In the blink of an eye, it had been over half a month since Team 7 returned from their mission in the Land of Waves.
Although everyone in Team 7 had performed well during that C-rank mission, back in the village they were still only assigned low-level jobs—digging up sweet potatoes, babysitting children, and the like.
One day, the three of them were waiting at the training ground for Kakashi-sensei to announce the day's mission.
Naruto suddenly leaned in toward Shinju with a mysterious look and asked,
"Shinju, have you noticed? Lately, there've been a lot of unfamiliar faces in the village."
Shinju nodded.
In fact, he'd already noticed.
And he'd realized something else—those newcomers weren't merchants. They were ninja wearing forehead protectors from all kinds of different villages.
"Showing up in Konoha all of a sudden at a time like this… do you think they're plotting something big? Maybe an invasion of the Land of Fire, destroying Konoha or something…?"
Naruto speculated.
Then his face lit up with a strange look of excitement (◔◡◔).
"When that happens, I'll descend from the sky like a divine soldier, turn the tide in a single stroke, hold up the collapsing walls… The whole village will hail me as a hero, the old man will hand over the Hokage seat to me of his own accord—gahahahaha…"
"What nonsense are you spouting? You'd better pray nothing like that happens. In a large-scale war, the impact of a single ninja is extremely limited."
Sasuke stepped closer, having overheard Naruto's wild daydream, and cut him down without mercy.
"Unless you had Wood Release… and were a god of shinobi like the First Hokage."
"Wood Release? Is it that amazing?" Naruto scratched his head.
Sasuke gave him an exasperated look.
"I've told you to pay attention in class. It's a kekkei genkai only the First Hokage possessed."
While they were talking, the perpetually late Kakashi finally arrived.
As always, he came with an absurd excuse.
"Sorry I'm late again, everyone. On the way here I helped an old lady cross the street…"
Naruto curled his lip, calling him out without hesitation.
"Yeah right, you just overslept again. Even kids wouldn't believe that excuse."
Kakashi didn't show the slightest embarrassment. He said seriously,
"This time it's actually something important."
"I'm sure you've noticed there've been a lot of unfamiliar ninja in Konoha lately."
"Noticed? They're so obvious even an idiot could see it," Naruto said.
"Don't interrupt me, Na-ru-to! (눈益눈)"
Kakashi continued,
"You all know about the Chūnin Exams, right?"
"That's the test for genin to get promoted to chūnin. It's held twice a year. This time, it's set for July 1st—one week from now."
"I've already submitted all three of your names."
"The Chūnin Exams are an important event where allied nations gauge each other's strength. So don't embarrass me out there."
Hearing this, Naruto instantly slipped into the role of a chūnin in his mind and jumped up in excitement.
"Yes! I'm finally gonna become a chūnin!"
Kakashi's face darkened.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. The failure rate in the Chūnin Exams is extremely high."
"Really?" Naruto blinked, his excitement cooling.
"Yes. Under normal circumstances, about seventy percent fail," Sasuke explained calmly from the side.
"Sasuke's right," Kakashi nodded.
"Huh?"
Naruto scratched his head.
"But I've seen plenty of chūnin in the village."
Kakashi kept his patience and explained,
"That's because the exams are held twice a year. If you fail once, you can just keep trying until you pass."
"So this time, I'm not expecting you to pass. I just want you to experience a bigger stage."
"But… I did push hard against the opposition to get you three rookies on the roster, so don't let me down."
Kakashi's gaze landed on Shinju.
Of the three, only Shinju was reliable.
If Shinju performed normally, Kakashi wouldn't be surprised if he could even attempt the jōnin exams, let alone the chūnin exams.
"Kakashi-sensei, I've always wondered—when did you become a chūnin?" Naruto asked, raising his hand.
Kakashi thought for a moment, then answered seriously,
"Around… six years old, I think."
Naruto: ???
Shinju: ???
Sasuke: ???
⊙▽⊙
The older generation was really that strong?!
Six years old—that was the age Shinju had entered the Academy!
The gap between them and real powerhouses was massive.
And Kakashi-sensei wasn't even considered anything special among Konoha's many jōnin, yet he had such credentials!
Konoha truly was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
"Then, when did you become a jōnin?" Shinju asked next.
Kakashi thought again.
"Twelve, I think…"
Shinju, Sasuke, Naruto: Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
So basically, just after graduating from the Academy, Kakashi had already become a jōnin capable of leading a squad into battle.
Terrifying.
Seeing the stunned looks on their faces, Kakashi smiled and explained,
"I was promoted during wartime. It was a special case. You can't really compare yourselves to me."
Shinju simply assumed Kakashi-sensei was being modest.
After all, there were things Kakashi wasn't mentioning.
Like how, after becoming a jōnin and receiving a special gift from a comrade, he joined the ANBU.
And in just three years, he rose to the rank of ANBU captain—something most people could never reach in a lifetime.
"Alright, no more missions for the next few days. Focus on preparing for the Chūnin Exams."
After delivering the news, Kakashi vanished again.
Sasuke left soon after.
He was going to train hard and shine in the exams—prove his strength to everyone.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Shinju also began their intense preparations.
...
At noon, Shinju went about his usual routine—buying groceries and cooking.
Just after using the Flying Thunder God technique, he ran into Sarutobi Konohamaru again.
Shinju realized that every time he ran into the kid, it was either at the market or on the way there.
Was the market Konohamaru's permanent spawn point?
Seeing Shinju, Konohamaru rushed over and latched onto his leg.
"Shinju-niichan! You're finally here! I've been waiting forever!"
"What is it?" Shinju asked with a dark look.
He had a feeling this brat was about to bring him trouble again.
"Teach me another jutsu! That one from last time—the one that blasted a huge crater! You only taught me the basics before. You never taught me the advanced version!" Konohamaru pleaded.
Shinju quickly realized he was talking about Wind Release: Shuriken.
This kid had already tried hitting the Third Hokage with a Rasengan—if he learned Wind Release: Shuriken and threw it at the old man, it would be a disaster.
A deadly disaster.
So Shinju found an excuse and refused flatly,
"No. I'm about to take the Chūnin Exams. Teaching you now would waste my time. I'll think about it after I become a chūnin."
----------------
For each review +1 Chapter
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo