Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 70

The Third Hokage slowly exhaled a smoke ring, his gaze calm yet filled with all-knowing wisdom.

The light slowly swept across the young, dusty, scarred, yet spirited faces below.

The Third Hokage's voice was strong and clear, reaching everyone's ears: "I congratulate all the genin present. With your wisdom, courage, strength, and most importantly—teamwork, you have successfully traversed the trials of the Forest of Death and arrived here. This proves that you possess the potential and foundation to become chunin."

In the crowd, Naruto puffed out his chest, his face full of pride; Sakura also smiled; and Sasuke's lips twitched almost imperceptibly upwards.

“However,” the Third Hokage’s tone shifted, becoming serious, “the path to Chunin is not easy. The real test has only just begun.” He paused, letting his words carry weight.

"The second test is a team effort. The following third test will be the ultimate test of your individual strength and willpower! It will be a one-on-one elimination tournament!"

"One-on-one battles?!"

The crowd instantly exploded.

Exclamations and murmurs rose and fell.

Some people excitedly rubbed their hands together, some nervously swallowed their saliva, and others showed a solemn expression.

Naruto's eyes lit up instantly, and he clenched his fists: "One-on-one? Great! Just what I wanted! I'm going to show everyone how powerful I am!"

Sakura looked at Sasuke with concern: "Sasuke-kun, your body..."

Sasuke raised his hand: "It's nothing."

The third generation raised his hand to signal for silence and continued, "Precisely because the third exam is an individual battle, victory or defeat, honor or disgrace, all depend on oneself."

"To ensure that everyone can participate in this important match in the best condition, and to avoid the situation where the entire team loses its chance due to the poor performance of one person, I hereby announce a rule."

He surveyed the entire room with his gaze, his voice steady: "In the upcoming preliminary rounds, any candidate is allowed, at any time, to decide whether or not to continue participating, based on their own circumstances."

"If you feel that your injuries are too severe, your chakra is greatly depleted, or for any reason you believe that you cannot perform to your full potential in the upcoming individual battle, you may choose to forfeit at this moment!"

"Abstain?!"

This word, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, has stirred up ripples once again.

"Abstaining from the test does not mean cowardice, but rather a clear understanding of oneself, one's peers, and the value of this test."

The third generation emphasized: "Those who choose to forfeit will directly gain the qualification to watch the third exam. Other members of their team can still participate in the individual battle as long as their condition allows."

These words immediately created a subtle atmosphere in the hall.

Many eyes instinctively turned to the candidates who were clearly injured.

On Team 7's side, Sakura's worried gaze was almost glued to Sasuke;

On the Sunagakure side, Temari also glanced at the puppet Kankuro was carrying and Gaara's gloomy face;

On Konoha's side, Shikamaru had a "this is so troublesome" expression on his face.

The Third Hokage's gaze finally settled on Kabuto Yakushi.

This bespectacled Konoha genin, who had always appeared gentle and harmless, was now slightly bowing his head, the lenses reflecting light.

After a brief silence, Kabuto adjusted his glasses, a perfectly measured look of weariness and helplessness on his face.

Then he calmly raised his hand and said clearly, "Third Hokage, I choose to abstain."

Kabuto's abstention seemed to have opened a valve.

"I...I also abstain!"

A shinobi with a splint on his arm and a limp immediately raised his hand, his face showing resentment but even more relief.

"And I!"

"Me too!"

Several more genin, whose injuries were more severe and who were weaker, chose to give up.

They knew very well that participating in the brutal one-on-one elimination tournament in their current state would not only be hopeless, but could even endanger their lives.

The medical team quickly stepped forward and guided those who had abstained from voting to the rest area.

The number of people in the arena has decreased somewhat, but those who remain are almost all elites with determined eyes and high fighting spirit.

Naruto watched the departing figures, then glanced at Sasuke and asked, "So? Want to be like them?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at him: "You should know me best."

Naruto grinned: "Indeed."

After saying that, the two of them laughed at the same time, a smile of mutual trust.

The way Naruto and Sasuke worked together reminded Madara, who was in the sealed space, of the time when he and Hashirama stood on the Hokage Rock and planned for the future.

They stood there together, deciding on the name of their country and the name of their ninja village.

The Country of Fire, Konoha Village.

Seeing Madara standing motionless, Kurama poked him with its tail: "What's wrong, old Madara? What are you spacing out for?"

