No one was surprised that Hatake Kakashi won.
Yamashiro Aoba could be called a genius, sure—but genius comes in tiers, and Kakashi belonged to the tier that made other geniuses look ordinary.
The matches rolled on.
Plenty of Genin fought in the first round, and a fair number of them were names Natsuki didn't recognize—which meant, naturally, that none of them were anything special. From where he sat, the first round after that opening match was frankly dull. So he passed the time toying with Uchiha Mikoto instead.
He didn't watch closely again until the second round began.
Mikoto got a moment's reprieve and wiped the sweat from her brow. She felt as though she'd stopped being herself entirely—as though she'd fallen down into some abyss.
"Round two, first match: Might Guy versus Shiranui Genma!" Namikaze Minato announced.
"Wuwuwu!" Up in the stands, Might Duy shot to his feet, weeping openly. "Guy, let your youth bloom!"
"I will!" Guy looked up at his father, thumb raised. "Bear witness to my youth!"
Uchiha Fugaku and the others traded bewildered glances.
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a private wave of relief. Thank goodness he'd retired early. Who knows what that father-and-son act would have put him through otherwise.
Hatake Kakashi quietly increased the distance between himself and Might Guy.
Guy stepped onto the field. Across from him stood Shiranui Genma, senbon between his teeth, looking thoroughly relaxed.
And he was. Might Guy had no reputation to speak of. Genma was two years older, and no slouch himself—in the source material he'd go on to serve as a guard for the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and master the Flying Thunder Formation Technique.
He was about to revise his opinion.
"Begin!" Minato called, then withdrew to the field's edge.
"Konoha Whirlwind!" Guy bellowed, charging in.
Genma blinked. Who announces the name of their taijutsu mid-fight?
Ninja Art: Senbon Shower!
Genma gave ground, holding the gap, and spat the senbon from his mouth. It shuddered violently in the air and split into a whole barrage of them. In the space of a blink, Guy was blanketed under the storm, dead to rights.
"Iron Mass: Wheel!"
Guy abandoned the Konoha Whirlwind on the spot, leaping into the air and spinning toward Genma like a windmill.
"Huh?" Genma froze. What's wrong with this guy? Does he want to die?
The instant Guy launched himself forward, the whole dense volley came down on him—and the expected result never materialized. The senbon rebounded like they'd struck an iron plate.
In the moment Genma stood stunned, Guy plowed into him. It felt like being hit by a mountain doing terminal velocity. Genma was launched into the air, and by the time he landed he was out cold.
"Winner: Might Guy!"
Minato wasn't surprised. Iron Mass: Wheel was an advanced form of Iron Mass—it kept the technique's terrifying defense while packing enormous impact force.
"He actually learned Iron Mass: Wheel?" Sarutobi Asuma looked genuinely startled.
All three squads knew the Konoha Six Powers, but their progress varied—they'd only been at it a little over a year. Asuma, for instance, had managed four of the six.
"In taijutsu, Guy's the strongest of any of us," Hatake Kakashi said, low.
Even he hadn't learned the three advanced forms of Armament Haki and Iron Mass. There was another reason for that, of course: unlike Guy, who studied nothing but taijutsu, Kakashi had to carve out time for Lightning Release too. Even so, he'd learned the second-most of the Six Powers.
"So what if he only knows taijutsu?" Uchiha Obito curled his lip. "I'll beat him later, guaranteed!"
"That's right!" Mitarashi Anko agreed. Watching Guy's taijutsu had left her a little deflated—but Obito's bravado rekindled something.
Kakashi shook his head. Is it really that simple? Guy had learned the Eight Inner Gates, after all. Kakashi had heard of the forbidden taijutsu long ago, though he'd never seen it—first because he wasn't on Guy's squad, and second because Guy wouldn't use the Eight Inner Gates casually. It was a forbidden technique: heavy on stamina, and it came with a cost.
"Round two, second match: Yuhi Kurenai versus Ebisu!" Minato announced once Guy and Genma had cleared the field.
"Kurenai!" Shizune waved. "Take him down!"
"I'm not falling in the second round," Kurenai said, smiling with easy confidence. She was Natsuki's student, after all.
The two took the field, and their expressions couldn't have been more opposite. Ebisu looked ready to sigh himself into an early grave. In the source material he'd become a Special Jonin—on the strength of his teaching, not his fighting.
Shadow Clone Technique!
Ebisu opened with seals the instant the match started. Smoke flashed, and two clones appeared. All three Ebisus charged Kurenai at speed.
Kurenai took them in with one glance and met them head-on.
Tempest Kick!
She lashed out. The vacuum slash caught the lead Ebisu—
—poof. Smoke. A clone.
Right then, the Ebisu on the left flashed through seals.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
The air warped, and a massive fireball tore out. Simultaneously, the Ebisu on the right flicked his hands and sent six kunai her way.
Kurenai faced both at once—and didn't so much as flinch. She used Shave.
