The surge in chakra was unmistakable. Shigure felt as though his body was overflowing with raw, unrestrained power.
The sensation made him want to release his chakra at any moment.
The urge to fight boiled inside him, hard to suppress.
There was no choice.
He wrapped himself in a shroud of icy air, forcing his body to cool down and his mind to settle. Frosty mist clung to him, and with every step, it was as if snowflakes trailed in his wake.
The ninjutsu experiments ended there. Shigure turned to head back to the village.
From the mission in the Land of Snow until now, he hadn't truly rested.
Yet, just as he returned to Konoha, before he could even make it home, an Anbu appeared, blocking his path.
"Moonlight Shigure!"
Shigure blinked in surprise. Anbu rarely showed themselves so openly.
Was I exposed yesterday?
No—it shouldn't be that bad. And even if it were, they wouldn't come to me so directly.
"I'm Shigure. What's the matter?"
The masked Anbu stepped closer, and an involuntary shiver ran down his spine. The weather was warm, the midday sun shining brightly—yet he felt an unnatural chill.
Shigure coughed lightly, realizing his own cold aura was affecting the man. Without it, the pressure of his overflowing chakra would burn through him.
"Hokage-sama requests your presence. Go to the Hokage Building immediately."
The Hokage?
Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to see him?
"I understand," Shigure replied.
The Anbu vanished, and Shigure turned toward the Hokage Building.
Not long before, in that very building, the Third Hokage had summoned a gathering of Konoha's jōnin.
The purpose was simple: the Chūnin Exams were approaching, and the village needed to finalize which genin would participate.
Traditionally, a jōnin-sensei would decide whether to recommend their team. And after a year, most jōnin instructors stopped taking missions with their genin squads—unless the team had exceptional potential.
"I, Hatake Kakashi, recommend Team 7 for the Chūnin Exams."
Kakashi was the first to step forward, stunning the room.
His team had only graduated less than a year ago—and he was sending them in already?
"I, Yūhi Kurenai, recommend…"
"I, Sarutobi Asuma, recommend…"
"I, Might Guy, recommend…"
One after another, the instructors of newly graduated genin voiced their recommendations. Meanwhile, several jōnin who had trained genin for years remained silent.
Hiruzen smiled faintly.
"After so many years, Konoha is finally in a time of abundance."
Soon, even the veteran jōnin began to speak up.
"Kakashi! You're recommending your team? They've barely done any missions!"
It was Guy who spoke, frowning in disbelief.
"Yes," Kakashi replied calmly, "only two missions."
"Two?!" Guy nearly choked. "You're sending them to the Exams after two missions? Even if you're tired of leading a genin team, you don't have to—"
"It's not that I'm tired," Kakashi interrupted. "They're already capable of completing A-rank missions on their own… even S-rank missions are within their ability."
The room went still. Hatake Kakashi did not praise lightly.
"Team 7's first mission was classified A-rank after the fact. They fought Momochi Zabuza—and I didn't intervene. They defeated him themselves."
Murmurs rippled through the room.
"Their second mission began as A-rank but turned into an S-rank difficulty. They overthrew a corrupt regime in a small nation."
The other jōnin stared in disbelief. These kids had done that fresh out of the Academy?
Kurenai smirked.
"Two missions—one S-rank, one A-rank. Quite the little prodigies you've got."
Hiruzen raised his hand to quiet them.
"I've received your recommendations. Inform your teams to prepare. This Chūnin Exam will be different—perhaps with a larger number of participating villages."
That drew puzzled glances from Guy, Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, and the rest.
If Hiruzen was making a point of it, then it wasn't about small nations. That meant… perhaps all five great shinobi villages would be sending teams.
A rare occurrence.
One by one, the senior jōnin filed out of the Hokage Building—only to pause as a wave of icy wind swept over them.
They turned to see a boy approaching, cold mist coiling from his body.
What's with this kid?
"Shigure," Kakashi called out.
The boy turned.
"Kakashi-sensei."
Kurenai glanced over curiously.
"So this is one of Kakashi's genin? What a strange boy… such a chill coming off him."
"You came here for—?" Kakashi began.
"The Third Hokage called for me," Shigure answered simply.
Hearing this, Kakashi gave a short nod.
"Go."
As Shigure walked past, Kakashi turned slightly, his brow furrowing.
That's definitely Ice Release… but it's so unstable. Why can't this kid control it properly?
Inside the Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up from his desk—and paused. A faint, biting cold seeped into the room along with Shigure's presence, curling in the air like invisible frost.
The old man studied him for a moment but didn't dwell on it. Perhaps he's been training his Ice Release control, Hiruzen thought.
"Shigure," the Third said, his tone warm despite the chill.
"Grandpa has heard about your performance on this mission. Because of… certain special circumstances, it can only be officially classified as an A-rank."
Hiruzen raised a hand to forestall protest.
"That said, the reward you will receive is still on par with an S-rank mission's pay. The classification doesn't change your team's actual achievement."
A small smile creased the Hokage's face.
"And—since you did so well—I've decided to give each member of Team 7 an additional reward."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes glinting.
"I can personally teach you a ninjutsu…"
...
TN:
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