Day five.
Above the Forest of Death, the last signal flare rose into the sky, exploding into a crimson flower against the grey sky.
The second exam was officially over.
In the tower's largest tiered classroom, the twenty-four examinees who had passed the second exam were scattered across the stepped seats.
Konoha Village had three teams advancing:
Menma, Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuga Hinata.
Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Choji.
Uchiha Sasuke, Sai, Shigaraki.
The Land of Stars had two teams advancing:
Gaara, Temari, Kankuro.
Uzumaki Karin, Kurotsuchi, Ranmaru.
Kumogakure had one team advancing:
Karui, Omoi, Atsui.
Kirigakure had one team advancing:
Hozuki Suigetsu, Chojuro, Uzumaki Honoka.
Iwagakure had one team advancing:
Deidara, Ku, Kirara.
A total of eight teams.
Twenty-four examinees.
Each person bore varying degrees of injury.
But every pair of eyes shone with the light of resilience and confidence.
Anko stood on the podium, a skewer of tri-colored dango in her mouth, her arms crossed over her chest.
She squinted, sweeping her gaze over these twenty-four young faces below, the corner of her mouth curling into a smile.
"Tsk tsk, eight teams actually passed," She said, chewing the dango, her words muffled. "You guys are pretty lucky, huh?"
Scattered laughter rose.
Everyone knew it wasn't luck at all.
Every person standing here had proven themselves with strength.
If not for the unprecedented scale of this exam, these examinees could have been promoted to Chunin in other villages.
But unfortunately, this was a joint exam of the Five Great Nations and over a dozen smaller villages. They still weren't enough.
"There are this many examinees?"
A voice suddenly sounded in the classroom, carrying a hint of sleepiness and a touch of teasing.
"Anko, your elimination rate isn't as good as Ibiki-senpai."
The classroom instantly fell silent.
The examinees looked at each other, glancing left and right.
'Who was speaking?'
The voice was clearly very close, but they couldn't see anyone at all.
Menma glanced sideways.
Hinata's Byakugan quietly activated, the veins around her eyes slightly bulging.
Karin formed a one-handed seal. Her Mind's Eye of Kagura instantly captured that Chakra source… right next to Anko, less than a meter away!
The next second, the air beside Anko twisted.
A figure slowly materialized.
He wore Konoha's standard green flak jacket. His face was sickly pale, with dark circles under his eyes.
Konoha Village's Special Jonin, Gekko Hayate.
"Cough, cough!" He coughed twice, his voice weak. "First of all, congratulations to everyone for passing the second exam. Let me introduce myself. I am the proctor for the third exam, Gekko Hayate."
He paused, as if organizing his words.
"Cough—now I will announce the rules and schedule for the third exam."
Everyone's attention focused on him.
Hayate pulled a scroll from his coat, unrolled it, and glanced at it.
"The third exam will be held in five days at the designated arena in the northern part of Konoha Village. Daimyo, nobles, and a large number of civilians from various countries will be in attendance to watch."
He looked up at the examinees.
"The competition format is three-on-three team battle."
Slight murmurs rose in the classroom.
Shikamaru's brow furrowed.
Deidara raised an eyebrow.
Suigetsu licked his lips.
Gaara remained expressionless.
"The opponents will be determined by draw," Hayate continued. "All members of the winning team will be directly promoted to Chunin. For the losing team, the Jonin Team will conduct a comprehensive evaluation based on individual performance to determine if any members qualify for promotion."
He rolled up the scroll and had another violent coughing fit.
"Cough, cough… the specific matchup, to ensure fairness and impartiality, will be drawn on the day of the exam. Please rest well and adjust your condition."
He turned, preparing to leave.
"Wait a moment."
A voice rose from the crowd.
Deidara stood up. Beneath his golden short hair, his eyes gleamed with excited light.
"Three-on-three battle, meaning we can fight freely, right?" He tilted his head, the corner of his mouth curling. "Win and you get promoted?"
