Feng Zheng walked up the stairs, and many people looked at him with awe and confusion.
Feng Zheng thought to himself.
"Well, things went pretty smoothly. He exhausted his Chakra with two Rank B Ninjutsu, nearly collapsing from fatigue. My Shadow Clone could have easily dodged the ice dragon, but seeing how tired he already was, there was no need. After all, that blue-eyed girl should have noticed me. If I had even won with my Shadow Clone, she would be even warier of me."
After entering the waiting room, Feng Zheng sat next to Hodaka and Mieko.
A moment later, Sakai Yumi and Kuhaku Rou were called, and they went downstairs. Inoichi soon announced.
"The second match now begins. Get ready, start!"
Kuhaku Rou immediately ran backward, while Sakai Yumi began her Water Shuriken Technique. He created a water wall to block her Ninjutsu, retreating into the woods, thinking.
"I can't fight her in the open. She's too dangerous."
Sakai Yumi followed him into the woods. They began to fight in the woods.
Kuhaku Rou used the trees as shields and cover to attack her, but Sakai Yumi successfully defended and counterattacked each time. This stalemate lasted for about 10 minutes.
Feng Zheng wondered.
"Although he fights well in the woods, he doesn't have much of an advantage. Why did he enter the woods so quickly?"
After 10 minutes, Sakai Yumi finally managed to land a fatal blow. Her Water Bullet Technique left a deep gash on Kuhaku Rou's thigh. The wound made it even harder for him to move.
Sakai Yumi looked at him and said.
"You're injured and can't fight anymore."
Kuhaku Rou gritted his teeth. Sakai Yumi glared at him and said.
"Surrender, or you'll suffer greatly!"
Hearing this, his face instantly paled. He chose to give up.
Inoichi Yamanaka announced.
"The winner of the second match is Sakai Yumi!"
Feng Zheng observed the battle carefully, thinking.
"Why was he so afraid?"
He looked at Hodaka and concluded.
"I wonder how her fight with Hodaka will turn out."
Hodaka stood up. Feng Zheng said.
"Go, Hodaka, win quickly."
Mieko also wished him good luck.
Before Matsushita Satoru left, Kido Kohaku reminded him again not to get close to Hyuga.
As the next set of contestants arrived at the arena, the judges were also discussing. Ibiki commented.
"Both are very good. However, Kuhaku Rou seemed very afraid of her."
Raidō agreed.
"Yes. And he seemed eager to run into the woods, as if he didn't want to fight her in the open at all."
Genma made no comment, just took some notes.
Hodaka and Matsushita Satoru arrived on the ground.
Inoichi Yamanaka announced.
"The third match now begins. Get ready, start!"
Matsushita Satoru immediately retreated, forming Hand Seals. Hodaka also followed with a few Hand Seals.
Matsushita Satoru performed the Water Shuriken Technique.
Hodaka performed the Stone Shuriken Technique.
Both launched their Ninjutsu simultaneously. Feng Zheng and Mieko were both surprised.
"Hodaka is using Ninjutsu right from the start? Really?"
Some Water Shuriken and Stone Shuriken collided. The Stone Shuriken pierced through the Water Shuriken, dispersing them, but their momentum was weakened.
Hodaka and Matsushita Satoru both dodged the remaining Shuriken.
Hodaka immediately began to close the distance, while Matsushita Satoru took another step back, forming Hand Seals.
Hodaka sighed and also made a Hand Seal.
Mieko commented.
"This looks like a game of hide-and-seek."
Feng Zheng couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.
Matsushita Satoru performed the Water Jet Technique.
Hodaka performed the Rock Shield Technique.
The water jet hit the rock shield but could not damage it. The water just bounced off the rock.
Matsushita Satoru frowned. He made a few more Hand Seals and performed the Water Clone Technique.
Three Water Clones appeared and ran towards the rock shield. Matsushita Satoru wondered.
"Why isn't he pursuing me, but hiding behind the rock shield?"
Just then, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left foot and immediately jumped up, looking down.
Many rock thorns appeared beneath him, almost like a bed.
Two of the rock thorns struck his foot, and one of them made him bleed.
Suddenly, the rock thorns lunged at him in the air.
He panicked and immediately made a Hand Seal, creating a water wall beneath him. But before the water wall could form, several rock thorns had already hit him.
Even after the water wall formed, some rock thorns still broke through it and hit him.
He slowly descended, avoiding the rock thorns. He grimaced in pain as he landed.
A total of 8 rock thorns had pricked him, none of them fatal, but they were very painful.
His Water Clones were at a loss. But soon, they decided to attack Hodaka.
However, when they arrived, they noticed that Hodaka was not behind the rock shield.
As soon as Matsushita Satoru landed, two hands emerged from the ground and grabbed his legs.
Hodaka performed the Underground Hunting Technique.
Immediately, Matsushita Satoru was buried underground, while Hodaka appeared above ground.
Matsushita Satoru screamed loudly. As he was pulled underground, the rock thorns on him hit the ground.
Three of them could not go underground with him, causing huge wounds as the rock thorns were pushed out of his body.
The intense pain caused Matsushita Satoru to lose control of his Water Clones, which turned into puddles of water.
Hodaka was about to place two fingers on Matsushita Satoru's forehead to make him surrender.
However, the painful screams stopped him.
Inoichi Yamanaka immediately appeared and pulled Matsushita Satoru out of the ground.
He had 3 wounds, over a dozen centimeters long. One on his chest, one near his abdomen, and one on his back.
And embedded in his body were 5 stone thorns. Medical personnel quickly rushed to the scene to take him away.
Inoichi Yamanaka announced.
"The winner of the third match is Hyuga Hodaka!"
The crowd, stunned by Matsushita Satoru's screams, cheered again.
Sakai Yumi and Kido Kohaku watched with serious expressions. They looked at Hodaka, thinking.
"He used the Rock Shield Technique to block Matsushita Satoru's sight, then went underground. From there, he used two Ninjutsu for a sneak attack, then delivered the final blow. During the second stage of the exam, he didn't seem to use any Ninjutsu. We underestimated him!"
Feng Zheng analyzed.
"Damn, I didn't expect him to win with Ninjutsu. During this time, he used the Stone Shuriken Technique, Rock Shield Technique, Rock Thorn Bed Technique, Rock Thorn Launch Technique, and Underground Hunting Technique. Now, it won't be easy to defeat him. That being said, his Ninjutsu speed isn't as fast as mine or Mieko's. He just took advantage of his opponent's distraction from having to keep their distance from him."
The judges also analyzed. Ibiki said.
"Very good performance, won quickly, and didn't waste too much Chakra."
Genma chuckled.
"How long has it been since we saw a Hyuga fight without using Gentle Fist?"
Raidō said.
"He seems ready to be promoted to Chunin. As for Matsushita Satoru, he's not ready yet."
Ibiki and Genma both nodded in agreement.
Hodaka's parents were proud that their son had won so quickly. His father said.
"He finally managed to use Ninjutsu!"
Hodaka's mother nodded. She knew how difficult it was for him.
Mieko stood up. Feng Zheng looked at her and said.
"Do well, go for it!"
She nodded and walked towards the arena. Kido Kohaku followed behind her, muttering to herself.
"Don't look into her eyes..."
Both arrived at the center of the ground, standing face to face. However, Kido Kohaku never looked at Mieko's face.
Inoichi Yamanaka announced.
"The fourth match now begins. Get ready, start!"