Hearing this, Yugito finally realized—if it hadn't been for Matatabi, she would have already fallen into the trap.
Was it really that terrifying? She had unknowingly been caught without even realizing it?
No, this wasn't strength, this was a shameless tactic! Even her own teacher used dirty tricks when sparring with her!
"Hmph, what is this? How is this sparring? It's just too despicable!"
"I don't accept this!"
Yugito was nearly driven mad, but Matatabi gave her a lesson instead.
"There's no such thing as shameless or dirty tricks in battle. As long as you can defeat your opponent, that's all that matters."
"We cats hunt the same way—ambushing prey is only natural."
Hearing this, Gekko Chizan nodded repeatedly.
With Matatabi stepping in, this sparring session was considered over.
Yugito returned to human form and glared fiercely at her teacher, visibly displeased.
"Hmph, I'll remember what you just said."
"Don't worry, I'll arrange things properly for you—absolutely guaranteed to your satisfaction."
Of course, Gekko Chizan had his plans. And with the war starting up again, he also needed to begin his preparations.
Back in Konoha, Yugito also returned to rest.
...
The next day, Gekko Chizan gathered his three disciples together for a pre-exam pep talk.
"This is the situation with the Chūnin Exams."
"Whether in the individual matches or the team battles, I expect you all to break through to the end."
"Otherwise… heh heh heh… Kakashi… Obito…"
Hearing that laugh, both Kakashi and Obito shuddered all over.
They knew very well—if they didn't meet their teacher's expectations, they would surely suffer inhuman torment.
But Kakashi quickly realized something.
"Wait a second, sensei, I'm already a Chūnin."
"Why do I still have to take the Chūnin Exams?"
Only then did Gekko Chizan remember—Kakashi was already a Chūnin. But he had already submitted Kakashi's name…
Uh… what kind of situation was this?
"You… might actually be right. Forget it, this has nothing to do with you anymore."
"You'll just run alongside them. Rin and Obito will take part. As for their teammate, hmm…"
For a moment, Gekko Chizan truly didn't have a suitable candidate in mind.
"If nothing works out, the two of you can just enter as a pair."
Rin and Obito both nodded. Even with one fewer teammate, they didn't believe they would fail.
Gekko Chizan thought the same. He knew their strength clearly—it was more than enough to deal with the Chūnin Exams.
For Rin and Obito, this exam wasn't just a battle to test strength. It was also a necessary trial on their path of growth, and they were steadily walking that road.
As for Kakashi… well, he could fend for himself.
Kakashi seemed to read the look in his teacher's eyes, and for a moment felt helpless. He shouldn't have taken the Chūnin Exam so early. Now, he was being excluded.
This really didn't feel good at all…
...
The Chūnin Exams began as scheduled.
The examination grounds north of the village had already been built.
Ninja from all five villages gathered together.
Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen announced the official start of the exam.
The team battles began first, and the results were unsurprising—four teams broke through into the semifinals.
They were: Obito and Rin.
Guy, Shiranui Genma, and Ebisu.
Yugito and her two followers.
And finally, a team of three Genin from Amegakure.
By coincidence, Obito and Rin were matched against Guy's team.
Yugito's group, on the other hand, faced Amegakure.
Seeing all his disciples reach the semifinals, Gekko Chizan was very satisfied.
And perhaps due to some sort of correction of fate, Obito still ended up facing Guy.
In the original timeline, Obito had been KO'd by a single kick from Guy.
But this time, with his presence, things might turn out differently.
As for Yugito versus Amegakure—tch tch—there was no suspense at all. He didn't believe for a second that Yugito would lose.
After all, she could cut through opponents one after another with nothing but taijutsu, easily taking down three at once.
"What a pity! I wanted to fight that guy from Takigakure instead!"
"But Obito, I'm happy to fight you too!"
"Come, let me show you the results of my training!"
The hot-blooded youth, Might Guy, declared his battle intent.
The fight began. Rin took on two opponents at once, while Obito went up against Guy.
Having already undergone taijutsu training, Obito displayed a strong presence as he engaged Guy in a pure taijutsu clash.
Fists and kicks flew between Obito and Guy, their speed dazzling to the eye. As he defended, Obito couldn't help but be astonished at Guy's progress—this kid really had been training desperately.
Meanwhile, Rin showed no fear against two opponents. Fireballs and water orbs erupted one after another, forcing Shiranui Genma and Ebisu on the defensive. While dodging, they threw several shuriken at Rin. She flickered out of sight, only to appear behind one of them the next instant and kick out.
At the same time, Obito and Guy's fight grew fiercer. But Obito wasn't a ninja who only relied on taijutsu.
Just then, a voice called out from the side, drawing the attention of all five combatants.
"So slow. You could've finished this already, you know?"
"A ninja should be decisive."
The voice came from the next field over—the speaker was a beautiful young girl.
It was Yugito.
At her feet lay three Amegakure ninja, clearly defeated by overwhelming strength, their injuries severe.
The scowl on the face of their supervising Jōnin made it plain how foul his mood was.
Seeing that the other battle had already ended, Rin and Obito exchanged a glance, then both erupted with stronger offensives.
In the blink of an eye, the tide shifted.
Rin's hands glowed with blue chakra as she charged at Guy.
This move shocked one of the observing foreign Jōnin. "The Chakra Scalpel?"
Clearly, this Jōnin was familiar with medical ninjutsu.
"To use a technique of that level at her age?"
Yes, Rin was using the A-rank medical ninjutsu, Chakra Scalpel.
By focusing chakra into the hands, it could cut open any part of the body for surgery, enable organ transplants, and in battle sever an opponent's muscles and tendons—or be used as a weapon to slice the enemy directly, with immense power.
Gekko Chizan smiled as he glanced at Tsunade, who was also watching the fight.
Indeed, the Chakra Scalpel was something Tsunade had taught Rin, at his earlier request.
With Tsunade's guidance, combined with Rin's diligence and talent, she had finally mastered this A-rank ninjutsu.
Obito, meanwhile, shifted his target to Ebisu and Shiranui Genma.
The change in opponents instantly broke the balance.