Three days later, in the morning.
Hanekawa prepared breakfast while waiting for Tsunade to wake up.
His thoughts wandered to the attack on Rin Nohara during the second round of the Chūnin Exams.
Though he was already highly capable, he realized he still lacked proficiency in sensory ninjutsu.
Could the Uzumaki clan's Kagura Mind's Eye be learned by outsiders?
From what he recalled in the original story, the Kagura Mind's Eye didn't seem like a ninjutsu but more of an innate talent. Karin had mastered it and the Adamantine Chains without formal training.
Hanekawa rubbed his chin.
Would there be a bloodline-related perk for him to acquire?
---
"Good morning."
Tsunade walked out of her room, wearing a nightgown.
The hem of the gown stopped at her thighs, revealing her pale, slender legs and bare feet.
"Sensei, are you going to watch the matches today?" Hanekawa asked, shifting his gaze away.
"Since I'm free, I might as well." Tsunade yawned and headed to the bathroom.
As she walked, the nightgown swayed with her movents, faintly outlining her rounded figure.
Monts later, Tsunade returned and sat at the table, picking up her chopsticks.
"Where are Kurenai and Rin?" she asked.
"I told them to head straight to the arena," Hanekawa replied.
Tsunade nodded and said no more.
After breakfast, she changed into her usual attire, and they headed to the arena together.
---
"Lady Tsunade! Hanekawa!"
As soon as they arrived, an unexpected figure greeted them—Uzumaki Kushina.
"What brings you here, Sister Kushina?" Hanekawa asked.
"It'd be a sha to miss such an exciting Chūnin Exam!" Kushina replied, her cheerful mood evident from her smile.
"It's with the Hokage's special permission," Minato Namikaze explained as he approached.
"Wow, that old man's finally wised up. It's about ti," Tsunade said, unable to resist a jab.
Minato could only respond with an awkward but polite smile, pretending not to hear.
Unlike Tsunade, he wouldn't dare criticize Hiruzen Sarutobi so openly.
"Good luck, Hanekawa!" Kushina said, pumping her fist. "Knock them all out!"
"Don't forget Minato's students are participating too," Tsunade added with a grin.
"They don't stand a chance against Hanekawa," Kushina declared confidently, glancing at Minato.
"True," Minato admitted with a nod.
"..."
Hanekawa's eye twitched.
Could you not jinx ? He thought. How am I supposed to handle this match with all this pressure?
---
"Lady Tsunade, I've saved a seat for you. Let's go." Kushina grabbed Tsunade and headed to the spectators' section.
Hanekawa, as a participant, couldn't join them and made his way to the arena center.
---
By the ti he arrived, all 20 other contestants were already present—he was the last to arrive.
After brief greetings, the waiting began.
Hanekawa glanced toward the spectators' area.
On the high platform, one chair remained empty, reserved for the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Tsunade, Sakumo Hatake, and Minato Namikaze sat to the sides, while the rest of the seats were filled with ordinary villagers.
At precisely 9 a.m., Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived punctually, accompanied by Jiraiya.
"Let's welco the Hokage to speak," a young man announced loudly.
The arena imdiately fell silent.
"I'll keep it brief..." Hiruzen began with a smile.
Hanekawa's gut churned with unease.
As expected, his instincts were right—Hiruzen rambled for an entire hour before concluding his speech.
"Why is this old man so long-winded?!" Sarutobi Asuma grumbled, feeling dizzy from the monologue.
Though the other participants didn't dare voice their complaints, they silently agreed.
---
"I'm the proctor for the finals—Yamanaka Inoichi," the young man from earlier said, leaping down from the platform.
Hanekawa recognized him from a past encounter involving Orochimaru and Danzo's secret experints with Hashirama's cells.
Back then, Yamanaka had been investigating missing infants but had found nothing substantial. The incident had caused no uproar in Konoha.
Hanekawa thought of Yamato.
By now, Yamato was likely serving as "Tenzo" under Danzo's Root, eventually attempting to assassinate Hiruzen at age ten.
Hanekawa still didn't understand Danzo's logic. Spending ten years training Yamato, only to send him off to Hiruzen—what was the point? Did Danzo really believe Yamato could succeed in assassinating the Hokage?
---
"There are only two rules for the finals," Inoichi said, raising two fingers. "First, participants will be matched randomly for one-on-one battles. Second, no killing—stop at the point of victory."
Behind him, a screen lit up, its text scrolling rapidly before stopping.
"First match, first round: Mizuki versus Sarutobi Asuma," Inoichi announced after glancing at the screen.
Hanekawa and the others, including Kurenai, moved to the sidelines.
"You might as well forfeit now," Asuma said confidently, crossing his arms.
Mizuki's expression darkened instantly.
These damned geniuses!
He retrieved a larger-than-usual shuriken from his back and threw it without hesitation.
The sound of it slicing through the wind echoed.
Asuma Sarutobi glanced at it and easily dodged.
