I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

Chapter 100 Preliminary Rounds!

The next morning, in the Hokage's office.

Mei Terumi sat opposite Minato, her posture upright, her long brown hair cascading over her shoulders, her emerald green eyes calm as still water. The two Jonin behind her had not come today; the negotiation was being conducted alone.

A cup of tea sat before him, steaming hot, but he didn't drink it.

There was also a cup in front of Terumi Mei, but she didn't touch it.

Their thoughts were like steaming hot tea.

"The Executioner's Blade must be taken back by Kirigakure," Mei Terumi stated bluntly.

"The bet is in black and white," Minato said calmly. "Your men lost."

"I accept the bet." Mei Terumi leaned forward slightly. "But the sword represents the face of Kirigakure. Hokage-sama, you can name your terms."

Minato was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "The conditions aren't what I propose, but what you can offer."

""

Konoha Village boasts the most fertile land, occupying a large area of ​​forests, hills, and plains in the center of the continent.

Konoha Village has no shortage of resources or population.

The Hidden Mist Village is isolated overseas, and its most developed industry is fishing.

Mei Terumi didn't answer immediately, but instead asked Minato for his conditions, wanting to see Konoha's trump card.

If she takes the initiative to speak, then the initiative will be in the other party's hands.

She stared into Minato's eyes; those blue eyes held no probing, no hesitation, only a resolute composure.

She had prepared her conditions before coming, but when she sat down at the table, she suddenly didn't want to speak. Because she knew that Minato didn't want her conditions, but rather concessions from Kirigakure.

One step back leads to another.

This could hinder the upcoming negotiations.

"Since Konoha Village hasn't made up its mind yet, let's talk about it another time."

Perhaps there will be a turning point later!

Mei Terumi has noticed the unusual things that have happened in Konoha Village in the past few days.

The movement of covert operations and the increase in patrol teams.

Although many people from other villages came due to the Chunin Exams, it was normal for Konoha to arrange some patrols.

However, the current situation is clearly overly tense.

Minato did not ask any further questions, nor did he try to persuade her to stay.

He wasn't the one in a hurry; he believed that Mei Terumi would come up with a good deal and come to him.

Minato is aware of the situation in Kirigakure.

Mei Terumi's purpose in this mission to Konoha is to obtain the position of Mizukage.

Mei Terumi stood up, turned around, and walked away. She stopped at the door without looking back.

"Next time, I will come with sincerity. I also hope that the Hokage will show sincerity."

She left, and the door closed.

Minato picked up his teacup, took a sip—it was cold. He put the cup down, his gaze falling on the window. The sunlight was perfect, illuminating the Hokage Rock, where his portrait was on the far right, his features gentle.

Before the preliminary rounds began, Haku had already left the examination hall. His mission was complete; the Hidden Mist team was eliminated, Chojuro's scroll was taken, and the outcome of the bet was already decided. He no longer needed to stand here, no longer needed to use Ice Release in front of everyone.

Shuoge was waiting for him at the corner of the corridor.

"How does it feel?"

"Very weak."

"Something will happen during this Chunin Exams. Let's do it next time. With your strength, becoming a Chunin won't be difficult."

"Yes."

Bai replied calmly.

Shuoge nodded, turned and left.

Bai followed behind, the two of them walking one after the other through the empty corridor and pushing open the door to go out.

The sunlight was dazzling, but very warm.

Kabuto Yakushi also withdrew before the start of the preliminary rounds.

He pushed his glasses up, smiled and told the referee he was "not feeling well," then left the examination room. No one noticed the faint smile on his lips as he left.

His task was not to advance in rank, but to gather intelligence.

In the first match of the preliminary rounds, Neji Hyuga faced Hinata Hyuga.

Neji walked into the arena, his hands hanging at his sides, his Byakugan seemingly looking down at everything.

Hinata followed behind him, her head down, her face slightly flushed.

The onlookers whispered among themselves—the genius of the Hyuga clan versus the eldest daughter of the main branch of the Hyuga clan, this match is going to be interesting.

But what happened next silenced them all.

Neji assumed the starting stance of Gentle Fist, and Hinata followed suit. They exchanged a glance, and Neji's lips twitched slightly, revealing a hint of doting tenderness.

Such battles have been taking place almost every day for years.

Neji is a true genius.

But the battles always ended in a draw.

"start."

The moment the referee's voice faded, Neji moved.

Neji's palm strikes were fast and cunning, each strike precisely stopping an inch in front of Hinata's vital points without touching her skin or exerting force.

Hinata countered with a palm strike, stopping precisely in front of Neji's wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

The two people's palms collided in the air, making a soft sound, like clapping.

One, two, three, faster and faster, more and more frequent, the only sound on the entire field was the pattering.

Sakura Haruno, who was watching the game, was stunned. "What are they doing?"

"Instructing." Shikamaru said, his hands in his pockets. "Neji is teaching Hinata how to fight."

"Isn't this a competition?" Naruto's eyes widened.

Shikamaru did not answer.

Hinata's breathing grew heavier, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Neji, however, remained calm, his every move perfectly timed, neither too much nor too little.

With his final strike, Neji's hand stopped in front of Hinata's throat, while Hinata's hand stopped in front of his heart.

