The entire arena went silent for one stunned second before it exploded into boos. Voices rose from every direction at once. "He did not even lift a finger and still won? Is that even allowed?" someone shouted. "Even his teammates are scared of him. What a monster," another voice yelled back. Somewhere else in the crowd, someone somehow found the time to say, "I think the Kazekage is hot and no one will hear this because everyone else is shouting," which honestly felt like the least urgent thought anyone could possibly have in that moment. Then another man screamed with genuine emotion, "I bet my entire life savings on him winning. I will finally be able to buy a new pillow."
I sighed and shook my head. I had expected that reaction, so to my complete lack of surprise, it unfolded exactly that way. A few spectators still cheered, mostly the ones who had bet on me, but they were drowned out almost immediately.
Most of the crowd was too busy booing or sprinting toward the betting desk to cash in their tickets before anyone decided to question the result. The whole arena had turned into noise, outrage, and desperate financial ambition.
I looked toward the Kazekage's booth and found him watching me with clear interest. That was before Gaara started bouncing around in joy. His father went stiff. His siblings looked completely thrown off. None of them did anything, but the confusion on their faces was obvious. Gaara, meanwhile, looked too happy to care. The kid was practically vibrating.
Then he noticed me looking his way and smiled. I gave him a thumbs up to check, even though I already knew the answer. To my horror, the Kazekage looked around in confusion, clearly thinking I had just given him the thumbs up instead. One of the guards near him shifted awkwardly, and the Kazekage hesitated for a second before slowly raising his own hand and giving me what was easily the most awkward thumbs up in recorded history. He even tried to smile, but it came out looking mildly threatening, so he stopped halfway, lowered his hand, and coughed into his fist like that had not just happened.
A second later, Gaara quietly gave me a small thumbs up from the side, and I exhaled in relief.
I started walking toward our team's side before I saw Shisui and Sena torturing Kaen with endless lectures over not allowing me to help. I gulped and looked around, deciding to leave from another direction. However, in an instant, Shisui appeared next to me, eyes glowing as he said, "And where do you think you are going after what you did?"
I sighed and looked down, already expecting more torturous lectures ahead.
After a couple of hours, we finally made it back to our flat with Yura escorting us, her eyes teary since she knew Shisui was leaving and was probably thinking of a way to achieve the impossible. I wished her good luck as payment for what Shisui did to me.
In a meeting room inside the Kazekage's building, Rasa sat at the head of the table with the jonin proctors of the Chunin Exams seated along both sides beside several of his senior shinobi. The atmosphere was calm, serious, and far quieter than the chaos that had filled the arena earlier. Rasa let the silence settle for a moment before asking the simple question that mattered most. "Who should we promote?"
The proctor of the first stage spoke first. "I nominate Sena of the Hidden Leaf." No one objected. Several heads around the table nodded in immediate agreement. She continued in an even tone, "She is the perfect example of what a chunin should be. Her theoretical knowledge is excellent, her judgment is sound, and she keeps a clear head under pressure." The proctor of the second stage agreed at once. "She led her team through every stage without losing control of them, and that is not a small thing considering the kind of teammates she had. She coordinated them well, made smart choices, and got them through the exam with almost no complications. They were also the first team to finish." The proctor of the third stage folded his hands and added, "She is highly proficient in multiple chakra natures, which gives her options in almost any situation. More importantly, her tactical mind is exceptional. She is not the strongest candidate here, but she is absolutely someone you could trust with a team under her command."
Rasa nodded slowly, fingers resting against the arm of his chair. "In the future she may become a terrifying general. Fighting against someone with that kind of mind in war would be deeply inconvenient." A few grim expressions appeared around the table at the understatement. Rasa took a breath, then said, "Then it is decided. She will be recommend for promotion." No one argued.
The proctor of the third stage spoke next. "What about Atsuro? He led his team well, and he managed to go toe to toe with a Sharingan user." Rasa gave a slight nod. "The boy has considerable potential with puppetry and a powerful tactical mind. With enough resources and development, he could eventually control multiple puppets effectively, which would help offset our shortage of shinobi in future conflicts." Several of the senior shinobi murmured in agreement. In Sunagakure, that argument carried weight. Puppetry was not simply a fighting style. It was an answer to the village's constant lack of manpower. When no one raised an objection, Rasa made the decision. "Then it is decided. He will be promoted to chunin."
