A special thank you to all my patrons.
The List of My "Wandering Reader":
-Davis Nguyen
-Cain
-Goha21
-Jacob Mooe
-HADES
-Varun Madhu
-Mp Gaming
-Aziz Makda
-Gonzalo Sumalavia
-Klip
-JWolf
-kevin Williams
-Shadow260802
-MIKE
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
—————————————————————
The next day, at nine in the morning.
Kurenai's team had gathered early at their usual spot.
Kurenai herself didn't keep them waiting long, appearing in a flash soon after. Normally, she would immediately take them to receive their mission as soon as she arrived. But this time, she didn't. Instead, she was holding three forms in her hand.
She handed the forms to Ryūsei and his teammates and said, "Yesterday, the Hokage summoned all the jonin instructors and announced that this year's Chunin Exams will be held on July 1st. I've already registered you three. These are your application forms. You can discuss it among yourselves. If you decide to participate in this year's Chunin Exams, fill out the forms and submit them to the administration building before noon on July 1st. If you choose not to participate, you can ignore these forms. Every Chunin Exam is not just an opportunity for genin to advance in rank but also a chance for Konoha to display its national strength. So, if you participate, your opponents won't just be genin from our village—you'll also face genin from other hidden villages. And when fighting genin from other villages, casualties are unavoidable. I won't be able to help you, so think carefully."
"Alright, dismissed. You're free for the next few days."
With that, Kurenai vanished in a flicker.
From start to finish, she never reminded them that if even one of them chose to drop out, Team 8 wouldn't be able to participate in the Chunin Exams.
Clearly, she was testing their teamwork—whether the months of fighting side by side had forged bonds between them.
Shino looked at the application form in his hand and asked, "Ryūsei, what do you think?"
"Of course we're participating," Ryūsei replied with a smile. "This is one of the rare chances to measure ourselves against genin from other villages and see how we stack up against our peers."
Hearing this, Shino's lips curled slightly. "If you're in, then so am I."
"Me too," Hinata added.
"Good. Then let's train hard these next few days and meet here at eleven in the morning on July 1st," Ryūsei said, waving the application form before parting ways with Shino and Hinata.
He didn't invite Hinata to his house this time, and she didn't seem disappointed.
After deciding to participate in the Chunin Exams, both Hinata and Shino felt a mix of pressure and motivation.
Hinata resolved to ask her father for personal training as soon as she got home—she couldn't afford to become Ryūsei's burden.
Shino felt the same way.
Having witnessed Ryūsei's strength and knowing he likely had hidden trump cards, Shino felt both secure and pressured.
His teammate was too strong. Even if he couldn't catch up, he at least couldn't drag him down.
So, Shino decided to ask his father for some extra training as well.
Such were the benefits of being from a shinobi clan!
After parting ways with Hinata and Shino, Ryūsei didn't return home. Instead, he went to a secluded cliff with a roaring waterfall.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Ryūsei formed hand seals and created five shadow clones.
The clones immediately split up, each focusing on their own training.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Crackle! Crackle!
The sounds of explosions and crackling electricity filled the air, but the roaring waterfall drowned them out completely.
Unless someone passed by, no one would notice Ryūsei and his clones.
One of the clones periodically activated the Byakugan's penetration vision and telescopic vision.
If anyone approached or spied on them, Ryūsei would know immediately.
With the clones acting as surveillance and given the current circumstances, Ryūsei didn't need to be as cautious as before.
After several hours of intense training, Ryūsei finally felt exhausted. He took out a towel from his space backpack to dry his soaked hair and body, then changed into fresh clothes.
He dispelled the shadow clones, and the fatigue multiplied.
But instead of going home, Ryūsei lay down on the grass to rest before resuming his training.
A diary suddenly appeared in his hand.
Opening it, he saw pages filled with foreign characters—notes he had compiled over the years about the main storyline and key events.
Lying on the grass, Ryūsei held the diary above his face, carefully reviewing its contents.
Even if Hiruzen were spying on him with his Crystal Ball Jutsu, all he would see was Ryūsei lying down and reading.
As Ryūsei reread the notes about the Chunin Exams, scenes of key events and important characters flashed through his mind.
And once again, a bold idea that had been surfacing in his thoughts lately resurfaced.
The Chunin Exams were just the subplot of this arc.
The real theme was—the Konoha Crush!
This would be Konoha's second major disaster after the Nine-Tails' attack!
The protagonists of this arc were Hiruzen and Naruto, facing off against Orochimaru and Gaara, respectively.
Everyone else was just an extra.
Even if Ryūsei went all out, at best, he'd be a high-tier extra like Kakashi or Might Guy.
If he did nothing, he'd probably end up like Shikamaru, tagging along with Naruto to support Sasuke.
If Ryūsei hadn't encountered Raiga, obtained the Byakugan and Ice Release, or discovered the system loophole in the past few months, he would've been content with being a background character.
Once Hiruzen died, Konoha would quickly enter the Tsunade era.
Unlike Hiruzen, Tsunade wasn't the suspicious type. If Ryūsei performed well, he'd earn the Fifth Hokage's favor.
Under Tsunade's leadership, Ryūsei wouldn't have to worry about Danzo targeting him.
After all, Tsunade's background was formidable. As the world's greatest medical ninja, she was the savior of countless shinobi across generations and an idol to women throughout the shinobi world.
Once she became Hokage, both clan-born and civilian shinobi would rally behind her.
In Tsunade's era, Danzo wouldn't dare act as brazenly as he had under Hiruzen.
Hiruzen had shielded Danzo out of camaraderie and Konoha's need for Root, but Tsunade would show him no mercy.
So initially, Ryūsei saw the Chunin Exams arc as nothing more than a transitional phase for him.
Only after this arc would his real stage begin.
But now, Ryūsei had a bold—no, crazy—idea.
And this idea had evolved into a feasible plan.
If it succeeded, Ryūsei would soar like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate—unstoppable!
At this thought, Ryūsei's breath hitched slightly.
Beneath the diary, his red eyes gleamed with unwavering resolve as he murmured, "Fortune favors the bold… Life is a high-stakes gamble."
With that, he abandoned any further training for the day, got up, and headed home to refine his plan.