Once the roster for the third exam was finalized, everyone except Sasuke gathered in the exit hall of the Forest of Death.
Hiruzen Sarutobi surveyed the crowd. More than half were Konoha ninja.
His hand paused on his pipe, and something complicated flickered behind his eyes. Pride in the village's abundance of talent, tempered by the uneasy knowledge that talent this bright attracted attention.
The old man was nothing if not contradictory. And nothing if not real.
He exhaled a plume of smoke and laid out the rules for the third exam.
The format mirrored the preliminaries: one-on-one combat. But the stage would shift to the arena at the village center, where they'd fight before dignitaries from every nation.
They had one month to prepare, whether that meant sharpening their skills or gathering intelligence on their opponents.
When he finished, Hiruzen stepped aside.
Anko Mitarashi strode forward with the lottery box tucked under one arm, her grin carrying a dangerous edge of amusement. "Let's go. Time to find out who you're fighting."
Utaha Kasumigaoka, first to qualify through the preliminaries, stepped up. Her slender fingers dipped into the box and withdrew a slip of paper.
"Number seven."
The contestants filed forward one by one.
"Oh. I'm number one." Megumi Kato stared at her slip, visibly startled.
Makoto glanced at her. If he remembered correctly, Naruto Uzumaki was supposed to draw number one in the original timeline.
But Naruto had pulled number three instead, which meant Megumi wouldn't have to face that walking cheat code of a ninja in the opening round. Small mercies.
Haruno Yukinoshita approached the box next. The instant she unfolded her slip, her gaze sharpened, then smoothed back to neutral. "I'm number two."
Up on the second-floor railing, Yukino lowered her lashes.
So my sister's opponent... is one of his other students.
Megumi and Haruno's eyes met across the hall.
A few seconds passed. Megumi dipped her chin. "Looking forward to it."
Haruno returned the nod.
There was a time she would have relished toying with these high schoolers her sister's age, feeding on their discomfort for entertainment.
But a month in this world had filed that habit down to nothing. These kids might not be on Makoto's level of absurdity, but every one of them could flip the table if provoked.
She couldn't begin to imagine the shockwaves they'd send through the real world once the mission ended.
Especially Makoto.
Still... a quiet breath of relief slipped through her.
Megumi looked like the most manageable of his students.
I should be able to avenge my sister... right?
With the lottery finished, Hiruzen dismissed them. The group filed out of the Forest of Death in clusters, the atmosphere noticeably lighter than during the second exam.
Most had been eliminated, but escaping the Chunin Exams alive was its own kind of victory.
The Forest of Death spanned barely ten kilometers. Under the jonin escorts, they reached Konohagakure's gates in no time.
"Alright, you're dismissed." Asuma bit down on his cigarette and glanced at his students. "Shikamaru, good luck in the third round."
He was the only one from Asuma's squad who'd advanced.
Kurenai walked ahead without a word, her expression sour. Every one of her students had been eliminated.
The crowd thinned as people split off in different directions. The Yukinoshita sisters headed home, hoping their mother's temper had cooled.
Then Makoto spoke up.
"Megumi, come by my place later."
Every pair of feet stopped. Every pair of eyes landed on him.
"I'm giving you special training this month."
Haruno's expression shifted.
You can't be serious.
She needed dedicated coaching just to deal with me? He was going to set up private lessons for that?
After freeloading off our family for an entire month, is this how you repay us?"
Megumi blinked twice, then nodded. "Got it, Sensei."
Makoto turned to leave.
"W-wait..."
An unexpected voice stopped him.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura stood before him, head bowed, the tips of her ears burning red.
Everyone stared at the twin-tailed blonde.
Another twin-tailed blonde, Airi Akizuki, immediately narrowed her eyes with predatory alertness.
Are you fucking kidding me? A knockoff trying to muscle in on my spot?
There's only room for one set of twin tails in the Nishikado household, and that's me!
Realizing how her words might have sounded, Eriri waved her hands frantically. "N-no! That's not it! My mom wanted to thank you for saving me before, so she wants to treat you to dinner..."
Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, and the other natives exchanged confused glances. When had Makoto saved Eriri?
What they didn't know was that she meant the first instance.
Back then, everyone believed Makoto had single-handedly cleared the Night of the Massacre instance, sending them all safely back to the real world.
That was why Eriri, Hachiman, and the others regarded him as their lifesaver.
He probably hadn't cared whether they lived or died. Completing the mission was all that mattered to him. But actions spoke louder than intentions, and the fact remained: he'd saved her life.
At the mention of "mom," an image surfaced in Makoto's mind: that kimono-clad beauty who looked ninety percent identical to Eriri. He nodded. "Sure."
"Mm-hm!" Eriri bobbed her head enthusiastically.
Her actual feelings toward Makoto were lukewarm, complicated by the whole situation with Tomoya Aki. But gratitude was gratitude. It was one dinner. No big deal.
I just need to make sure Tomoya doesn't see us.
The Yukinoshita sisters arrived at the dessert shop their mother ran.
The storefront, once wrecked, had been fully rebuilt. The finance department heard the name "Makoto Nishikado" and released the funds without a moment's hesitation.
The place looked brand new within days.
And ever since Makoto had stepped in to defend the shop, going so far as to kill someone over it, not a single soul had dared cause trouble here again.
Inside, Mrs. Yukinoshita worked alone behind the counter.
Her husband was nowhere in sight. The woman clearly hadn't reconciled with him yet.
"Mom." Haruno called out as she entered.
She shared her sister's wariness of their mother, but could at least keep her composure.
Besides, she'd made it to the third round. That bought her some standing.
Mrs. Yukinoshita glanced at her daughters. "Give me a moment."
She delivered a few desserts to her customers, then led both girls to the back kitchen.
"Yukino didn't pass?"
Mrs. Yukinoshita asked calmly as the three of them sat across from one another, already reading the answer on their faces.
Yukino's head dropped. Her fingers twisted into the hem of her clothes.
Haruno jumped in to smooth things over. "Mom, it's not that Yukino is weak. Her opponent was too strong."
"Oh? Who was the opponent?"
Mrs. Yukinoshita was more composed than expected. Whether this world had mellowed her temperament or she'd given up on her family entirely was anyone's guess.
Haruno recounted the exam in detail.
When she heard that Yukino had lost to one of Makoto's students, the crease between Mrs. Yukinoshita's brows eased slightly.
But when she learned that Haruno's next opponent was another one of Makoto's students, and that Makoto had decided to give this girl Megumi private training...
Mrs. Yukinoshita could no longer sit still.
The same thought that had crossed Haruno's mind now seized hers:
Is Makoto Nishikado targeting the Yukinoshita family?
If Makoto had been in the room, he would've been dumbfounded.
A misunderstanding. Ladies, this is a complete misunderstanding.
You're really not that important.