"Forget it then! You'll never get my autograph even if you beg for it later!" Jiraiya snapped, feigning offense.
He had mistakenly assumed Richard was a devoted fan like Kakashi. He couldn't have been more wrong. Richard had purchased Make-Out Paradise and Make-Out Violence purely out of curiosity. Though he acknowledged they were well-written, he'd read them only once, unlike Kakashi who revisited them regularly.
Richard preferred practical experience to adult novels. What you read on paper was shallow—true understanding required hands-on practice.
After Jiraiya's petulant response, Richard's tone grew serious. "After witnessing the Three-Tails as my summoning beast, you've obviously deduced the Fourth Mizukage is dead. However, I'd like to offer some advice to you and Konoha: don't assume Kirigakure is vulnerable just because the Fourth Mizukage is dead."
He fixed Jiraiya with a meaningful look. "I have very close connections within Kirigakure. Should Konoha move against them, I would likely stand with the Hidden Mist."
Close connections in Kirigakure? Jiraiya frowned immediately.
Though he didn't know who Richard was referring to, his intuition suggested it was a woman. Richard wouldn't show such concern otherwise.
"Konoha doesn't bully other villages without provocation," Jiraiya replied evenly. "Never has, never will."
"Good to hear," Richard nodded. "Nothing more to discuss, then. I'm sure we'll meet again."
With that, Richard activated his flight ability right before Jiraiya's eyes and soared toward his residence, quickly vanishing from sight.
After watching him depart, Jiraiya used the Body Flicker Technique to rush back to the village. Though the confrontation with Richard hadn't been part of his plan, he needed to report the Three-Tails' status as Richard's summoning beast to the Third Hokage.
Moreover, he finally understood why the Third had paid such close attention to Richard. The Hokage's assessment had been spot-on—Richard's strength rivaled his own, Orochimaru's, or Tsunade's. More significantly, Richard's abilities—similar to ninjutsu but fundamentally different—were even more formidable than Kakashi had described.
During their sparring session, neither he nor Gamabunta could penetrate the defensive techniques Richard had employed using his Blizzard and Fire magic. Their attacks hadn't even touched Richard's body.
I hope he genuinely wants to settle in Konoha, Jiraiya thought grimly.
Though Richard's limits remained unknown, one thing was certain—if he meant Konoha harm, the village would face grave danger. The encounter had reminded Jiraiya of his youth, when he, Orochimaru, and Tsunade had confronted Hanzo the Salamander, the so-called "demigod."
Though Jiraiya was significantly stronger now than back then, the feeling was similar. He hadn't gone all-out, still keeping Sage Mode in reserve. Yet even with that trump card, he wasn't confident he could defeat Richard.
He didn't know Richard's limits—but he knew his own.
Richard returned to his residence shortly after. He headed directly to the bathroom, ran hot water, and took a long soak.
The previous night, while caring for the intoxicated Uzuki Yugao, he'd gone without sleep or a shower. Though his sparring with Jiraiya had barely taxed him—he'd barely broken a sweat—he decided a hot bath would help him relax before sleep.
After nearly thirty minutes in the bathroom, he returned to his bedroom wrapped in a towel and collapsed onto the bed. The moment he closed his eyes, he fell into deep sleep.
At eight o'clock that evening, Richard awoke precisely on schedule.
Just as he finished changing into clean clothes, preparing to head to Ichiraku Ramen for dinner before killing time in the red-light district, a knock sounded at his door.
Richard immediately used his enhanced vision to see who had arrived.
Why her?
He'd expected Sasuke—the only regular visitor since he'd moved in. Instead, he found Uzuki Yugao at his doorstep, dressed in casual clothes and carrying a bag containing several bento boxes.
Seeing the food containers, he instantly understood her unexpected visit. She'd brought him dinner.
Though Yugao had never delivered meals to him before, there was a first time for everything—like now.
Richard descended the stairs and opened the door.
"What brings you here?" he asked, feigning surprise despite having already guessed her purpose.
"I figured you'd sleep until evening after returning home, considering you got little rest last night," Yugao explained quickly. "So I prepared dinner and brought it over."
"I did just wake up," Richard admitted. "Come in."
"Thanks," Yugao nodded.
Though she'd never visited his house before, she knew its location from her first day on the ANBU mission. When assigned to monitor Richard, the ANBU had provided her with all relevant information about him.
In the dining room, Yugao unpacked the bento boxes she'd brought. From the quantity, Richard realized she hadn't eaten dinner herself.
He retrieved bowls and chopsticks from the kitchen, sat across from Yugao, and they began their meal together.
"I met with the Hokage today and requested to leave the ANBU," Yugao said. "He approved my request."
"That's for the best," Richard replied. "The ANBU never really suited you."
He wasn't surprised by her decision. In the original timeline, Yugao hadn't remained with the ANBU permanently. Though the manga never specified when she'd left, her attire during the Fourth Great Ninja War clearly indicated she was no longer part of the black ops division.
"Besides leaving the ANBU, I've also requested a new mission from the Hokage," Yugao continued.
New mission? Richard looked at her with genuine surprise. Her boyfriend Hayate, whom she'd loved for years, had just died. Logic suggested she'd be in no emotional state to undertake new assignments.
