Hagoromo's arm was indeed injured—but only slightly.
Thanks to multiple layers of effective defense beforehand, the damage itself wasn't serious at all.
In fact, it was nowhere near as troublesome as the short-term backlash Guy suffered from using the Eight Gates.
So when Hagoromo went to Konoha Hospital, an utterly ordinary medical-nin examined him, gave an utterly ordinary diagnosis, applied utterly ordinary treatment—
—and that was that.
According to the medic, a few days of rest would be enough.
As for asking the prestigious Hyūga clan to "take a scan"?
Yeah, no such luxury existed.
All things considered, this outcome was ideal. Hagoromo had no desire to discover he'd actually suffered a serious injury.
At this point, he had no pressing business left in Konoha.
Logically speaking, he should have returned to the front lines as soon as possible.
After all, his reason for coming back was simple:
Re-report intelligence
Act as the primary eyewitness
Provide first-hand testimony so the higher-ups could make the most accurate judgment
That task had already been completed.
However—just as he was about to leave, he got roped into miscellaneous work.
The Chūnin Exams were short-staffed, so as a conveniently available "idle person," Hagoromo was drafted to fill in.
And this wasn't some trivial errand either—it was a serious B-rank assignment.
Hagoromo had no objections.
After all, he was a proud screw in Konoha's great machine—wherever needed, he'd slot right in.
Besides, participating in the Chūnin Exams meant access to valuable information.
The Chūnin Exams of this era were very different from the later joint exams held with allied villages.
Konoha-only
No month-long spectacles
Three to five days, maximum
Efficiency first.
Hagoromo's role was to serve as a proctor in parts of the Second Stage, particularly during combat evaluations.
To genuinely test a shinobi's caliber, the format of the exams changed every time—but one thing never did:
Combat.
Direct combat was a mandatory component of every Chūnin Exam.
Defeating an opponent in battle was the most fundamental proof that a genin possessed the qualifications of a chūnin.
More importantly, their thinking process, tactical choices, and decision-making under pressure were scrutinized heavily.
Becoming a chūnin was never easy.
After all, chūnin formed the backbone of Konoha's military strength.
By the time Hagoromo joined in, the combat portion was already on Day Two.
He'd heard that the Hokage personally observed the first day, but this was wartime—
Hiruzen Sarutobi only looked idle.
In reality, he was anything but.
Today's matches were not overseen by the Hokage himself.
Instead, specialized examiners evaluated performance and compiled quantified reports, which were then submitted upward.
The final authority to promote a shinobi to chūnin still rested solely with the Third Hokage.
Because shinobi combat was inherently dangerous—especially among genin who often lacked restraint—Hagoromo's job was simple:
Stand in the arena.
If either combatant's life was endangered, intervene immediately.
These were all Konoha shinobi.
Anyone killing a comrade during an exam would be a catastrophe.
The system itself was well-oiled.
Hagoromo didn't need to manage anything else.
His duties were:
Stand by
Announce "Begin"
Declare the victor
Simple.
Or so he thought.
Before the match even started, Hagoromo unexpectedly noticed a famous figure.
By appearance alone, he wouldn't have recognized someone this young—but between the distinctive clothing and whispered discussions nearby, the identity quickly became clear.
About the same age as Hagoromo
A smile unlike the usual Uchiha stoicism
A conspicuously round, almost comical nose
A clan-proud gunbai strapped to his back
Uchiha Shisui.
So even Shisui was serving as an examiner?
Looks like manpower really was tight.
Hagoromo etched Shisui's appearance into memory—especially those unique Sharingan eyes.
This was clearly not someone you could brute-force your way through.
Against an Uchiha, how you fought mattered more than raw power.
…He paused.
Why was he thinking about how to fight an Uchiha?
Well—thinking wasn't a crime. Plenty of people in Konoha probably thought the same.
During the exams, combat pairings were randomly generated, then announced by Shisui himself.
In truth, Hagoromo had overthought things.
At this point, Shisui had not yet awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
He likely still possessed the standard three-tomoe Sharingan.
Yes, his Body Flicker Technique was absurdly fast—borderline ridiculous—but not yet at the terrifying level of his future self.
The infamous genjutsu Kotoamatsukami?
Still unavailable.
Once the matches began, it became clear that Hagoromo's presence was very much necessary.
Though all participants were genin, they were battle-tested veterans.
Which meant one thing:
They hit hard.
Their chakra output and jutsu sophistication didn't compare to jōnin—but they had a bad habit of going for lethal force.
That reflex came straight from the battlefield.
For example—
One Hyūga shinobi knocked his opponent unconscious…
…and then stubbornly insisted on completing an entire Gentle Fist sequence anyway.
He was probably enjoying himself.
The opponent, however, would have died if Hagoromo hadn't intervened.
So without hesitation, a black chain shot out from behind Hagoromo and tied the Hyūga up like a skewer of dumplings.
Beyond maintaining safety, Hagoromo found real value in the assignment.
This was an opportunity to closely observe the next generation of Konoha's great clans:
Hyūga
Uchiha
Aburame
Inuzuka
Akimichi
Nara
Yamanaka
In the end, Konoha was sustained by its clans.
Their hiden techniques often decided battles outright.
Hagoromo himself was an extreme outlier and didn't count.
How many years passed before a civilian family produced a prodigy like Minato Namikaze?
Unfortunately, this exam brought disappointing results for the Might family.
Both Might Guy and Might Duy were eliminated.
Guy's loss was due to lingering fatigue from sparring with Hagoromo.
As for Duy—he encountered a particularly troublesome opponent.
Against the Aburame clan's insects, pure taijutsu couldn't shine.
Father and son both possessed immense self-restraint.
If they had used the Eight Gates, most opponents would have been instantly defeated.
But that technique was forbidden against comrades.
Thus, Might Duy's terrifying true strength remained completely unknown.
Everyone had their own philosophy.
If it were up to Hagoromo?
If you can use the Eight Gates, why not use them?
Just control the power and don't kill anyone.
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