A year and a half later — at the entrance of Konoha Village.
Minato's squad, having just returned from a mission, gradually appeared at the main gate.
"Hey, Minato's team is back!"
The young Chūnin on guard duty waved as the four approached.
"Yes, we just completed our mission," Minato replied with a smile, nodding in acknowledgment. Then he turned to look at the three behind him.
"The Chūnin Exams are coming up soon, and I've already recommended you to the Hokage. Kakashi, Rin, Obito — you'll be entering the exam together as a team of three."
"Yeah!" Obito shouted, leaping excitedly into the air and striking a ridiculous transformation pose like Tiga. He had been waiting for this day forever.
Rin also smiled brightly, her eyes full of anticipation.
Kakashi, on the other hand, was less thrilled.
Can I skip this? he silently complained.
Seriously, which Hokage thought this up? Konoha's Genin are always the most troublesome! In this village, Genin are practically monsters!
"I'll go report the mission results now. Tomorrow, I'll brief you on what to expect in the Chūnin Exams," Minato continued. "Most of the participants are around your age — with one exception. So don't let your guard down."
He smiled mysteriously, not elaborating further.
"All right, dismissed!"
And with a blur, Minato vanished from sight. Kakashi, Rin, and Obito also headed off in different directions.
---
The Chūnin Exams were originally established by the Second Hokage as a system for promoting Genin. More than just a test, the exams served as a way for allied nations to observe each other's military strength. Most of the candidates were elite Genin from their respective villages.
However, since the end of the Second Great Ninja War, no joint Chūnin Exams had been held. The peace treaties signed by the nations were little more than superficial agreements — temporary compromises in the face of Konoha's overwhelming power.
Beneath the surface, the ninja world remained turbulent.
---
A few days later, the Chūnin Exams officially began.
The first round: a written test.
Kakashi breezed through the exam, finishing early. Although the questions were quite challenging, they posed no difficulty for him. After all, he had memorized every page of "Three Years of Ninja Exams, Five Years of Simulated Questions," a guide Minato-sensei had handed them days ago.
Obito, meanwhile, sat behind him, scratching his head frantically and staring helplessly at the questions. If he were capable of solving them, people wouldn't call him "Uchiha Kenji" behind his back.
Anticipating this, Kakashi discreetly observed the proctors while moving his fingers to form subtle code signals — a system they had agreed on in advance.
The truth was, the written test wasn't about academic knowledge. It was designed to evaluate a ninja's ability to gather intelligence and transmit information under surveillance.
As long as you had the smarts to cheat discreetly, you passed.
As for maintaining the "honor" of the exam?
Forget it.
Behind the 360-degree surveillance setup monitoring the exam room, the Third Hokage himself was watching. He really was a bit of a voyeur.
In the end, only a few Genin stood out. By the time the written test concluded, more than half of the contestants had already been eliminated.
---
Round two: the survival test.
The infamous Forest of Death.
Sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting flickering patterns across the mossy forest floor. The scene almost looked magical — if you ignored the lurking danger.
Kakashi, Rin, and Obito moved cautiously, weaving through the dense woods. They had five days to complete their objective: possessing the Scroll of Heaven, they needed to locate a team with the Scroll of Earth, defeat them, and make it to the central tower.
In short, the rules ensured that at least half the participants would be eliminated by default.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approached from the distance, getting louder by the second.
Three figures emerged, arguing loudly among themselves.
"You guys seem pretty chill. Still have time to bicker in a place like this?" came a teasing voice from above.
Startled, the trio froze.
Looking up, they saw three Genin standing calmly on the branches above, the leader wearing a dark blue mask and sporting spiky silver hair.
Hatake Kakashi.
"So, you're here to steal our scroll, huh?" one of the boys — tall and smug-looking — sneered.
They had made it through the written test, so they clearly weren't pushovers. He didn't seem too concerned about facing Kakashi's team.
"Smart," Kakashi smiled, snapping his fingers. "Since you already know, I won't waste time. Hand over your scroll peacefully, and we'll be on our way. Deal?"
"Tch. Who the hell are you supposed to be?" said a short, stocky kid, glaring up.
Of course, he recognized Kakashi. But ever since White Fang's death, Kakashi's reputation at the academy had declined. The once idolized prodigy had become an afterthought to his peers.
But the moment he finished speaking — bam!
Kakashi appeared before him in a flash. With a sharp gust of wind, he delivered a brutal kick to the boy's stomach.
The impact sent him flying backward, crashing into a tree and slumping to the ground, groaning in pain.
"Damn it! Get him!" the tall one shouted in rage.
But before he could move, a cold blade was already at his throat — Kakashi's kunai pressed firmly against his neck.
"Here's a tip: when you go out in public, try being polite," Kakashi said coolly.
The boy froze, face pale with terror.
"If you don't want another beating, just hand over the scroll."
After a tense pause, the enemy team finally gave in. Humiliated, the tall boy fished the scroll from his pouch and handed it over.
From that moment, their team was eliminated.
"Nice — it's the Scroll of Earth," Kakashi confirmed with a grin. Their mission was now halfway done.
"Let's go, Obito, Rin. We need to head for the center tower before it gets too crowded."
With a wave of his hand, the three darted off into the forest, leaving the defeated team behind, humiliated and furious.
---
By evening, the sky was still faintly lit.
As treetops rustled in the wind, three figures zipped through the trees and finally landed outside the central tower.
After scanning the surroundings, Kakashi realized something — they were the first team to arrive.
No surprise there. It was still day one; most teams were probably waiting for others to fight first, hoping to swoop in later.
Should we ambush incoming teams? Kakashi considered for a moment.
But then shook his head.
This isn't PUBG. No need to camp the bridge.
With their goal achieved, there was no reason to stir up extra trouble.
He led the team into the tower.
Under the stunned gaze of the proctors, the trio received their room keys and settled into their assigned quarters. They wouldn't be allowed to leave until the second round officially ended.
And so, for the next four days, they rested inside — eating hot pot, singing songs, and watching battles break out outside the tower with mild amusement.
---
Eventually, the second team arrived — battered but victorious.
Obito immediately rushed over to challenge them to a board game.
Specifically, a ninja battle card game popular among Genin.
Kakashi was surprised to find a familiar face among the newcomers: a boy wearing a high-collared black shirt, brown shoulder armor, white wraps on his legs, and the Uchiha crest on his back.
A small sword was slung across his back. His signature dumpling-shaped nose made his identity unmistakable — Uchiha Shisui.
"Summon: Second Hokage!" Shisui called out excitedly, flipping over an S-rank card.
"Again?!" Obito groaned, staring at the B-rank card he had drawn.
"You lose again, Obito-senpai," Shisui teased with a smirk.
"No way! As long as I still have cards in my deck, I won't give up!"
Obito's eyes burned with determination. "I believe in my deck. There has to be a way to beat you!"
"It's my turn. Draw!" Obito pulled a card and clutched it between his palms, rubbing it frantically. "Please, bless me! First Hokage! I need you!"
He flipped the card dramatically—
"Pfft—!"
Obito instantly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Kakashi looked over curiously… then quickly turned away.
What kind of sadistic humor does the Fire Country card publisher have?
The card was none other than Chiyo in a swimsuit.
"Hahaha! Obito, your luck is the worst!" Rin couldn't hold back her laughter.
"Ughhh! No way! One more round! I won't lose again!" Obito shouted, his face red with frustration.
"You can do it, Obito," Kakashi said seriously. "Just six more games, and you're bound to win at least once."
"Why six more?" Obito asked, confused.
"There's a guaranteed win on every ten draws."
"…Huh?!"