Chapter 100: The Battle for the God of Shinobi Begins (Extended Chapter)
The bloody massacre inside the banquet hall didn't raise the slightest alarm among the shinobi.
Between nobles and ninja, there was a deep, natural divide. Aside from financial transactions, they rarely interacted.
"So crowded!"
Naruto Uzumaki's jaw dropped as he looked around at the streets filled with foreign ninja.
Even his beloved ramen shop had a line out the door. Teuchi, the owner, was smiling so widely that the wrinkles around his eyes completely disappeared.
Kakashi also sighed. "A joint Chunin Exam among the Five Nations... Even I've never seen one before."
His eyes swept over Sasuke, who wore a gloomy expression, and he sighed inwardly.
Ever since that night in the Forest of Death, Sasuke had become shrouded in hatred, suppressing all his emotions.
Though he had always spoken of revenge, he still used to cherish the bonds with Team 7. But now, it was as if he had cast aside everything.
Uchiha Itachi…
Kakashi frowned.
Judging from Sasuke's demeanor and the few words Danzo had revealed, it seemed the Uchiha massacre wasn't just about Itachi—it might have involved the village itself.
If that were true… between the village he loved and the student he cherished, what would he choose?
Just then—
From the nearby hot spring inn, a white-haired ninja with a forehead protector marked with the kanji for "oil" was thrown out.
Security guards wielding batons chased after him, clearly intending to punish the pervert who had been peeking at the women's bath.
"I'm an artist! I was just gathering inspiration—no ill intent!"
The white-haired ninja pulled out a book to explain, only to get smacked twice more and flee while clutching his rear.
Of course, civilians couldn't catch up with a ninja. They spat a few curses and walked away.
"Lord Jiraiya."
When Jiraiya returned with a look of feigned innocence, Kakashi greeted him respectfully.
Naruto, puzzled, asked, "Kakashi-sensei, you know this pervy old man?"
"Pervy old man?!"
Before Kakashi could answer, Jiraiya's face darkened. Gritting his teeth, he barked, "Brat, don't go giving people stupid nicknames! I'm the Toad Sage!"
With that, he summoned a toad and struck a dramatic pose, wooden sandals planted firmly on its head.
Idiot.
Naruto didn't say it aloud, but the squint in his eyes said it all.
Kakashi asked, "Lord Jiraiya, are you back in the village because you're worried something might happen during the Chunin Exams?"
Jiraiya nodded. "That's right. The old man was worried someone might try something during the Exams, so he called me back."
With nearly ten thousand ninja gathered, no security would've been suicidal.
Though he spent most of his time outside the village, he was still a Konoha shinobi. Orders from the Hokage had to be followed—otherwise, he truly would be a rogue ninja.
"Good thinking. With you here, foreign shinobi will think twice."
This wasn't flattery.
Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, was rightfully feared across the ninja world.
"Are these your students?"
Jiraiya's gaze landed on Naruto. Though the kid looked clumsy, wore ugly clothes, and had messy hair—he did faintly resemble someone.
Minato.
Kakashi nodded. "Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Naruto Uzumaki."
"Uzumaki… Naruto, huh? Where are you all headed?"
Jiraiya's tone was wistful. The familiar surname confirmed it—this was Minato's son.
And the village's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
Seeing Naruto's cheerful smile, he nodded subtly. It seemed the Hokage had taken good care of Minato's son.
Unlike most villages, where Jinchūriki were shunned…
Naruto proudly tapped his forehead protector and said, "Of course we're headed to the Chunin Exams. Hey, pervy old man—can't you tell? We're ninja!"
Jiraiya's face twitched. "Kakashi, you actually let them join the Exams? Isn't that too hasty?"
He had been gathering inspiration in a hot spring town in the Land of Hot Water when he got the summons from the Hokage.
On his way back, he learned about the joint Exams. This wasn't just a regular Chunin Exam—it was a show of strength between nations, filled with danger.
By his estimate, Naruto had only just graduated.
Naruto scowled. "Don't underestimate us, pervy old man. We're strong!"
"Idiot, Naruto—he's Lord Jiraiya!"
