"Come on, this is just cheating!"
Chiba muttered. But on second thought, it made sense.
Konoha was hosting this exam. If they got steamrolled on their own turf, their reputation in the shinobi world would be toast. Of course they'd stack the deck, planting a few heavy hitters as insurance.
No need to guess. That flash of blond hair could only be Minato Namikaze. Sure, the guy couldn't spin a Rasengan yet, but Minato's skill was the real deal. Anyone with eyes could see that.
And that wasn't even counting Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki…
"Do your best, Minato-kun. I'll head out first."
"Mm. Don't worry, Kushina."
Just then, Kushina Uzumaki turned and left. Chiba realized he'd overthought it. She was just here to see her boyfriend off to his exam…
Damn it! When will I ever get a cute girlfriend?! Chiba gritted his teeth.
"Hm?"
Minato seemed to sense his stare. He turned, offering a slight, perfect smile in Chiba's direction.
Holy crap, he's handsome!
Chiba quickly averted his gaze. Minato's charm was lethal, regardless of gender.
"Looks like I need to be careful in the next stage."
Chiba reminded himself. If Konoha's playing this dirty, the other villages won't be any better. They've probably all snuck in a few 'Jonin-level' participants.
As Chiba mulled it over, several pairs of eyes noted his presence in the crowd. But the glances vanished as quickly as they came, never reaching his notice.
"Kosuke-senpai, you're here for the Chunin Exam too?" Chiba sidled up to the older ninja before the test began.
"Ah, don't ask. The Third Hokage insisted," Kosuke said, his face a picture of misery.
He just wanted to be a Genin in peace. Why assign him the dirty work of weeding out other villages' hopefuls?
"All non-examinees, leave the area immediately! Examinees, take your seats! No talking! Test papers will now be distributed!"
The proctor's sharp command cut through the noise. The hall fell silent. One by one, the examinees sat and began.
The written test had ten fiendishly difficult questions. For Chiba, it was child's play. He didn't even need to find the planted Chunin with the pre-written answers.
"Fifteen minutes remaining!"
…
Chiba passed the first exam without breaking a sweat.
The location for the second exam was Konoha's Training Ground 44. The Forest of Death. The proctor for this round was—Orochimaru.
"Ssss… Allow me to explain the rules," Orochimaru said, his eerie smile aimed at the hundred survivors gathered at the edge of the vast, primeval woods.
"Shortly, I will distribute one hundred scrolls randomly among you. Each scroll bears the symbol of one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages."
"To pass, you must collect one scroll from each of the five villages. Bring all five to the designated location within five days."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd.
"So… it's an individual battle from the start? Not team-based like before?"
"The elimination rate is insane. We need five scrolls… That means at most twenty of us can pass out of a hundred?"
"Wait!"
A ninja from Kusagakure raised his hand, interrupting Orochimaru. "Why isn't my village's symbol on any of these scrolls?"
Orochimaru's smile remained polite. "My apologies. It's because… you are not worthy."
"HAHAHAHA!"
Laughter erupted from the examinees of the Five Great Villages.
The Kusagakure ninja's face flushed red. He opened his mouth, thought better of it, and slunk back into the crowd like a beaten dog.
"One more thing," Orochimaru continued, his grin turning predatory. "There are no restrictions on methods. Ally freely. Scheme all you want. Betray your own comrades—I don't care. I only recognize the scrolls. And also…"
He paused, letting the silence stretch. "Just remember… Killing is allowed. Even murder with malicious intent will carry no punishment once you leave this forest."
After Orochimaru's speech, even examinees from the same village eyed each other with new wariness.
Someone in the crowd muttered, voice laced with sarcasm, "Heh. Arranged like this, they're practically begging us Five Great Village ninja to slaughter each other."
A simple qualifying match had been upgraded to a ranking battle. Now the rules had changed again. It was a full-blown, kill-or-be-killed free-for-all.
No rules. Unrestricted slaughter. Random scroll distribution. Everyone you met in there was a potential enemy.
The examinees had already split into distinct groups, clustering by their home villages.
"This exam should prove quite interesting," Minato said with a faint smile, looking utterly unconcerned.
"Ugh, what a pain. Now I actually have to think," Nara Shikaku sighed.
