In Konoha, you get one evolution point every day.

Chapter 103 Giving Lin Fan Face

Orochimaru's gaze toward Sasuke grew increasingly excited as he watched Kai defeat his "experimental subject." Kai's ability to absorb chakra was information Orochimaru had obtained about the leader's combat strength when he joined an organization. The leader seemed to be not a puppet, but rather many, and one of them possessed the ability to absorb the chakra of others. Of course, this information was given to him by Sasori, who then used this principle to modify Kai's body.

After the examiner, Hayate Gekko, had the medical ninja take the armor away, the competition moved on to the second match. In the original story, the second match was Zaku vs. Shino Aburame, but because the Sound Ninja team was eliminated early, the screen quickly slid, and the yellow text locked onto the words "Haku vs. Shino Aburame": "It's my turn now." Shino Aburame pushed up his sunglasses. He didn't know much about his opponent, Haku. He had only heard from his elders, his father, the clan head, that Haku, along with Naruto and Lin Fan, were mysterious figures whose strength was not that of a genin. They were only participating in this exam on the orders of the Third Hokage.

"Go for it, Shino, don't lose to that girl." Inuzuka Tsuru glanced at the back of Shiro as she walked from the second-floor stands to the first-floor arena.

Hinata Hyuga also whispered words of encouragement to Shino Aburame.

Shino Aburame nodded, indicating that she would win this time.

The two arrived at the arena.

"My name is Shino Aburame, and I am a member of the Aburame clan of Konoha Village. Nice to meet you."

Upon hearing Shino Aburame's self-introduction, Shiro paused for a moment, then smiled and replied, "My name is Shiro, nice to meet you."

After a brief exchange, the two began to analyze each other's situations:

Bai: The Aburame clan? They're said to specialize in playing with insects, but I can't see a single trace of insects on this person. Could it be that my naked eye can't see them? Or perhaps they summoned them using a summoning technique?

Shino Aburame: Although this boy seems harmless, the insect tells me that the chakra within him is no ordinary chakra. However, Kiba might be mistaken; this boy has an Adam's apple, indicating he's male, though it's not very prominent.

Shino Aburame was more reserved and taciturn than his father, Shio Aburame, but also more composed. In every battle, he would analyze the situation first and then respond slowly after the enemy made their move, unlike Shio Aburame, who preferred direct attacks.

Bai was also the kind of person who didn't like to take the initiative to attack, so the two stood on the arena for a full three minutes without either of them launching the first round of attacks to probe the enemy.

Shiro smiles, Aburame Shino is calm:

People around: ??? Are you guys going to fight or not?! What are you doing?!

As if sensing the emotions of those around her, Shino Aburame moved slightly and took her right hand out of her pocket.

But with that one movement, Bai seemed to sense something, and instantly threw out the thousand senbon needles:

With a sizzling sound, two barely noticeable flying insects in the air were instantly pierced by the senbon needles, pinning them to the wall.

Such a fast reaction time.

Aburame Shino's eyes narrowed slightly behind his sunglasses. His original plan was to distract Shiro by making a move, then let his insects get closer to her. However, Shiro wasn't drawn to his outstretched hand; instead, she immediately noticed two parasitic insects emerging from the pocket of his other hand.

This concludes the first round between the two.

"These two kids are being way too cautious. It's just an exam, it can't be that serious." From the stands, Kakashi, adjusting his mask, muttered to Might Guy with a hint of helplessness.

"When the enemy's specific situation is unclear, caution is the right thing to do." Might Guy replied to Kakashi with unusual seriousness.

This seriousness didn't last even a second before Might Guy patted Lee on the shoulder, indicating that he should learn this caution when he went on stage:

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li was also filled with enthusiasm and declared that he would definitely do it:

Then the master and apprentice staged a touching scene in the audience, with the two of them weeping.

Kakashi reluctantly distanced himself from the master and disciple pair to avoid being infected.

Looking down at the audience, Haku no longer waited for Shino Aburame's attack, because he realized that Shino Aburame was just like him: "Water Release: Water Chaos Wave!"

Shiro spat out a jet of water, an attack that left Shino with no choice but to dodge.

