Chapter Sixteen: A Battle Filled with the Scent of Love!

Unlike in the original, where there were far more teams, the second round of the exam ended swiftly. Sasuke’s three-man squad advanced effortlessly to the third round and now stood at the moment of the preliminary matches!

This time, Haoyun did not choose to stand idly by. Instead, as their mentor, he arrived early in the battle room.

“First of all, congratulations to all of you for making it through the second round,” the examiner began, following tradition. The Third Hokage rambled on, tirelessly promoting his Will of Fire and the significance of the third round.

Haoyun surveyed the ninja below. Observing the candidates, who looked much like those in the original story, he couldn’t help but marvel at the power of the plot. The ninjas who passed the exam included the Twelve of the Leaf, the Sand Village’s three prodigies, and three Sound Village ninjas. Yes, it was almost identical to the original.

“So, ahem… to save time for the third round, we’ll first conduct a selection match. Ahem… The rule for the selection, ahem… is random duels! The victor advances, the loser is eliminated!~ Ahem…” The proctor for this round, Special Jonin Hayate Gekkou, announced.

Haoyun glanced speechlessly at the examiner. Wasn’t he practically on his deathbed, yet still presiding over the matches? Third Hokage, have you no conscience at all? Shouldn’t a ninja in Hayate’s condition be sent to a doctor first, rather than being forced to work?

“Now, let the drawing begin!~”

“The first match: Tenten versus Neji!~”

“Haha, it’s an intra-squad match!~ Tenten, Neji, go and unleash your youthful vigor!~” Guy, clad in his signature green jumpsuit, bounced about energetically, seemingly unfazed by the intra-squad draw.

Haoyun stared at the matchup draw, dumbfounded. According to the story, wasn’t it supposed to be Neji versus Hinata, and Tenten against Temari? What on earth was Tenten versus Neji? He knew Tenten had always had a crush on Neji, and even the creators made them a canon couple… So, was this supposed to be a lover’s duel?

Tenten and Neji, however, didn’t have as many thoughts as Haoyun. The moment their names were drawn, they immediately leapt down from the high platform, preparing on the central stage.

Tenten, holding two sealing scrolls, blushed slightly. “Neji, be careful…”

“Mmm, I’ll go easy on you,” Neji replied. Though his face was expressionless, there was an uncharacteristic gentleness in his words.

Hayate Gekkou glanced from Neji to Tenten. For the first time, he felt this match might have nothing to do with him!

“First match: Tenten versus Neji, begin!~”

“Ninjutsu: Twin Rising Dragons!~”

“Ninjutsu: Rotation!~”

The ensuing match unfolded with Tenten, clutching two sealing scrolls, soaring into the air and hurling a relentless barrage of ninja tools; while Neji spun in place, unleashing chakra from his tenketsu to form a circular defense, deflecting all the projectiles to the ground.

Curiously, though Neji’s Rotation could have sent the weapons flying back toward Tenten, under his careful control not a single one was returned. The match became a flawless demonstration of offense and defense—if one looked closely at Tenten’s gaze, they might even discern hints of affection and romance, a veritable feast of dog food.

The match continued for ten minutes, finally ending when Tenten exhausted her supply of ninja tools. One couldn’t help but note Tenten truly lived up to her reputation as the Leaf’s wealthiest kunoichi; expensive weapons covered the stage in a thick layer, and she’d used no fewer than ten sealing scrolls.

“Tenten, you’ve lost.”

With Tenten out of weapons and forced to the ground, Neji used the Body Flicker Technique to land before her, kunai poised a full hand’s breadth from her throat.

If Neji possessed Kage-level speed, Tenten might have managed to perform a substitution technique at the last second and escape with a scratch.

“You’re amazing, Neji,” Tenten said, not even struggling, face flushed as she stepped down from the stage.

The audience was silent. No applause, no exclamations—just a pervasive sense of having been thoroughly fed. Hayate Gekkou summoned several people to clean up the stage and reseal the weapons into their scrolls. It took a full ten minutes before the next draw could begin.

On the screen, the portraits flickered violently before settling on Hinata and Naruto.

“Uh…” Haoyun glanced at the Third Hokage, whose expression seemed off. Wasn’t this supposed to be a test? A battle? Why did it feel more like a matchmaking event?

Or perhaps the Third, knowing his days were numbered, was arranging the marriages of the next generation in advance?

On the stage, Hinata and Naruto leapt up. Hinata’s head was steaming, her cheeks crimson, and her index fingers poked at each other nervously.

“Naruto, please take care of me…” she murmured, so softly anyone could see how deeply she loved him.

Naruto, oblivious as always, stood tall and formed the hand seal to start the match. “Hinata! Please take care of me!” he shouted, voice loud as ever. He saluted, then assumed a defensive stance, eyes fixed on Hinata as he searched for an opening.

Then, under Naruto’s intense gaze, Hinata let out a soft whimper and fainted on the spot.

“Hinata, we’re fighting!~ Don’t pretend to faint—I won’t fall for it!~” Naruto, seeing her collapse, not only didn’t rush to help, but stayed put, shouting at her.

Haoyun covered his face. This disciple of his… It seemed he’d have to teach him how to fall in love as well. Otherwise, with that block-headed personality, he’d be single for life!

Hayate Gekkou could stand it no longer and cleared his throat. “Ahem, Naruto, Hinata’s really fainted. So, you win!~”

“Huh? How did Hinata faint?” Naruto scratched his head, dumbfounded. Even Sakura in the stands couldn’t watch any longer; she rushed down and gave Naruto a sharp flick on the forehead.

“Idiot! Don’t waste a girl’s feelings! Hurry up and go carry Hinata! Princess carry, remember!”

“No need!~” Before Naruto could react, Neji jumped down to lift Hinata back onto the platform. “We of the Hyuga clan do not lightly accept outsiders into the family!”

Everyone looked at Neji askance. Was now really the time to worry about in-laws? Weren’t they supposed to be fighting? When had this turned into matchmaking?

Surely, the Leaf wasn’t the greatest ninja village in the world, but rather the greatest matchmaking one? That had to be it!

With just two matches, two couples had already been formed. Honestly! Was this really a tournament? This couldn’t possibly be a battle arena—it had to be a confession stage!

Even the exam proctor, Hayate Gekkou, was embarrassed by the odd looks being exchanged. He hurriedly waved his hand and loudly called for the next random match.

And then—

“The third match: Temari versus Shikamaru Nara!”

Once the names were drawn, everyone looked at Shikamaru and Temari with peculiar expressions… Was this going to be Temari confessing to Shikamaru, or Shikamaru to Temari?

“No!~ I object!~” Kankuro stood up bravely. “I absolutely oppose my sister marrying a Leaf ninja…”