Hayate glanced at him, feeling that this kid seemed particularly excited. He frowned and said, "As long as you don't intentionally cause death and don't violate the basic rules of the match, any tactics, any Ninjutsu can be used."
"Including exploding clay?"
"—Including."
"Including killing?" Deidara pressed.
Hayate's coughing paused.
He looked at Deidara, his gaze calm, but his tone lowered. "The match prohibits intentional killing. However… if the opponent dies from your technique and it cannot be determined as intentional—"
He didn't finish.
But everyone understood the implication.
The exam venue of the Chunin Exams was like a battlefield.
Death was permitted.
Deidara smiled and sat back down satisfied.
The classroom fell into a brief silence.
Naruto unconsciously clenched his fists. Hinata gently grabbed the corner of Menma's clothes.
Sasuke lowered his head, pondering something.
Gaara opened his eyelids, glanced at Sasuke, then looked away.
The opponents would be drawn on the day of the exam, five days from now, making advance targeted training impossible. Any of the other seven teams present could be their opponent in the third exam.
Hayate put away the scroll and turned to leave.
"Get some good rest, you brats," Anko said, giving the examinees one last look. She rarely spoke without her usual sarcasm.
Leaving those words, she also left the classroom.
In the tiered classroom, eight teams, twenty-four people, each lost in their own silence.
A subtle atmosphere filled the air.
The eight teams left Training Ground No. 44, the Forest of Death, and headed to their respective lodgings to rest.
Menma, Naruto, and Hinata stepped onto the bustling streets of Konoha. A wave of lively atmosphere rushed toward them.
The aroma of food, the cries of shopkeepers, the laughter of children… all intertwined into a noisy, life-filled commotion.
After five days of survival trials in the primeval forest, suddenly returning to this familiar hustle and bustle of daily life felt almost unreal.
"We're finally out—" Naruto stretched hugely, his arms nearly hitting a passing pedestrian.
His clothes were still stained with the dirt and leaves of the forest, but his spirits were higher than anyone's.
Hinata walked beside Menma, gently adjusting her collar, which had become a bit disheveled from the long battle.
Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji also caught up.
"Wow—" Ino's eyes immediately lit up. She stood on tiptoe, looking around. "So many people! Even more crowded than during the New Year!"
It was indeed lively.
Konoha's main thoroughfare was thick with people.
Merchants and tourists from other villages were everywhere. Not only were there noble ladies in various kimonos and traveling merchants carrying backpacks, but there were also several Ninja wearing forehead protectors from other villages, probably diplomatic teams accompanying the exam teams.
The shops on both sides of the street had put up new signs.
Ramen shops, dango shops, ninja tool shops, inns—
Almost every store had a promotional poster for the [Joint Chunin Exams] posted at its entrance.
The posters depicted several heroic Ninja figures, with eye-catching text: [Hosted by Konoha Village! The First Five Great Nations Joint Chunin Exams!]
[Witness the birth of a new generation of Ninja!]
[Final Match Tickets Now on Sale!]
Utility poles, walls, even the entrances to public restrooms were plastered with similar advertisements.
Choji's gaze, however, was not drawn to these.
His eyes were fixed on a convenience store at the street corner. In the transparent glass window, colorful bags of potato chips were neatly arranged.
"New flavors—"
He murmured, his legs already unconsciously moving in that direction.
"Choji, wait—"
Before Shikamaru could finish, Choji had already reached the convenience store entrance. He turned back and waved to Naruto.
"Naruto! They have new chips here! Want to try some?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Naruto, as if charmed, dashed over.
Shikamaru watched their backs, raised his hand, and then let it fall helplessly.
He looked up at the sky and sighed, muttering in a voice only he could hear: "I might as well have been eliminated in the second exam—"
"Don't be so pessimistic," Menma said, walking up to him with one hand in his pocket, a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. "Maybe you'll get lucky and draw a weaker opponent."
