Gekko Hayate stood in the center of the arena, coughing into his hand. A sickly flush colored his pale cheeks as his gaze swept over the Genin who had survived the Forest of Death, lingering on each of them for a moment.

"I am the proctor for this third stage of the Chunin Exams. My name is Gekko Hayate," he said, his voice a little hoarse. "Due to the large number of candidates who have passed, we will now hold a preliminary round to reduce the numbers."

"The preliminaries will consist of one-on-one matches. The winner of each match will advance to the finals." Gekko Hayate coughed again. "Now, please direct your attention to the large screen."

The electronic screen flickered to life, names scrolling rapidly across its surface. Soon, the scrolling stopped, and two names remained: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Yoroi Akadō.

"The first match is between Uchiha Sasuke and Yoroi Akadō. Will the competitors please step forward."

Sasuke let out a cold snort and walked confidently toward the center of the arena. Across from him, Yoroi Akadō adjusted his mask, a strange light reflecting from the apparatus over his eyes.

"Sasuke… you've grown so much," Sarutobi Hiruzen thought, his expression complicated. He vaguely remembered the last time he'd seen the boy, a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. The first battle attracted the attention of everyone present, but none more so than the Hokage.

"Begin!"

The moment Gekko Hayate gave the signal, Yoroi launched his attack. He moved with incredible speed, appearing before Sasuke in an instant. Sasuke dodged the first straight punch, but the second blow connected.

WHAM!

Sasuke was sent flying, rolling across the ground several times before regaining his footing. He wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes flashing to life with the crimson of the Sharingan. "Hmph. Not bad."

"Interesting," Yoroi said, the sound muffled from behind his mask. "Let's see just how powerful the legendary Sharingan truly is."

Sasuke vanished, reappearing behind Yoroi in a blur of motion and launching a powerful kick, but his opponent blocked it with ease.

"This guy… his reactions are incredible!" Sasuke thought, shocked. "No, wait… what is this feeling?"

"Too slow," Yoroi sneered. "Your chakra… it's draining, isn't it?"

It was then that Sasuke noticed that every time he made contact, Yoroi's hands would glow with a faint, strange light. "You're absorbing my chakra!"

Sasuke had never encountered an ability like this. His movements grew sluggish, the intricate dance of the Sharingan in his eyes faltering. Yoroi seized the opportunity, driving a powerful punch into Sasuke's abdomen.

"Gah!"

Sasuke crumpled to his knees, a painful gasp escaping his lips as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His fingers dug into the hard-packed earth, his knuckles turning white with the strain.

"Is that all you have?" Yoroi looked down at him, his voice dripping with condescension. "Tsk tsk… I overestimated you. The Uchiha clan is nothing special. You're even worse than some of these Konoha Genin. It seems that without the village's resources, your clan has truly fallen into ruin."

"Idiot…" Sasuke looked up, a bloody sneer on his face. "Don't you dare compare me to those fools from Konoha."

As soon as he spoke, his body dissolved into a cloud of white smoke. The next second, Yoroi's headgear shattered as a powerful blow sent him flying backward.

"What?!" Yoroi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Damn it! A Shadow Clone!"

"You realized it too late!" Sasuke's voice echoed from across the arena. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Jutsu!"

Four massive fire dragons erupted from Sasuke's mouth, attacking Yoroi from above, below, and both sides simultaneously. It was an advanced fire-style jutsu, with a near-perfect hit rate, impossible to evade completely.

"Aaargh!" Yoroi howled in agony as the four dragons converged on him. In an instant, the arena was transformed into a sea of fire.

Sasuke's voice cut through the roar of the flames. "Remember this! Never again speak ill of Uchiha. Weakling."