Warlock Invasion of Naruto.

As a distinguished guest of Konoha, Bai Yu naturally came to the center of the tower.

However, his gaze remained fixed on a person standing in the corridor directly opposite. The person had fair skin and wore a headband from the Sound Village, making him look like a Jonin leading a team from the Sound Village.

However, Bai Yu knew that the person was Orochimaru.

The Otsutsuki clan's concealment techniques are indeed astonishing; they not only conceal chakra aura but also alter Orochimaru's chakra characteristics.

If it weren't for the special radiant power emanating from Orochimaru, Shiraha would probably have had a hard time seeing through his disguise.

At this moment, the chief examiner for the second exam, Gekko Hayate, arrived in front of the group of candidates.

He looked weak and coughed a few times before saying, "Congratulations to everyone for passing the second exam. Now I will explain the new rules to all candidates from other villages. Because there are too many candidates who passed the second exam, a preliminary round will be held before the third exam begins. Only the winners will be qualified to enter the third exam."

After hearing Hayate Gekko's explanation, the arena fell silent, just like the Chunin Exams a few years ago.

Therefore, the ninjas from other villages are generally aware of this rule.

However, just as Moonlight Gale finished speaking, it was clear that many people in the candidate line sighed, because they still clung to a last shred of hope.

After all, entering the third exam would give them a chance to shine in front of the entire village, as well as high-ranking officials and dignitaries from various countries—a rare opportunity indeed.

"Since no one has any objections, I will continue reading the rules. We will now proceed with one-on-one combat until one side surrenders or loses the ability to resist. At that point, the examiner will terminate the test. Candidates who feel they do not have the strength to participate in the preliminary rounds may withdraw now. Your withdrawal will not affect your teammates' participation in the preliminary rounds."

Moonlight Gale added one more sentence at the end.

The candidates fell into a brief silence, but soon some of them chose to leave.

"I'm quitting."

"Me too."

"I abstain."

Those who barely passed the exam all gave up.

Soon, only 40 of the 92 candidates who passed the second exam remained, enough for 20 matches without any byes.

"The qualifiers are now beginning."

After confirming that no one had left, Moonlight Gale nodded, and the electronic screen on the wall above him began to scroll rapidly.

——Shion Yagami vs. Mitsuko Yagami——

Right off the bat, it's the civil war in Uzushio Ninja Village.

Upon seeing this, Moonlight Gale was taken aback.

To maintain a relatively fair period, internal battles between ninjas from other villages are generally avoided, but this is likely a coincidence.

He addressed the examinees waiting in the upper corridor: "Examinees, please have Yagami Shion and Yagami Tai enter the arena."

The ninjas watching the battle all focused their attention on Shion and Taichi, since both of them were descendants of Shiraha.

During the previous Chunin Exams, Kimimaro, Haku, and Meteorite left a deep impression on the Konoha ninjas.

Kimimaro and Haku were only 8 years old when they took the exam, yet they already possessed strength approaching that of a Jonin.

Of Bai Yu's three children, Taichi and Mitsuko are both 12 years old, and Shion is 14. As Bai Yu's descendants, all three may possess strength comparable to Jonin, making them among the strongest in this Chunin Exam.

"Sorry, I give up!"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, before even stepping off the stage, Ziyuan raised her hand and addressed Moonlight Gale below.

"what?"

"What's going on?"

"To prevent internal strife?"

"A wise choice, though a bit boring."

Many ninjas and examinees watching the battle showed disappointment. After all, Bai Yu can now be considered the strongest in the ninja world, and his descendants must also be very powerful. They wanted to see the true strength of Shion and Taichi!

I was extremely disappointed.

"Sister Shion?" Mitsuko looked at Shion with a puzzled expression.

Ziyuan smiled and said, "If we were to fight, it wouldn't be a quick battle to determine a winner. Aren't you very interested in this exam?"

"What Sister Ziyuan meant was that she was afraid you would be upset if you couldn't beat her, so she let you win," Taiyi chuckled from the side.

Photon glared at Taiichi: "I think you're asking for a beating!"

Tai immediately covered his mouth.

In terms of combat strength, the strongest among the three is actually Kou, followed by Taiichi, and then Shion.

However, in the actual competition, the strongest was actually Shion, followed by Kou, and Taichi was the weakest.

This is because it is determined by the three people's innate magical abilities.