Madara shook off the other's tail: "When did you start caring about me?"

Nine-Tailed Fox turned her head away: "I didn't care about you at all. If you were gone, I would definitely set off fireworks for days to celebrate."

Minato could tell that Kurama wasn't telling the truth: "Haha, Kurama, you really are two-faced."

"Mind your own business, Fourth Hokage."

Chapter 80 Sasuke VS Copper Armor

In the real world, the Third Hokage, seeing that no one else had raised their hand to forfeit, nodded slightly: "Very good. Now, everyone present, please prepare yourselves. The preliminary rounds begin immediately! Hayate Gekko, you will be in charge."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Moonlight Gale coughed twice and walked to the center of the field.

He held a lottery box in his hand: "The rules are simple. The order of the matches and the opponents will be determined by drawing lots. The winners will advance to the third round of the main exam, and the losers will be eliminated. Now, please come forward and draw lots."

The tense atmosphere instantly intensified.

The candidates stepped forward one by one and drew the slips of paper that would determine their fate from the box held by Moonlight Gale.

Sasuke drew "2", which means he will be the first player to go on stage.

Naruto drew a "7", which was near the end of the draw.

Sakura drew a "9".

After the last person finished drawing lots, Moonlight Gale cleared his throat:

"Please welcome the two candidates from the first group to the stage."

As he finished speaking, the names of both parties appeared on the big screen.

Uchiha Sasuke versus Akabane Guy!

The crowd retreated like a tide towards the raised steps and stands all around.

The huge central area was suddenly reduced to just the two of them.

Uchiha Sasuke, dressed in black with black hair and a cold expression, stood straight even with his right arm wrapped in bandages and his body corroded by the cursed seal, exuding an aloof and sharp aura.

His opponent, Akabane Kai, was a tall, thin, dark-skinned ninja with a mohawk hairstyle and an almost morbidly excited smile on his face.

His eyes were fixed greedily on Sasuke, as if he were eyeing a rare prey.

Although both sides came from Konoha Village, the other's aura was cold and eerie.

"Hehehe... Uchiha Sasuke..."

Akaguni Kai stuck out his scarlet tongue and licked his lips: "That lord mentioned you, saying that your chakra smells...delicious!"

Sasuke frowned.

This guy's appearance reminds me of that old pervert Orochimaru.

Soon the two sides were standing at opposite ends of the field.

"Game start!"

As soon as Moonlight Gale finished speaking, his figure had already retreated to the sidelines.

Red Copper Kai launched the first attack!

His movements were so swift they were almost elusive; he wasn't sprinting in a straight line, but rather gliding close to the ground.

He lunged straight at Sasuke's side and rear from an extremely tricky angle, aiming directly at Sasuke's injured right arm!

The speed was so fast that many of the genin watching the battle gasped in surprise.

Sasuke's pupils contracted slightly, and his Sharingan activated instantly! The crimson twin tomoe spun rapidly in his eyes.

The strange movement trajectory of the red copper Kai became clear in his eyes.

Using his left foot as a pivot, he suddenly rotated his body to the right and back, while simultaneously channeling chakra into his left arm and delivering a sharp chop to the wrist of the attacking Akagon Guy!

Red Copper Guy neither dodged nor evaded, a sly glint in his eyes, and actually took the initiative to use his withered wrist to meet Sasuke's hand chop!

"Bang!" There was a muffled sound.

Sasuke's chop struck his opponent's wrist precisely, but the expected block or counterattack did not occur.

A strange and chilling suction force, like a bone-deep infection, instantly emanated from the point of contact between the two!

"what?!"

Sasuke's expression changed drastically! He could clearly feel the chakra gathered in his left arm being frantically pulled away by the other's wrist!

The speed was far beyond his imagination!

Worse still, as chakra was lost, the cursed seal on the back of her neck seemed to be stimulated.

A sudden, intense burning pain erupted, like a scalding hot iron being branded onto a nerve!

Sasuke groaned as the power in his left arm was instantly drained, and his body stiffened for a moment due to the intense pain and loss of chakra!

"Hehe! Got it!"

Red Copper Kai's face lit up with wild joy, and his other hand moved like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, its five fingers forming a claw, accompanied by the sound of air being torn apart.

He lunged fiercely at Sasuke's throat! An ominous gray-black chakra glow swirled around his fingertips!

From the stands, Sakura screamed.