You can't use insects to defend yourself, otherwise many of them will die from the weight of the water.

Shino Aburame had this idea first.

Before Shino Aburame could react after dodging the water jet, she saw Shiro rushing towards her with a senbon needle in her hand:

Finally, we're close? Good.

Shino Aburame took out a kunai and blocked the white senbon.

But secretly, he sent parasites close to Bai.

Bai seemed completely unaware that the two were engaged in a martial arts duel on the arena.

In less than ten rounds, Shino Aburame's counterattacks began to slow down noticeably:

To be precise, Shiro's attacks were getting faster and faster, and Shino Aburame simply couldn't keep up with them.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Sizzle!

Haku moved at high speed around Shino Aburame, and suddenly stepped forward at a certain moment. If Shino Aburame had not been a sensory ninja, he probably would not have had time to react and block Haku's attack, and would have been defeated by Haku instantly.

Even though she blocked Haku's attack, the immense force caused Shino Aburame to feel her right hand, which was gripping the kunai, crack: "You are strong, but... it's over."

Haku didn't understand what Shino Aburame was talking about, but in an instant, countless parasitic insects emerged from Haku's body and attached themselves to him: "These are... insects?!!" Haku's eyes were filled with shock and panic. Before he could think any further, his entire body was occupied by black insects:

Shino Aburame calmly took a step back, her foot touching the water: "From the moment you first rushed forward, I was tentatively throwing my pet at you," she said, "but unfortunately, you didn't notice."

Seeing that Shiro was about to be completely consumed by the parasitic insects, Shino Aburame sighed and was about to cancel the attack command when suddenly, several parasitic insects that should have survived died. The disappearance of chakra was particularly obvious, but the location was not on the "Shiro" in front of him, but... underground!

With a whoosh, another white object appeared on the surface of the water, behind Shino Aburame. Shino turned around in disbelief, and the next second, a delicate fist struck him in the face, sending him flying.

The "white" that was originally eroded by parasites has become a "water incarnation":

Seeing this, Kakashi, watching from the stands, marveled at Haku's combat experience. He had cleverly used the initial water turbulence to create a favorable geographical environment, and the persistent water surface had made Shino Aburame relax her guard. Then, during close combat with Shino, Haku used a chakra surge formed within the water to perform a substitution jutsu—an advanced use of water clones and water substitution techniques. However, this method is primarily used by elite Jonin...

"So this boy already has the strength of a Jonin?" Might Guy looked at Haku in disbelief.

Kakashi was also somewhat surprised that Might Guy recognized Haku as a boy rather than a girl at a glance.

Kakashi said that he might not be quite a Jonin, but he was good enough compared to some of the village's special Jonin.

Might Guy gasped, then saw that after Haku punched Shino Aburame away, Shino seemed greatly shocked. As she got up, she unleashed her ultimate attack without hesitation:

Insect jade!

Countless tiny black insects flew towards Shino Aburame, and even the parasitic insects within Shino's body emerged, forming a black mist that stood before Haku: "A swarm tactic, huh?" Haku pondered, completing a complex hand seal for a ninjutsu with one hand: "Secret Technique: Ice Rock Hall of Nothingness!"

An ice wall rose from the ground, almost instantly surrounding Shiro and forming a 180-degree defense. Then, countless swarms of insects controlled by Shino Aburame rammed into the ice wall.

Seeing this, Kiba and Hinata, Shino's teammates, already knew Shino's strength and were relieved that they were no match for him. Otherwise, facing so many insect attacks or sneak attacks, they wouldn't know what to do.

The swarm of insects crashed into the ice wall and died in large numbers. Shino Aburame then changed tactics, having the insects begin to erode the ice wall's chakra.

Bai sensed the ice wall weakening inside and smiled; this was the moment she had been waiting for.

Haku's chakra is ice-style chakra, which is different from ordinary chakra. Chakra with blood-related power often has stronger control.

For example, the Sage Mode chakra that Naruto trained in was chakra that he painstakingly created himself. However, if Pain absorbed too much of this chakra, he would turn to stone because he couldn't control it.

