Sakura Haruno is Usefull

Undoubtedly, Akatsuchi emerged victorious.

As the future bodyguard of the Tsuchikage, how could Akatsuchi—who wields more than mere bell illusions—be challenged by Kin?

The stone golem summoned by Akatsuchi struck the ground with a deafening roar, breaking Kin's auditory-genjutsu concentration.

Moreover, Kin relied on senbon, a ninja tool with insufficient lethality.

In the end, Akatsuchi delivered a heavy punch, knocking her out cold without an ounce of mercy.

"Well done, Akatsuchi!"

As Hayate Gekkō declared the victory, Kurotsuchi, standing in the second-floor corridor, cheered enthusiastically.

Kakashi glanced briefly at the burly Akatsuchi, impressed—clearly, the participants had been carefully chosen.

"Alright, moving on to the second match."

With the Sound ninja girl carried off, the electronic screen initiated a new round of "random" selections.

Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akadō Yoroi

Without hesitation, Sasuke leapt from the second-floor corridor into the arena.

The name "Uchiha" carried significant weight in the ninja world, especially as Sasuke was the last surviving Uchiha.

"Heh, this kid's quite handsome."

Kurotsuchi smiled as she watched Sasuke step into the arena.

Beside her, Kitsuchi cast a wary glance at his daughter, his gaze on Sasuke filled with concern.

As for Sasuke's opponent? No one paid him any attention—he was just a small fry.

Sakura, watching the inevitable outcome, already found it boring.

In the original story, even a chakra-depleted Sasuke defeated Yoroi, so there was no suspense with Sasuke now in peak condition, having mastered both the nature and shape transformations of Lightning Release.

It was a complete rout; Yoroi's half-baked body modifications stood no chance.

Temari vs. Tenten: Temari wins.

Sakon vs. Aburame Shino: Shino wins.

Chōji vs. Kiba: A tie.

Watching the chaotic collision of Chōji's Human Bullet Tank and Kiba's Fang Over Fang, Sakura couldn't help but chuckle as the two synchronizedly knocked themselves unconscious.

Naruto, Shikamaru, Chōji, and Kiba had been close friends since childhood. Clearly, in the smoke-filled chaos, they had reached some sort of agreement to "pass out" together.

Kakashi sighed, speechless, as he noticed Chōji, lying on the stretcher, scratching his backside when he thought no one was looking.

Meanwhile, the electronic screen began another match.

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Dōsu

"Alright!"

"It's my turn!"

With a cheer, Naruto leapt from the second floor straight into the arena.

On the other side, the bandaged Dōsu turned pale at the sight of the blond.

In the Forest of Death, he had already faced Naruto's overwhelming clone barrage and had even seen his sound-based ninja tools shattered by a single Rasengan.

"I surrender."

Dōsu raised the white flag without hesitation.

"Dōsu forfeits. The winner is Uzumaki Naruto."

Hayate Gekkō promptly announced the result.

"Huh? Come on..."

Barely two minutes into his match, Naruto returned to the second floor with a resigned expression.

Gaara vs. Nara Shikamaru

Shikamaru winced as his name appeared on the screen.

"Wait, I have to fight Gaara?!"

During the Forest of Death, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio had inadvertently encountered the Sand team, and Gaara's bloody methods and overwhelming strength were still fresh in Shikamaru's mind.

"Shikamaru, do your best! You can win!"

Ino encouraged him, her optimism unwavering.

Shikamaru glanced at her, exasperated.

"Yeah, sure—I'm definitely gonna die."

Turning to Hayate, he raised his hand.

"I forfeit."

"What?! Shikamaru, you too?"

Naruto, unaware of Gaara's abilities, protested.

Gaara, standing nearby, simply closed his eyes without reacting.

Kurotsuchi vs. Kankurō

Ignoring the commotion, Hayate announced the next match.

The granddaughter of the Tsuchikage and the son of the Kazekage jumped into the arena without hesitation.

The battle pitted Iwagakure's Light and Heavy Rock techniques against Sunagakure's Puppet Jutsu.

"Ugh, troublesome."

Kankurō grimaced as he assessed his opponent.

He knew Kurotsuchi's identity and strength, which didn't bode well for him.

To make matters worse, Kurotsuchi took to the skies, an advantageous position that rendered Kankurō's puppet's attacks ineffective.

Stone spikes rained down relentlessly, consuming minimal chakra and requiring simple hand signs. Occasionally, Kurotsuchi swooped in for a kick, adding insult to injury with mocking taunts like "idiot," "fool," and "useless."

Eventually, Kankurō's morale broke, and he surrendered.

Haruno Sakura vs. Yamanaka Ino

When their names appeared, the expressions of Konoha's ninjas grew complicated.

Ino and Sakura's close friendship was well-known.

"Huh? I'm fighting Sakura? No way."

Ino rubbed her eyes in disbelief.

"Go for it, Ino. Make sure Sakura advances to the next round," Shikamaru teased, grinning mischievously.

Annoyed, Ino snapped back, "Hmph! Even if it's Sakura, I'll still... win!"

Though her confidence wavered, Ino steeled herself and stepped into the arena.

From above, both Rock Lee and Naruto cheered Sakura on.

"Sakura, go for it!"

"Knock Ino out!"

"Will you two shut up?!"

Ino shouted at the energetic duo.

Standing opposite each other, Sakura formed a hand sign at her chest—the Leaf Village's "Seal of Reconciliation."

This gesture symbolized that their duel was purely a friendly contest and that they could entrust their lives to one another after the battle.

Seeing this, Kakashi's visible eye curved into a crescent, clearly pleased.

This would undoubtedly be the most amicable duel of the exam.

As for Chōji and Kiba? They had been an embarrassment, thinking no one noticed their blatant collusion.

"Hmph. Sakura, I won't lose to you."

Ino smirked, though a genuine smile flickered before she quickly masked it with a serious expression.

After all, Sakura had secretly sought out that red-haired ninja during the Chūnin Exam. Ino wasn't about to let that slide!

She was determined to get her revenge.

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