The proctor of the second stage then said, "Fuyumi was extremely dominant during the second stage." That immediately caused low murmurs to spread through the room. One of the senior shinobi shook his head. "The boy is unstable. Chunin are expected to lead, to think ahead, and to keep control of themselves. He is too bloodthirsty and too aggressive to qualify." The third-stage proctor countered at once. "He has the strength. In direct combat he outclassed almost everyone. He made it to the finale, but he was matched against a three tomoe Sharingan user. Not many candidates in this exam can win against that." The room went silent. It was not an unreasonable point. Not every chunin was chosen because they were a natural leader. Some were promoted because they were simply too effective on the battlefield to ignore.
In the end, all eyes turned to Rasa. He was quiet for several seconds before speaking. "Raw strength alone is not enough. He does not listen to authority, he does not stop when ordered, and he allows bloodlust to rule his judgment. A shinobi like that is dangerous enough as a genin. Promoting him would only give that instability more freedom to cause harm." The room remained quiet, but this time no one pushed back. Rasa's reasoning was difficult to challenge. He looked around the table once before giving the final word. "Then it is decided. He will not recommend him for promotion."
The proctor of the first stage spoke with a small smile. "That Raika girl is impressive. She has excellent theoretical knowledge and comes up with interesting tactical solutions." The proctor of the second stage nodded in agreement. "She is indeed very powerful and a highly competent team leader. She has a great deal of strength to spare, and her personality suits command naturally." The proctor of the third stage chuckled. "Though she is a bit eccentric."
A few people around the table laughed, but the mood died immediately when Rasa narrowed his eyes and let a small amount of chakra leak into the room. Silence returned at once.
"She is indeed a bit eccentric," Rasa said calmly, "but most great shinobi are. She has knowledge, strength, and leadership in abundance. She is an ideal chunin."
One of the senior shinobi still objected. "But Lord Kazekage, she seems influenced by the code of the Land of Iron samurai. A shinobi should be willing to do anything necessary, while she appears to adhere to a stricter code of honor."
The proctor of the second stage answered before anyone else could. "Not toward the weak. She despises weakness. She killed multiple genin without hesitation. Her sense of honor does not make her soft. If anything, it makes her harsher. She only reserves her respect for the strong and demands that those she considers worthy be met properly. That is not a flaw. That is simply her standard."
Several heads around the table nodded in agreement. In a village like Sunagakure, that argument carried weight.
Rasa looked around the room one last time before giving the decision. "She will be recommended for promotion as well."
The proctor of the third stage spoke next. "Kaen of the Hidden Leaf is a strong candidate as well."
Complicated looks appeared on the faces of the senior shinobi. One of them said, "He is undoubtedly talented. He unlocked his three tomoe Sharingan and was already very proficient with it a week later. Give that kid a year or two and he will be a menace."
Another senior shinobi added, "Do not forget his mentor is Shisui of the Flicker."
At the mention of that name, several faces in the room, including the Kazekage's, soured immediately. Shisui's reputation had long since spread beyond Konoha, even if none of them had ever seen the face beneath the ANBU mask during his ANBU days. His abilities were too well known, and far too many of Konoha's most outrageous moves had been tied to his name over the years. More than one person in that room also suspected he had been behind their failed attack on the Land of Wind noble as well, but suspicion was all they had. There was no proof.
The proctor of the first stage spoke after a brief silence. "He has issues with impulse control, but he learns and evolves very quickly, and he respects authority. Considering how young he is, that is not too bad."
Rasa nodded in agreement. "Indeed. That boy has amazing potential. He shall be recommended for promotion as well."
The room then fell silent. A grim atmosphere descended over everyone present. None of them wanted to speak, or even mention, the only person left.
Rasa finally grew annoyed and broke the silence himself. "Let us then discuss the so-called Tyrant."