"The immense Chakra of the Senju Clan is not so easily disturbed!"
Minato sighed, as if lamenting the struggles of civilian ninjas.
It hadn't been long since Minato Namikaze expressed this thought when the battle on the field began to shift. Karin, who had been attacking in the air, suddenly stopped. After standing still for a moment, she abruptly turned around to face Sakura Haruno.
"Release!"
"The gap in Chakra levels is too vast!"
Uchiha Itachi, observing the fight, was slightly surprised by this scene but quickly deduced the reason Karin had managed to escape the illusion.
Genjutsu works by disrupting the enemy's Chakra flow to trap them in an illusion. Generally, someone under its influence can only break free by actively dispelling it or receiving assistance from an ally.
However, there is another scenario—when there is a significant difference in Chakra reserves between the caster and the target. A shinobi with an overwhelming amount of Chakra can exhaust an opponent's reserves. The Chakra required to manipulate a ninja with only a fraction of one's own Chakra is entirely different in scale.
"Sakura, you've improved a lot since the academy."
"But as my opponent, you're still not strong enough!"
"I'm not standing still!"
Senju Karin's eyes cleared, and this time, she was sure she had completely broken free from Sakura's illusion. Not far away, Sakura Haruno looked visibly drained, a clear sign of excessive Chakra expenditure.
"Haah!!" Karin concentrated Chakra in her hand, then suddenly kicked off the ground and charged toward Sakura Haruno. Uchiha Itachi remained prepared to intervene at any moment. As soon as Sakura signaled defeat, he would immediately enter the arena to ensure her safety.
From Itachi's perspective, Sakura, having consumed a significant amount of Chakra, no longer had the ability to continue fighting Karin. Furthermore, the prior evaluation in the Forest of Death had already depleted much of Sakura's stamina. Given that she lacked a strong foundation in taijutsu, it was unlikely she could overcome Karin, who hailed from a ninja clan and had trained in physical combat since childhood.
Yet, at that moment, instead of conceding, Sakura gritted her teeth. Quickly drawing three kunai from her pouch, she hurled them at Karin.
Seeing the kunai flying toward her, Karin was momentarily surprised but swiftly evaded the feeble attack with ease.
In the next instant, she closed in on Sakura and swung her fist directly at her head.
"The wind pressure is intense! If that punch connects, I'll die!"
For the first time, Sakura Haruno felt the imminent threat of death. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead, and paralyzed by fear, she found herself unable to react—her body refused to move, even her mouth struggled to open.
Boom!!!
Karin had not expected Sakura to remain motionless. After all, they had once been classmates, and in this type of examination, there was no reason for her to go all out. Realizing that Sakura was incapable of dodging, Karin immediately adjusted her attack, diverting the punch downward instead.
A powerful impact shook the practice field. The force of the punch sent Sakura flying, and debris from the shattered ground left numerous cuts on her body. She tumbled several times before crashing hard onto the ground.
"That's it."
Uchiha Itachi glanced at Sakura, who lay on the ground, unable to rise for a long time. With a slight sigh, he stepped into the arena and loudly declared the match's conclusion.
The medical team had been on standby. The moment Itachi announced the result, they rushed in and carried Sakura away for treatment.
"Yes!" Karin cheered, celebrating her successful advancement. Unable to contain her excitement, she punched the air with joy.
"Nice job, Karin!"
From the stands, Uzumaki Naruto gripped the railing with both hands, excitedly shouting down at her.
"Next match!"
Itachi Uchiha maintained the pace of the examination, unaffected by the emotions of those around him. As soon as Karin exited the field, the screen on the wall began rapidly scrolling.
Before long, two names appeared on the screen. As soon as they were displayed, the two selected contestants jumped down into the arena.
The second match featured two Konoha shinobi. One of them was Uchiha Sasuke from Team 7. His opponent was a tall ninja, his face entirely covered by a black scarf, leaving only his eye sockets exposed. Even over his eyes, he wore rimless sunglasses, giving him a peculiar appearance.
