Today is the third individual match of the Chuunin Exams. The competition takes place in an arena resembling the Roman Colosseum. Here, the nine lower-ranked ninjas who advanced from the second round will engage in one-on-one duels. The winner will move forward, and the loser will be eliminated.
The competition will proceed in four rounds. In the first round, eight of the nine advancing ninjas will be randomly drawn into four teams for one-on-one matches. The one who is not drawn will automatically advance to the second round. The second round follows the same rules—four out of the five advancing ninjas will be drawn into two teams, and the one not drawn will move to the third round.
This continues until the fourth round, the final match. The difference is that after the first round, there will be a half-hour break. After the second and third rounds, there will be an hour-long break before the next round begins.
This means that if someone is extraordinarily lucky, they might not have to fight until the fourth round of the final match.
If someone does end up fighting in the final match, they will undoubtedly have the advantage. Although there is a break between each round, if someone has been exhausted by previous matches, the short breaks won't be enough to recover.
Therefore, luck plays a significant role in determining one's strength in this competition.
"In summary, it's crucial to conserve energy before the final match," Orochimaru said, analyzing the third round of the Chuunin Exams in the rest room with Tsunade.
By now, most of the candidates for the third round had arrived. Since the rest room was large, they wouldn't interfere with each other, and Orochimaru wasn't concerned about others overhearing.
Tsunade nodded in agreement after hearing Orochimaru's analysis.
If one were to fight with full energy in the first round, they'd likely be exhausted by the time the second round begins. However, those who made it to the second round undoubtedly possess solid strength, and fierce battles are inevitable. The same goes for the third round, but by the time the final match arrives, a contender could end up exhausted and reduced to barely being able to throw kunai.
Of course, the biggest possibility is that a player who fought hard through the first three rounds could be destroyed by the one who had the luxury of skipping a match. Just thinking about it made Tsunade dizzy. It seemed that eliminating the White Fang Team in the second round might not have been such a good idea after all.
After all, Tsunade sincerely believed that relying on luck was not for her.
If she fought through three rounds only to face an opponent who had skipped all the previous rounds, Tsunade felt she might cry immediately. Of course, the chance of someone skipping three rounds is low, but skipping the second and third rounds is still quite possible.
In fact, unless luck was extremely on her side, the best scenario would be to skip the third round. That way, Tsunade could rest and recover for the final match. Tsunade felt this was very possible for her, since, after all, there is a one-third chance of a person skipping the third round. It's slightly higher than the system's evaluation of "winning if the victory rate exceeds thirty percent."
It's possible!
As long as the chance exceeds thirty percent, it's no longer gambling!
Tsunade couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope.
For Tsunade, even without skipping a round, she would still have a significant advantage. After all, the Senju Clan, known as the "Senju of the Forest," is famous for their huge chakra reserves and strong vitality, apart from the First Hokage's Wood Style technique. In this competition, those traits gave Tsunade an enormous advantage.
This was something the decision-makers, led by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had long understood.
After all, the main representatives of Konoha for this competition were Hatake Sakumo, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.
Sakumo's combat style consumed little chakra and stamina, allowing him to defeat opponents efficiently and conserve his strength. He could thus save his energy for the next match. However, what Danzo hadn't expected was that Tsunade would unexpectedly target Sakumo at a crucial moment!
This was something that left the planners of the Chuunin Exams speechless, and they had to admit that Tsunade's unpredictability was truly shocking, almost deserving of the title of "Most Unpredictable Ninja."
Of course, Tsunade had no idea about this. She only thought that she had outsmarted a tough opponent.
Next in line was Orochimaru. Orochimaru had a well-rounded skill set. None of his skills were particularly outstanding, but each was top-notch, and when combined, his performance was on par with Sakumo's. He would likely conserve his energy as much as possible before the final match. After Sakumo's elimination, Orochimaru was the favorite of Sarutobi and the others.
Lastly, there was Tsunade.
In fact, under these rules, Tsunade had the greatest advantage, aside from luck.
However, Tsunade's unpredictability was so high that it made people doubt her potential. For example, many of her D- and C-ranked missions had failed due to "unexpected circumstances." Sarutobi and the others were skeptical of Tsunade, as strength and people are two different matters.
This was like giving a shut-in a million dollars—he'd probably just use it to make his life more comfortable, rather than using it as capital to start a business and eventually become rich and successful.
"I am the Great Sage of Mount Myoboku!"
A familiar voice suddenly rang out, and Jiraiya, who had been late to arrive, dashed in from the outside.
"Remember this name, for I will defeat all of you and claim all the beautiful girls for myself!"
Jiraiya made a ridiculous declaration and struck a silly pose. Tsunade could only rub her forehead in exasperation. But this was Jiraiya's style: once he became stronger, he couldn't wait to gain the recognition of others, even if it meant acting foolishly. Yep, that's the "idiot" style.
"An idiot, huh?"
Tsunade sighed and coldly snorted, stepping forward. She sneered, "Do you even know what you're saying? You want to defeat everyone here?"
"Yep, definitely an idiot."
Orochimaru nodded in agreement, silently adding in his mind, "Just like Tsunade."
Tsunade and Jiraiya always had a fun, bickering relationship. Whenever Jiraiya did something, Tsunade would mock him, and vice versa.
But Orochimaru felt that this was exactly the sign of a good relationship between Tsunade and Jiraiya.
"Shut up! You big-chested, arrogant woman!"
When Tsunade stood in his way, Jiraiya coldly snorted, "Once I become Hokage, even if you expose your chest and kneel before me, I won't forgive you!"
(End of Chapter)