Before the proctor could even respond to the Third Kazekage, Sakumo had already raised his right hand. Even though it stung his pride, he could see the gap in strength between himself and the Third Kazekage. There was no point in continuing the fight—he had no chance of winning.
"I lost." Sakumo turned to the proctor and officially admitted defeat.
"A wise choice." The Third Kazekage smirked as he released his control over Sakumo's Chakra Short Blade.
And with that, the proctor formally announced the match results.
Winner—The Third Kazekage from Sunagakure!
Sakumo's expression darkened slightly. He had always known that the ninjas participating in this Chunin Exam were the best Genin from various villages. It was only natural that there would be stronger opponents. But still—getting eliminated here left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"You did really well." Kazekaze stepped forward, patting Sakumo on the shoulder.
"You're only eight years old. You've still got time. Just try again next year."
The moment he heard this, Sakumo's mouth twitched slightly. Of all the people—he really didn't want to hear this from Kazekaze.
'You're younger than me by a whole year!'
And yet— Kazekaze had already made it to his side, looking completely unbothered.
Clearly, that meant… Another instant kill victory. Another easy advancement to the finals. Even though Sakumo wasn't physically strong enough to compete, his analytical skills were top-notch.
"Congratulations, Kazekaze." Despite his loss, Sakumo was not a sore loser.
As Kazekaze's comrade, he was genuinely happy for him. Even though… This was the result he had already expected. With Kazekaze's strength, Sakumo couldn't even imagine a scenario where he would lose.
"Let's go eat something." Kazekaze patted Sakumo's shoulder again.
"We've had a long series of matches—it's time to refuel."
Speaking of which… During the Second Shinobi War, Sakumo had killed Sasori's parents. This event had pushed Sasori into his obsession with puppets, ultimately leading him to murder the Third Kazekage and turn him into a human puppet.
Thinking about this, Kazekaze couldn't help but glance at the Third Kazekage.
"It's not over yet, Kazekaze." Just as Kazekaze was about to take Sakumo for some grilled meat, Sarutobi quickly reminded him.
"There's still the drawing to determine your opponent for the finals."
"Oh, right." Kazekaze muttered under his breath.
He had honestly forgotten the exact process of the Chunin Exams. Since Sarutobi brought it up, he put aside the idea of grilled meat for now.
Once all the elimination matches were finished, the sixteen Genin who advanced to the finals were gathered at Field No.6 under the proctors' direction.
Kazekaze scanned the faces around him. Aside from the Third Kazekage, there was no one else he recognized.
Judging from their forehead protectors, the group consisted of:
Nine Konoha ninjasThree from IwagakureTwo from SunagakureOne from TakigakureOne from Kusagakure
"No wonder they hold the Chunin Exams twice a year."
Even if every single finalist got promoted, Konoha would only gain nine new Chunin. And realistically, that never happened.
'During Naruto's Chunin Exam, only Shikamaru got promoted.'
'In a way, the Chunin Exams are actually pretty brutal.'
In other words—every Konoha Chunin had to be one of the best among hundreds.
'But now that I think about it… how the hell did someone like Iruka pass the Chunin Exam?'
As Kazekaze was lost in his thoughts, Tobirama, standing on the observation platform, suddenly spoke. The moment he began talking, the entire examination field fell silent. Especially the proctors—they all immediately straightened their backs and looked at him with respect. Even though Tobirama hadn't been officially appointed yet, to everyone here, he was already the Second Hokage.
"First, I want to congratulate all of you. You have successfully advanced to the final stage of the Chunin Exam!"
After that, Tobirama gestured for Sarutobi to bring out a box and walk toward the Genin. Unlike the elimination round, victory or defeat wasn't the sole factor in promotion. The final matches were meant to evaluate overall performance. Because of this, there was no need for any secret arrangements.
"Each of you will draw a slip of paper from the box." Tobirama's gaze swept over the group.
"Kazekaze, you go first."
Sarutobi held out a wooden box, stopping in front of Kazekaze.
"Alright." Kazekaze casually pulled out a random slip of paper.
One by one, the other Genin followed his example. Finally—when the last paper was drawn, Sarutobi returned to Tobirama's side.
"Alright, now announce your numbers, from left to right."
"I'm number one." Kazekaze spoke first, followed by a series of responses from the others.
"I'm seven."
"Eight."
"I got eleven."
"Mine's thirteen."
…
Once everyone had revealed their numbers, Tobirama announced the final match-ups!
In reality—
The numbers they drew determined their opponents.
Number 1 vs. Number 2Number 3 vs. Number 4…and so on.
"So that means my opponent in the finals is…"
Kazekaze's eyes narrowed as he recalled the numbers.
The Genin who drew number 2 was… The Third Kazekage!
"Him, huh."
Kazekaze turned to glance at his next opponent. The Third Kazekage was also looking back at him. When the Third Kazekage saw Kazekaze's youthful face, he immediately remembered seeing him watching Sakumo's match earlier.
"Ah, that kid from before. I never expected that my opponent in the finals would be him." Kazekaze muttered under his breath.
His goal was to replace Sarutobi Hiruzen as the Third Hokage. And now, his opponent was— The future Third Kazekage.