Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

In the blink of an eye, it was already the next morning.

Thanks to the medical-nin's treatment and a night of rest, the conditions of the twenty-eight remaining candidates had improved significantly.

Just then, the creaking sound of a large door being pushed open echoed through the space.

Led by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, more than a dozen shinobi stepped into the hall.

Among them were not only the proctors from the first and second rounds of the exam, but also many of the examinees' instructors.

If Furukawa were still alive, he would have appeared here too. Unfortunately, he was already dead.

However, Haruki did spot a familiar face in the crowd.

Well… maybe not exactly "familiar."

It was the same Uchiha jōnin—Uchiha Jiren—who had once come to deliver him condolence money and a living stipend.

The moment their eyes met, Haruki gave a slight nod.

Seeing this, Uchiha Jiren nodded in return.

He had come today on behalf of the Uchiha clan, to represent and support Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Haruki.

There was no question about Shisui—he was a widely recognized genius within the Uchiha clan and needed to be protected at all costs.

But Haruki…

Back when Jiren had been ordered by the Great Elder to observe him, he had concluded that Haruki likely wouldn't awaken the Sharingan at all.

And yet, just a few months later, Haruki not only awakened it—but had already progressed to the double tomoe form.

All Jiren could say was: the world is unpredictable.

But he could understand why.

After all, in just a few months, Haruki had lost two teammates and a teacher in quick succession. It wasn't unusual for such trauma to trigger the awakening of the Sharingan.

What puzzled him, however, was why Haruki hadn't awakened it earlier—like when he'd first heard of his parents' deaths.

Could it be that not seeing it with his own eyes dulled the emotional impact? Jiren pondered silently, keeping a composed expression.

Once everyone was in position, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a brief speech filled with grand ideals before officially announcing the start of the third round of the Chūnin Exams.

Immediately, a Konoha jōnin stepped forward and said, "I will be overseeing this round. Here are the rules."

Everyone perked up and listened carefully.

"First, this round will be one-on-one. Each participant may choose to withdraw at any time, of their own free will.

Second, the round will take the form of actual combat. Two names will be drawn at random for each match. The winner will advance to the next round. This process will continue until we determine the final top candidate.

Additionally, there are no restrictions on combat methods. Victory will be decided by either a knockout, death, or voluntary surrender."

The moment these words left his mouth, the room became noticeably tense.

"However…"

The proctor's tone suddenly shifted. "To prevent unnecessary deaths, if I determine that the outcome is already decided, I will intervene and stop the match. At that point, both participants must cease all attacks."

"Now then… does anyone wish to withdraw?"

The room remained silent.

No one spoke up.

The proctor scanned the faces of the twenty-eight examinees and nodded in satisfaction. "Since no one is backing out, I now declare the exam officially underway!"

He signaled to a nearby chūnin, who brought forward a wooden box.

Reaching in, the proctor pulled out two slips of paper, unfolded them, and read aloud: "Yōto! Akai Fūju!"

A tall and a short examinee stepped forward from the group.

The others filed up to the second-floor balcony of the tower, where they could clearly observe the battles below.

"Begin!"

The moment the proctor gave the command, Yōto and Akai Fūju immediately pulled out kunai and clashed.

The sound of clashing metal rang out non-stop. Their close-combat skills were evenly matched, and for a while, neither could gain the upper hand.

Eventually, it was Yōto who managed to edge out a win.

Willing to take a hit to buy time, he suddenly leapt back, then skillfully performed an Earth-Style jutsu—Mud Binding Technique—to trap Akai Fūju.

He followed it up by flinging a handful of shuriken aimed directly at Fūju's eyes and throat.

With both hands restrained, Fūju couldn't counter in time and had no choice but to surrender. The proctor deflected the shuriken before they struck.

This battle was… competent, but unremarkable.

Yōto's quick decision to trade injury for opportunity gave him an early lead, which secured his victory.

Otherwise, it could've gone either way.

"First match, Yōto wins!" the proctor announced.

As the two left the stage, he reached into the wooden box again and read the next pair of names: "Takakura Shōta… Uchiha Haruki!"

Hearing his name, Haruki blinked in surprise, then walked calmly toward the staircase.

He hadn't expected to be picked so early—second match, already?

But it didn't matter.

Sooner or later, he would have had to fight. Sooner or later—same result.

After all, strength is what determines everything.

If your strength is enough, you don't need to fear being studied or scouted.

Reaching the center of the hall, Haruki looked ahead at the fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy waiting for him.

Judging by his age and rank, it was obvious the kid wasn't some kind of prodigy—still a genin at this age?

The proctor stepped between them. "Ready?"

Both nodded.

"Begin!" he declared, then instantly retreated to give them space.

The two faced off for a brief moment. Haruki noticed Takakura Shōta's tense stance and serious expression—clearly he was planning to fight defensively and wait for an opening.

Haruki didn't bother dragging it out.

With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out several shuriken from his pouch and tossed them without even looking.

Though it appeared casual, his throw was anything but.

The shuriken cut off every possible escape route, forcing Shōta to block them head-on.

Just as Haruki predicted, Shōta swung his kunai to parry the oncoming shuriken.

Clang, clang, clang!

The sharp sound of steel rang out. He blocked them all.

Clearly, Shōta had solid fundamentals—but that wasn't enough.

In the moment Shōta was distracted, Haruki quickly formed a seal and used the Body Flicker Technique, appearing right in front of him.

To his credit, Shōta reacted swiftly, slashing his kunai straight toward Haruki's throat.

Fast—yes. But to Haruki's eyes, the attack looked like it was in slow motion.

His double-tomoe Sharingan saw through the movement easily.

Before the kunai got close, Haruki sidestepped, then drove his knee hard into Shōta's stomach.

Wham!

The boy let out a pained grunt and flew backwards.

Even then, he didn't give up. Hitting the ground, he rolled and stood up immediately, kunai in hand, ready for another exchange.

But the expected attack never came.

Confused, Shōta glanced over—only to meet a pair of blood-red Sharingan eyes.

In that instant, his awareness dissolved into a void.

When he regained consciousness, a kunai was already pressed to his throat.

Gulp.

Feeling the cold metal at his neck, Takakura Shōta swallowed hard and said in a trembling voice, "I surrender."