Haku's Ice Release chakra and Naruto's Sage Mode chakra share a similarity: both allow for complete freedom of movement.

The reason why Bloodstained Ninjas can use ninjutsu with a single hand seal or even without hand seals is because they have an almost absolute control over their innate, awakened special chakra.

Therefore, the instant Shino Aburame's insects absorbed Haku's chakra, Haku only needed a single thought to make this...

"These insects, before they could digest this chakra, instantly transformed into creatures that could be controlled at will."

The insects' attack momentum is gradually slowing down, even to the point of coming to a standstill:

The insects still exhibited vital signs, and Shino Aburame could clearly sense that they were still alive, but he was unable to connect with or control them using even a slight amount of chakra.

This feels... kind of like those bugs that suddenly died before?!

Shino Aburame finally realized there was a problem with Haku's chakra, but it was too late. Almost all of his insects had already absorbed Haku's chakra, and now less than a tenth of the insects were flying back.

Under Haku's control, all the insects that absorbed his chakra flew up from the ice wall and floated into the air.

Soon, all the black insects that had covered the ice wall disappeared, and a white figure emerged directly from the surface of the ice wall:

This is also the talent of blood-stained ninjas, allowing them to freely move within the physical entities created by their own blood chakra:

In the original work, besides Haku, there was another female ninja with Crystal Release who could do this: "Admit defeat, or I will kill all these insects in one go."

By using insects to command his will, Bai achieved his goal.

Everyone was stunned, completely unaware of what had happened, but Kakashi, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Orochimaru, all high-ranking ninjas...

Those who observe it can easily see that the insects seem to have been affected by Haku's chakra, and now Haku seems to be able to control the life and death of those insects.

Based on the memory of the Aburame clan's parasitic insects absorbing the chakra of others, we can deduce that Haku's chakra is not something that can be absorbed at will.

Orochimaru had a keen understanding of this point, after all, he researched Wood Release cells, and he knew very well that the human body could not absorb more chakra than it could control, even with the special abilities of his experimental subjects like Armor.

However, a parasitic insect cannot compare to a ninja. Under normal circumstances, a parasitic insect will not absorb more chakra than it can control, unless... it is a truly intelligent boy.

Shino Aburame realized at that moment that he had fallen into Haku's plan from the very beginning. In addition to using Water Release to create a favorable battle environment for him, Haku had been deliberately feeding his chakra to the evil insects, which ultimately led to his defeat. He raised his hand and said, "I surrender."

Aburame Shino was defeated, and Shiro won.

Shino Aburame returned to the stands dejectedly, where Kurenai Yuhi, Tsurugi Inuyasha, and Hinata Hyuga offered her comfort. Meanwhile, Haku returned to Lin Fan and the larger Naruto, filled with the joy of victory. Lin Fan remarked, "That's quite an idea."

Lin Xiaobai: "Well done!"

Large Naruto: "As expected of Haku!"

Seeing his companions happy for him, Haku was in a good mood. He looked around but didn't see Zabuza. Perhaps that was his only regret.

Meanwhile, out of Haku's sight, in a high-altitude spectator room where Mitarashi Anko, the Anbu, and Hiruzen Sarutobi were gathered, Zabuza, wearing a mask, stood by the window. He had witnessed the entire battle of Haku and was pleased to see that Haku could now fight independently and so skillfully.

The match has reached its third round. As Gekko Hayate coughs, the screen swipes, and the yellow text changes to "Kankuro vs. Kenmi Sumi": "Finally, it's my turn."

When Kankuro saw that Lin Fan's name wasn't on the list, he actually breathed a sigh of relief.

When Maki saw Kankuro using a puppet to impersonate him, he thought to himself that Kankuro really underestimated his enemies. Under normal circumstances, any slightly stronger ninja would be able to see through Kankuro's disguise.

Of course, even a ninja like Might Guy, who isn't skilled in chakra and ninjutsu, can tell if someone is a fake by observing their physical behavior. For example, Kankuro's stiff walking posture, his breathing, and the origin of his voice when he speaks are all clues that reveal his flaws.

