---
She had passed the preliminaries and could have chosen not to stay.
"I know you're close to her, but if she ends up facing me in the next exam, I won't hold back!" Neji Hyuga, upon returning to his team, ignored his teammates and addressed Yatō directly. The "her" he referred to was Hyuga Hanabi.
"You can choose to resist instead of resigning yourself to fate," Yatō replied, his gaze fixed on Neji's forehead, as if trying to see through the cursed seal of the Hyuga clan's branch family.
"How can I resist when I can't even decide my own life or death? You wouldn't understand this feeling," Neji responded coldly. "The only equality in human destiny is death."
The incident with the Kumogakure ninja was clearly the fault of the main family. Yet, his father, Hyuga Hizashi, ultimately became the sacrificial substitute. Because his father belonged to the branch family, Neji naturally harbored resentment toward the Hyuga clan's hierarchy.
Yatō withdrew his gaze and sat on the railing, overlooking the field. He recalled a line from "Bleach": "Everyone has their own destiny, and it's determined by the heavens."
Human destiny is indeed set from birth.
"But the path lies beneath my feet, and I decide where it leads."
"Fate, you're not worthy of being my opponent. If you stand in my way, I'll reshape you with my own hands!"
Suddenly, Yatō clenched his fists tightly, his blood seeming to boil with determination.
Like Neji, he had experienced a life where life and death were beyond his control. But unlike Neji, who believed in the inescapability of fate, Yatō firmly believed that with enough strength, even destiny could be broken.
---
[Detonation Charm of the Ninja Academy]
Soon, Yatō's name appeared on the electronic bulletin board, and his opponent was a little-known genin from Kumogakure.
As expected, he didn't draw his sword. Instead, using sheer physical prowess, he forced his opponent into submission, successfully passing the preliminaries.
With everything settled, out of the 24 genin who passed the second phase, only 12 remained.
It's worth noting that due to a mid-exam withdrawal, only 23 genin actually participated in the preliminaries, resulting in one participant receiving a bye into the official exam.
The content of the official third round was straightforward: a single-elimination tournament, narrowing down from 12 participants until only one remained.
After everyone had drawn lots to determine their matchups, and following a few more words, Hiruzen Sarutobi announced the disbandment.
Each of the qualifiers was then given a month to prepare.
This period wasn't just for the ninjas to train but also to allow dignitaries and important figures from various countries to travel to Konoha.
Ultimately, the Chunin Exam served as a platform to showcase the strength of their village. Without an audience, there would be no one to witness their prowess.
Upon returning from the Forest of Death to the lodge, neither Might Guy nor Hyuga Hanabi appeared.
Under normal circumstances, they would have come to congratulate or celebrate with him.
But not today, because Hyuga Hinata and Rock Lee were currently hospitalized in Konoha.
During the preliminaries, both had sustained serious injuries and were carried off the field.
Especially Rock Lee, who had used the forbidden Eight Gates technique in his battle against Gaara, opening up to the fifth gate.
For Lee, the burden of the fifth gate was already immense. What was worse was Gaara's final attack, which severely injured both his left arm and leg. Medical ninjas immediately determined that he could no longer continue as a ninja.
One can imagine how devastated Might Guy was at this time.
Perhaps he was already regretting teaching Lee the Eight Gates technique.
As for Neji Hyuga, his actions had caused some unrest within the Hyuga clan.
The Hyuga clan's rules were strict, and the branch family was established to protect the main family.
Although Hinata wasn't as talented as her younger sister, Hanabi, she was still the eldest daughter of the clan head and represented the main family.
Neji, a member of the branch family, unexpectedly caused the clan head's daughter to vomit blood and fall into a coma, leading to her hospitalization.
However, all of this was suppressed by Hyuga Hiashi. He felt ashamed of his younger brother, Hyuga Hizashi, and his only son, Neji. Even though his daughter was severely injured, he still protected Neji.
Additionally, due to the attention from Orochimaru and Sasuke Uchiha, Neji was now under the protection of Konoha's Anbu.
It could be said that after this Chunin Exam, Konoha's young ninjas had all been affected in some way.
For example, the lazy Nara Shikamaru, after advancing, was now being forced by his mother and teacher to train diligently every day.
Or Haruno Sakura, who, because of this exam, realized that being a ninja wasn't child's play.
Many others, too, had changed slightly because of this Chunin Exam and began to truly live as ninjas.
However, all of this had nothing to do with Yatō.
After the preliminaries ended, his days returned to normal, filled with training.
Occasionally, he would visit Rock Lee in the hospital or check on Hyuga Hanabi, doing things that seemed normal to others.
However, every time he left the hospital, he would pass by the Hokage Building.
Today was no exception. After speaking with Rock Lee in the ward, he left the hospital and detoured past the Hokage Building.
"One, two, three, four, five, six... six Anbu teams, double the number from yesterday!"
Upon reaching the corner of the park near the Hokage Building's entrance, Yatō closed his eyes and placed his fingers on the ground.
In an instant, using his body as the core, an invisible wave of sensory energy spread into the Hokage Building, covering it inside and out.
After a while, he discovered six teams hiding in various parts of the building.
Ninja squads typically consist of four members, meaning there were 24 Anbu elites guarding the Hokage Building.
If it came to a direct confrontation, Yatō wasn't afraid of these 24 and was confident he could eliminate all the Anbu.
The problem was that these 24 Anbu ninjas were positioned in the southeast, northwest, and other directions of the Hokage Building. They seemed far apart but were strategically placed to support each other. Whether it was a frontal assault or an assassination, it would be difficult to eliminate them silently. Such actions would undoubtedly attract attention.
"What to do?"
Twenty-four Anbu ninjas constituted a formidable force. Even ordinary Kage-level masters would be at risk of being besieged.
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