Tokuma and Enso were invited to an in-house barbecue at the Uchiha clan compound by Itachi.
Enso didn't come empty-handed; he gave Fugaku a bed he had brought back from Spider Land as a gift. Fugaku loved how soft and springy it was and offered to buy more, but Enso declined, explaining that he planned to auction them during the Chunin Exam finals.
Fugaku did not think much of this casual remark. Enso had also gifted the same bed to Itachi and Shisui, meaning the Uchiha clan possessed three such rare commodities. He was more than satisfied.
The four enjoyed a barbecue on the Uchiha clan's spacious training grounds. The air was warm with smoke and sizzling meat, and laughter echoed between bites. Amid the relaxed atmosphere, conversation turned to the upcoming Chunin Exam.
Shisui leaned back, chopsticks in hand. "It's not really a secret. This year's participants include teams from Amegakure, Kusagakure, Takigakure, and Sunagakure. All of them were our allies during the Third Shinobi War."
"Amegakure, huh?" Tokuma mused, tapping his fingers lightly against his cup. "I've heard their methods are ruthless."
"They are," Shisui nodded. "Their shinobi are known for poison techniques and assassination skills. Hanzo, their leader, once defeated the Three Legendary Sannin. Brutal but efficient. Oh, and they hate Sunagakure. Deeply."
Enso, wiping his hands on a napkin, looked thoughtful. "Should we be worried about any of them in particular?"
Shisui gave a light shrug. "Caution never hurts. Kusagakure stayed neutral during the war, but they're masters of cursed seals and Juinjutsu. Their land ended up as a battlefield between us and Iwagakure."
"I've barely heard anything about Takigakure," Itachi added, his voice calm but curious.
"That's because they keep to themselves," Shisui replied. "But don't underestimate them. They've produced elite-level Jonin consistently. Even though they're surrounded by four countries, no one has managed to invade them successfully. Legend says they once tried to assassinate the First Hokage. Not their brightest idea, but still bold."
"We ran into a missing-nin from Sunagakure on our last mission," Enso said casually. "A really skilled puppeteer."
"A powerhouse," Shisui said. "Their puppet users are deadly, and they've got strong wind release users. I heard their strongest Kazekage wield a Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai. Don't expect them to be second to us in any way."
The group fell into a brief, contemplative silence, with the crackling of the grill filling the gap.
That night, they turned in early. Each of them was aware that tomorrow would be the beginning of something much greater.
On the morning of the exam, Team 1 gathered at the exam halls and entered together. Sunagakure had sent their puppet specialists as the leaders of their Genin team.
Unlike in the anime, the puppet users did not cause a scene as they had during the Naruto Era. They moved cautiously, avoiding unnecessary attention.
Enso felt no particular concern toward the Sand shinobi.
After all, during a recent mission, he had absorbed the soul of Mukade, a Shinobi whose puppet mastery rivalled Chiyo's. This gave Enso confidence that he could easily defeat any puppet user who dared to challenge him.
Every Genin was gathered in a classroom for the first stage of the Chunin Exam. To Enso's surprise, the structure closely resembled the version seen in the Naruto anime.
Each participant was handed a test paper containing nine questions and given a one-hour time limit to complete it. Anyone caught cheating more than five times would be immediately eliminated.
The ten questions on the test were far too difficult for the average Genin to answer. In fact, fewer than five participants seemed to genuinely know the solutions.
It quickly became obvious that the real purpose of the exam wasn't to test academic knowledge, but to observe who could gather information and cheat without getting caught.
For Enso, who had a photographic memory and had trained under both Minato and Hayama, the test was laughably easy. He didn't even need to concentrate.
As for his teammates, he had no worries at all. Itachi and Tokuma's dojutsu made it effortless for them to cheat without attracting any suspicion.
Although Enso answered every question, he deliberately wrote all his answers in reverse. This playful act confused the examiners, causing them to twitch in frustration as they read his bizarre responses.
He wasn't concerned about people cheating; he just found sitting still for a full hour incredibly dull. To entertain himself, he decided to prank the contestants around him by baiting those trying to peek at his answers.