The two of them simultaneously retracted their fighting stances.

"You've improved." Neji turned and walked towards the exit.

"Thank you, Neji-nii-nii." Hinata's voice was soft, but everyone could hear it clearly.

Neji didn't turn around, he just waved his hand.

The referee declared Neji the winner.

No one was surprised, and no one felt it was unfair.

Neither of them got injured throughout the match, and neither even landed a single serious hit.

Neji didn't hit Hinata because he didn't want to; he held back. Hinata, on the other hand, couldn't hit Neji because she couldn't. It seemed like a draw, but in reality, the difference was enormous.

Quietly, some people's fates have begun to change.

Next game.

Uchiha Sasuke versus Akado Armor.

When Sasuke entered the arena, the cursed seal on his neck had already spread from his collar to his ears.

Kakashi frowned in the audience, while Sakura covered her mouth. Akado Yoshiro was a thin grass ninja with bandages wrapped around his hands; his smile revealed yellowed teeth, which was unsettling.

"start."

The man in red armor rushed forward, moving quickly, his arms outstretched, trying to grab Sasuke's headband.

Sasuke did not dodge, letting the other person's hand touch his headband.

The Crimson Armor activated its power, drawing chakra from Sasuke's body. Sasuke's cursed seal patterns twitched and became even more intense.

Sasuke looked down at his hands, then looked up at the red armor.

"Have you had enough?"

The red-clad armor's pupils contracted.

Sasuke's figure vanished from the spot, not by the Body Flicker Technique, but by pure speed.

Before Akado Armor could react, he was kicked in the knee and fell forward.

Sasuke's elbow strike landed on his back, sending him sprawling to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. Akado Armor struggled to get up, but Sasuke stomped on his back, a kunai pressed against the back of his neck.

""

Battle over!

The referee declared Sasuke the winner. Sasuke released his foot, put away his kunai, and turned around; the cursed seal markings had faded by more than half.

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief.

Naruto Uzumaki versus Kiba Inuzuka.

Kiba and Akamaru worked in perfect harmony, unleashing a fierce and rapid attack using their Over Fang and Beastman clones. Their speed was so great that ordinary people could only see a blur of white shadows darting across the arena. Kiba was brimming with confidence; his dynamic vision was among the best of his generation, and seeing through the shadow clones' weaknesses was a piece of cake for him.

Naruto stood still, forming a hand seal with one hand. He wasn't using both hands; it was just one hand.

The movements were swift, the hand seals precise, and chakra surged from within the body without any unnecessary fluctuations.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

White smoke exploded—not just a few, not a dozen, but dozens.

Dozens of Narutos emerged from the white smoke, filling most of the venue. Some people in the audience stood up, some gaped in astonishment, and some didn't even notice their snacks falling to the ground.

"That's... a shadow clone?" A Chunin rubbed his eyes.

"This isn't an ordinary shadow clone technique; it's the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. Even Jonin wouldn't dare use this forbidden technique lightly."

"That kid must have just graduated, right? His chakra reserves are ridiculously high—"

The pupils of the teeth contracted.

Akamaru's fur stood on end, and he let out a low growl.

Before Ya could even count which one was the real body, the shadow clones had already pounced on him.

One punch, two punches, three punches—not fancy moves, but real, hard punches.

As soon as his teeth blocked one clone's fist, another clone's fist came crashing down from the side. Akamaru, behind him, had his tail grabbed by another clone, and with a howl, his fur stood on end, and he ran around wildly.

Fang was overwhelmed by shadow clones, and fists rained down on him. He could block those in front, but not those behind; he could block those on the left, but not those on the right.

The murmurs from the audience grew louder and louder.

"This amount of chakra—is this really the work of a genin?"

"His father was the Fourth Hokage, have you forgotten?"

"Even the Fourth Hokage wasn't this extreme back then, was he?"

"They're different. The Fourth Hokage is fast, this kid is brute."

The referee raised his hand to call a stop, but the shadow clones suddenly stopped on their own and retreated.

Kiba squatted on the ground, his hands covering his head, while Akamaru huddled in his arms, his fur disheveled as if it had been ruffled by a tornado.

Naruto himself emerged from behind the shadow clones, dusted off his clothes, and grinned.

"I won!"

Kiba raised his head and looked at Naruto.

He wanted to retort, but his mouth opened and closed without uttering a sound. In that wave of attacks, he hadn't even touched Naruto's clothes, nor had he seen which one was the real Naruto.

There's nothing to say about the defeat.

The referee declared Naruto the winner.

Some in the audience applauded, while others whispered among themselves. Naruto pushed his way through the crowd and walked out, Sakura Haruno chasing after him and grabbing his sleeve, looking surprised.

Shikamaru muttered "So troublesome" with his hands in his pockets, but a smile played on his lips.

Choji's bag of potato chips was suspended in mid-air, his mouth agape, and he didn't even notice a chip fall out.

"This guy—"

"Is it really that unreliable guy from usual?"

Crunch, crunch—

Choji made a sarcastic remark and grabbed a handful of potato chips, stuffing them into his mouth.

Ino leaned out of the seat next to her, her eyes wide. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back, only managing to squeeze out, "You're really good."