"Minato," Akimichi Chōza said, munching on chips with one arm around Yamanaka Inoichi. "With things like this, the four of us should stick together. Avoid those other packs."
"Sounds good," Minato agreed easily, moving to stand with the Ino-Shika-Chō trio.
Huh. Even Minato's teaming up. Should I find someone I can trust too?
Chiba rubbed his chin, scanning the crowd.
A closer look revealed a few familiar faces among the other village groups. Their ages were off from the manga, their features not quite right. Chiba couldn't pin down their identities for sure.
Mental note. Those are potential high-tier SSR recruits.
"Chiba?!"
A surprised, delighted voice came from behind him. Chiba turned. A girl with purple hair was walking toward him.
"Chiba! It really is you! I thought I was seeing things earlier!"
The girl seemed excited. "Didn't you join the Medical Corps after graduation? Why are you taking the Chunin Exam?"
Hmm, what was her name again? Uzuki Yūhi? Something like that?
Chiba struggled to remember. He vaguely recalled this girl had a crush on him years ago. He'd turned her down. Too young.
She'd grown up, though. Had to be at least a C-cup now…
"Yūhi. It's you."
Chiba smiled. "I'm planning to transfer out of the Medical Corps. But I need to pass the combat personnel standards first. Thought I'd try my luck."
"I see."
Yūhi nodded, then asked eagerly, "So, do you have a team yet, Chiba? Why don't you join ours!"
Huh? After all this time, does she still…?
Looking at the girl's earnest face, Chiba was puzzled. Back then, before the system, he'd been nothing but a pretty face. What was so memorable about that?
"I—"
Chiba began to politely refuse. But someone else strode over, cutting him off.
"Yūhi! Our team is full. We don't need to invite anyone else!"
It was a brawny young man, maybe seventeen or eighteen. He looked angry, clearly displeased with Yūhi for inviting Chiba without asking.
"Ryōhei, Chiba's a medic-nin. Having him would boost our survival chances," Yūhi explained.
"Save it. I heard your whole conversation!"
The young man, Ryōhei, shot Chiba a dismissive look. "Everyone knows how cushy Medical Corps jobs are. Who in their right mind would leave voluntarily?"
The implication was clear: this guy washed out of the Medical Corps. That's why he was here. How good could his skills be?
As for 'transferring to a better position'? Ha! Some clanless brat like him? As if.
"Well…"
Yūhi faltered, understanding Ryōhei's point. Chiba had been thoroughly average in their class. Was it true? Was he here because he wasn't good enough…?
"And besides," Ryōhei pressed, seeing her hesitation. "What use is a guy who's never killed anyone? Our team doesn't need dead weight like that."
Never killed anyone? No combat power? Is he talking about me? Chiba was genuinely confused.
"You're right, Ryōhei."
After a long silence, Yūhi nodded. She looked at Chiba, guilt written on her face. "I'm sorry, Chiba. I… I really need to pass this exam."
The rumors said this exam would be brutal. She needed a capable partner. Not a childhood crush she'd have to babysit.
Decision made, she couldn't meet his eyes. She turned and hurried away.
"Kid," Ryōhei said, his tone cold and final, like a judge passing sentence. "Don't let me catch you bothering Yūhi again. Or I won't care that we're from the same village… I'll kill you."
His confidence was absolute. Among the examinees here, no one was stronger than him, Ryōhei. His goal wasn't just to pass. It was to make a name for himself in this very exam!
Chiba: ???
Was there a chance… he was the one being bothered here?
Faced with such childish drama, Chiba felt only profound exasperation. Was it his fault he was so handsome? Did people have to prove their superiority by targeting him?
He hadn't even gotten a word in edgewise before being dragged into this trashy soap opera!
"Ryōhei, was it?"
Chiba smiled. A thin, dangerous smile. "If we meet during the exam… I'll be sure to show you my medical skills."
"Heh. Don't bother. Just stay out of my sight."
Ryōhei scoffed, turning away without a second glance. He quickly caught up to Yūhi.
Chiba stared at his retreating back, a humorless smile on his face. "No, no. If I don't get to personally treat you for a few fatal wounds, I won't be able to live with myself."
The Konoha elders were one thing; he could bide his time with them. But some random nobody thought he could threaten him? As if Chiba had never killed before.
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