Sakura grabbed his sleeve, struggling to maintain her composure in public. Otherwise, she would've decked him.
The Ninja Academy taught about heroes who made great contributions to the village.
One chapter detailed the battle between the Sannin and Amegakure—protecting Konoha from foreign attacks.
Naruto, who always slept in class and nearly failed every exam, didn't even recognize one of the Sannin.
"Who's Jiraiya?"
"He's like Lady Tsunade—a hero who protected Konoha."
Hearing their exchange, Jiraiya twitched.
This wasn't what he expected. This brat didn't have Minato's intelligence at all—more like Kushina's fiery personality.
"Listen, brat."
Jiraiya said sternly, "The Chunin Exams aren't some game. People bleed. People die. You'd be better off backing out."
"Pervy old man, who're you calling a brat? You wanna fight?!"
"Bring it."
Jiraiya smirked. He was actually testing Naruto's strength.
As the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, Naruto entering the Exams without sufficient power could lead to disaster.
Kakashi rubbed his head and said, "Lord Jiraiya, Naruto's—"
"My mind is made up."
Jiraiya's face turned serious.
Boom!
Dust billowed as the ground cracked from impact.
Jiraiya staggered, pulling himself from the far wall. He waved off the approaching ANBU.
They saw his face and quickly backed off, reporting to the Hokage.
"That power… almost like Tsunade's Heavenly Foot. Did she teach you that?"
If he hadn't guarded himself with chakra in time, that blow might've broken his ribs.
"Granny Tsunade's always busy cracking jars. She never has time for me."
Naruto said honestly.
He held a massive golden shield that slowly dissipated.
Just now, he had used [Shield of Justice] to send Jiraiya flying.
"Pervy old man, didn't expect a bathhouse peeper to be a decent guy."
His class's passive skill enhanced attacks against dark-aligned foes—including negative chakra.
It didn't activate on Jiraiya.
Jiraiya's face flushed. All that talk, only to get slammed into a wall…
Even with his mental toughness, he was a bit embarrassed.
But also alarmed.
What kind of power was this?
There had been no leakage of Nine-Tails chakra. Could Naruto really have developed this on his own?
"Not talking anymore. The first exam's starting. See ya, pervy old man!"
Naruto waved and walked away with Sasuke and Sakura, leaving Jiraiya dumbfounded.
Kakashi understood and asked, "Lord Jiraiya, you haven't heard about the Reincarnation Game?"
"The Reincarnation Game?"
Jiraiya repeated, confused. He'd been gathering material mostly among civilians, rarely interacting with ninja.
He'd heard rumors of civilians gaining strange powers—
Some mentioned a "Reincarnation Game."
But he never believed them—until Kakashi brought it up now.
"His power comes from the game."
Kakashi extended his hand, summoning a pitch-black war spear.
He handed it to Jiraiya.
A level 5 purple-grade item: Blackrock Spear.
Forged from blackstone of another world, it enhanced conductivity and boosted lightning damage. Perfect for a Lightning Hunter.
Already an elite jonin, this weapon would make Kakashi even more dangerous.
"There's actually something like this… The Toad Sage never told me…"
Jiraiya muttered,
He'd thought Kakashi was joking—until he saw the serious look in his eyes.
"A sudden upheaval in the ninja world, yet fate remained unaware."
Jiraiya's expression was grim. He muttered under his breath, "Looks like I need to meet this game merchant in person. Kakashi, is he in the village?"
"Yes."
Kakashi hesitated. "He doesn't like being watched. Not even the ANBU know his whereabouts. You'll have to find him yourself—and whatever you do, don't anger him."
The game merchant possessed the power to destroy entire worlds, yet behaved with surprising kindness.
Unless provoked like Danzo, he was generally not dangerous.
Watching the backs of Team 7 slowly disappear into the crowd,
Kakashi's gaze lingered regretfully on Sakura.
She had failed to pass the trial and could only hope to be randomly selected by the game tower one day to join.
He had previously advised her to withdraw from the Chunin Exams, but she had refused.
Sasuke was not in a good emotional state.
All he could do was hope Naruto would protect Sakura and keep Team 7 safe from casualties.