Using the Body Flicker Technique, he appeared directly in front of Mizuki.
With a flick of his right hand, he gripped a chakra blade.
Wind Release chakra flowed through it, making the already sharp blade even more deadly.
Mizuki was startled and quickly pulled out a kunai to counter.
What?
His pupils trembled.
The kunai was effortlessly sliced in half by the chakra blade, which continued its montum until it rested against his neck.
Asuma Sarutobi smiled faintly.
It was worth sweet-talking the old man so much!
The chakra blade he got with his father's resources was indeed exceptional.
"Asuma Sarutobi wins," Yamanaka Inoichi promptly announced.
"Sorry, but I had a reason why I couldn't lose," Asuma said as he noticed Mizuki's grim expression.
"..."
Mizuki suppressed the turmoil in his heart and turned to leave.
"What's with that guy?"
Asuma shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
Hanekawa glanced at the blade in Asuma's hand, recognizing it as the chakra blade he frequently used in the original story—sowhat resembling brass knuckles.
"Losing and then buying power-ups, huh?"
Asuma, being a genin, couldn't possibly afford it himself, so it was most likely courtesy of his Hokage father.
"Just don't face Hanekawa!"
Kurenai Yuhi glanced at the flashing screen, feeling extrely nervous.
The others felt similarly.
There were twenty-one candidates in the finals, aning the first round required ten matches, with one lucky person getting a bye.
Their three genin teams added up to nine people, so there was a high chance of intra-team battles.
"Relax."
Hanekawa reached out and patted Kurenai's head.
Though the rules stated random pairings, he didn't believe it.
Hiruzen Sarutobi surely knew that anyone facing him would be eliminated early.
The best approach was to first eliminate the weaker candidates, ensuring that the second round participants were truly strong contenders.
With so many spectators watching, they wouldn't want to show the best matches too soon.
"Round one, match two: Hanekawa vs. Ebisu," Yamanaka Haiichi announced loudly.
"Bro, I'm dood!"
Ebisu froze in shock upon hearing his na.
"Just do your best."
Genma Shiranui, chewing on a senbon needle, said calmly, "It's normal if you lose."
anwhile, things on Hanekawa's side were much more relaxed.
No one thought Ebisu could win.
In fact, neither did he.
Hanekawa stepped into the arena, facing the boy with sunglasses before him.
In the original story, Ebisu was a man of integrity, bravely trying to stop Nagato's clone alone.
"Be careful."
Taking a deep breath, Ebisu ford a seal with both hands.
Clone Technique!
With a puff of smoke, two clones appeared.
All three Ebisu clones, holding kunai, charged at Hanekawa.
The one on the left was the real body.
Hanekawa scanned the situation and, using Body Flicker, instantly closed the distance and punched.
"What?"
Ebisu instinctively raised his kunai, but it was too late—he was sent flying several ters by a single punch.
The audience erupted in surprise.
"Is that superhuman strength?"
Kushina Uzumaki asked curiously.
"No," Tsunade replied, shaking her head.
"That kid's strength is naturally impressive. If it were enhanced strength, it wouldn't have just sent him flying."
"Hanekawa joining the Chunin Exams feels like a tiger entering a flock of sheep," Sakumo Hatake said with a laugh.
"Hanekawa wins!"
Yamanaka Inoichi announced after seeing Ebisu struggle to stand multiple tis without success.
The screen rolled again, and the exam continued.
The third match was Kurenai Yuhi.
Her opponent was an unremarkable genin whom she defeated with a single Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique.
Next up was Kakashi Hatake.
Although his opponent was from the Hyuga clan, he posed no threat to Kakashi.
The more Hanekawa watched, the stranger he felt.
Starting with Asuma Sarutobi, the next eight matches happened to include only their eight people, excluding Rin Nohara.
In short, there wasn't a single intra-team battle.
"Rin Nohara gets a bye."
After ten matches, Yamanaka Inoichi announced, "Take a thirty-minute break before the second round begins."
"Rin, you're really lucky!"
Kurenai Yuhi exclaid.
"I didn't expect it either," Rin Nohara said with relief.
"That's great!"
Asuma Sarutobi cheered. "We all made it to the second round!"
"Everyone seems to have great luck," Shizune remarked in surprise.
Hanekawa smiled silently.
Luck? It was all rigged!
But aside from him, no one believed the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would resort to cheating.
"In the next round, we'll definitely face familiar faces," Shisui Uchiha said, shaking his head.
In the second round, besides their nine people, only Ibiki Morino and Genma Shiranui remained.
There was no way to avoid intra-team battles.
"No matter who the opponent is, youth ans giving it your all!"
Might Guy gave a thumbs-up, his teeth gleaming.
The thirty-minute break passed quickly, and the screen began rolling again.
"Second round, first match: Hanekawa vs. Obito Uchiha," Yamanaka Inoichi announced after glancing at the screen.
__
New entry: This Danzo Is Weird
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