Chapter 69: The Hidden Reward in the Simulation
The Chūnin Exams were starting... For Akiyama Makoto, they were just a formality. The one-on-one elimination tournament might be a little interesting; he wondered if his presence would change the original matchups. All that was left was to shine during the Konoha Crush plot and then figure out how to deal with Tsunade afterward. That problem was actually quite simple; he had already thought of a countermeasure.
[The Chūnin Exams begin. You do not tell your partners the exam questions in advance, as you feel it is a precious life experience. You answer the questions quietly during the written test to gauge your own mastery of basic ninja knowledge. It turns out your score is quite good.]
[Encouraged by Naruto's declaration—"Even if I'm a Genin for life, I'll still become Hokage!"—many people stay behind and pass Morino Ibiki's final question: get it wrong and lose the right to participate in the exams forever.]
[The second stage begins quickly. You lead your team to the Forest of Death within the 44th Training Ground. Team 8 may not be strong, but everyone, yourself included, possesses reconnaissance abilities.]
[You can both easily defeat weak enemies to snatch scrolls and avoid unwanted opponents to evade combat. Just one hour after starting, you have already collected both a Heaven and an Earth Scroll.]
[On your advice, you do not rush to the tower in the center of the forest. Instead, you utilize the trio's reconnaissance abilities to gather intelligence on your opponents. You thus witness Orochimaru giving Sasuke the Cursed Seal and the process of Gaara's murderous rampage.]
[Additionally, you also discover Karin in the process, confirming that she is participating in this exam. It's only because her skills are too mediocre and she was separated from her teammates that she loses the qualification to enter the next round.]
Seeing this, a smile curved Makoto's lips. This was probably another important gain from this simulation. He hadn't forgotten about Karin's existence. Her Uzumaki clan constitution was something he coveted, especially since she herself was very easy to win over. The only remaining problem was how to handle her status after he saved her during the Chūnin Exams. But that wasn't something he needed to consider right now. By the time the real exams came around, perhaps he would already have a sufficient status and position.
[You are the last team to pass the second stage of the exam. To your surprise, Yakushi Kabuto has not withdrawn. The match list is quickly drawn. The vast majority of the matchups are consistent with your memory, and your opponent is none other than Kabuto.]
Makoto frowned slightly. Kabuto's purpose in participating was to gather intelligence on the various villages' ninja, especially Sasuke. He could have just watched the matches as a spectator in the finals, so he didn't need to participate personally, which was why he had originally withdrawn with the excuse of being injured. Why hadn't he withdrawn this time? Could he be after him?
He immediately felt this was very likely. Perhaps his status as Tsunade's successor had ignited the competitive spirit of Kabuto, who was also a medical ninja confident that he was second to none.
[The matches proceed normally, and the results are not much different from your memory. However, when Rock Lee's match begins, you offer a suggestion to Guy, telling him that Lee's health is more important than a temporary victory. Guy listens to your advice and stops the match before Lee is grievously injured.]
[You treat Lee on the spot. Your methods attract the attention of many people, and the limelight on you is no less than that on the match itself. Yakushi Kabuto watches all of this quietly from the side, but you sense his killing intent towards you.]
Makoto stroked his chin... Could this guy be jealous of me? The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Kabuto prided himself on being the successor to Orochimaru's will, which naturally made him Orochimaru's disciple. He and his master couldn't return to Konoha openly, let alone enjoy the treatment a Sannin and their disciple should have. But now, he was enjoying all of it...
Makoto scratched his head. Had he just made himself a rival?
[Soon, it is your and Kabuto's turn to fight. You also attract everyone's attention. Kabuto uses the Chakra Scalpel and launches a taijutsu assault. You unhesitatingly use your Chakra Enhanced Strength, overturning the arena and repelling him.]
[However, Kabuto does not concede. Instead, he constantly skirmishes with you, occasionally releasing a Wind Style jutsu, trying to get close and find a way to defeat you. You naturally do not let him succeed, suppressing him throughout the fight, but you can tell he is only using the strength of a Chūnin.]
[In the end, at the cost of injury, Kabuto uses a genjutsu on you, Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death. This genjutsu, created by Senju Hashirama, is widely known in Konoha. The moment you are controlled by the illusion, your Yin Seal automatically releases. The dense curse marks cause the crowd to exclaim in shock, and you immediately break free from the genjutsu's control.]
[After witnessing this scene, Yakushi Kabuto immediately surrenders. You can only deactivate the Yin Seal and accept your victory. But you realize your auto-dispel genjutsu still needs improvement. Right now, you can only break through illusions by brute-forcing it with the release of the Yin Seal.]
Next up was the Konoha Crush plot... Makoto considered whether there was anything he could do during the process. The momentum of this simulation was pretty good so far. It seemed he could try to obtain more intelligence. For example, what were Danzō and Root doing while they were completely absent during the Chūnin Exams? This might become powerful evidence for him to use against Danzō in the future.
But you quickly realize that as a participant, you will have to face the Konoha Crush directly. You probably won't have time for that sort of thing.
[Kurenai is very satisfied with your performance in the match. She decides to teach you a genjutsu that is very suitable for you, called Demonic Illusion: Slow Blossom Technique. The effect of this jutsu is to make your speed seem to increase explosively in the eyes of the person caught in the illusion. In reality, it lowers the opponent's reaction speed, which is a perfect match for your Chakra Enhanced Strength.]
Huh?
Makoto was taken aback. How had he never heard of this jutsu? But then he realized that many ninja in the original story had very little screen time, so it was impossible for all their abilities to be shown. Take Kurenai, for example. As the strongest genjutsu master below the Sharingan, how could she only know one or two techniques?
He had really hit the jackpot this time!
He decided that in reality, he would have to properly respect this genjutsu master. After all, her 'Genjutsu' stat was a ten!
[After arduous training, you master the genjutsu taught by Kurenai, and the final day of the Chūnin Exams finally arrives.]
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