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Upon arrival at the arena, they found the teams that had already passed waiting in line according to their team number. These included Team 5, Team 7, Team 8, Team 10, the Sand siblings, a team from Kirigakure, the Sound team, and a rain team that Team 7 and Menma eyed warily.
The Sand team appeared bored while the Sound team looked a little annoyed with Team 7. The team from Kirigakure, on the other hand, seemed to be in high spirits.
The Hokage soon approached and ascended a platform, flashing a smile as he addressed the successful candidates, "Congratulations on arriving at the tower on time. Now, allow me to reveal the genuine intention behind this examination."
He then proceeded to deliver a speech that lasted approximately an hour, emphasizing how these battles symbolized the power and prowess of each nation.
Upon the conclusion of his address, a feeble jonin slowly made his way to the platform, exchanged some words with the Hokage who nodded in response, and hen proceeded to take the floor and says,
"I am Hayate Gekko, the ultimate examiner for these examscough.cough**cough. As the matches are scheduled to follow a single-round elimination system, we will initiate the preliminary rounds to reduce the number of participants for the main event."
"cough**cough If any of the contenders feel incapable of cough proceeding cough, please signal by raising your hand, and you will be escorted back to the village."
A spectacled boy from the sound team raised his hand and spoke up, "I received a severe beating in the forest of death, so I believe I will have to pass." Subsequently, he was escorted out of the arena. However, the Hokage noticed that the boy was feigning injury, so he commanded an ANBU to trail him.
Once they had left, everyone's attention was drawn towards two screens displaying the names of the selected participants. Following this, the proctor signaled for the chosen individuals to remain in place, officially starting the preliminaries.
(Cannon Fights except Choji and Dosu's match also ended in a draw)
Lee's injuries were severe enough that he had to be hospitalized, leaving him with slim prospects of continuing as a shinobi. Guy was consumed with guilt, as he had inadvertently pushed one of his students to the brink of death while helplessly watching from above. To comfort Guy, Kakashi intervened and persuaded him to leave the arena and return to the stands, so that the other matches could proceed.
Yuko was able to advance directly to the next round due to being short of one person. Tenya and Menma emerged victorious in their respective battles, and they overheard the speaker system announcing the matchups for the next round.
The first match was between Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Neji, while the second match featured Uzumaki Menma and Hyuga Tenya.
Gaara was set to face Uchiha Sasuke in the third match, followed by Tsuchi Kin against Yuko Mitarashi in the fourth match.
The fifth match was between Aburame Shino and Kankurō, and the sixth match pitted Temari against Shikamaru Nara.
The genin were then instructed to return in a month after researching their opponents' strengths and weaknesses and improving their own skills during that time. After visiting Lee, the group of genin departed and went home.
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Two figures were standing in the open outside a secluded shrine, some distance away from the arena, engaged in conversation.
The snake-like man observed, "It appears that the curse mark I placed on Sasuke has been sealed by Kakashi. However, it matters not. As long as Sasuke's heart is filled with darkness, he will come to me seeking the power he desires."