Her whole body became an afterimage, slipping past the fireball and every one of the six kunai.
Watching both attacks miss, a bad feeling curdled in Ebisu's gut.
Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!
Kurenai reappeared—and in an instant, met the eyes of the nearest Ebisu.
He went slack, terror flooding his face. The Hell Viewing Technique showed its target their deepest fear.
The other Ebisu rushed in to break the genjutsu.
Tempest Kick!
Kurenai kicked at him instead.
Poof. Smoke.
Which meant the one still standing was the original. He was fighting to break the illusion—but Kurenai was faster. She closed the distance and dropped him with a single punch.
"Winner: Yuhi Kurenai!" Minato announced without delay.
Kurenai's mouth curled into a smile. Reaching the second round already met her own expectations. Mainly because the third round would be an in-house brawl among the three squads—the pressure would climb sharply from here.
"Round two, third match: Sarutobi Asuma versus Morino Ibiki!"
"What kind of luck is this?" Asuma couldn't help complaining. "Why is my own teammate the one I draw?"
"Both of you, give it everything!" Anko offered by way of comfort. "Put on a good enough show and you can both make Chunin!"
Asuma and Ibiki stepped out. Over a year as teammates meant they knew each other inside out.
The ninjutsu Ibiki displayed in the source material had all been built for interrogation. But his teacher here was Nawaki, so instead of torture techniques he'd learned swordsmanship.
Asuma hadn't taken up the sword—chiefly because he excelled at Fire and Wind Release. He carried two Chakra Blades, but they were unusual things, closer to trench knives or knuckle blades, meant to work in concert with Wind Release and taijutsu. Because of that, he'd learned one more of the Konoha Six Powers than his counterpart in the source material.
Ibiki drew his sword and used Shave without hesitation, appearing right in front of Asuma.
Asuma gripped both Chakra Blades and caught the strike, then kicked out in the same motion.
Tempest Kick!
The vacuum tore loose as a slash.
Paper Art!
Ibiki bent backward instantly, the Tempest Kick skimming past.
One-Sword Style: 36 Pound Phoenix!
He planted his feet and swung. A wave of sword pressure swept toward Asuma like a razor gale.
Paper Art!
Asuma bent away from it the same way Ibiki had. But his edge was wider—he'd learned four of the Six Powers, missing only Iron Mass and Moonwalk. Ibiki's talent was thinner; he'd managed two. Shave and Paper Art, and that was all.
Asuma's advantage didn't stop at the Six Powers, either.
Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!
He opened his mouth and belched out a cloud of scorching ash. Nawaki might have been his teacher, but his father was Sarutobi Hiruzen—his Fire Release came from the old man.
Facing the ash cloud, Ibiki could only evade again.
Shave!
Asuma seized it and closed. Reaching Ibiki, he swung the blade in his hand.
Flying Swallow!
Chakra sheathed both Chakra Blades and took solid form, extending their reach.
With nothing else for it, Ibiki brought his sword up to catch both—but caught off guard and outmuscled, he was driven backward all the same.
Tempest Kick!
Asuma pressed the advantage.
Ibiki forced out another Paper Art. But Paper Art wasn't a cure-all. The moment he'd bent clear of the kick, Asuma hurled the blade from his right hand.
Wind Release: Verdant Mountain's Violent Wind!
Under his control, the Chakra Blade struck home. Ibiki cried out and dropped.
Asuma stopped there and didn't press further. Two medical ninja stationed at the field's edge hurried over. Fortunately Ibiki's injuries weren't serious; he came around quickly, and there was no need to ship him to Konoha Hospital.
"Winner: Sarutobi Asuma!" Minato called it in good time.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded to himself. For a boy who'd graduated barely over a year ago, that level of skill was solid. Weak next to Hatake Kakashi, certainly—but talent is talent, and forcing the comparison served no one.
Hiruzen knew his son's ceiling well enough. Jonin wouldn't be a problem. Kage-level would be a very long climb.
Time passed. Shizune, Nohara Rin, Mitarashi Anko, and Uchiha Obito each took their turn, and their opponents were all names the source material never bothered with. Given how strong the four of them were, they all won without difficulty—including the two medical ninja, Shizune and Rin, who'd learned the Konoha Six Powers too and outclassed most Genin in taijutsu because of it.
The second round ended, and the third began.
By then most of the field had been culled, leaving eight Genin—every one of them from the squads led by Natsuki, Nawaki, and Namikaze Minato. The only unlucky man in the bunch was Morino Ibiki.
"This class really does have no shortage of geniuses," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with satisfaction. "Konoha's future seems to be in good hands."
"With Natsuki, Minato, and the others teaching them, these prodigies will grow up just fine," Yuhi Shinku said with a smile.
Ever since Yuhi Kurenai became Natsuki's student, he'd felt there was hope for the Yuhi family. Even if she never made Hokage, a seat among Konoha's leadership was all but assured.
