"Let me see whether they're qualified to become chūnin," Hyuga Arin said, looking down at the candidates waiting in the arena.
Jiraiya: "???"
Aren't you a genin too?!
Orochimaru pondered for a moment, then said, "That… could work."
"Wha—!?" Jiraiya stared at Orochimaru in disbelief. "Orochimaru, what do you mean it could work?!"
Let a candidate evaluate other candidates?
What kind of tongue-twister logic was that?!
"How do you plan to do it?" Orochimaru asked Arin.
"I'll fight all of them by myself," Arin replied matter-of-factly.
That way, he could see who truly had chūnin-level strength—and at the same time, earn experience. A perfect win-win.
"No!!" Orochimaru and Jiraiya shouted in unison.
Jiraiya had never seen anyone more reckless than himself. One person against a whole group? And judging by Orochimaru's expression, he actually seemed to think it was feasible.
"They're far too weak for you," Orochimaru frowned. "A completely one-sided battle isn't worth observing."
They needed to assess each candidate's overall performance in order to decide whether they were fit to be chūnin.
"Yeah, yeah," Jiraiya nodded reflexively—then froze. "Wait, are you saying he really can take all of them by himself?!"
Orochimaru gave him a look that clearly said what's there to be surprised about. Couldn't the two of them do the same?
With strength comparable to theirs, it wasn't strange for Hyuga Arin to manage it.
"What's with that 'why-are-you-so-shocked' look?!" Jiraiya stared at Arin in disbelief. "This kid's only a year older than Nawaki, right?! He's this strong already?!"
"If it's him," Orochimaru said after a moment of thought, "he might actually be able to defeat you, Jiraiya."
Jiraiya's careless nature meant that if he underestimated Arin at the start, he really could be taken down.
"You're kidding, right…" Jiraiya searched Orochimaru's face for any sign of a joke—but saw only seriousness.
He sucked in a sharp breath and looked at Arin again.
This kid's talent was terrifying.
"Let's… let's get back to the exam," Jiraiya hurriedly changed the subject. "Whether it's true or not, I don't want to fight you."
No matter who won or lost, he'd be one generation behind Orochimaru forever. He couldn't afford that.
"Jiraiya-bro, let Big Bro try it," Nawaki chimed in. "But Big Bro, you've gotta hold back a bit."
Jiraiya's face twisted into a bitter expression.
One generation behind already!!
Why did Tsunade ever let Orochimaru become Nawaki's teacher?!?!
Orochimaru turned to Arin. "Can you use Shadow Clones?"
"I can, but I'm not very proficient," Arin replied, glancing at his level-one Shadow Clone. He didn't rely on that technique anyway.
"Then use Shadow Clones. One clone per person," Orochimaru decided. "You pass directly and are promoted to chūnin."
Arin immediately upgraded Shadow Clone to level five.
[Shadow Clone Technique (lv1) Experience (0/500)]
[Shadow Clone Technique (lv5) Experience (0/8000)]
Now his clones were strong enough to deal with these candidates.
"Then why not just promote me straight to chūnin?" Arin said, looking at Orochimaru helplessly. "Why make me take the exam at all?"
Orochimaru awkwardly turned his head away. Those were Konoha's rules—there was nothing he could do.
"Hahaha!" Jiraiya laughed loudly to cover his embarrassment, patting Nawaki on the shoulder while shooting him a confused look.
What were they even talking about?
Nawaki shrugged, indicating that he didn't really understand either.
Ignoring the two idiots, Arin walked straight onto the viewing platform and looked down at the waiting candidates.
"Hey, you lot!!"
With Arin's shout, everyone's attention snapped to him.
"The test this round is simple—how long you can last against me!!"
Shadow Clone Technique!
A thick cloud of smoke burst out, and clone after clone of Hyuga Arin appeared across the platform.
"Orochimaru… did he just not form hand seals?" Jiraiya whispered.
Orochimaru nodded gravely. Only now did he realize—Arin never used hand seals during combat.
This completely defied common ninja logic.
Fine, maybe just slapping his hands together would still make sense—but Arin didn't even do that.
That was going too far.
Below the platform, the candidates erupted into discussion.
"Isn't he a candidate too? What right does he have to test us?"
"Using just Shadow Clones against us—doesn't he look down on us way too much?"
"Did the difficulty of the chūnin exam drop this badly?"
Arin curled his lips, and all his clones leapt down into the arena.
The battle began.
"Charge, Big Bro!!"
"Go, Big Bro Arin!!"
Nawaki and Aburame Mushi-hime instantly became cheerleaders, pumping their fists excitedly.
Two Arin clones appeared behind them, veins bulging.
"Both of you—get in there too!!!"
Each grabbed one of them and hurled them straight into the battlefield.
"Fang Over Fang!!"
Two miniature whirlwinds tore toward an Arin clone.
"Rotation!!"
The clone spun, chakra forming a hemispherical barrier that blocked the twin drills. Blue flames ignited around his body.
"Rotation + Unquenchable Flame."
"Ember Burst!!"
The searing blue fire forced the Inuzuka ninja to retreat instinctively.
At that instant, the Arin clone stopped spinning, kicked off the ground, and closed the distance in a flash—his fist slamming down.
Bang!
[Experience +878]
"Disqualified!!!"
Not far away, a Nara clan ninja flipped away from another Arin clone's punch. The ground exploded into a crater where he'd been standing.
He looked like a drifter, a blade of grass clenched between his teeth.
"Even as clones… this guy's strength is ridiculous."
Calmly analyzing the situation, the Nara ninja frowned. Shadow Clones disappeared after a single solid hit—but even these clones were overwhelmingly strong.
He glanced around at the other candidates, all struggling desperately against Arin's clones.
I'll need allies.
Shadow Possession Technique failed—Arin's clone casually hopped away a few times and avoided it entirely.
One Arin clone tilted his head, looking at the two people in front of him.
Nawaki.
Aburame Mushi-hime.
"Now it's your turn to be tested," the clone said coldly. "I'm not as gentle as Orochimaru."
✨ Bonus Chapter Goals ✨
10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ You can read 90+ chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/CanonBreaker