However, this only applies to elite ninjas. For ordinary genin or slightly stronger chunin, it's absolutely a different story.

It won't come out:

For example, Moonlight Gale doesn't show it:

Therefore, when the match started, Kenmei rushed up and entangled Kankuro, who hadn't even had a chance to use his puppet yet, much like how He Jinyin had locked up his senior brother. The main reason was that Kenmei's body was as flexible as a snake. The most outrageous thing was that no one at the scene could tell that Kenmei's flexible body modification was Orochimaru's doing.

This is largely thanks to Orochimaru's concealment. Throughout the Third Shinobi World War, and even later when he was discovered by Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru never used any of his soft-body modification abilities, such as the Orochimaru Substitution Jutsu. Using this technique would consume a massive amount of chakra. Compared to being severely injured and still having chakra, which would allow him to escape easily, using this technique would be fatal, especially since he wasn't yet the version of himself he was later in the series.

For example, Orochimaru could easily defeat the simple-minded Kakashi in one move.

That idiot, Kenmei. Orochimaru didn't have high expectations for Kenmei, but she was, after all, a loyal spy and experimental subject. She was much more capable than those genin orphans in the Sound Ninja, because the Sound Ninja relied on weapons, while these two relied on their bodies. But even though she was much more capable, two of them were still lost in succession.

"Is that so? You're the one whose bones are broken, aren't you?!" Kankuro's face, which was being entangled, suddenly cracked open. Although she heard the sound of fragments falling, Kenmi didn't loosen her grip. By the time she realized something was wrong, it was too late.

Kankuro then locked up Kenmi Sumi in his arms. Seeing this, Gekko Hayate coughed; he had almost shouted "The match is over," which would have been embarrassing. The real Kankuro emerged from the puppet wrapped in white bandages on the ground. Kankuro was the puppet, and the puppet was also Kankuro.

Kankuro had mastered the puppet tricks. Blue chakra threads emanated from his fingertips as he manipulated the puppet to snap Kensuke Misumi's bones. Misumi screamed in agony, and before she could even utter a word of surrender, she fainted from brief suffocation. "That guy still likes to put on an act," Gaara commented. Maki's lips twitched violently upon hearing Gaara's words, but he remained silent.

Kankuro won and happily returned to the stands, ready to receive his brother's praise. But in reality, Gaara didn't even glance at Kankuro.

Kankuro:.

...I'm your older brother! Gaara!!

Fortunately, Temari is a decent older sister. She patted Kankuro's head and praised him, otherwise Kankuro might have really turned evil.

The fourth match was between Sakura Haruno and Ino:

In terms of battle scenes, they are not flashy; they are simply close-quarters taijutsu and intellectual battles between female ninjas. After all, Sakura Haruno only knows basic ninjutsu, while Ino knows not only basic ninjutsu but also the clan's ninjutsu, the One-Mind Reincarnation Technique.

With this one ninjutsu, Ino has gained an absolute advantage. As long as she controls Sakura's body, she can force Sakura to surrender on the spot and win the match.

However, because Sakura and Ino were both so passionate, neither wanted to lose and both wanted to prove themselves, they even started arguing about who was Sasuke's most suitable wife. The audience in the stands couldn't help but look towards Sasuke.

Sasuke said expressionlessly, "Boring. Let's just end this match already."

Naruto: "Sasuke! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because Sakura likes you! I'll definitely beat you in the third match!"

Sasuke replied outwardly, "Then I look forward to it."

Sasuke's inner monologue: Damn it, can these two women please stop talking?! This is so embarrassing!!

Seeing Sasuke's insincere answer, Lin Fan smiled without saying a word. Then he watched as the two girls, just like in the original story, fainted from exhaustion after exchanging blows, resulting in no one passing the preliminary rounds. Thus, the fourth match ended.

Next up was the fifth game.

Temari vs. Tenten's match:

Among the twelve main characters, Tenten might be the weakest in terms of individual strength, but in terms of wealth and the most weapons, she is undoubtedly the richest.

