In the blink of an eye, the day of the official Chunin Exams arrived.
Inside the Senju Clan compound, the morning atmosphere was lively. Several ninjas moved in and out of the courtyard, preparing for the day ahead.
Seeing Yumiko and Honoka getting ready to leave, Kushina Uzumaki stood at the entrance and gave them a warm smile.
"You two must do your best," she said encouragingly.
"Try to get promoted to Chunin in one go."
Both girls nodded seriously.
That's right—Yumiko and Honoka were both participating in this year's Chunin Exams.
Over the past two years, under Minato Namikaze's careful guidance, Yumiko had undergone tremendous growth.
She was no longer the timid girl who could only be bullied by others.
Minato had personally supervised her training, ensuring that she filled in all the gaps in her basic ninja knowledge. In addition, she had learned a number of Sealing Techniques and even gained a basic understanding of Medical Ninjutsu.
With her current strength, participating in the Chunin Exams was more than reasonable.
As for Honoka, she had already mastered several sealing techniques.
Her overall ability ranked among the top tier of Genin.
Even when facing an ordinary Chunin, she would not necessarily be at a disadvantage.
Furthermore, after arriving in Konoha, she had spent some time training under Aomizu's instruction.
During that period, her strength had improved even further.
If anything, the Chunin Exams were simply an opportunity to prove herself.
"Well then, we're leaving now."
After saying goodbye to Kushina, the two girls left the Senju compound together and headed toward the Ninja Academy, where the first stage of the Chunin Exams would take place.
When they arrived at the academy entrance, someone was already waiting for them.
"You're finally here! I've been waiting forever."
A young female ninja stood at the gate with her arms crossed.
She appeared a few years older than Yumiko and Honoka.
Her name was Yoshino, their third teammate.
Since deciding to participate in the Chunin Exams together, the three had been practicing and coordinating frequently. By now they were already quite familiar with one another.
"Sorry for making you wait, Yoshino," Yumiko said apologetically.
Honoka also nodded apologetically.
But Yoshino simply waved her hand.
"It's fine. Let's hurry inside."
At the same time, another group arrived outside the Ninja Academy.
The group consisted of Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
Looking at the crowd gathered around the academy, Yahiko suddenly pointed toward Yumiko and Honoka.
"Hey Nagato, look!" he said with interest.
"Those two have red hair just like you."
Nagato glanced briefly in their direction.
Although he had come to Konoha, he had never actively tried to contact other members of the Uzumaki Clan, including Honoka.
To Nagato, the concept of clan identity meant very little.
The people he cared about most were Yahiko and Konan, the two companions who had grown up with him.
And of course, their teacher Jiraiya, who had guided the three of them during their most difficult years.
Besides, Kushina was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
Someone like Nagato, who came from outside the village, would never be allowed to meet her freely anyway.
For this reason, Aomizu had never brought up the matter either.
"Let's go inside quickly," Konan said calmly.
"If we're late, we might miss the start of the exam."
Nearby, another small team was preparing to enter.
"Uncle Dai," Mukai Yuki reminded carefully, "if you don't understand something during the exam later, don't panic."
"Ayami and I will help you."
Beside him, Sasaki Ayami nodded.
"Yes, Uncle Dai. Just watch for the signals we give you."
The person they were speaking to was Might Duy.
He raised his thumb confidently and flashed a dazzling white smile.
"Don't worry!" he declared enthusiastically.
"Youth only comes once! I will seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
When Might Duy first received notice that he could participate in the Chunin Exams, he almost thought the message had been delivered to the wrong person.
After confirming that it was indeed meant for him, he became extremely excited.
For Duy, this exam represented a chance to change his life.
Although he often appeared silly or unreliable, when it came to serious matters, he was surprisingly dependable.
Of course, what he didn't know was that Aomizu had already recommended him to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Even if he failed the exam, he would likely be promoted afterward anyway.
But in Duy's mind, this Chunin Exam was the only opportunity he had.
"All right," Yuki said.
"Let's head inside."
They were already used to Duy's energetic personality.
Soon afterward, all the participants gathered inside the examination hall.
The first stage of the Chunin Exams officially began.
Inside the Monitoring Room
Meanwhile, in the monitoring room, Aomizu watched the scene through a large viewing crystal.
Sitting beside him was Pakura.
As the overall supervisor of the Chunin Exams, Aomizu did not need to personally invigilate the exam hall.
He would only intervene if something unexpected occurred.
Looking at the candidates inside the hall, Aomizu spoke casually.
"How many people do you think will be eliminated in the first exam?"
Pakura thought for a moment before answering.
"The difficulty level is similar to previous Chunin Exams."
"So the elimination rate should probably be about the same."
Aomizu sighed softly.
"It's just the two of us here."
"Why are you still wearing that serious expression?"
He smiled playfully.
"You should smile more. Smiling is good for your health."
