Chapter 58: Bold
"With that said, Shigeo-kun, you may take the lead."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Bowing in Hiruzen's direction, the first round's head-proctor walked to the front, standing next to Orochimaru. Massaging his neck, he spoke calmly.
"Some of you may remember me from the first round… For those who don't… My name is Shigeo Nara. Although you've all managed to survive the forest of death, we've come across a slight problem…"
"...!"
As everyone listened attentively, he continued.
"Too many people have passed the exam… So we'll have to cut down the numbers to proceed with the third round. For that, we'll carry out an elimination round."
"What…!?"
Hearing his words, everyone was shocked. Did that mean that they hadn't officially passed the second round yet? With his eyes wide open, Ren felt the pressure mounting.
"Ahem… For the next round, we only need eight participants, so four of you will be eliminated. A total of seven fights will decide who passes and who doesn't-"
"Excuse me, that doesn't make sense."
"..."
Raising his hand, Minato caught everyone's attention. With a serious face, he continued.
"If we were to hold a fair contest, everyone would fight at least once. There are only seven fights, which means that one of us will not participate… How are you going to select the contestants?"
Hearing his words, Shigeo made a rare smile… This kid was sharp.
"You'll be selected randomly. It'll all depend on your luck and strength."
"But.."
Seeing all of their reactions, Shigeo sighed. As he was about to explain, Jun spoke up, drawing everyone's gaze.
"If you're strong enough to move on to the next round, then this shouldn't be a problem for you. In a way, they're also pulling out the weeds before the main event."
"...!"
Hiruzen's interest was piqued... Behind him, all of the Jōnin were also paying attention.
This kid was quite bold.
"Can we skip the meaningless chatter and move on to the fights? I want to get out of this damn tower already."
Yawning, Jun ignored everyone's eyes as he stared at Shigeo.
"Well, you sure are impatient... Anyways, I was also getting tired of all this explaining."
Smiling, Shigeo pointed at an electronic display behind him. It started to roll names until two were selected. Seeing them, Nozomi paled.
"Hyūga Nozomi vs. Hyūga Hizashi."
"Two Hyūga right off the bat… This sounds promising."
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All of the Genin were ordered to move over to the platforms with their respective teachers. From above, Minato and Jun observed their teammate.
"I believe in Nozomi… She's strong."
Minato had a determined expression on his face as he cheered for her in his head. Next to him, Jun had a wry smile. Ever since they had entered the room, he noticed her slight change in character.
'This will be a turning point for you… If you can overcome this, it will be extremely beneficial for your development…'
He could only hope she pulled through, after all, he couldn't help her with family matters.
Behind him, Jiraiya also noticed Nozomi's slight change in attitude. Crossing his arms, he prayed for her safety.
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Down in the arena, it was only her and Hizashi. Looking into his eyes, Nozomi remembered that day once again, filling her with remorse and sadness.
Seeing the look in her eyes, Hizashi gnashed his teeth but remained quiet… He hated his clan, and he hated the way Nozomi looked at him… As if he was some kind of pitiful person.
Looking up, he made eye-contact with Hiashi, his brother. Seeing his high-and-mighty demeanor only made him more solemn.
'With brother watching, I'll demonstrate my strength.'
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