Forty-five minutes into the exam, Ibiki Morino, the proctor, introduced the tenth and final question. He gave the participants a difficult choice: attempt the final question and risk being permanently banned from all future Chunin Exams if they failed, or withdraw now and retain the right to try again in the next exam cycle.
One by one, Genin began to drop out, unsure if they could handle the consequences of a wrong answer. Around thirty percent of the participants eventually chose to give up.
Once the pressure reached its peak and decisions had been made, Ibiki revealed the truth. The final question had been a test of resolve, not intellect.
There was no right or wrong answer. The real challenge was to see who possessed the determination and mental fortitude to stake everything on their dream of becoming a Chunin.
Team 1 passed the first stage without a hitch. Unlike the Naruto anime, where more than 26 teams advanced, only 15 teams managed to pass this version of the exam.
While that was still a decent number, it was expected that the second stage would cut that number down significantly before the preliminary rounds.
Everyone who remained automatically passed the first stage.
After completing the first stage, all the Genin were led by the Chunin on standby to the location of the next stage.
The second stage was a survival test, and the announcement of the proctor came as a major surprise.
It was Orochimaru.
The atmosphere immediately shifted. Most participants were thrilled, seeing one of the Legendary Sannin take charge of the next stage. But Team 1 was far from thrilled.
They had previously caused trouble for Orochimaru by reporting his connection with En Oyashiro to the Hokage. Although the investigation had yielded no concrete results, they knew Orochimaru had expertly concealed his tracks. Their caution was well warranted.
The second stage of the exam was held in the infamous Forest of Death. Each three-man team was issued either a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll before entry. The objective appeared simple: reach the tower at the centre of the forest within three days while possessing both types of scrolls. How they obtained the second scroll, whether through combat or negotiation, was entirely their choice.
Orochimaru introduced additional difficulty. He announced that only five Heaven Scrolls existed, compared to ten Earth Scrolls. This immediately created an imbalance and increased the level of competition. Furthermore, each team was required to sign a liability waiver. Injuries and even deaths were possible, and Konoha would bear no responsibility for what occurred.
Once the waivers were signed, the teams moved to the stalls outside the forest entrance to receive their assigned scrolls.
Team 1 was given an Earth Scroll. Orochimaru, aware of their strength, deliberately gave them the more common scroll. His intention was clear: he expected their aggressive style to lead them into confrontations, thinning out the competition as they hunted for a Heaven Scroll.
Enso quickly recognised the challenge ahead. With only five Heaven Scrolls in circulation, there was no time to waste. As soon as they entered the forest, he led his team with speed and precision, moving through the trees in search of viable targets. Before long, they encountered and defeated two teams from Sunagakure. Unfortunately, both teams carried Earth Scrolls, which were of no use to them.
The scrolls had been sealed by the Fourth Hokage using techniques designed to nullify the advantage of dojutsu users like Tokuma. This helped maintain fairness across all participants and introduced an extra layer of complexity.
Refusing to lose momentum, Enso deployed his shadow clones to scout ahead and observe other teams from a safe distance. Fortune soon favoured them. A weaker team from Amegakure was spotted searching for an Earth Scroll. Unaware they were being watched, they stumbled upon the two defeated Sunagakure teams and eagerly claimed their scrolls.
In an attempt to deter ambushes, the Amegakure team used a transformation technique to disguise one of their two Earth Scrolls as a Heaven Scroll. It was a clever strategy, but not clever enough.
Tokuma and Enso, with their heightened sensory and chakra detection abilities, easily saw through the deception.
Without delay, Team 1 sprang into action. They ambushed the Amegakure team with swift and decisive force, quickly overpowering them and claiming both scrolls. This time, one was genuinely a Heaven Scroll.
Wasting no time, Enso directed his team towards the central tower at full speed. They were so efficient and fast that they reached the destination just twenty minutes into the second stage.
This marked a historic accomplishment. No team in the history of Konoha's Chunin Exams had ever completed the second stage so quickly. Even Orochimaru, despite his usual scepticism, was compelled to acknowledge the feat. While luck had played a minor role, the team's coordination, precision, and execution were undeniably outstanding.
They were then escorted to the resting area near the tower to await the preliminary round. Word of their success reached Hayama, who was invited to join his students while they rested.
