Kakashi brought Sakura Haruno to the Ninja Hospital and introduced her to the Headmistress.
The Headmistress of the Ninja Hospital accepted Kakashi's recommendation and took Sakura in.
After leaving Sakura at the hospital, Kakashi was about to leave when he happened to run into Minato Namikaze, who had just returned.
This was the first time Kakashi had seen Minato since his revival.
Truthfully, Kakashi had been avoiding him because it felt too complicated.
But since they'd run into each other, he couldn't just walk away anymore.
Kakashi gave a slight nod and greeted, "The Fourth."
He'd intended to just acknowledge him and leave, but Minato had already approached him.
Minato sincerely thanked him, "Thank you, Kakashi. For taking care of him."
Needless to say, Minato was talking about Naruto Uzumaki.
Kakashi replied in a strictly professional tone, "I'm his Team-Leading Jonin. I'm simply fulfilling my duties. Besides, I've only just become his instructor—it's not like I'm particularly looking after him. So please don't mention it, The Fourth."
Minato smiled warmly, "Still, I have to thank you. Thanks to you, he managed to master such a powerful Nin-Taijutsu technique. When I heard you were his Team-Leading Jonin, I was quite surprised. I thought... you might hate me."
Kakashi responded calmly, "I don't hate anyone. Sometimes we're just on different sides for reasons beyond personal feelings."
Minato smiled again and said, "Different sides… I'm truly glad that you and I are finally on the same side, Kakashi."
"It's an honor to please you, The Fourth. But I still need to take care of some Chunin Exam matters. Excuse me."
"Hmm, understood. Thanks again, Kakashi."
Kakashi said it was no trouble and left the Ninja Hospital.
---
In recent days, ninjas from various villages and spectators had gradually arrived in Konoha.
On the afternoon of the day after tomorrow, Chinya arrived alone at the training ground.
Neji Hyuga, who was practicing there, leaned against a tree not far away, frowning slightly as he watched Chinya.
It seemed unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar—for reasons Neji couldn't quite explain.
"Keep going. Let me see how far you've come."
When Neji heard this, he hesitated briefly before smirking and continuing with a full set of [Water Breathing All Sword Techniques].
After finishing the entire sequence, Neji caught his breath lightly and walked over to Chinya, suppressing his excitement as he asked, "[Water Breathing All Sword Techniques], how was it?"
Chinya reached out and ruffled Neji's hair with a smile, saying, "Amazing. No wonder you're my disciple—or rather, amazing just because you're you."
A bright smile appeared on Neji's face.
Chinya then asked, "Have you already informed your clan members about your plans?"
Neji answered, "Yes, I've notified them all. They'll be ready when the time comes. Before the plan starts, I'll gather them one by one and remove their Cursed Seals."
Chinya nodded. "Alright, this time I and Orochimaru are bringing two teams to participate in the exams. Our plan will begin right after the final match ends, so once your match in the finals concludes, you can proceed with the plan."
Neji Hyuga murmured softly, "The competition hasn't even started yet; I haven't even been confirmed to reach the final round."
Chinya flicked his finger against Neji's forehead. "Why are you selling yourself short like that? In my opinion, this exam should be effortless for you. Being cautious is a good thing, but don't overdo it so much that you lose confidence in yourself."
Rubbing his head, Neji muttered, "I never said I lacked confidence."
Neji asked curiously, "Master, did Sōnagi come too?"
Chinya smiled faintly. "Yes, of course. He's here disguised as well, currently going by Rokumei. That kid is really eager to show off now, so watch out—he might come looking for trouble with you."
Neji's eyes lit up with fighting spirit. "Sounds good! I'd also like to see how strong Sōnagi has become after all these years apart. He must've gotten way ahead of me."
"Heh, that kid can't use Thunder Breathing anymore, so he may not necessarily beat you. Still, you should be careful. Even without Thunder Breathing, Sōnagi's other jutsu make him quite formidable among the current genin applicants. Have you mastered [Eleventh Form]?" Chinya asked curiously.
Neji gave a slight nod. "Yes, I have."
Chinya grinned mischievously, "Then there's no problem. Show him what you're really made of when the time comes. He's gotten very arrogant lately—it's about time someone poured some cold water on his head to sober him up."
Neji became excited. "Great! If I end up facing Sōnagi during the matches, I won't hold back at all."
Neji clearly knew that Sōnagi's talent surpassed his own and that over all those years spent learning directly under Chinya—with many powerful ninja as instructors—Sōnagi's strength was certainly far beyond his.
Therefore...this opportunity might be his only chance to get one over on Sōnagi.
Chinya gave Neji final instructions: "When the time comes, there will be people waiting outside Konoha to assist you. I'll also let you know exactly when to act, so there's no need to rush things. Just follow the steps methodically. Alright, I'm off. Good luck on the exams!"
Chinya disappeared using the Shifting Body Technique.
...
Five days flew by.
Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno gathered at the entrance of the Ninja Academy.
Sasuke stated, "Time's almost up."
Naruto leaned his arms behind his head, gazing up at the sky. "Then let's go inside."
As they approached the corridor on the third floor, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura noticed a large crowd gathered near Classroom 301.
Coming closer, they saw Lee being kicked and sent flying.
Among the crowd, Naruto spotted Sōnagi and his team as well.
"Are you really planning to take the Chunin Exams like this?"
"Maybe it's better not to take part, little kids."
"They're just a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears kids."
The two Konoha ninja who had kicked Lee away were actually Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki in disguise, pretending to be genin candidates participating in the Chūnin Exams.
This served as the first unofficial test, specifically targeting Konoha's candidates, while those from other Ninja Villages had already entered Classroom 301.
The challenge was whether one could sense the Genjutsu they had set up in this area.
Uzumaki Sōnagi and a few others had ended up arriving late and getting caught up among Konoha's candidates.
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