"Obito… Rin…"
Like a solitary scarecrow, Kakashi stood there in a daze for a long time before slowly continuing his walk through the village.
The Reincarnation Game offered various means of resurrection.
Though expensive, hope wasn't entirely lost.
He would be the one to bring back his two best friends.
…
Unlike in the original story,
the exam site had changed.
To accommodate nearly ten thousand participants, the setting was a massive open-air venue.
A grand coliseum reflected Konoha's wealth and prestige.
The outermost perimeter was surrounded by a towering wall several dozen meters high.
At the top were rows of stepped viewing platforms, offering a clear view of everything happening inside.
Fang Yi sat in a corner of the stands, accompanied by a chattering white-haired loli.
"Master, I thought you'd destroy Konoha. Didn't expect you to be so… merciful?"
Afu waved her hand.
A steaming bowl of ramen appeared on her lap.
She buried her face in the bowl, devouring the noodles in no time.
"Merciful?"
Fang Yi chuckled, his gaze falling on the increasing number of participants. "Even though I emphasized the rarity of the items being traded, Lord Hokage still didn't realize the importance of this coliseum."
In that deal,
he had spent fifty thousand reward points to buy the arena Konoha ninja had built as the exam venue.
Just like he had once bought the Sound Village from Orochimaru.
The difference was—
this coliseum, which had captured the attention of the entire ninja world, would see countless ninja step onto its stage.
The origin energy it contained far surpassed that of the Sound Village.
Afu tilted her head. "I still don't get it. Why did the old man agree to sell this arena so cheaply? If he hadn't sold it, we'd need an astronomical amount of points to influence the ninja world without alerting its will."
"No need to be surprised."
Fang Yi smiled. "There's an old saying—'a son sells the fields of his father without regret.'
Even if I explained it thoroughly, the Hokage has no way of controlling origin energy.
To him, it's just air."
"After the deal, he even thought he had gotten the better end. Not only did he gain fifty thousand reward points for free, but he also received my forgiveness. Two birds with one stone."
Fang Yi now owned the coliseum outright.
That meant he could reshape it however he pleased, with minimal expenditure.
He had come to Konoha for the purpose of hosting a game event.
Thanks to the Hokage's generosity, he could reap great rewards without spending much at all.
If the will of the ninja world ever awakened and discovered that the exam venue had been sold for fifty thousand reward points by Hiruzen Sarutobi,
it would definitely rally the entire ninja world to hunt down the Hokage.
To enhance the viewing experience,
Konoha had invested heavily in a massive screen, allowing noble factions to clearly watch the duels.
At this moment,
the five Kage from the five great villages arrived one after another, sitting together at the center of the stands.
"Hokage-sama still looks as strong as ever."
"I should be the one saying that, Lord Onoki."
As the host, Hiruzen Sarutobi welcomed the other four Kage with a smile, returning the Tsuchikage's compliment word for word.
The Kazekage wore a veil and remained silent.
Mei Terumi sat gracefully, her Mizukage hat resting at her side, seemingly uninterested in this verbal sparring.
It was Raikage A, emanating Lightning Release chakra from head to toe, who grinned savagely and said, "So, do any of you want to spar before the Chunin Exams begin? A warm-up between Kage?"
"Lord Raikage, such words are inappropriate in Konoha!"
Hiruzen frowned. Though he feared none of them, he didn't want to provoke unnecessary conflict.
A battle between Kage would be disastrous.
If it broke out in Konoha, the village would suffer tremendous damage.
"A ninja's most vital skills are intelligence gathering, observation, and tracking. Since the first round is about to begin, why don't we see whose ninja is strongest?"
Hiruzen, ever the seasoned politician, quickly defused the situation with two well-placed sentences.
Sure enough, the other Kage turned their attention to the arena.
They all had hidden agendas, but none were ready to act just yet.
No plan was fully in place to deliver a fatal blow to Konoha.
Bang.
A puff of smoke filled the center of the arena.
Hundreds of ninja appeared, all wearing Konoha forehead protectors.
Each one radiated powerful chakra—at the very least, they were elite chunin.