A scroll that Dan Tian casually used contained all sorts of weapons:

Furthermore, by utilizing hidden wires to control ninja tools, they can manipulate the tools for a second attack:

The battle was exceptionally exciting, especially when the twin rising dragons propelled the scrolls into the sky, the scrolls carrying a white mist imbued with spiritual power, the mist seemingly transforming into two rising dragon heads and bodies:

Unfortunately, her opponent was Temari, a ninja extremely skilled in Wind Release:

The wind can dodge Tenten's perfectly accurate hidden weapon aim, which is at a genius level, but it still can't hit Temari:

Genin can't keep up with Temari's instantaneous movement speed, but Jonin can:

Might Guy explained to Lee that Temari had dodged Tenten's attack.

This illustrates the importance of chakra and physical fitness.

Might Guy didn't have a lot of chakra, but with just his physical abilities and limited chakra, he was able to see through Temari's Body Flicker Technique.

But someone like Xiao Li, who relies purely on physical skills, can't do that.

Seeing this, Shikamaru knew that Sunagakure had won again: "Why?"

Naruto's voice rang out.

Shikamaru was too lazy to explain to Naruto.

But the older Naruto came over and pressed down on the younger Naruto's head: "Don't underestimate Temari, this is just her warm-up."

"Huh? No way?"

At this stage, young Naruto was too naive and didn't understand the true value of a ninja dodging an enemy's attack by moving at high speed in place instead of directly dodging.

Just as Naruto and Shikamaru said, no matter how Temari changed the angle at which she threw the projectiles, she could dodge them all. In fact, when faced with a wide-range attack of projectiles, Temari could even use her iron fan to create a strong gust of wind and deflect all the projectiles back.

After Tenten unleashed several hidden weapon attacks, Temari became too lazy to continue fighting. She simply closed her fan, and in Tenten's sight, it was as if she had vanished from her original position. To give an analogy, Obito in the original work also used this technique, but Obito's was spatial teleportation, while Temari's was simply teleportation, utilizing the speed of the wind.

From the perspective of a Jonin, Temari had already leaped up and was sitting on an iron fan, but no Jonin spoke up to warn her. Even Might Guy, who saw it, was only worried for Tenten, because this was the Chunin Exams, Tenten's battle.

As expected, by the time Tenten noticed, Temari had already flown back to her original position from above her.

Of course, this was just Temari showing off her skills.

With a single Wind Release: Kamaitachi attack, Tenten was instantly torn open by the power of the wind, her body flying into the air. As she fell, Temari caught her and threw her back, ensuring Tenten landed safely without sustaining serious injury.

Lin Fan: ...In the original story, it seems that Tian Tian was "caught" by an iron fan, right?

Temari winked at Lin Fan: "See? I'm super gentle! Marry me! Marry me!"

Naruto noticed Temari's gaze: Why is Temari looking at Lin Fan so strange...? Could it be that Temari likes Lin Fan?!

After being carried away every day, Hayate Gekko announced the results of the match, and Temari returned to the stands: "Temari, this isn't like you." Kankuro remarked. Normally, although Temari is a gentle person, she would never catch a Konoha ninja so gently.

But Temari bypassed Kankuro and went straight to Gaara: "Little brother, how was my performance? Did I disgrace Sunagakure?"

Gaara: "Not bad."

Upon hearing Gaara's response, Temari nodded happily and then continued watching the match.

Kankuro: ...Temari, I'm your younger brother!

Maki: ...What's going on with these three siblings? And why is Temari so gentle with the Konoha ninjas?

There wasn't much controversy surrounding this match. Compared to the original Temari's excessive act of leaving Tenten amidst a pile of hidden weapons, this time, she was left on flat ground.

Next came the sixth match, which scrolled across the screen to show "Lin Fan vs. Shikamaru":

Shikamaru: "?"

Lin Fan: "Ah~ It's finally my turn. But is this for real?"

Naruto stepped forward and patted a bewildered Shikamaru on the shoulder. Choji and Asuma Sarutobi also patted Shikamaru on the shoulder helplessly. Shikamaru: "???"

No? You're acting as me? Is this right? You want me to beat up Lin Fan?!

