The summer cicadas were already buzzing through Konoha. Although it was still morning, the sun hung high overhead, beating down with an intensity that promised a scorching day.
On the way to Training Ground 7, Taiichi was mentally reviewing the flaws in his last training session: how to stabilize the flames on his blade, how to further level up his sealing jutsu, and how to seamlessly integrate hand-seal-less Fire Style into his combat flow.
The more he thought, the brighter his eyes grew. He clenched his fist, feeling a surge of anticipation for the future.
Not long after he arrived at the training ground, Yohei and Saori showed up.
Yohei was as energetic as ever. The moment he saw Taiichi, he grinned. "Taiichi! Did you sneak in some extra training again? You feel even stronger today!"
Saori stood quietly to the side, smiling without a word. She and Taiichi had been discussing sealing jutsu a lot recently; the barrier at Taiichi's home was largely her handiwork.
Taiichi looked at his teammates with a smile. Just as he was about to answer, familiar footsteps approached from the distance. Captain Yamaguchi strode over, holding a stack of documents.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Yamaguchi came to a halt, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. His expression was unusually serious.
He handed a form to each of them and spoke gravely. "These are for the Chunin Exams. As your team captain, I have officially recommended you for this year's exams."
"The Chunin Exams?" Yohei snatched the form, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Finally! With my skills, staying a Genin is a total waste of talent."
Saori took her form and scanned the details, whispering, "July 1st. That's only seven days away."
Taiichi looked down at the paper, his heart rate picking up speed. He had been waiting for this day. He was sick and tired of the system panel mocking him.
The "Pride" of a Genin.
Genin for life.
To hell with that. Soon, Matsushita Taiichi would be a Chunin.
As for whether he would pass? Taiichi didn't even consider failure. With his current strength, worrying about it would be an insult to his training.
Captain Yamaguchi watched their varied reactions with satisfaction. This was the most low-maintenance batch of graduates he had ever led.
Not only were they strong, but they were self-disciplined. He rarely had to worry about their training or mission performance. Sometimes, he wondered if he was even necessary as a leader.
However, admiration was one thing; discipline was another. Especially with a wild card like Yohei in the squad. If he didn't rein him in, there was a chance the kid might actually blow the exam.
"I know how strong you all are," Yamaguchi said. "But the Chunin Exams aren't just about raw power. They test teamwork and leadership. Especially you, Yohei—"
Yohei looked blank. He didn't understand why he was being singled out. He looked left at Taiichi, then right at Saori. Both of them were staring at him with the exact same 'he's talking to you' expression.
Defeated, Yohei slumped. "Okay, okay! I'll be careful!"
"Good. For the next seven days, we're pausing missions. Prepare yourselves individually. Get ready for the exams!"
"Yes, sir!"
---
In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.
Konoha Year 45, July 1st.
Taiichi, Yohei, and Saori met up and entered the exam hall together. Unlike the stories Taiichi remembered, there was no psychological torture or mass genjutsu test at the entrance.
The three of them found their assigned seats and waited.
At 9:00 AM, the exam officially began. There were no flashy cheating techniques required, no complex espionage tasks to steal the answers. It was just a solid, brutal written test.
The content was comprehensive, covering everything from ninja basics to advanced Chunin-level tactics, interpreting the Will of Fire, and theoretical teamwork scenarios. It was basically an endurance test of knowledge.
Taiichi skimmed the questions and relaxed. For Team 8, this was a piece of cake.
Forget Taiichi—even Yohei, despite his goofy personality, had graduated near the top of his class. He was a solid student when it counted.
Sure enough, once Taiichi focused, it took him a little over thirty minutes to finish. He, Yohei, and Saori handed in their papers almost simultaneously.
There was still nearly half the exam time remaining.
The other candidates stared at them, stunned. Taiichi even noticed one poor guy drop his pen in shock.
Walking out of the classroom, the trio exchanged smiles and high-fived. They had been together for almost two years; they knew each other's levels perfectly. There was no need to worry.
"The team combat portion is tomorrow. Want to train this afternoon?" Yohei suggested, riding the high of the first round.
Taiichi and Saori nodded. The three of them headed straight for the training ground.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground with light and shadow, accompanied by the ceaseless drone of cicadas.
Arriving at the field, Yohei jumped onto a large rock and put his hands on his hips. "How do we do this? Shadow Clones again?"
"Of course. Same as always," Taiichi smiled. "Me and your Shadow Clones on one team, versus you two and my Shadow Clone."
It was a necessity born of circumstance. Since their captain was often pulled away for specific village missions, Team 8 lacked a sparring partner. They had to get creative.
It was tiring, but the results were undeniable.
They formed the seals.
On one side: Taiichi (Real Body) in front, with Yohei and Saori's clones as support.
On the other side: Yohei and Saori (Real Bodies) in front, with Taiichi's clone as support.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
A leaf drifted down between the two teams. The moment it touched the ground—
Yohei attacked first. His right hand snapped forward, launching three shuriken, followed instantly by three more from his left. The six projectiles curved through the air, sealing off Taiichi's dodge routes.
Behind him, Saori threw out a Lightning Net to restrict Taiichi's movement, followed by a barrage of lightning balls that rained down like they were free.
Not to be outdone, the Shadow Clone of Taiichi on their side raised his hands—Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu! Dozens of fireballs covered the field like artillery.
Facing this saturation attack, Taiichi didn't hesitate. Sprinting forward, his hands blurred through seals.
Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
A violent hurricane blasted from his mouth, laced with invisible wind blades. The gale knocked the shuriken off course, blew out the fireballs, and shredded the lightning.
Taiichi drew his short sword and cut through the chaos, locking eyes with Yohei, whose Sharingan was already spinning.
Clang!
They clashed instantly. One master swordsman, one visual prowess user—they fought to a standstill.
