socalfunplaces Chapter 31 Preparatory Exam
Chapter 31 Preparatory Exam
Sakura sat alone on a high platform, still struggling with the decision of whether or not to participate in the Chunin Selection Exams.
She murmured to herself, her voice hesitant, "The Chunin Exams..."
"Yo." Sakura was lost in her thoughts when Sasuke's voice suddenly came from below, interrupting her reverie.
Upon hearing Sasuke's voice, Sakura immediately turned around, a hint of surprise on her face, and said, "Ah! Sasuke! Is there something you need?"
For the first time ever, Sasuke invited Sakura to go for a walk: "Sakura, would you like to come for a walk with me?"
Sakura blushed immediately upon hearing Sasuke's invitation, looking somewhat incredulous at her ears: "You're kidding...really?"
......
Sakura, watching Sasuke walk silently ahead, couldn't help but ask, "Um... Sasuke, why did you suddenly call me out?"
When Sakura asked him about it, Sasuke said bluntly, "Sakura, I think you shouldn't participate in this Chunin Exams. It might be too much for you."
Sakura seemed to have resigned herself to her fate, sighing and saying, "Is that so... I knew it..."
Sasuke continued, "The Chunin Exams are filled with many skilled fighters, and the competition is extremely fierce. A slight mistake could lead to danger, or even death."
Sakura's eyes lit up when she heard Sasuke's words, and she asked excitedly, "Sasuke, are you worried about me?"
Sasuke replied noncommittally, "Yes, after all, we're a team of four, which will greatly increase the difficulty of the exam. Perhaps you could reluctantly withdraw from this Chunin Exam? It would make things easier for us. I really want to pass this Chunin Exam, so..."
During Sasuke and Sakura's conversation, a man in black appeared silently behind them, interrupting their chatter: "You two still have such leisure time."
Sasuke's gaze swept coldly over the man in black: "Get out of my way! If you don't want to die."
The man in black suddenly attacked, leaping out from the shadows and throwing several darts at Sasuke.
The darts were knocked down by Sasuke in mid-air, making a crisp sound, and scattered on the ground.
The man in black swiftly pulled out an iron umbrella from behind his back and hurled it at Sasuke.
Seeing this, Sasuke quickly threw his kunai as well, which collided with the iron umbrella in mid-air.
The collision between the two produced intense sparks. The iron umbrella suddenly exploded at the moment of impact, turning into countless sharp kunai that rained down on Sasuke, stirring up a cloud of dust.
As the dust settled, Sasuke's figure reappeared, but he lay in a pool of blood, his body pierced by kunai, like a hedgehog.
The man in black turned his gaze to Sakura, his tone threatening: "If you don't want to end up like him, then give up on the Chunin Exams!"
"Sasuke! I don't want you to die!" Sakura saw Sasuke lying in a pool of blood and immediately ran over to hug his body and cried bitterly.
A sly smile suddenly flashed across Sakura's face. She stood up from beside Sasuke's "corpse" and said teasingly, "...Yeah, right. If you think I would say that, you're sorely mistaken."
Sakura continued, "I saw through your low-level illusion from the very beginning."
"What!?" The man in black looked surprised when he heard Sakura's words. He obviously did not expect that his illusion would be seen through by Sakura so quickly.
He originally thought that Sakura would panic and lose her will to fight.
"Putting aside the fact that the real Sasuke wouldn't invite me out for a walk," Sakura said to herself, "besides, Sasuke wouldn't be so weak as to be easily defeated in a single exchange."
Sakura said confidently, "The illusions you've shown are far from enough to deceive me, and besides, I've already figured out that you're not here either."
The man in black suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, his laughter filled with provocation and confidence: "Hahaha, who knows!" His laughter echoed in the air, and then he threw the iron umbrella in his hand, heading straight for Sakura.
Sakura, instead of backing down from the attack by the man in black, met it head-on. Sure enough, it was all an illusion, and the attack caused no harm.
Sakura smiled smugly: "See! Your illusions have no effect on me."
Seeing this, the man in black believed that Sakura had truly seen through his illusion.
The man in black smirked and provocatively said, "Indeed, as expected of Kakashi's subordinate, your insight is truly remarkable. But in the real Chunin Exams, all these genjutsu will become reality. Can you really withstand it?"
As soon as the man in black finished speaking, his figure vanished into thin air like smoke, along with the illusion of Sasuke lying on the ground.
Everything around them returned to calm, as if the battle had never happened.
Sakura clenched her fist and said, "Perfect! I'm ready to take on any challenge! The Chunin Exams and all that! The Chunin Exams and all that... I guess I still lack confidence." Sakura looked a little dejected at the end.
Elsewhere in Konoha, the remaining nine, including Boruto, Naruto, and Sasuke, also encountered various forms of attacks from the men in black.
Some of these attacks are direct physical attacks, while others are more covert illusions and psychological tactics. Everyone must rely on their own abilities to cope with these unexpected challenges.
......
On a dark and stormy night, Kakashi was sitting alone on the roof when the man in black who had attacked them suddenly appeared behind him.
Kakashi, still with his back to the man in black, calmly said, "How was it? A special preparatory exam that you prepared for so long."
The man in black said calmly, "All ten new recruits have passed the test, just as you said." With a soft thud, the man in black returned to his original appearance, revealing his true identity.
Umino Iruka continued, "Their strength has improved significantly."
Kakashi nodded and said, "The real Chunin Exams are far more complicated and difficult than this; they can't be resolved so easily."
Iruka Umino's gaze drifted into the distance, following his thoughts, and he said, "Next, we'll see how they perform in the Chunin Selection Exams. I wonder what kind of potential they'll show in such a formal setting..."