Year 47 of Konoha.
On a forest path along the border of the Land of Fire, fallen leaves lay in thick layers.
Each step produced a soft crunch beneath one's feet.
Minato Namikaze's team had just completed a C-Rank mission and was making its way back to the village.
"Kakashi! Can't you slow down for once?!"
Obito Uchiha bent over with his hands on his knees, lungs burning as he gasped for air while chasing the figure far ahead.
Kakashi Hatake didn't even turn his head.
His short silver hair traced a sharp arc in the wind.
"Anyone who violates the rules has no right to complain."
"I just helped an old lady carry her things! What's wrong with that? Helping others is a proud Konoha tradition!"
"During a mission, any unnecessary action can create unpredictable risks. That's the rule."
Kakashi's voice was flat and emotionless, as if he were reciting the Ninja Regulations word for word.
Rin Nohara smiled helplessly between the two. She jogged forward a few steps and handed Obito a canteen.
"Alright, Obito—have some water first."
Still grumbling, Obito took the canteen and gulped down several mouthfuls.
"Seriously… you're always going on about rules. Don't you have any human warmth? Are you a robot or something?"
Suddenly, as if he'd found ammunition for a counterattack, his voice rose again.
"Oh, right! Speaking of rule-breakers—Sakuya Chigen! That guy's five years older than us and still a Genin. He's the real dead last who doesn't care about regulations!"
The title "Ultimate Repeater Student" was infamous throughout Konoha.
At the sound of that name, Kakashi's stride paused—just barely.
An image flashed through his mind.
A lone figure in the corner of a training ground, swinging a blade again and again.
No spectators. No companions.
Only repeated slashes—and a flash of steel so fast it made even Kakashi's heart tighten.
That was not the strength of a so-called dead last.
"Obito, don't casually gossip about your senpai," Rin said softly.
Obito, however, felt an inexplicable sense of kinship with Sakuya Chigen—as if he'd found someone from the same camp.
"I didn't mean it like that! I think Chigen-senpai is amazing! Staying unpromoted for five straight years—that's talent too, isn't it?"
Kakashi didn't respond. He merely picked up his pace in silence.
That man…
He couldn't see through him at all.
---
At the same time, inside the Hokage's Office.
Sakuya Chigen stood before the desk, expression indifferent—as though the person who had just brushed past death wasn't him.
Dust from the mission still clung to him, along with a faint scent of blood.
All he wanted now was to finish his report and go home to lie down, staring at the patterns on the ceiling.
Hiruzen Sarutobi set down his pipe and exhaled a long stream of white smoke.
"Chigen, you did well this time."
"Just luck," Chigen replied curtly, unwilling to say a word more.
Hiruzen looked at the young man before him with clear admiration—and a trace of regret.
With chakra reserves so low he barely qualified as a shinobi, Chigen had nevertheless survived repeated near-death missions through self-created secret techniques and superb swordsmanship.
That kind of resolve and endurance far surpassed his peers.
"Your secret jutsu has improved again, hasn't it?" Hiruzen spoke slowly.
"Otherwise, there's no way you could have escaped an ambush by three Iwagakure Chūnin with only these injuries."
Chigen's eyelid twitched, but his expression remained unchanged.
The old man knows everything.
He just wanted to finish the report and go home to lie flat.
Hiruzen caught the subtle reaction and smiled.
"No need to be nervous. The village has no intention of coveting your technique. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed."
His tone grew solemn.
"After discussion with the village elders, we've decided to promote you to Chūnin as a special exception."
Chigen snapped his head up, shock appearing on his face for the first time.
Chūnin?
Didn't that mean tougher missions and a much higher death rate?
The pay wouldn't rise much—but the risk of dying would skyrocket.
What kind of blessing is this supposed to be?!
He opened his mouth, preparing to refuse politely with something like 'my abilities are insufficient'—
"Hokage-sama, I—"
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The office door was rapped.
"Come in."
Minato entered with his three students.
"Hokage-sama, we're here to report our mission."
Hiruzen nodded, his gaze sweeping over the three youths.
"Minato, your timing is perfect."
He glanced at Chigen, then at the silver-haired boy at the front of Minato's team.
Kakashi stepped forward, expression calm.
"Hokage-sama, I request permission to participate in the Jōnin Promotion Exam."
Obito and Rin both stared at him in surprise.
Hiruzen, however, seemed unsurprised. He turned to Minato.
"Minato, your opinion?"
"Kakashi already possesses the strength and judgment required. I approve his request," Minato replied with a smile.
"Very well."
Hiruzen picked up a seal and stamped a document.
"Then you will serve as his chief examiner."
After a brief pause, his gaze shifted to Sakuya Chigen—who looked like he wanted to vanish on the spot. A meaningful smile appeared on Hiruzen's face.
"And to encourage the younger generation—and to test the true strength of our 'special Genin'—Sakuya Chigen's special Chūnin promotion exam will be held on the same day as Hatake Kakashi's Jōnin exam."
The air froze.
Obito's jaw nearly hit the floor. He looked from Kakashi to the legendary "Ultimate Repeater Student," his brain struggling to keep up.
The repeater student versus the super genius—on the same stage?
Did Grandpa Hokage forget to sleep last night?
Kakashi's gaze settled on Chigen as well, his visible eye sharp with scrutiny.
Chigen's mouth twitched.
He could feel his blood pressure skyrocketing.
Right now, he either wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground—or stab the Third Hokage once.
In the end, he squeezed out a single word through clenched teeth.
"…Yes."
After leaving the Hokage Tower, Chigen disappeared around a street corner at top speed, as if some monstrous beast were chasing him.
Inside the office, only Hiruzen and Minato remained.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
"Iwagakure and Kumogakure have been increasing their military deployments," Hiruzen said, relighting his pipe and taking a deep drag.
"Our intelligence indicates they've already formed an alliance."
Minato's expression turned grave, his blond hair seeming dimmer under the indoor light.
"So that's why you're rushing to promote Kakashi and Chigen… using this method?"
"Yes. Konoha needs more power—and it needs heroes."
At that moment, a cold voice emerged from the shadows of the office.
"Hiruzen… you're still as naïve as ever."
Danzo Shimura stepped forward, leaning on his cane. The uncovered eye gleamed with ambitious chill.
"You think our enemies are only Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure?"
Hiruzen frowned deeply.
"Danzo, what are you implying?"
Danzo let out a cold laugh.
"Root just received new intelligence."
He paused deliberately, savoring their expressions.
"Kirigakure has already made contact with the other three major villages."
"What?!"
Minato's pupils contracted sharply.
"That means… all four major villages—"
A four-village alliance.
Was the Third Great Ninja War about to enter its most brutal phase?