Lin Fan might not have heard of strength in the ears of ordinary ninjas, but for someone like Sarutobi Asuma, the son of the Hokage, Shikamaru, the son of Nara Shikaku who was assisted by the Hokage, Ino, the daughter of Inoichi, the head of the intelligence department, and Choji, the son of Akimichi Choza, who owns many restaurants and is a member of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, their intelligence network is definitely not weak.

and so.

Upon learning that his opponent was Lin Fan, Shikamaru did not hesitate to surrender.

But Asuma Sarutobi advised Shikamaru not to spoil the fun, since he had finally made it to the Chunin Exams.

Choji echoed, "Yeah, yeah, who knows, maybe Lin Fan will go easy on us?"

Naruto also said that Brother Lin Fan is a good person and he will definitely give you a chance.

Seeing this group of people making empty promises to Shikamaru, Sasuke sneered: "Lin Fan would throw the game? If Lin Fan throws the game and loses, I'll eat this tower."

Shikamaru had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to the arena. Lin Fan was standing opposite him, and Lin Xiaobai was shouting "Go Lin Fan!" from the stage. Bai was also shouting, "Brother Lin Fan, don't take it too seriously, the opponent is just a genin!" There was even someone shouting, "Take him down in one move!" Shikamaru glanced at the Sand Village female ninja who said the last thing, his teeth practically grinding to powder. What did she mean by "take him down in one move"? Was he really that easy to defeat?! ...Okay, his opponent was Lin Fan, so it was indeed possible.

"Can we not use Wood Release?" Shikamaru asked.

Lin Fan wasn't surprised to hear that Shikamaru knew about his Wood Release:

He nodded: "Okay."

Lin Fan then stood still, arms crossed: "If you can withstand one of my moves, I will acknowledge you, and this victory can be yours."

He participated in the Chunin Exams just for fun, not because he really wanted to become a Chunin.

After all, the genin are the strongest!

one move.

Shikamaru took a deep breath. He didn't know what move Lin Fan was planning to use, but he thought he probably couldn't withstand a punch or even a kick from Lin Fan: "Does dodging count?"

You can't escape it.

Damn it! They really underestimated me!

Shikamaru was also enraged upon hearing this. He wasn't one to fight back, but he didn't like being trampled on: "Then come on!"

Seeing Shikamaru's courage, many ninjas looked at him with new respect, and then all turned to Lin Fan to see what kind of move he planned to use:

Lin Fan stood still, not moving. He just looked at Shikamaru and said after a long while, "Are you ready? This move is going to be scary."

Hearing Lin Fan's words, everyone's hearts jumped into their throats:

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi dared not miss this scene, staring intently at Lin Fan.

Orochimaru practically wanted to record Lin Fan's next move with his own eyes, and then analyze how to deal with it in the third exam:

Kakashi removed his headband, revealing his Sharingan:

Matt Kay frowned:

Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma Sarutobi dared not blink:

Maki nervously swallowed. He had heard about Lin Fan's strength from Gaara and his trio, and even the power that Lin Fan's rabbit had displayed in the first match, which was enough to prove that Lin Fan was definitely not weak.

Shikamaru: "I'm ready."

Lin Fan nodded: "Alright. I'll begin then."

Lin Fan closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, a surge of energy, as if suppressed for a long time, exploded outwards from his position in an instant:

Countless invisible forces shot out in all directions:

Shikamaru felt as if he were seeing a colossal creature in Lin Fan, and his mind went completely blank.

Naruto almost fainted, but he survived thanks to the Nine-Tails' chakra.

Sasuke's Sharingan with its two tomoe widened, his hands gripping the railing tightly, daring not to fall asleep:

Kakashi felt his body become heavy, and a power that he couldn't see with his Sharingan was sweeping over him: What exactly is this?

Might Guy didn't feel much at the time, but he did feel this invisible force sweep across his body: Such a strong aura, is this also a kind of physical technique?

Sarutobi Asuma dropped the cigarette he was holding. As the aura swept over him, he instinctively raised his hand to defend himself. When he realized what he was doing, his eyes widened like quail eggs: I was actually afraid of him?

