The Ninja Academy, Chunin Exam Hall.
Genhai and Shizune were a mix of nerves and adrenaline as Saiki led them straight toward Room 301 on the third floor.
On the second-floor landing, they found a massive crowd of Genin blocked by a bottleneck in the hallway.
Genhai stood on his tiptoes, peering over the heads of the crowd. "Boss, what's going on up there?"
Looking at the cluster of students, Saiki recalled a similar trope from the original series. He smiled. "Let's go see for ourselves."
THUD!
Within the crowd, a boy with a green jumpsuit and a bowl cut was sent flying backward. Two teammates rushed to catch him.
Standing in front of a door, two Chunin disguised as Genin looked down at the crowd with mockery. "You think this level is enough for the Chunin Exams?"
"Go home while you still can, brats. Or you'll just end up as corpses."
Facing the arrogant "seniors," Ebisu spoke in a low, pleading voice. "Please... just let us through."
He was promptly answered with a punch to the gut.
Seeing the team of Might Guy, Ebisu, and Genma Shiranui being treated this way, Shizune and Genhai both looked to Saiki.
"Saiki, should we...?"
They were classmates, after all. Shizune was worried and looked to Saiki for a cue to intervene.
Saiki shook his head. "It's fine. Let's keep going upstairs."
"Wait, Boss! Isn't this the third floor? Why are we going up further?"
Faced with Genhai's confusion, Saiki turned to Shizune. "Shizune, do you see the problem?"
Shizune had been through a lot of "tests" lately. Her powers of observation had sharpened. While Genhai was essentially a hot-blooded version of Naruto, Shizune was much more analytical.
She nodded and whispered, "Genhai, this is actually the second floor. There's a Genjutsu barrier here that's distorting our senses, making us think we're on the third floor."
"What?! Really?" Genhai scratched his head in embarrassment.
Saiki let out a helpless laugh. "Seriously, kid, how many times have you been caught by this stuff lately? Learn to pay attention. Let's go."
Saiki pushed through the crowd, with Genhai and Shizune following closely in his wake.
"Genjutsu: Release!"
Saiki completed a quick seal. Suddenly, the "stairs" leading up appeared where there had been none, and the door labeled "301" flickered, revealing its true identity as Room 201.
"Wait! What happened?!"
As the barrier shattered, the Genin crowded around the door finally realized the deception. They turned their eyes toward Saiki's team as they headed for the real stairs.
"Interesting..."
The two disguised Chunin watched Saiki leave, their eyes glinting with amusement.
Saiki found the whole exercise a bit redundant, but it made sense in a way.
Even though they were effectively being drafted into the exams, the village still used these standard "rookie-crusher" tricks to filter out the truly incompetent. It was also a way for the Leaf to show off the quality of its recruits to the visiting villages.
"Was that Saiki?"
Might Guy looked toward the stairs where Saiki's group had vanished, asking his teammates with excitement.
Saiki wasn't being arrogant by not greeting them.
He just wasn't close with Guy. While Guy was branded a "dead-last" who struggled to get into the Academy, he had actually graduated a year and a half before Saiki.
Furthermore, Saiki wanted to stay low-key. He didn't want to mock the two Chunin guards and then break the illusion; that would have drawn too much attention.
Unfortunately, breaking the Genjutsu for the whole hallway had already put him in the spotlight.
After submitting their applications on the real third floor, Saiki and his team headed back down, only to be intercepted.
As they reached the first floor, a voice called out.
"Saiki! You! Stop right there!"
The trio turned back toward the stairs. A very fired-up Might Guy was staring down at Saiki with eyes that were practically burning.
"Oh, Guy! Long time no see. I'm surprised you remember me."
Saiki waved and offered a polite smile.
Guy was notoriously bad with faces. He could barely recognize Kakashi through a disguise, and he would famously forget Kisame Hoshigaki multiple times. He usually didn't even remember people from his own graduating class like Obito.
Guy leaped from the second-floor railing, landing in front of Saiki. He pointed a finger at the boy. "Saiki! Word on the street is that you defeated a Jonin! Please, settle this with me in a duel!"
"Sorry, Guy. I have to decline."
Saiki's tone was polite, but his refusal was absolute. He had no desire to end up like Kakashi, constantly harassed by Guy for "youthful" battles.
Guy was strong in Taijutsu, sure. He was a worthy opponent.
But seeing Guy in that green spandex jumpsuit made Saiki's skin crawl. He'd much rather Guy go bother Kakashi or find a shark to fight.