His age was difficult to determine, but judging by his voice, he was likely a veteran shinobi close to thirty years old.
"Minato, who is that guy?"
Uzumaki Raiden eyed the oddly dressed genin in the field and asked curiously.
After so many years, his memory of the Chunin Exams had faded. He only recalled major moments, like Naruto's infamous finishing move, but many other details remained unclear.
He vaguely remembered that Uchiha Sasuke's opponent had been someone connected to Orochimaru. However, with Gaara's unexpected bye and Karin's battle against Sakura, he was no longer certain about Sasuke's match-up.
"Kai Takahashi, 25 years old. An orphan. His relatives perished during the Second Ninja World War."
"However, he's an exceptional ninja, consistently completing missions with excellence."
Minato Namikaze was well-versed in the participants' backgrounds. This was one of his strengths—once he met someone, he rarely forgot them. It was a skill that Raiden lacked; he only remembered those he interacted with frequently.
"Orphans have it rough," Raiden remarked.
"Did he experience the Third Ninja War? Why is he still a genin?"
Straightening up slightly, Raiden focused his gaze on Takahashi Kai, his curiosity piqued.
"No, Takahashi actually lacks much natural talent as a ninja. Despite his hard work, he fell far behind his peers."
"When the village selected soldiers for battle, he wasn't even considered. Instead, he remained in the village as a guard."
Minato had clearly reviewed all the competitors' information and answered Raiden's question without hesitation.
"He wasn't selected? He's the same age as Obito and the others, and even a rookie like Obito was chosen. Does that mean he was even weaker than Obito back then?"
Raiden scoffed, clearly skeptical.
Hearing Obito being dismissed so casually, Minato scratched his head helplessly before offering a defense:
"Obito wasn't that bad. He may have been at the bottom of his class, but his class was an advanced one. Even as the lowest-ranked student, he was still above the general standard of other classes."
"When he graduated from the academy, besides the three basic techniques, he had already mastered the Great Fireball Jutsu and Phoenix Fire Jutsu. His shuriken throwing was also quite skilled."
"His only real weakness was the written tests. In terms of practical combat, he was actually quite competent."
A nostalgic expression appeared in Minato's eyes. The enthusiastic and naive Obito had left a deep impression on him. Though Obito had matured, his passion had never faded. Instead, his maturity had buried his innocence, and his enthusiasm had only intensified.
Even now, Minato entrusted Obito with politically significant missions, subtly grooming him as a potential successor.
"Is that so?"
Uzumaki Raiden rubbed his chin. When Obito had been in the Ninja Academy, Raiden had already been leading Konoha's elite troops in operations against Iwagakure. The forces he commanded were among the village's best at the time, consisting of skilled veterans rather than newly recruited academy students. Back then, he had little understanding of the academy's structure, assuming that all academy graduates would immediately be sent to the battlefield.
Looking at it now, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been selective in his choices when deploying forces.
While Uzumaki Raiden was speaking with Namikaze Minato, the second battle had already begun. To everyone's surprise, Takahashi Kai charged at Uchiha Sasuke the moment the match started. Grabbing Sasuke's head, he forcefully slammed it into the ground, pinning him down. Takahashi Kai then positioned himself over Sasuke's waist, effectively restricting his movements.
More alarming, however, was what Uzumaki Raiden sensed—Sasuke's Chakra was rapidly draining, flowing along Takahashi Kai's arm and into his body.
"What is that?" Raiden was startled, his eyes lighting up in curiosity. He had never seen an ability that allowed someone to absorb another's Chakra before.
"Isn't that supposed to be an ability of the Rinnegan? How does this guy have such a power?!"
"Could this be Orochimaru's doing?"
Tilting his head in intrigue, Uzumaki Raiden studied Takahashi Kai with burning curiosity. It seemed he had underestimated Orochimaru yet again. Not only had the man deeply researched human longevity, but he had also delved into these strange, unnatural abilities.
"Ahhh!"