Uchiha Fugaku was in good spirits too. After years of being ground down by Shimura Danzo and Root, the Uchiha could finally lift their heads.
Uchiha Obito had become Namikaze Minato's student. And Uchiha Mikoto had gone a step further and made Hokage Secretary. She was on very good terms with Natsuki, besides—perhaps the first thing the Uchiha produced wouldn't be a Hokage, but the Hokage's woman.
What he didn't know, of course, was that Uchiha Mikoto was currently suffering rather a lot.
After a fifteen-minute break, the third round officially began.
"Round three, first match: Might Guy versus Uchiha Obito!" Minato glanced at the bracket and thought, privately, that this was unfortunate. Judging by the first two rounds, Kakashi and Guy were far and away the strongest.
Obito's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected his own boast to come true so literally—Might Guy, right off the draw.
Didn't matter. He'd win. Because he was an Uchiha.
"Don't get too hung up on winning or losing," Kakashi said, glancing over.
"Hmph! I'm definitely winning—and then I'm beating you too!" Obito turned to Nohara Rin, brimming. "Rin, watch me!"
"Mm." Rin was a little worried, but nodded anyway.
Guy's teammates, Shizune and Kurenai, weren't worried at all. They knew what he could do.
The two took the field.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Obito's hands blurred through seals the moment it started. Searing heat rolled outward as a huge fireball barreled toward Guy.
"Tempest Kick!"
Guy didn't dodge—he kicked. The vacuum slash split the fireball down the middle.
"Shave!"
Guy blurred and appeared in front of Obito.
Shave!
Obito had used it the instant the fireball parted. Just as Guy arrived, the gap between them opened up again.
Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!
Obito flew through seals again. Flames converged from every direction, sealing off Guy's room to dodge.
"Moonwalk!"
Guy vaulted upward into open air, and every flame passed beneath him.
Obito's expression shifted. He flicked his hands, and six kunai shot out.
"Iron Mass: Wheel!"
Guy ignored the kunai entirely, dropping out of the sky like a bolt.
Boom!
He slammed into the ground, cracking it apart from the point of impact, rubble spraying in every direction.
But to everyone's surprise, Obito had dodged it.
"Is that the Sharingan?" Asuma looked at Obito's blood-red eyes, mildly startled.
"The Uchiha Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan," Shizune said with a slight frown. "I've heard it's a hard counter to taijutsu."
"A single-tomoe Sharingan already grants tremendous insight—it means Guy's movements will look slower to Obito's eyes," Asuma nodded and explained.
"It's only one tomoe. It probably can't threaten Guy," Kakashi said, shaking his head. As Obito's teammate, he'd known about the Sharingan for a while.
"Right," Kurenai agreed. "I believe in Guy."
While they talked, Guy and Obito had already traded several exchanges. And thanks to the insight the single-tomoe Sharingan afforded, Obito was no longer losing ground.
"So this is the Sharingan!" Obito couldn't help crowing.
"It is truly formidable!" Guy gave him a thumbs-up. "But my youth cannot end here!"
"You—"
Obito started to answer and stopped cold.
"Eight Inner Gates! First Gate: Gate of Opening—open!"
Chakra erupted from Guy's body in a torrent.
Obito's breath caught in his throat.
"There it is!" Sarutobi Hiruzen sat forward, spirits climbing.
Uchiha Fugaku, Yuhi Shinku, and the rest all fixed their eyes on Guy. Everyone knew Might Duy had learned the Eight Inner Gates—which meant his son surely had too.
"Primary Lotus!"
Guy detonated into full speed.
Obito's vision blurred; a flash of green filled his view. Fortunately, unlike his counterpart in the source material, he'd learned the Konoha Six Powers.
Finger Pistol!
Obito's finger came up on instinct.
"Armament Haki!"
Guy ignored the Finger Pistol entirely and drove a kick into his chin. Obito's body snapped upward, hurled skyward. Guy appeared behind him, seized him, and dropped straight back toward the ground.
Before Obito could react, pain lanced through him and the world went out.
"Winner: Might Guy!" Minato announced at once. Obito might have been his student, but there wasn't a thing wrong with the call.
High above, Natsuki—Mikoto soft in his arms—found himself struck by a thought.
In the source material, Uchiha Obito first awakened the Sharingan during the Third Great Ninja War. Awakening it this early was plainly a ripple from his own butterfly effect. Then again, seen from another angle, it made Obito look even more the prodigy—which raised the odds of Uchiha Madara selecting him. Perhaps he already had.
Natsuki shook off the thought and looked down at Uchiha Mikoto. She'd already drifted into a dazed, glassy state.
Looks like I'll have to help her with this problem once the Chunin Exams are over, Natsuki thought.
He was hardly a saint, after all.
_________________________________________________
Read Advanced Chapters on : patreon.com/Kaizo247
~ Every 150 PS = Bonus Chapter
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]