at all.

"Damn it~~" You can't look down on me! Ah!! Go to hell!! Sasuke screamed in his heart, and somehow, from deep within, he found the strength to kick Chiton Armor away.

"Ha~ha~" Sasuke staggered to his feet, panting heavily.

"Heh heh~ I didn't expect you to have any energy left," Chiton Armor said, standing up and smiling at him.

"Damn it~ I'm going to flatten you~" Sasuke drew his kunai and charged.

"My left arm can't move, but don't underestimate me. I'm not afraid of close combat!" Chiton Armor laughed as Sasuke rushed at him.

"What?!" The moment they closed in, Sasuke didn't attack directly.

"That's—!! Shadow Leaf Dance?" Lee and Guy exclaimed in surprise.

"Ahhh~~" Chiton Armor was suddenly struck beneath the chin by Sasuke, who supported himself with one hand and launched a powerful kick, sending him soaring. Sasuke followed him upward.

"Damn it~ It's Shadow Leaf Dance!!" Chiton Armor felt Sasuke lock his body and protested in frustration.

"Next comes my own original move," Sasuke declared.

"Don't be so naive, kid!!" Chiton Armor blocked Sasuke's kick with his right hand.

"The naive one is you!" In the instant the opposing forces separated them, Sasuke struck Chiton Armor's neck with his elbow.

"Ahhh~~~" Chiton Armor crashed down, and Sasuke twisted in midair, following through with a heavy drop, then, just a second before his opponent hit the ground, delivered a fierce kick to Chiton Armor's abdomen...

"Lion Barrage!!" "Ahhh~~~~~" Chiton Armor spewed a fountain of blood. Sasuke flipped and landed steadily.

"In this situation... The winner—Uchiha Sasuke!" Hayate Gekko crouched down, checked Chiton Armor's status, and announced the result.

"Heh heh~ Sasuke, well done!" Naruto shouted.

"Sasuke is so cool!!" from Sakura.

"Hey~" Shuster raised his thumb in congratulations.

"Well done!" Kakashi waved at Sasuke.

"Heh heh~" Sasuke smiled and used Body Flicker to return above.

With the first match concluded, the second began: Shino Aburame versus Ronk.

Shino Aburame claimed victory.

Ronk's ability was to transform his arm into an air cannon for attacks. Shino Aburame belonged to the insect-controlling clan of the Leaf.

The result: Shino used his insects to block the exhaust holes in Ronk's palms, causing his arms to explode in places, letting the air escape, and won the match. For details, use your imagination or watch the anime.

The third match: Kankuro versus Sword Triangle.

This match ended quickly as well, with Kankuro victorious.

Sword Triangle's ability was to soften his body with chakra, strangling opponents like a snake.

Kankuro was a puppet master, as his name implied—a ninja who controlled puppets. His specialty was disguising himself as his puppet with chakra, the puppet carrying him on its back. When Sword Triangle tried to strangle what he thought was Kankuro, he was actually holding the puppet, Crow, which reversed the hold and broke his opponent's bones, ensuring victory.

Fourth round: Haruno Sakura versus Yamanaka Ino.

"Oh! It's come so soon, but why is Sakura so exhausted this time? Even with my training, it seems she might only win with some effort!" Shuster looked at Sakura and noticed her fatigue.

"Sakura, I never thought we'd be facing each other, and so soon!" Ino said to Sakura.

"Then, begin!" Hayate Gekko announced.

"Swish~swish~bang~" Both instantly charged at each other, sweeping legs. Suddenly, Sakura shifted her stance, using the momentum to spin in midair, dodging Ino's sweep. She used the force to land another kick, striking Ino at the moment her old strength waned and before her new strength could gather, sending her flying, then pushed off the ground and landed gracefully.

"Ino, I'm not the person I used to be. My strength now far surpasses yours, so you'd better take this seriously." Sakura said, not waiting for a reply, and rushed in again...

"Wow~ Sakura's amazing, but where did she learn this taijutsu?" asked Lee, the one previously defeated by Sasuke.

"Uh~ This taijutsu feels strange, like it requires close-range grappling," Kakashi and Sasuke activated their Sharingan, copying the moves...

"Hehe~~ Sakura's taijutsu is my creation. No name, I don't use it often!" Shuster smiled beside them. Can I tell you it's called Gun Kata? And then explain what a gun is...

"Hey~ Looks like I can't relax!" Ino said, fending off Sakura's attacks.

"Try this!" Sakura focused chakra into her fist, increasing its weight, and punched through Ino's defense, then kicked her out again.

"Oh~ Such exquisite control! She reduced her force to lull her opponent, then unleashed a punch to break through their guard! Shuster, are you really that skilled? Looks like I've gained another rival in the springtime of youth!" Guy exclaimed in astonishment, his eyes burning as he looked at Shuster.

"Why do I suddenly feel cold?" Shuster, watching the match intently, shuddered to himself.

"Damn it~ Sakura, you've become so strong, damn it~~~~~" Ino stood up, almost frenzied.

"Hmph~ It's useless. You're weak compared to me now," Sakura said, gathering chakra in her foot again.

"I don't care. Damn it, Mind Transfer Jutsu!!" Ino used her technique on Sakura.

"How could that possibly hit me! Eh?!" Sakura was about to burst chakra from her feet to escape the attack, but found her foot bound by a chakra thread.

"Heh heh~ I didn't leave you empty-handed. I tied this thread when you kicked me away. Are you ready now?" Ino wiped blood from the corner of her mouth.

"Damn it~ My chakra's too low, I can't break free!" Sakura cursed inwardly, desperate.

"Mind Transfer Jutsu!!" Ino activated her technique...

"Ugh~" Sakura trembled, then slowly stood straight.

"What happened?" Naruto asked.

"Sakura's body is under Ino's control, Naruto," Shuster replied calmly.

"What? Then Ino... Sakura, after all your hard work to get this far, if you lose to this Sasuke-obsessed idiot, you don't deserve to be a woman!" Naruto, worried, watched as Sakura-Ino raised her hand to surrender.

"Hmph~ Useless, I... ah—" Sakura-Ino raised her hand but suddenly clutched her head and cried out.

"Naruto's such a nag, but he's right. How can I lose to Ino! Ah... I can't possibly give up!" Sakura suddenly said.

Inside Sakura's mindscape...

"Get out, Ino, or I'll make you regret it, you understand?" A gigantic Sakura grabbed Ino by the neck.

"D-damn it, I can't hold on! Ugh~~~~" Ino had no choice but to leave.

"Heh heh~ Let’s settle this, Ino. I can barely hold on! Yaah~~" said Sakura, charging forward.

"Damn it! Don’t underestimate me, you broad-forehead! Yaah!" Ino, back in her own body, shouted and charged as well.

"Bang~bang~~~thud~thud~" Both landed punches to each other's heads at the same time, then simultaneously flew and crashed down...

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

PS: Thanks for everyone's support~~ Move your little hands~~~~ Gather your fellow readers~~~ Give Little Black more motivation to update~~~~ Thank you~~~~ If you have a recommendation ticket, cast one~~~ If not, add to your favorites~~~~ These are all the driving forces for Little Black to update~~~~ Only with motivation can there be explosive growth~~