Kurenai Yuhi, Maki, and the other Jonin all stood firm, their wills forged in place.

Many genin were unconscious, such as Choji Akimichi, who went black before he could even react to what was happening, and Ino and Sakura Haruno, who had just woken up.

Xiao Li held on, but was on the verge of fainting:

Naruto had the Nine-Tails, and Sasuke had the Sharingan; the two of them managed to withstand it.

The remaining Shino Aburame, Tsurugi Inuzuka, and Akamaru couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep on the spot.

Needless to say, Nara Shikamaru's willpower wasn't particularly strong to begin with, and he had already passed out standing up: "You can still stand up under my Haki, kid, you're pretty impressive." Seeing that Shikamaru could stand up and pass out instead of lying on the ground like the others, Lin Fan said, "I acknowledge you based on this kind of willpower. Referee, announce... uh."

Lin Fan wanted to give the opportunity to Shikamaru, but he was only halfway through his sentence when he saw Hayate Gekko, who was originally acting as the referee, roll his eyes and fall to the ground: ...Damn it, you tuberculosis-ridden bastard, I'll heal you when I get back! You're such a waste! You're a Jonin!

Look at all the Jonin here, none of them have fallen! Even Anko, a female ninja, hasn't fallen!

It has to be said that Hayate Gekko's status as a Special Jonin is incredibly low, so low that Lin Fan even suspects he got it through connections. At least in the original manga, Special Jonin could easily go toe-to-toe with Kage-level ninjas, while Hayate Gekko couldn't even escape from a Sand Village Jonin. Even when using his ultimate attack, he couldn't kill the opponent in one hit. Furthermore, knowing his ultimate attack was melee, he didn't even hesitate before charging in, only to be counter-attacked and killed.

The referee was awakened from his coma by the medical ninja's simple treatment. After all, Lin Fan's aura damage only had the function of stunning the opponent. If the opponent was strong and had a strong will, they could avoid being stunned and suffering adverse reactions. If the opponent was not strong enough, even if they could avoid being stunned by having a strong will, they would still be in a state of reduced combat power for a short period of time.

Since Lin Fan voluntarily conceded defeat, Shikamaru is considered the winner of this round.

Originally, it shouldn't count, but out of respect for Lin Fan, Hiruzen Sarutobi said he would give Lin Fan face, so Shikamaru was allowed to pass even though he was unconscious.

If Shikamaru's opponent hadn't been Lin Fan, Sakura Haruno and Ino, who had just awakened, would definitely have made some sarcastic remarks.

Lin Fan, I didn't know you were this strong. You can create such a powerful aura without even using chakra... I admire you more and more.

Orochimaru's gaze was fixed on Lin Fan. He was certain that Lin Fan's attack just now was definitely not a genjutsu or chakra enhancement.

The killing intent he used against Sasuke and Sakura in the Forest of Death was achieved by utilizing the power of genjutsu. He couldn't change his surroundings with just his aura, since he wasn't a ninja with massive chakra like the First or Second Hokage.

Even someone like the First Hokage, who is known as the God of Shinobi, could not possibly stun a weak person from a distance without using chakra.

"What's this move called?" Kakashi's voice rang out.

Upon hearing this, Lin Fan paused and said, "It's called Overlord Haki.

...physical techniques?

"I suppose so. However, it's one in ten thousand, extremely difficult to awaken, and only those with the potential to become kings can awaken it."

Upon hearing Lin Fan's explanation, Kakashi's lips twitched: What kind of shameless explanation is this...?

"The qualifications to become king." Might Guy asked Kakashi with a serious expression, "Kakashi, do you think I can become king?"

Kakashi: ...You little acorn, you want to be king? Be your beast then.

"I think you're good enough to be a military general, but not so good at being a king."

Upon hearing Kakashi's assessment, Might Guy immediately ran to Lin Fan's side and asked, "Can one awaken their powers after becoming a warrior?"

Kakashi: ...I was just saying it offhand, and you actually believed me?

Lin Fan:

...Kakashi just spouted nonsense, and you actually believe him?

"Uh, no. It has to be the king."

