Chapter 35: "The Road to the Official Competition Begins"

For who among the Konoha 11 was the strongest?

According to Sato, the answer must be Rock Lee.

In the final battle of the Fourth Great Ninja War, the one-eyed Madara Uchiha faced Guy's powerlessness using the Eight Gates technique and his space-distorting kick.

The Eight Inner Gates, Impure World Reincarnation, and Flying Thunder God Technique are referred to as the three god-tier techniques of the Hokage world.

These three god-tier skills are also the ninjutsu that Sato desires the most.

You can imagine Sasuke, who hasn't obtained the Curse of Heaven seal yet, facing Rock Lee's formidable attacks. Even Gaara would be easily defeated after Rock Lee opens the Eight Inner Gates.

If it weren't for Rock Lee's lack of physical stamina and endurance, he would undoubtedly be the most formidable boss of the Chunin Exams.

Even so, Rock Lee and Gaara are still the two major bosses of the Chunin Exams.

The only regret is that their battle, which was not an official match, took place during the qualifiers.

The outcome of this battle remained the same as in the original story.

Rock Lee surprised everyone by releasing the weights that everyone underestimated, successfully breaking Gaara's sand armor at an incredible speed. He then used the Reverse Lotus technique to exploit Gaara's weakness.

Finally, he opened the Eight Inner Gates to counter the side effects of the Reverse Lotus technique and sequentially unleashed the power of the fourth gate, kicking Gaara like a ball.

Unfortunately, when Rock Lee finally opened the Fifth Gate and used the Reverse Lotus technique, his attack paused for a moment, allowing Gaara to seize the opportunity to turn the giant sand gourd behind him into sand.

With little strength remaining, Gaara twisted Rock Lee's arms and legs with a sand-bound coffin, and it was then that Might Guy intervened to end the fight.

This battle completely changed the perception of the Konoha 11 and elevated Gaara's aura to the ultimate level.

Even Uzumaki Naruto, before facing the situation where he had to defeat Gaara, feared his power.

Only Sasuke, who hadn't witnessed this battle, remained as arrogant as ever.

With the battle between Rock Lee and Gaara concluded, there was little left to watch in the remaining qualifiers.

In Sato's eyes, the only match worth watching might be Ino versus Sakura.

It deviates from the original story where the two were tied.

In this life, Sato's relationship with Ino–Shika–Chō extends beyond just having dinner together.

Enthusiastic and proactive Ino is the first person Sato has formed a deep bond with, almost like a couple.

They didn't become boyfriend and girlfriend due to Hinata and Sato intentionally maintaining a distance.

All it takes is one confession, and Ino could become Sato's girlfriend.

Ino, who is not under strict control, has spent more alone time with Sato than Hinata on multiple occasions.

Starting from the fourth grade, Sato gradually revealed his talents in genjutsu, sensory techniques, and medical ninjutsu.

During their private moments, Sato even taught Ino genjutsu, as she, like Sato, possesses the Yin chakra nature.

By the way, Sato's powerful sensory technique is due to Ino's feedback. He acquired the Yamanaka clan's sensory technique through their connection.

Hence, Ino didn't need to use the Yamanaka clan's secret technique to defeat Sakura, who only knows the Body Replacement Technique at the moment.

After the final battles and the lucky draw for the pass, Sato couldn't help but laugh.

The lucky candidate who received the pass was... Chōji Akimichi.

As a result, Team 10 progressed to the official competition, just like Team 8. They were also among the few who passed all three groups in the preliminary rounds.

Naturally, the other group consisted of Gaara's three siblings.

On the other hand, the third team, Team Guy, who graduated a year earlier, was unfortunate as all their members were eliminated.

If Rock Lee hadn't been seriously injured, Kurenai would have burst into laughter.

(Kurenai POV)

They ignored me during dinner, yet my students were the first to advance.

The formidable Kakashi and Might Guy, the former had only two students advance, while the latter's team was wiped out.

Let's see if you still dare to underestimate me during our next dinner!

(Kurenai POV End)

After the qualifiers, the list of qualified participants for the official competition is as follows:

Sasuke, Hinata, Sato, Shino, Kankuro, Temari, Gaara, Shikamaru, Naruto, Ino, Toss (non-canon/extremely minor role and not important), Chōji.

Exactly twelve individuals advanced.

This number is four more than the original story.

The next step is to draw a lottery to determine the opponents for the third official match of the exams.

The first person to draw should have been Sasuke.

However, he is currently hospitalized, so the final draw is automatically assigned to him.

Hence, Hinata was the first to step up and draw a lot.

She drew number 10.

Then it was Sato's turn, and he drew number 2.

Upon seeing this number, Sato raised an eyebrow and thought to himself, "Could it be?..."

Sure enough, as the other candidates drew their lots, Sato's opponent was revealed.

His opponent was the one who drew number 1... Naruto.

"It's over, my opponent is actually Sato," Naruto said, putting his head in his hands with a look of despair on his face.

If it were Uchiha Sasuke, Naruto would be full of fighting spirit right now.

Before the qualifiers began, Sasuke expressed his desire to fight Naruto in the Chunin exams.

But facing Sato, Naruto could only feel despair.

After all, it's not just Sasuke, Naruto's classmate for six years, who was repeatedly defeated by Sato.

Sato has defeated all nine powerful individuals, including Ino and Hinata, in various battles, both in terms of physical prowess and hand-to-hand combat.

Moreover, Sato is not a simple-minded guy. He never competed with Naruto for Sakura's affection, let alone hold any grudges like Sasuke.

It's just... a psychological shadow that has haunted Naruto from childhood to adulthood.

Even Sasuke, who can't even defeat Sato, is surely doomed.

Therefore, it's no wonder Naruto showed such an expression.

The lottery will soon conclude, and the match table for the third official test is as follows:

Naruto vs. Sato.

Kankuro vs. Shino

Temari vs. Nara

Chōji vs. Toss

Ino vs. Hinata

Gaara vs. Sasuke.

"Hinata, remember to go easy on me during the match," Ino said, smiling at Hinata, who drew number 9.

When faced with an opponent like Hinata, who neither fights nor competes aggressively, Ino had no ill feelings like she did in the original story when it came to fighting with Sakura over Sasuke.

Ino felt a sense of guilt if she were to be harsh with Hinata.

Had Hinata not held back, few students in their class would have been able to defeat her, as Sato had previously mentioned.

Therefore, Ino was prepared to lose.

Hinata didn't know what Ino was thinking, assuming that Ino was teasing her. She lowered her head and softly replied, "Let's do our best together, Ino."

After the lottery was drawn and the Third Hokage announced the date and location of the third official match, the candidates left the Forest of Death.

In a joyful mood, Kurenai took the team out for a celebratory dinner.

The third official match would take place in one month.