The training grounds were crowded for once.
That alone made Aren slow his steps.
Training Ground Seven—usually quiet or claimed by a single team—was alive with overlapping chakra signatures and familiar voices. The air itself felt charged, disturbed not by hostility but by anticipation.
The Konoha Twelve.
All of them.
Naruto Uzumaki shouted animatedly at the center of the clearing, arms flailing as Sakura argued with him. Sasuke leaned against a tree, eyes half-lidded but alert. Shikamaru lay on the grass, hands behind his head, Choji beside him eating chips. Kiba sparred loudly with Akamaru while Hinata practiced Gentle Fist movements in quiet focus. Neji stood composed near the edge with Tenten and Lee, their presence sharp and disciplined. Shino observed everything through unreadable lenses.
Ino noticed Aren the moment he arrived.
She didn't wave.
She just watched.
This isn't coincidence, Aren thought.
The system responded immediately.
[Genin Density: High]
[Context: Pre-Chunin Exam Convergence]
Team Eleven regrouped naturally. Tenten followed Aren's gaze.
"Looks like everyone decided today was evaluation day," she said.
"Preparation clusters before selection," Aren replied. "This is pre-screening."
Lee clenched a fist, eyes blazing. "Then today shall burn with youthful rivalry!"
Naruto noticed them and pointed. "Hey! You're that smart guy, right? Wanna fight?"
Lee struck a pose instantly. "Naruto! Our flames—"
"No," Aren said flatly.
Naruto blinked. "Huh?"
Aren's attention had already shifted.
Sasuke was watching him.
Not casually.
Deliberately.
The system flagged it.
[Attention Detected: Uchiha Sasuke]
[Intent: Competitive Assessment]
As expected.
Before sparring fully broke out, Tenten reached into her pouch and pulled out a small folded square of white paper.
She held it up casually. "Before this turns into chaos… Aren."
He looked at her.
"You ever actually use chakra paper?" she asked. "People are starting to wonder."
Several nearby genin glanced over.
Ino tilted her head slightly, interest sharpening.
Aren considered it for a brief moment.
The system pulsed.
[Decision Point: Formal Confirmation]
He nodded once. "Yes. Now is acceptable."
Murmurs spread.
Naruto leaned in. "What's that do?"
"Shows your chakra nature," Sakura answered automatically. "Basic stuff."
Aren accepted the paper and held it between two fingers. He didn't flood it with chakra. He regulated the flow, slow and measured, watching for response rather than result.
The paper reacted.
First, it split cleanly down the center.
Then, the edges curled inward.
A faint ripple ran across the surface, like disturbed water.
Silence followed.
Shikamaru lifted his head. "That's… more than one reaction."
The system finalized the data.
[Affinity Confirmation: Wind – Primary]
[Secondary Compatibility: Earth – Stable]
[Chakra Behavior Note: High Control / Low Volatility]
Aren folded the paper and handed it back to Tenten.
"Wind primary," he said. "Earth-compatible."
Ino exhaled softly. "That explains a lot."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed—not in irritation.
In calculation.
Naruto scratched his head. "So… that means you can shoot wind fireballs or something?"
"Not fire," Aren replied. "And not like that."
Kakashi appeared nearby, eye smiling. "Interesting timing," he said lightly. "Most of you rush that step."
Aren didn't respond.
He already had what he needed.
Sparring followed naturally.
Kiba lunged at Naruto. Sakura and Ino exchanged sharp, controlled movements. Shino tested insects against Hinata's chakra flow. Neji and Lee clashed in a blur of taijutsu, speed versus precision.
Shikamaru rolled to his feet and sighed. "You. Wind-and-dirt guy. Let's go. No brute force."
Aren nodded.
They moved to open ground.
Shikamaru's shadow stretched forward, probing. Aren shifted his stance, chakra flowing subtly into his feet.
[Earth Interaction: Traction Reinforcement]
The shadow snapped.
Aren clapped his hands once and released chakra unevenly into the ground. The dirt rippled, breaking the shadow's straight path just enough to disrupt control.
"Tch," Shikamaru muttered. "You don't fight shadows. You fight assumptions."
"Correct."
They disengaged without a clear victor.
Then Sasuke stepped forward.
"I'll fight him."
Naruto protested loudly. "Why does everyone ignore me?!"
Sasuke ignored him.
Aren faced Sasuke calmly.
This is the real comparison, he thought.
Sasuke moved first—fast, sharp, aggressive. A feint, a kick, then hands blurred.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Aren reacted instantly.
He reinforced his legs with chakra and shifted sideways, heat washing past him.
[Wind Chakra Modulation: Active]
He exhaled sharply.
"Wind Style: Cutting Draft."
A compressed gust sheared through the remaining flames, dispersing them rather than overpowering them.
Sasuke advanced again.
Aren slammed his palm into the ground.
"Earth Style: Fracture Pulse."
The ground cracked unevenly beneath Sasuke's lead foot. Sasuke adjusted mid-step, flipping back smoothly.
Aren didn't pursue with power.
He flicked two fingers forward.
"Chakra Thread Snare."
Thin, nearly invisible chakra threads snapped forward, catching briefly on Sasuke's sleeve and tugging his balance off-center.
Sasuke twisted free and landed several meters back.
Silence fell.
Naruto stared openly now. "He's using like… everything."
Sasuke straightened slowly, eyes sharp.
"You're not specialized," he said.
"I'm selective," Aren replied.
"Hn." Sasuke stepped back. "Annoying."
That, Aren recognized, was acknowledgment.
Ino approached afterward, offering him a bottle of water.
"So that's why you waited," she said quietly. "You wanted confirmation, not direction."
"Yes."
She smiled faintly. "That's very you."
The system chimed softly.
[Combat Profile Updated: Versatile Control-Type]
[Social Perception: Elevated]
As the sun dipped lower, the gathering gradually dispersed. No declarations. No grudges.
Just understanding.
The Konoha Twelve had measured one another.
And now, Aren's position among them was clear.
The Chunin Exams were no longer a distant concept.
They were imminent.
And this time, Aren wasn't entering as an unknown variable.
He was defined.
End of Chapter 16
Author's Note
📅 Regular Schedule: Daily updates will continue
💎 Bonus Chapters: Every 10 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter
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