Teams 8 and 10 were gathered together, roasting the barbecued meat that Choji loved most.
"Haruma, did your sensei tell you already?"
Instead of sitting with Shikamaru and Choji, Ino had nestled herself between Haruma and Hinata. She had scooted right next to him, engulfing him in her perfume.
"On the 1st, this year's chunin exams will begin. Did your teacher already register you?"
Haruma nodded.
"Sensei Kurenai has already registered us. We've also received the application papers."
"As expected of the academy's top student, there's no way you would miss out on this year's exam," Ino said with a knowing expression, as though her expectations had been confirmed.
At that moment, Shikamaru, who was helping Choji turn the meat on the grill, spoke slowly, "This year's chunin exams won't be simple. I heard that from our ally, the Land of Wind, Sunagakure has sent the children of their Kazekage to participate."
"As the offspring of one of the five kage, their strength definitely won't be ordinary."
"And besides, this year's chunin exam will likely involve other teams as well. It's essentially a stage for the heirs and elite disciples of all the great clans to measure themselves against one another."
"So compared to previous years, this exam will probably be even more exciting and fierce. Once it begins, you'll need to be careful."
Hearing Shikamaru's words, the expressions on Ino and the others grew a little more serious.
Sitting quietly at the side, Shino showed no outward reaction, but behind the tint of his sunglasses, his eyes shifted, sizing Shikamaru up anew. While most were still thinking about how they should perform during the exam, this guy had already considered the implications between allied nations and great clans.
So this is the intellect of the Nara clan, Shino thought, recalling his father's words of praise for them.
"Just do your best when the time comes," Haruma said, patting both Ino's and Hinata's shoulders to ease the tension. "For now, let's enjoy the barbecue. Who knows when we'll be able to gather like this again?"
Thanks to Haruma's words, the atmosphere quickly lightened. They all began chatting about their recent months' experiences, smiles gradually spreading across their faces.
Even the ever-stoic Shino found the corners of his lips twitching upward now and then.
Because Shino had noticed a little secret—
Haruma was, in fact, walking on two boats at once.
But Haruma was lucky: the two girls who had surrounded him since childhood were complete opposites.
One lively and bold, the other shy and reserved.One took the initiative, the other never fought or pressed.
If Ino and Hinata had been ordinary civilians, Shino was certain that Haruma would already have claimed both of their hearts already.
Unfortunately for him, they were the daughters of powerful clans.
Which meant that the balance Haruma currently maintained would inevitably collapse with time and when that day came, who would he choose?
The secretly mischievous Shino thought with no small sense of dark amusement.
July 1st.
On this day, the first round of the chunin exams for Konoha's 60th year officially began.
Team 8 gathered early and made their way to the academy. Upon arrival, they didn't immediately head for the examination hall. Instead, carrying the application papers already filled out by Kurenai, they first went to the main building to officially sign in.
The moment they stepped inside, all three felt the subtle intrusion of Yin Release chakra pressing on their minds, warping their perception of the floors.
Without exchanging words, the three calmly disrupted their own chakra flow to dispel the genjutsu, and walked toward the stairwell guarded by two chunin.
"Release."
Haruma raised two fingers and whispered softly.
Instantly, the distorted floor numbers around them shifted back to their true forms.The two guarding chunin remained completely unresponsive, their faces slack and empty. Only when Team Eight had already passed between them did their expressions return to normal.
"Wh-what just happened!?"
"I… I don't know. I must've lost focus for a second."
"Wait... how did the genjutsu barrier get broken!?"
"Damn… that feeling just now… were we under genjutsu!?"
The two chunin quickly realised that their barrier had been dispelled. That wasn't surprising by itself,anyone aware of a genjutsu barrier and possessing the right skills could undo such a simple illusion designed to weed out weaklings.
What shocked them was that neither knew when they themselves had been placed under genjutsu, nor who had cast it on them.
This meant that among this year's examinees, there was someone frighteningly skilled in illusions, a "monster" capable of ensnaring even full-fledged chunin without resistance.
"Heh… looks like this year's exam will be interesting."
"Yeah. Our job's done. Let's move out."
Their initial fright fading into wry amusement, the two chunin exchanged knowing looks, raised two fingers, and body-flickered away, leaving behind the confused genin who had just been freed from the illusion, only now realising how their perception had been tampered with.
By then, Team 8 had already submitted their forms.
Leaving the building, they soon found the classroom for the first exam and pushed the door open.
They were among the earliest to arrive of the "Konoha 12," though several others had beaten them there.
The instant they entered, countless eyes swiveled toward them. Most of those stares brimmed with hostility, some even radiated killing intent.
Any weaker-hearted genin might have faltered under such pressure but to Team 8, who had already seen blood and grown accustomed to the feel of killing, these glares were nothing worth mentioning.
"Quite the welcome. In that case…"
Feigning politeness, Haruma quietly formed a one-handed seal and murmured, "Naraku Vision."
Whoosh
In an instant, every examinee glaring at them was pierced by a bone-deep chill.To their eyes, it was as if they saw their own corpses lying at Haruma's feet, butchered in horrific fashion.
A suffocating fear clawed at their throats.
"Ha… ha…"
Those who managed to recognize the illusion as the low-level Naraku Vision technique struggled to break free, gasping for breath as if surfacing from drowning.
Their glares at Haruma were no longer hostile but filled with dread.
When had he cast genjutsu on them?
That killing aura.
This boy was absolutely no ordinary genin. He was certain to be one of the strongest opponents in this year's exam.
Fearing another illusion, the more cautious ones quickly lowered their heads, no longer daring to meet Haruma's gaze. The less resilient, or simply less capable, remained trapped, faces slack with stupor or twisted in terror.
With a single wide-cast Naraku Vision, Haruma had made fools of many while simultaneously showcasing the depth of his genjutsu mastery.
"So this is the academy's top student…"
Among the crowd, a silver-haired young man, Kabuto Yakushi, deliberately feigned breaking free from the illusion, his eyes wide in an act of terror, but inside, his thoughts were cool and calculating:
"As expected of Kurenai's pupil. His genjutsu proficiency is such that even someone like Tayuya would be no match for him."
Haruma, of course, was unaware of Kabuto's quiet assessment. Having delivered a pointed warning to the room, he simply led Hinata and Shino, found their numbered seats from the registration desk, and sat down calmly.