In the backfield, the clones of Yohei and Saori made their move. Using Taiichi as cover, "Yohei" activated his Sharingan and circled around to flank the real Yohei. He looked thrilled—beating his original self seemed to excite him more than actually winning the match.
"Saori" kept up a constant stream of Lightning Style from a distance, harassing the "Taiichi" clone and the real Saori.
The battle raged back and forth. The real Taiichi held the upper hand, but he controlled the tempo, ensuring the training session pushed everyone to their limits.
Eventually, when the clones on both sides ran out of chakra and popped, the session ended.
As the memories from the clones flooded back, the double fatigue hit them like a truck. Yohei and Saori collapsed onto the big rock, gasping for air.
The training method was effective, but the exhaustion was brutal. With their current stamina, they could only do this two or three times a day before risking mental burnout.
---
The second day of the Chunin Exams.
This round was team combat, held inside the Forest of Death.
Led by Captain Yamaguchi, Team 8 arrived at the central tower within the forest. There were already 20 teams gathered—everyone who had passed the written exam.
aside from Team 8, most were older, veteran Genin squads.
Yohei, being the social butterfly he was, flitted around the room. "Hey there!" "Hello!" "Nice to meet you!" He truly lived up to his nickname as "The Friendliest Uchiha," dragging Taiichi and Saori into conversations with half the room.
"Hmph. Absolutely no dignity for an Uchiha."
A cold sneer cut through the noise. Team 8 turned to look.
The speaker was a boy a year or two older than Yohei, wearing the same high-collared Uchiha clan robes. He had the classic "cool and aloof" Uchiha look.
"Zintai! It's you!"
Yohei acted as if he hadn't heard the insult at all, bounding over with enthusiasm. "You're taking the exams too?"
The boy, Uchiha Zintai, tried to maintain his icy demeanor, but faced with Yohei's unrelenting friendliness, he crumbled. His cold expression melted into a helpless, awkward smile.
Taiichi and Saori stood by, chatting casually with Zintai's teammates.
Soon, everyone arrived, and the assessment began.
The proctor called the first numbers.
Watching the matches, Team 8 realized something awkward: the level of competition was... low. Compared to their insane training sessions, these fights looked like warm-ups. Even the "decent" teams would barely qualify as sparring partners for them.
As the matches went on, Yohei pulled Taiichi and Saori aside and whispered, "Are we... too strong? I feel like nobody here can actually beat us."
Taiichi looked at him like he was an idiot. "Do you have a misunderstanding about your own strength? Or do you not know what a three-tomoe Sharingan means?"
He pointed at Yohei's eyes. "In your clan, almost everyone with three tomoe is a Jonin. You are literally the only Genin walking around with those eyes."
"Oh..."
Yohei looked surprised. He spent every day getting crushed by Taiichi or deadlocked with Saori's sealing jutsu, so he still felt like he wasn't that strong.
In reality, every member of Team 8 was a monster in their own right.
Finally, the 7th match was called.
"Matsushita Taiichi, Uchiha Yohei, Furukawa Saori."
VS
"Hijikata Ryoki, Kobayashi Yasuhiro, Suzuki Ryouto."
The two teams faced off from a distance of ten meters. The proctor checked both sides, raised his hand, and shouted, "Begin!" as he leaped back.
The moment the word left his lips, both sides moved. But the gap in skill was instantly apparent.
Taiichi charged straight down the middle. He didn't even slow down, casually deflecting incoming kunai with his short sword.
Yohei activated his Sharingan and flanked to the side. As he ran, he threw multiple kunai. They collided with each other in mid-air, changing trajectory in impossible angles to hunt down new targets.
Saori stood her ground, hands flying through seals. In seconds, lightning orbs and an expanding electric net swept toward the enemy.
The opposing team had only managed to throw a single volley of kunai before they were overwhelmed.
Saori's Lightning Style arrived first. Even if the direct hits missed, the electricity arcing off the ground paralyzed their movements.
The unlucky Kobayashi Yasuhiro was too slow to dodge the splash damage. He froze in place.
Taiichi didn't miss a beat. He flickered in front of him, reversed his grip on his sword, and slammed the hilt into the boy's neck.
Thud.
Kobayashi hit the ground, out cold.
The other two opponents screamed, thinking Taiichi had killed their teammate. Enraged and abandoning tactics, they charged at him.
Bad move.
By losing their cool, they walked right into Yohei's trap. His ricocheting kunai struck them from blind spots. Before they could recover, Taiichi and Yohei closed the distance.
Bam! Bam!
Two hits. Two knockouts.
The entire battle had taken less than 30 seconds.
The spectators gasped.
When the proctor woke up the first boy Taiichi had knocked out, everyone realized the "victim" was actually the least injured of the three. The other two were covered in cuts and bruises.
"Taiichi, you were right," Yohei said as they walked off, grinning from ear to ear. "We really are too strong."
Nearby, Uchiha Zintai stared at them with a look of pure shock. He ran the simulation in his head: If that was my team... would we win?
The answer came quickly: No.
Soon, the 10 team battles concluded. The 10 winning teams (30 ninjas), plus 10 individuals selected from the losing teams based on performance, made up the 40 candidates for the next round: the individual tournament.
After the announcement, the teams disbanded. Since the singles matches were tomorrow, there was no team training.
Taiichi said goodbye to Yohei and Saori and headed straight for the hospital.
Since the New Year, Taiichi had obtained an official work ID. Whenever he had free time, he went to the hospital to help out. It was a chance to grind XP for his medical ninjutsu and, more importantly, to spend time with Nono.
Walking through the corridors of the Konoha Hospital, he headed toward his own small office. Although he didn't belong to a specific department, his skills were so high that he had become a roving specialist—and a hospital favorite.