Leading them was Morino Ibiki, a scarred elite jonin and master of interrogation.
"Everyone, I'm your proctor for this written exam—Morino Ibiki."
His cold, emotionless voice echoed through the coliseum.
Instantly, all examinees quieted down.
Ninja from small villages looked on in awe and jealousy.
Five hundred elite chunin—just the proctors alone could probably wipe out their entire villages.
Konoha truly had deep foundations.
Even Mei Terumi couldn't hide her envy and said, "Konoha really is overflowing with talent."
Kirigakure had once flourished,
but had fallen due to the Bloody Mist regime.
The Kaguya clan, with their Shikotsumyaku, was wiped out.
The Yuki clan, wielders of Ice Release, were destroyed.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were scattered.
Rogue ninja were everywhere…
Though she had begun to restore order,
even with the power of the Reincarnation Game, Kirigakure couldn't afford to spare hundreds of upper-level ninja as exam proctors.
Unless the entire village's defenses were abandoned, which was impossible.
But the sly old fox of a Hokage had pulled it off.
This meant that even while maintaining Konoha's operations, he still had enough ninja to assign for this event.
Seeing how awestruck the examinees were, Hiruzen smiled and said, "Kirigakure has its Seven Ninja Swordsmen and elite Genjutsu units—they're no weaker than Konoha. Mizukage-dono flatters us too much."
At that moment—
A commotion broke out in the arena.
"Stop! As proctor, I order you to release him!"
Ibiki's gaze turned harsh.
He had been explaining the exam rules when someone suddenly attacked another examinee.
A red-haired boy from Sunagakure, carrying a gourd on his back and with heavy dark circles under his eyes,
extended his left arm. Sand rose, wrapping tightly around the throat of a Konoha examinee and lifting him high into the air.
"The ninja world has undergone such upheaval, and yet fate remained unaware."
Jiraiya's expression turned serious. He muttered, "Looks like I need to meet this game merchant face-to-face. Kakashi, is he still in the village?"
"Yes."
Kakashi hesitated and said, "He dislikes being watched. Not even the ANBU know his whereabouts. You'll have to find him yourself, and whatever you do, don't provoke him."
The game merchant possessed the power to destroy worlds, yet surprisingly behaved with kindness.
Unless one angered him like Danzo did, there usually wasn't any danger.
Watching Team 7 walk away into the crowd,
Kakashi's gaze lingered with some regret on Sakura.
She had failed to clear her trial and could only wait for luck to favor her, hoping the Game Tower would select her as a player.
He had once advised her to withdraw from the Chunin Exams, but she had refused.
With Sasuke's emotional state in disarray, all Kakashi could do now was hope Naruto could keep Sakura safe and prevent any casualties in Team 7.
"Obito… Rin…"
Like a lifeless scarecrow, Kakashi stood silently for a long time before slowly continuing down the street.
The Reincarnation Game offered various resurrection abilities.
Though expensive, there was still hope.
He would be the one to save his two best friends.
…
Unlike in the original story,
the exam venue this time was different.
To accommodate nearly ten thousand participants, it was an open-air arena—its grandeur showcasing Konoha's wealth.
The outermost structure was a towering wall dozens of meters high.
At the top were tiered spectator seats, offering a wide, unobstructed view of everything happening inside.
Fang Yi sat in one corner of the stands, beside him a chatty white-haired loli.
"Master, I thought you'd destroy Konoha. Didn't expect you to be so tolerant?"
Afu waved her hand.
A steaming bowl of ramen appeared on her lap.
She buried her face in it and devoured the entire bowl in seconds.
"Tolerant?"
Fang Yi chuckled, watching the steadily growing number of participating ninja. "Even though I explained the value of the items involved, Lord Hokage still didn't realize the significance of this arena."
That deal—
He had spent 50,000 reward points to buy the arena Konoha built as the exam venue.
It was like when he purchased the Sound Village from Orochimaru.
The difference was—
This arena, drawing the attention of the entire ninja world, would see countless shinobi take the stage.
Its origin energy far exceeded that of the Sound Village.