"Saiki! The flames of youth and passion are burning! How can you refuse such a challenge?!" Guy shouted, completely ignoring Saiki's refusal.
As Guy's "passion" flared, Shizune, Genhai, and Saiki were hit by a collective hallucination. They saw a surging green sea and a light as bright as the sun.
The glare was blinding. They all had to shield their eyes.
When the "aura" finally faded, Saiki looked like he had suffered a severe spiritual blow. He replied with a slight tremor in his voice, "Guy... I was actually injured during my last mission. I haven't fully recovered yet. Let's do it another time, okay?"
Guy, who had expected Saiki to be moved by his spirit, felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head. He deflated instantly.
Finally free from Guy's persistence, the trio arrived at the actual examination room.
Creak...
They pushed the door open to see a room already packed with people. Saiki estimated there were at least a hundred candidates.
Most were Konoha ninja, but about twenty were clearly from foreign villages.
The room contained Saiki's graduating class, but also many older ninja from previous years who had failed to promote—some looked to be in their thirties or forties.
The moment the door opened, swish, swish, swish!
Every head in the room turned toward them. Faced with a hundred pairs of hostile, predatory eyes, Shizune and Genhai instinctively shrank back.
Saiki frowned. He hated the aggressive scrutiny. He genuinely wanted to bark, "What are you looking at, you bottom-tier trash? Never seen a handsome guy before?"
If he really wanted to, Saiki could slaughter every single person in this room before they could blink. Having them stare at him like this was like a pack of mice trying to intimidate a lion.
"Stay calm. Stay low. Low-key is the goal," he reminded himself.
His face quickly returned to a polite, neutral smile.
However, his eyes narrowed slightly as he memorized every single face that looked at him with malice. Once they reached the Forest of Death, he'd make sure they understood the true meaning of fear.
Laying low had its downsides.
Thanks to Danzo's "marketing," the news of Saiki killing a Jonin had spread through the village. People knew the name, but since Saiki spent all his time training in seclusion, very few people actually knew what he looked like. Even those who had done their intel gathering struggled to identify him.
As Saiki studied the room, his gaze drifted toward the Sand and Mist representatives. A slow smirk tugged at his lips.
In one of the Hidden Mist squads, he recognized two figures. Even with the difference between anime and reality, they were unmistakable.
A man with blue-tinted skin and a face like a shark. This was the future slayer of Fuguki Suikazan, the wielder of Samehada, and Akatsuki member: Kisame Hoshigaki.
Saiki realized Kisame was about his own age; it made sense for him to be here.
Saiki was curious. The future Kisame was known as the "Tailless Tailed Beast" for his massive chakra. He wondered how strong the ten-year-old version was right now.
Kisame was clearly talented. The moment Saiki looked at him, his small, predatory shark eyes snapped over to meet Saiki's gaze.
Anyone else would have been intimidated, but Saiki just smiled.
After looking at Kisame for a second, Saiki's eyes moved to the person sitting next to him.
Emerald green eyes, long, reddish-brown hair styled in a criss-cross pattern with one eye covered, and soft pink lips. Though she was still just a girl, she already radiated a mature, feminine allure.
Mei Terumi.
Saiki stared at her, and she stared right back. Saiki offered her a charming smile.
At his smile, Mei's cheeks instantly flushed a deep crimson. She shyly covered her face with her hands, instantly falling into a state of "fangirl" infatuation.
"Oh my... he's so handsome. Do you know who he is?" she whispered.
Kisame's brow furrowed. Is this woman going to ruin the mission?
"No. Focus. Don't forget why we're here," Kisame replied coldly, shooting her a warning look.
Mei shot an annoyed glance at Kisame's ugly shark face before turning her adoring gaze back to Saiki.
Looking at her, Saiki finally understood why Mei Terumi couldn't find a husband when she grew up.
First, she was simply too powerful; no man in the Mist was her equal. Second, she was clearly a total shallow-beauty worshiper, and she had started early.
In the original story, only someone like Kakashi would have been a match for her in terms of both looks and power.
But Kakashi was "married" to Guy and busy being the Sixth Hokage, so that was never going to happen.
There were other classmates in the room, but most of them weren't on good terms with Saiki. He was too popular with the girls, making him the natural enemy of every boy in his year.
Saiki's team didn't bother greeting anyone. They found a few empty seats and sat down just as the proctors arrived.