Pakura's cheeks flushed slightly.
His teasing immediately reminded her of the gossip she had overheard from three female Genin a week earlier.
"Hmph."
"This is work time," she said coldly.
"Why are you so concerned about whether I smile or not?"
Inside her heart, however, she thought something completely different.
I would rather remain single forever than like a man like him.
He looks respectable on the surface…
But he's actually such a playboy.
Because Aomizu had never bothered hiding the matter, nearly everyone in the village knew that he had several women around him.
Pakura, who had recently arrived in Konoha, naturally heard about it as well.
Unaware of what she was thinking, Aomizu continued chatting casually.
Otherwise the atmosphere in the monitoring room would be unbearably boring.
Even though Pakura acted somewhat cold, she still responded occasionally.
As they talked, time passed quickly.
Before long, the first exam ended.
Results of the First Exam
Whether it was Honoka's team, Might Duy's team, or Konan's team, all of them successfully passed the written test.
They advanced to the second stage of the Chunin Exams.
Inside the exam hall, the chief proctor stood at the front of the room.
"The location of the second exam will not be in Konoha," he announced.
"The second exam will take place in the Hidden Sand Village."
The entire room fell silent.
Everyone was stunned.
Switching villages during the Chunin Exams was something none of them had ever seen before.
The proctor continued speaking.
"This journey will serve as a preliminary trial."
"You must reach the designated location in the Hidden Sand Village within three days."
"Only those who arrive in time will qualify for the second exam."
The moment he finished speaking, the candidates froze.
Then suddenly—
Honoka reacted first.
"Let's go!"
She grabbed Yumiko and Yoshino by the arms and rushed out of the classroom.
Seeing this, the others quickly realized what was happening.
Soon, dozens of ninjas rushed toward the exit.
The distance between Konoha and the Hidden Sand Village was enormous.
Even at a ninja's full speed, the journey could take nearly three days.
And that was assuming they ran nonstop.
Although the exam location might be slightly closer than the actual village, time was still extremely limited.
More importantly—
Some candidates noticed something else.
The chief proctor had never said that fighting was forbidden.
Which meant one thing.
They could eliminate competitors along the way.
Almost immediately, violence erupted.
"Bastard! Are you looking for trouble?"
"Weaklings don't deserve to become Chunin!"
"Sorry—but you're eliminated!"
Because no examiners appeared to stop them, the candidates who attacked became even more confident.
Soon chaos spread through the entire group.
"Stop!"
Suddenly a voice rang out.
Yahiko stepped forward.
"Who the hell are you?" someone shouted.
Instead of answering directly, Yahiko spoke firmly.
"We're all here for the Chunin Exams."
"This isn't a war."
"So why are you killing people?"
A man laughed mockingly.
"You naïve brat."
"The joint Chunin Exams are just another form of war between ninja villages!"
With a vicious grin, he rushed toward Yahiko.
His killing intent was obvious.
"I love naïve kids like you," he sneered.
"They're the easiest to kill in war."
Yahiko's expression hardened.
He quickly formed hand seals.
"Water Release!"
A powerful stream of water blasted forward, instantly knocking the man away.
Of course, Yahiko intentionally avoided killing him.
"Impossible…"
The defeated ninja stared in disbelief.
But before Yahiko could speak again, the man's companions attacked together.
Three opponents charged at once.
Yahiko was forced to retreat while dodging their attacks.
Seeing this, Nagato prepared to intervene.
But Konan quickly stopped him.
"There are too many people watching," she whispered.
"If you act, your Rinnegan might be exposed."
"I'll handle it."
Before anyone could react—
Countless sheets of paper suddenly appeared.
The papers swirled through the air and wrapped around the three attackers.
"What kind of jutsu is this?!"
The men struggled to escape.
Konan spoke calmly.
"All of these papers are exploding tags."
"If you don't behave, I'll detonate them immediately."
The three froze instantly.
They quickly began begging for mercy.
Even a Jonin could be killed if surrounded by so many exploding tags.
Let alone three ordinary Genin.
The surrounding candidates quickly backed away.
Their gazes toward Konan were filled with fear.
She looked like a harmless young girl.
But her first move had been terrifying.
At that moment, no one dared underestimate her.
"Thank you!" several candidates said gratefully to Yahiko and Konan.
"It's nothing," Yahiko replied.
"We just did what we should."
Then he continued.
"Violence only creates more hatred."
"True peace can only be achieved through communication and mutual understanding."
Some people nodded thoughtfully.
Others scoffed and continued running toward the Sand Village.
Yahiko didn't mind.
Even if only one person understood his words, it would be worthwhile.
As long as he kept trying—
One day, true peace might finally appear.
Hidden in the shadows, Pakura watched everything.
After a moment, she turned toward Aomizu.
"True peace through communication and understanding…"
"What do you think?"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)