Uchiha Sasuke groaned in pain, feeling his Chakra being drained at an alarming rate.
"Give me back my Chakra!" Sasuke grabbed Takahashi Kai's arm with both hands, trying to break free. However, the difference in strength was clear—Sasuke's grip was no match for Takahashi Kai's raw power. The Chakra loss was also making Sasuke weaker, further widening the physical gap between them.
"You finally noticed? But isn't it a little too late?" Takahashi Kai sneered.
"Dammit!"
Gritting his teeth, Sasuke planted both feet against Takahashi Kai's waist and abdomen, using the force of his legs to push him away. Taking advantage of the separation, he quickly pulled a kunai from his pouch and hurled it toward Takahashi Kai.
Although Takahashi Kai managed to dodge, Sasuke seized the opportunity to fully break free from his grasp and create some distance.
"Tch, brat!" Kai grumbled before channeling Chakra into his hands and lunging toward Sasuke once more. His ability required direct physical contact to absorb Chakra, making close combat his primary method of attack.
"Sharingan!"
Sasuke's eyes flashed red, but this time, there was a clear difference—his Sharingan had evolved into the three-tomoe form. Now, every movement of Takahashi Kai became perfectly visible to him. In Sasuke's line of sight, his opponent's actions had slowed considerably, allowing him to anticipate each move with ease.
"Three tomoe? When did that happen?"
Uchiha Itachi's eyes narrowed in surprise as he watched from the stands. Even Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Raiden showed a hint of astonishment. They hadn't expected Sasuke to have advanced his Sharingan to this level.
Typically, only Jōnin within the Uchiha clan possessed this stage of the Sharingan.
"Shisui, tell Itachi to bring Sasuke to me after this assessment."
Uzumaki Raiden's expression became serious after his initial shock faded. The growth of the Sharingan was different from other Kekkei Genkai. Unlike techniques that improved through practice, the Sharingan's evolution was driven by intense emotional experiences.
Sharingan was known as the pupil of the soul, and each progression was accompanied by powerful psychological fluctuations. Judging by Sasuke's rapid development, someone must have used Genjutsu to show him something impactful. From his standpoint, Raiden needed to understand what kind of influence had been exerted on Sasuke.
After issuing his instructions, Raiden turned to leave.
Seeing this, Minato called after him in confusion, "Raiden, aren't you going to keep watching?"
"There's no need. While Takahashi Kai is strong, his speed isn't superior. Now that Sasuke has unlocked the three-tomoe Sharingan, he won't lose."
Raiden glanced back at the battlefield. As expected, Sasuke effortlessly dodged Takahashi Kai's attacks while delivering precise counterattacks.
"Aren't you going to watch Naruto's match? Don't you want to see your nephew's fight?" Minato gestured toward Uzumaki Naruto, who was standing on the high platform in the distance.
Raiden smirked. "Do I really need to? I know my own nephew."
"With his current strength, no matter who his opponent is, he won't lose."
Without another word, Uzumaki Raiden disappeared.
His departure went unnoticed by most—after all, the crowd's attention remained fixed on the fight. After a few more exchanges, Uchiha Sasuke exploited a gap in Takahashi Kai's stance. Utilizing the high-speed taijutsu technique he had copied from Rock Lee, he executed the Lion Combo and secured victory.
From the stands, Namikaze Minato observed Sasuke, nodding to himself.
"Sasuke's talent is remarkable," he thought. "Looking at him now, I can see a glimpse of Kakashi's early potential. He has a promising future."
In the Forest of Death
Uzumaki Raiden strolled through the dense foliage, his head slightly lowered as he pondered his next steps.
Many things had changed due to his actions, and the future had become uncertain. Now, he was considering whether he should personally visit Amegakure to assess Akatsuki's current situation.
"After the Chunin Exams, I'll head to the Land of Rain."
"With Minato and the others in the village, there's no risk of anything happening while I'm gone."
"Instead of waiting passively, it's better to take the initiative."
(End of Chapter)