Shikamaru glanced sideways at him.
That look screamed, "Are you serious?"
"Weak?" Shikamaru started counting on his fingers.
Among the other teams, whether Gaara's team or Karin's team from the Land of Stars, neither was to be trifled with. Those three from Kumogakure had nearly eliminated them last time, and they had only escaped because they ran fast.
The Kirigakure's team had two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. The Iwagakure's Deidara also looked like trouble. Thinking about it, none of the teams this time seemed weak.
As for the other two Konoha's teams, Sasuke seemed to have already awakened his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and his two teammates appeared to be from Root… also not simple.
Shikamaru's gaze swept over Naruto, who was excitedly discussing with Choji which chips tasted better, then over Hinata, who was being whispered to by Ino and occasionally blushing as she peeked at Menma, and finally landed on Menma, standing beside him, forever calm and composed.
As the heir of the Nara Clan, Shikamaru knew through word of mouth that Naruto is the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki.
Hinata is the head of the Hyuga main family, her Taijutsu and Byakugan were top-notch, and the strength of her Big Sis personality was even more terrifying.
And Menma, this civilian-born genius top student, his father had even commented that he 'had the shadow of the Fourth Hokage'… calm, strong, with tactical thinking far beyond that of a Genin.
Comparing this way—
Shikamaru slapped his own face again, the crisp sound echoing.
"Is it possible—" Shikamaru finally looked at Menma, his eyes full of despair. "We're actually the weakest team?"
Menma blinked.
Then he smiled, patting Shikamaru on the shoulder encouragingly. "You guys are the Ino-Shika-Cho of this generation. With good coordination, you might still have a fighting chance."
"I hope so—" Shikamaru sighed.
On the other side, Ino was pulling Hinata along, chatting about something.
"Oh, Hinata, look at that—" Ino pointed to a kimono shop by the roadside. In the window hung a pale purple long-sleeved kimono, embroidered with delicate cherry blossom patterns.
"So beautiful—" Hinata said quietly.
"Right, right! After the exam is over, let's go shopping together!" Ino's eyes sparkled. Then she lowered her voice, leaning close to Hinata's ear. "We can even pick out a few for you to wear for Menma~"
"Ino-chan—!" Hinata's face instantly turned crimson, red all the way to the roots of her ears.
Ino giggled, but her gaze unconsciously drifted to Menma, who was talking to Shikamaru not far away.
The lines of that black-haired boy's profile were very handsome, and the expression on his face when he spoke carried a reassuring gentleness.
"How nice—" Ino said softly, a hint of envy in her tone, but no jealousy.
She looked away, looked at Naruto and Choji buying chips in the distance, and sighed helplessly.
After a moment, Choji and Naruto returned.
Choji held four or five bags of chips in his arms, his face beaming with satisfaction.
Naruto also had three bags in his hands, half a chip still in his mouth, speaking indistinctly: "Mmm… this new flavor is pretty good, a bit spicy, kind of exciting."
They each gave a bag to their teammates.
Shikamaru took the chips, looked at the colorful packaging in his hand, then at his teammates chewing noisily beside him, and finally gave up thinking.
"Forget it—" He tore open the packaging, took out a chip, and put it in his mouth. "The cart will find its way to the mountain."
They continued walking.
The streets grew livelier, the crowds denser.
Pedestrians in various colors of clothing jostled each other. The sounds of hawking, talking and laughing, and children playing mixed together into a tumultuous ocean.
Just then,
The crowd ahead suddenly stirred.
A white figure rushed out from the crowd, staggering and sprinting in their direction.
It was a white-haired middle-aged man, wearing a dark red haori, his wooden clogs slapping loudly as he ran, his face full of panic.
He held a telescope in his right hand and a notebook in his left, running and looking back, as if being chased by someone.
Naruto's chewing stopped.
"Huh?" He blinked, recognizing that familiar face. "Pervy Sage?"