Afu tilted her head curiously. "What surprises me is that the old man was willing to sell the arena so cheaply. If he hadn't, it would've cost us a fortune in reward points to reach into the ninja world without alerting its will!"
"No surprise there."
Fang Yi smiled. "There's an old saying—'A son sells his father's land without regret.'
Even if I explained it thoroughly, the Hokage couldn't sense origin energy. To him, it's just air."
"After the deal, he probably thought he struck gold—not only getting 50,000 reward points for free, but also my forgiveness. A win-win."
Fang Yi now owned the arena outright, which meant he could reshape it however he wanted with minimal cost.
He had come to Konoha precisely to host this game event.
With the Hokage's generous donation, he could now reap massive rewards without significant personal cost.
If the will of the ninja world ever awoke and realized Hiruzen had sold off the exam grounds for 50,000 reward points,
it would probably unite every ninja to hunt down the Hokage.
To improve the spectator experience,
Konoha had spent heavily to build a massive screen that allowed noble factions to clearly watch the matches.
Now,
the five Kage of the great ninja villages had arrived, sitting harmoniously at the center of the arena.
"Hokage-sama, still strong as ever."
"That's my line, Lord Onoki."
As host, Hiruzen Sarutobi greeted the other four Kage with a smile, returning the Tsuchikage's words without missing a beat.
The Kazekage sat silently behind a veil.
Mei Terumi sat gracefully with her Mizukage hat set aside, seemingly uninterested in the verbal sparring.
It was Raikage A who grinned ferociously, Lightning Release chakra coursing around him. "So, are we going to spar before the Chunin Exams begin?"
"Lord Raikage, such words are inappropriate in Konoha!"
Hiruzen frowned. Though he feared no one, he had no desire to spark unnecessary conflict.
Fighting among the Kage would cause immense collateral damage.
If a battle broke out in Konoha, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"A ninja's most important skills are intel gathering, observation, and tracking. Since the first round is about to begin, why don't we see which village's shinobi are the strongest?"
Hiruzen, the political veteran, easily diffused the tension with a couple of lines.
Sure enough, the four Kage turned their attention to the arena.
They all had hidden agendas, but none were ready to act yet.
Nothing was in place to deliver a fatal blow to Konoha.
Boom.
A puff of smoke appeared in the center of the arena.
Hundreds of shinobi appeared, all wearing Konoha forehead protectors.
Each one radiated chakra, the weakest of them at elite chunin level.
Leading them was Morino Ibiki, an elite jonin known for his brutal interrogation techniques.
"Everyone, I am your proctor for this written exam—Morino Ibiki."
His cold, emotionless voice echoed through the coliseum.
At once, all examinees fell silent.
Many from small villages looked on in shock and envy.
Five hundred elite chunin—these proctors alone could likely wipe out their entire villages.
Konoha truly had a deep bench.
Even Mei Terumi showed visible envy. "Konoha really is overflowing with talent."
Kirigakure had once been glorious.
But the Bloody Mist regime drove it into decline.
The Kaguya clan, with their Dead Bone Pulse, was extinct.
The Yuki clan, with Ice Release, was destroyed.
The Seven Swordsmen scattered. Rogue ninja everywhere…
Though she had started to bring order back and gained power from the Reincarnation Game,
they couldn't afford to spare hundreds of high-level ninja just to act as proctors.
Unless they abandoned all defenses—something unthinkable.
But the old fox Hiruzen had managed it.
This meant these proctors were spare forces—available without weakening Konoha.
Seeing how the examinees were intimidated, Hiruzen smiled and said, "Kirigakure has the Seven Swordsmen, and your Genjutsu forces aren't weaker than Konoha. Mizukage-dono flatters us too much."
At that moment—
A commotion broke out inside the exam arena.
"Stop! As proctor, I order you to release him!"
Ibiki's gaze turned sharp.
He had just begun explaining the rules when someone launched a surprise attack on another examinee.
A red-haired boy from Sunagakure, carrying a gourd and sporting heavy dark circles under his eyes,
extended his left hand. Sand surged forward, wrapping tightly around a Konoha examinee's throat, lifting him high into the air.