Upon hearing Lin Fan's reply, Might Guy returned to Kakashi's side, dejected.

Kakashi's lips twitched violently. He thought to himself that Lin Fan probably didn't even know what qualities he had to become a king. He might just be trying to fool him.

Just as everyone was curious about what qualities a king should possess, the match reached its seventh game, with Naruto facing Kiba Inuzuka:

Naruto: "I will definitely defeat Kiba and become the king!"

Kiba Inuzuka: "Nonsense! I am the one who possesses the qualities of a king!"

Akamaru: "Woof woof!"

Seeing the two men's enthusiasm, Lin Xiaobai said, "Lin Fan, they seem to have been fooled."

Sasuke, who was eavesdropping: ? What?! Lin Fan really was lying to us!! Damn it!!! Once I leave here, I'm going to... give Itachi a good beating!!!

Lin Fan: "I didn't lie to them. This aura is indeed called Conqueror's Haki, but only those with the qualities of a king can suddenly awaken it at a certain time and then master and use it."

Hearing that it was true, Lin Xiaobai and Sasuke were both shocked. Karin and Koto, their two followers, didn't dare to say a word, because they had just experienced the power of Haki and fainted. Those who were also eavesdropping, hearing Lin Fan's confident words, all wondered if they had the qualities of a king.

But if someone has the potential to become a king, wouldn't that make them even stronger than a Hokage? And shouldn't "king" mean a monarch? Does it mean one needs to surpass a Daimyo to awaken something?

While everyone was pondering, Kiba and Naruto were already fighting each other in the audience. Whether it was a prank by the world's will or not, Naruto, just like in the original story, used a fart to suffocate Kiba, and finally won the match with Naruto Barrage, which is the same move Sasuke used.

When Naruto returned to the stands covered in injuries, Hinata carefully took out a tube of ointment for him. However, she hesitated, too shy to ask. Kurenai, seeing Hinata's expression, understood immediately. With Kurenai's help, Naruto successfully accepted the ointment. Hinata then went down to give ointment to Kiba. It must be said that Hinata's personality is still very gentle for her age. Under the protection of her clan, aside from her father's lack of regard and the villagers' children frequently calling her a Byakugan monster, she hasn't suffered much hardship. Perhaps her only hardship was often not having enough to eat, but out of consideration for the clan's reputation, Hinata naturally...

She wouldn't say it out loud, so Hinata's stomach was actually growling with hunger, but she was used to it, so her stomach no longer growled from hunger; she had learned to get used to it.

Seeing Hinata bring him some ointment, Kiba Inuzuka said, "There are only a few enemies left. Besides the one from Sunagakure with the gourd, there's one more. You must admit defeat, understand, Hinata!"

Kiba Inuzuka's feelings for Hinata are probably like an older brother protecting his teammate's younger sister. After all, Hinata likes Naruto, and everyone on the team, even Kakashi from the other team, can see that, except for Naruto, who seems like a simpleton.

"I...I know..."

Although Hinata agreed to Kiba Inuzuka's request, she is actually very strong-willed.

So, during their exchange, the screen changed, and when it finally showed "Hyuga Neji vs. Hyuga Hinata," Hyuga Hinata still gritted her teeth and insisted on walking onto the arena.

Just as Hayate Gekko was about to make the announcement, a larger version of Naruto Uzumaki jumped down from the platform: "Um, can we change it to someone else? It's so boring that it's never my turn."

Upon seeing the appearance of the giant Naruto, everyone present was stunned for a second, and then all the other ninjas except those from Konoha prepared to watch Konoha's good show:

Hayate Gekko thought for a moment and decided to ask the Hokage for his opinion.

After waiting for about five seconds, the Hokage replied, giving Lin Fan face, that the two could switch places, and that anyone with objections should speak to Lin Fan.

Then Hayate Gekko relayed the Hokage's message: "Ahem, since Lin Fan, the genin, has no objections, then Naruto Namikaze will replace Hinata Hyuga."

Naruto Namikaze?

Many village ninjas were unaware of Naruto's true identity in the future, but upon hearing the name Namikaze, many were shocked: Could he be the son of the Fourth Hokage?