Shion's "Substitute Kodama" can block all attacks, including soul spells and curse spells, so to fight her, you must exhaust her magic power and mental power, otherwise you will not be able to hurt her at all.

As long as Shion still has magic and mental power to activate "Substitute Kodama", she will not have a physical body.

However, Shion's attack ability is not very good.

Therefore, if facing other enemies of similar strength, Photon would definitely be the first to defeat them, followed by Taiyi, since Taiyi also practices "Secret Martial Arts".

Of course, Shion's offensive capabilities are relatively weak compared to her ability to survive.

"The winner is Mitsuko Yagami." Hayate Gekko was surprised, but he immediately announced the result and then turned to look at the electronic screen.

Soon, the electronic screen started scrolling, then stopped.

—Gaara vs. Haruto Yamazaki—

"Ahem... Please invite candidates Gaara and Yamazaki Haruto to come up." Gekko Hayate coughed twice.

Seeing that he hadn't met up with Mitsuko, Gaara looked somewhat disappointed. As he looked at the Amegakure ninja walking down in front of him, a bloodthirsty glint appeared in his eyes.

"Please...please take care of me." Yamazaki Haruto sensed Gaara's powerful killing intent, and his expression immediately became tense.

Gaara remained silent, and the gourd behind him opened, releasing a large amount of yellow sand into the air.

"Begin." With a command from Hayate Gekko, the sand floating behind Gaara shot towards Haruto Yamazaki.

Haruto Yamazaki's expression changed instantly, as he was in grave danger under the high-frequency attack of the sand.

"I admit it... Ah!"

'Sandstorm is a funeral!'

Haruto Yamazaki was surrounded by sand and was about to admit defeat, but before he could finish speaking, the sand around him suddenly tightened.

puff!

Blood splattered.

"what!"

Some of the candidates in the room couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

Especially Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, and others who were participating in the Chunin Selection Exams for the first time.

"What a monster! I'd better just admit defeat if I encounter him again." Kiba Inuzuka felt a chill run down his spine. Even if he could pass the preliminary rounds, if he faced Gaara in the third match, he would probably have no choice but to admit defeat sooner.

"What a nuisance. What kind of people are taking this exam?"

Nara Shikamaru also looked at Gaara with a serious expression.

"That guy is too cruel!" Naruto frowned.

"The winner is Gaara." Gekko Hayate frowned slightly as he announced the result. Before he could even come to his aid, Gaara had already delivered the fatal blow. However, Yamazaki Haruto himself hadn't conceded in time, so there was nothing he could do.

The sand that had absorbed the blood slowly returned to the gourd. When Gaara returned to the second floor, the examinees lowered their heads when they met his gaze, but a few were not afraid of Gaara at all.

Soon, the third match began.

—Yagami Taichi vs. Namikaze Karin—

"Namikaze? The daughter of the Golden Flash?!"

"This is going to be good!"

The ninjas from other villages immediately became interested, since the upcoming battle was likely to be the main event.

At this moment, Naruto and Sasuke gathered around Karin, whispering something to each other.

"Um... I give up." Karin conceded defeat before Gekko Hayate could even speak.

After all, Sasuke was easily defeated by Taiichi, and her strength was even inferior to Sasuke's. If they really fought, she would only humiliate herself. Moreover, this exam was a matter of life and death, and it would be dangerous if the examiners couldn't come to her rescue in time.

So, before Naruto and Sasuke could even offer her a few words of advice, she gave up.

"Admitting defeat again?"

"Are these the ninjas of Konoha?"

The ninja from the outer village showed a mocking expression, and the Konoha ninjas also looked rather unpleasant, but they didn't say anything.

......

I surrender!

"Me too!"

"I... admit defeat too."

With a leader who was also a very strong person, coupled with the gruesome scene of Yamazaki Haruto's death, some ninjas who were preparing to continue the exam and gain more practical experience chose to give up without hesitation.

My life is more important.

Ultimately, Taichi, Mitsuko, Sasuke, Naruto, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Neji, and Lee advanced to the third exam.

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[261. Chapter 254 The Great Battle (Part 1)]

After announcing the nine people who had advanced to the third exam, Gekko Hayate informed them that the third exam would be held in half a month.

The Konoha ninjas and ninjas from other villages who were present gradually left the scene.

In the end, only Hiruzen Sarutobi and a few Konoha Jonin remained.

A short while later, Jiraiya arrived at the tower hall.