Three hours passed.
Eventually, the proctor arrived to inform them that they might be temporarily sent home. Their rapid completion of the stage had caught the organisers off guard, leaving insufficient time to prepare accommodation for all participants.
However, just as the proctor was about to dismiss them, a second team arrived.
This team hailed from Sunagakure and was led by a red-haired Genin named Akasuna. Their timely arrival halted the decision to send Team 1 away. With more teams beginning to emerge from the forest, the proctors chose to allow the Genin to remain in the tower complex until the end of the stage.
Enso was slightly impressed by the arrival of this team. As a master of blood control, he could smell the heavy scent of blood lingering on the three Genin. Whether they had fought their way out of an ambush or taken the scroll by force, their killing intent was unmistakable. When their eyes met, that fierce aura made an impression on him.
He smiled at them, unaffected by the red-haired boy's intense glare. Compared to Tengen, this wasn't all that impressive, but his teammates clearly felt differently. Hayama even commented that this killing intent was as heavy as that of a seasoned Jonin who had survived the Third Shinobi War.
Itachi instinctively gripped his Kunai, while Tokuma shifted into a battle stance. Enso, however, remained calm, which left a strong impression on the visitors.
After another hour of waiting, both teams were led to their resting rooms. Hayama stepped out to get a proper dinner for his Genin, proud of how well they had performed during the second stage. As a non-participant, he was free to come and go without issue.
He returned with a seafood feast, causing even the proctors to swallow their saliva in envy. Fortunately, Hayama had packed extra portions, earning him a round of grateful thanks.
Meanwhile, the Sunagakure team was served a local dish prepared by the host village. It was decent, but not as indulgent as the meal shared by Team 1 and the proctors.
During the waiting period, the two teams didn't interact. They stayed in their rooms, occasionally coming out to observe other teams that had passed the second stage.
On the final day, the last team arrived at the preliminary grounds, officially ending the second stage of the Chunin Exams. It was shocking to see nearly 200 Genin reduced to just 15. The preliminaries would begin the next day, giving the Genin time to rest and treat their wounds.
To Tokuma's surprise, his old rivals had also passed the second stage. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as he noticed Ko staring at him and his team. Enso had a feeling they might end up facing each other in the preliminaries. He remembered the anime had also featured a match between two Hyuga.
It wouldn't be surprising if Tokuma had to fight one of his own teammates in the final match. Of the five teams that advanced, two were from Konoha, one from Sunagakure, one from Amegakure, and one from Kusagakure.
Only Takigakure failed to make the cut. Enso remembered that Kakuzu, a member of the Akatsuki, came from that village.
He hadn't paid much attention to the other Genin teams earlier due to their sheer number. But now, with only 15 remaining, he recognised a few faces.
The Kusagakure team consisted of Muku, Ryuzetsu, and one unfamiliar member. The Amegakure team also looked familiar. After thinking for a moment, Enso realised they were the villains from the Hero Water arc. This made him feel optimistic about the quality of his generation.
The second Konoha team included Ko Hyuga, Izumo Kamizuki, and Kotetsu Hagane. This team focused on Taijutsu, much like Guy's team in the anime.
Enso couldn't help but recall that in the anime, Ko had become a full-fledged Jonin, while Tokuma had reached the rank of Tokubetsu Jonin. However, Tokuma had taken a different path in this timeline. In the original series, he earned his rank due to his tracking abilities.
But now, thanks to Enso's influence, Tokuma had developed combat skills that rivalled any Jonin. He had even managed to briefly pressure Minato, the Fourth Hokage.
Despite the reduced number, the remaining participants were still more than expected. Because two teams had arrived at the preliminary grounds on the last day, they were required to fight each other in a team match. The loser would not proceed to the next round.
This was not unusual. Arriving early had its advantages, and being the last came with risks. The survival test wasn't just about finding scrolls.
Enso watched with interest. Based on his memories, he favoured Kusagakure, although their current appearance seemed younger than the Amegakure team. Team battles required coordination, making the outcome uncertain.
The match fell under the extended survival test. The actual preliminaries would only begin once the number of participants was balanced for one-on-one fights.