"Hayate was appointed by the Hokage as the examiner for the third round of the Chunin Exam," she explained softly. "Though he's gone now, I don't want anyone else taking over his duty. I asked the Hokage to appoint me as the examiner for the third round, and he agreed."
Hearing this, Richard frowned slightly.
If he remembered correctly, after Hayate's death, Genma Shiranui had assumed the role of examiner. Like Hayate, Genma was a Konoha special jōnin. Though not an ANBU member, he had served as the Fourth Hokage Minato's bodyguard and earned his complete trust.
Genma had later helped organize Tsunade's inauguration ceremony as Fifth Hokage alongside Aoba Yamashiro. After Tsunade took office, he had served as her guard as well.
Most significantly, Minato had taught Genma, along with Raidō Namiashi and Iwashi Tatami, a simplified version of the Flying Thunder God Technique. None had the natural talent to master the original jutsu, so Minato created an easier variant that still allowed instant teleportation.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, the three had used this technique to transport the Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi to the battlefield against the reanimated Madara, enabling Madara's famous scene of battling five Kage single-handedly.
Richard couldn't determine whether Yugao's appointment as examiner resulted from his influence on the timeline. However, he was certain her choice wasn't wise. The third round of the Chunin Exam wouldn't conclude peacefully. After Gaara and Sasuke's fight, Orochimaru—disguised as the Fourth Kazekage—would launch his assault on Konoha.
"You don't need to do this," Richard said gently. "Hayate is gone. Even if you take over as examiner, it won't change anything."
"I know," Yugao replied quietly. "But I still want to help Hayate complete his final assignment."
Hearing her determination, Richard sighed helplessly.
"If you need any assistance, just ask," he offered. "Though I'm not a Konoha shinobi, I can still help where I can."
"Thank you," Yugao nodded gratefully.
Though Hayate hadn't managed to report the intelligence he'd gathered before Kabuto and Baki discovered him, resulting in his death at Baki's hands, his murder had already signaled danger to Konoha. He'd been investigating possible hidden agendas from Sunagakure during the Chunin Exam.
After dinner, Richard walked Yugao back to her apartment before heading toward the red-light district.
At a club he'd visited several times before, he spotted Jiraiya with two beauties in low-cut dresses draped on either side of him. When their eyes met, Jiraiya waved him over without hesitation.
"What a coincidence! What brings you here?" Jiraiya asked as Richard sat down.
"Nothing better to do," Richard shrugged. "Just killing time."
"Need me to recommend some lovely companions?" Jiraiya grinned.
"No thanks," Richard declined, raising his glass to toast Jiraiya. "This isn't my first visit. Enjoy yourself—I won't interrupt. I have my own plans."
"Perfect!" Jiraiya replied, visibly relieved.
Like Richard, he preferred no male company when entertaining hostesses.
Richard left Jiraiya's booth, reserved one for himself, and summoned several familiar hostesses.
Time passed swiftly. More than twenty days flew by.
Compared to a month earlier, Konoha's tourist population had swelled significantly. While the first and second rounds of the Chunin Exam weren't public events—attracting mainly participating genin and their jōnin supervisors—the village now teemed with spectators eager to witness the third round.
The Chunin Exam had become Konoha's primary tourist attraction. Though shinobi weren't rare in this world, few civilians had opportunities to hire ninja or witness their battles firsthand.
Beyond watching shinobi combat, visitors were deeply curious about Konoha itself. Though no longer as dominant as during the First Hokage's era, Konoha remained indisputably the strongest hidden village. Among the Five Great Nations, Konoha ranked first, followed by Kumogakure. The remaining three—Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure—possessed roughly equivalent strength, trailing behind the leaders but still far surpassing minor villages like Kusagakure and Otogakure.
On the morning of the finals, spectators—both locals and tourists—packed the arena well before the matches began.
Richard attended too, though not among the crowd. He hovered thousands of meters above the venue, looking down at the arena.
Soon, the third round officially commenced.
As in the original timeline, the first matchup featured Naruto, the "dead last," against Neji, the "Hyūga prodigy." Neji had injured Hinata during the preliminary rounds and afterward ridiculed both her and Naruto. Consequently, Naruto had developed a particular grudge against Neji, vowing to defeat him in the finals.
At Uzuki Yugao's signal, the first match began.
Just as Richard remembered, Naruto gained no early advantage, quickly finding himself outmatched by Neji's Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms and Rotation techniques. During the fight, Neji revealed to Naruto why he despised the Hyūga clan's main branch, insisting that fate was predetermined and unchangeable—meaning Naruto was destined to lose to him.
Had Naruto not been the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki with protagonist's plot armor, he would indeed have stood no chance against Neji. Even his newfound summoning technique would have proven useless—Neji wouldn't have allowed him the opportunity to summon a toad from Mount Myoboku.
Unfortunately for Neji, Naruto possessed precisely that plot armor.
Though Naruto passionately refuted Neji's fatalistic philosophy, Richard ironically considered Naruto himself the perfect proof of predestination. As expected, after Neji blocked his chakra points, Naruto accessed the Nine-Tails' chakra, turning certain defeat into victory.
To the audience, the battle between Naruto and Neji appeared thrilling and dramatic. To Richard, however, it seemed as predictable as children playing house.