Jiraiya's gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Naruto.
In that instant, his eyes lit up.
"Naruto!"
He rushed over in three strides, stuffing the telescope and notebook into Naruto's arms.
"You came just in time! I'll leave this to you!"
"Ha?!"
Before Naruto could react, Jiraiya had already run off, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
Naruto looked down at the things in his arms.
A telescope.
A notebook.
"What is this—" He dazedly opened the notebook.
The first page was filled with handwritten text and sloppy illustrations.
The content of the illustrations—
Naruto's face instantly turned bright red. He snapped the notebook shut as if it were burning hot.
"That pervy sage!!!"
Shikamaru leaned in curiously: "That guy just now, you know him?"
Menma had already raised his hand, pointing ahead.
"I think now's not the time to discuss that."
Shikamaru followed his pointing finger.
A group of women was charging out of the crowd, looking furious.
Leading them was a middle-aged woman in a dark blue kimono, her hair pinned up, her face burning with rage.
Behind her followed seven or eight equally furious women, some young, some older, but all having expressions of identical anger.
"That's him!" The leading woman pointed at Naruto, her voice shrill. "Peeping Tom!"
"What?!" Naruto's eyes widened.
The women had already rushed in front of him, snatched the notebook from his hands, opened it, and thrust it in his face.
"The evidence is indisputable! You still want to deny it?!"
Naruto looked at the explicit illustrations and text, unable to defend himself: "No! This isn't mine! It was that old guy from before—"
"What old guy? We only saw you holding this!"
"I'm really not a Peeping Tom!"
"Then why are you holding a telescope and this notebook?"
"Th-This was shoved into my hands by someone else!"
"Hah." The leading woman sneered. "You expect us to believe that excuse?"
Naruto was frantic with anxiety, sweating profusely. He turned his head, trying to beg for help from his companions.
But he found that Menma and Shikamaru had quietly stepped back two paces.
Ino had pulled Hinata back as well.
Choji hesitated for a moment while chewing his chips, then also stepped back.
Around Naruto, only the angry women remained.
"Y-You guys—!"
"Come with us!" The leading woman grabbed Naruto's wrist. "To the Police Department! Let the Ninja-sama thoroughly investigate how many times you've peeped!"
"No—!!!"
Naruto's screams echoed through the street as he was escorted by the group of women, gradually disappearing into the crowd.
"That idiot!" Ino laughed out loud, covering her mouth.
Hinata looked somewhat reluctant. "Won't this… be a bit much…"
Menma patted her shoulder. "It's fine. The Police Department won't give him a hard time."
'After all, that guy is the Fourth Hokage's son.'
'And after its reorganization, the power of the Konoha Police Department was concentrated in the hands of the Third Hokage.'
On a distant street corner,
Jiraiya leaned against a utility pole, half his head peeking out, watching Naruto being escorted away by the group of women, and let out a long breath.
"Close call, close call—"
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, but a triumphant smile played on his face. "Kid, taking a bullet for your teacher is your blessing."
"Wow—! That's way too much, you pervy sage!" A young voice came from behind, carrying exaggerated exclamation.
Jiraiya jumped in surprise and spun around.
Boruto was behind him, hands on his hips.
And beside Boruto stood Adult Sasuke, wearing a round, wide-brimmed hat, looking toward where Naruto was being led away.
Jiraiya's pupils contracted slightly, but he quickly regained that slacker demeanor.
"Oh dear, it's you two. When did you get here?"
"From the very beginning," Boruto pouted. "Watching you push that idiot into the fire pit."
"Cough, cough." Jiraiya grinned and scratched his head. "Oh dear, you saw that? Little guy, you can't say that. I was testing my disciple's ability to adapt!"
"Look, he did a great job drawing everyone's attention, creating the perfect retreat opportunity for me, his teacher. That's essential tactical acumen for a Ninja!"
"That's just passing the buck!" Boruto retorted angrily.