Individually, Kusagakure appeared stronger, but Amegakure had excellent teamwork. Their chakra natures also contrasted sharply. Kusagakure specialised in fire release, while Amegakure wielded water-based jutsu. This elemental opposition added excitement to the upcoming match.
Even the Jonin were buzzing. The spectators broke into animated discussion, analysing each team's strengths and weaknesses. Bets were placed, and anticipation ran high.
Everyone was eager to see how this clash would unfold.
Who would have thought there'd be a major showdown even before the preliminary round began? A three-man team battle between Kusagakure and Amegakure was about to unfold. The proctor stepped forward and instructed both teams to prepare for combat.
On the black screen overlooking the preliminary grounds, the names of both teams were displayed, introducing the participants. The matchup was officially labelled as Team Amegakure versus Team Kusagakure.
However, something changed.
The text on the screen shifted. What was originally labelled "Preliminary Round" was now marked as the "Elimination Round."
Team Amegakure consisted of Murasame, Hisame, and Kirisame. On the other side, Team Kusagakure was made up of Muku, Ryusetsu, and Shiba.
Aside from the Konoha teams, who had sent children under the age of ten to compete, Kusagakure also stood out for its youthful representatives. All three of its Genin were under nine years old. In contrast, the Amegakure team appeared significantly older, likely between ten and twenty.
Most of the Jonin and Chunin watching the match immediately leaned toward betting on Amegakure, largely due to the noticeable age gap.
Enso leaned towards Hayama, speaking quietly so only he could hear.
"Put your money on Kusagakure," he said. "They might look young, but if they've made it this far, they're strong. Very strong."
Hayama raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? The Amegakure lot look old enough to be their babysitters. Age usually comes with experience."
Enso smirked. "True, but I've heard Muku, the one leading that team, is the son of the current master of Hozuki Castle."
Hayama's eyes widened slightly. "You're not joking?"
Enso shook his head. "I don't joke when it comes to money."
Hayama paused, then turned to the Genin with a grin. "Alright, who's in?"
Without a word, Itachi pulled out a pouch of coins and handed it over. "All my savings. Let's make it count." He gave Enso a calm, confident fist bump.
Tokuma hesitated for a moment. Though he came from the Hyuga main branch and lived within the compound, he lacked financial support. Still, he handed over half of his savings to Hayama, trusting Enso's insight.
Having overheard the conversation, even the guards nearby decided to place the same bet. Whether out of curiosity or hope, they were swayed by Enso's reasoning and took the chance.
The team pooled together a total of 10,000 Ryo to place a bet on themselves. The odds were 1 to 10, and if they won, the payout would be tenfold. The winnings would be divided equally among all team members.
Despite the potential payout, none of them intended to seriously damage the Konoha gambling den. This was more about being part of the excitement that had taken over the village. With the Chūnin Exams underway, everyone seemed to be betting, including spectators, shinobi, and even civilians.
For Enso and Hayama, it was about the experience more than the gamble. They could afford the loss if things did not go their way.
Tokuma, cautious and thoughtful with his money, would have contributed more if Hayama had given him his share of the pay from their first mission. However, after a late-night conversation with Enso, Hayama decided to hold onto Tokuma's cut and planned to give it to him on his sixteenth birthday when he might better appreciate its value.
The six contestants entered the arena, each entering through a separate gate. The massive crowd erupted in cheers as the fighters appeared.
Most bets were placed on the Amegakure team, and the audience favoured them. As the opposing team waved like celebrities, it became obvious who the crowd expected to win.
Standing at one of the gates, Ryusetsu felt her stomach twist with nerves. She scanned the crowd and saw countless faces cheering for the other team, holding up banners, waving flags, and shouting slogans. The pressure of public expectation settled heavily on her shoulders.
*If you're enjoying the story, consider blessing it with a Power Stone!
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As promised, we've now reached the CHUNIN Exam Arc. Honestly, I'm not sure how long I can keep this story going. There's a lot I need to build momentum for it to really take off.
Specifically, I'm counting on your POWER STONE, REVIEWS and Interaction (comments). Share your thoughts, your vision, or how you would do things differently. You can just drop GIFS in the comment or something if there are really no comments.