(T/N: Please consider reviewing this Fanfic. Thanks and appreciate all who support me.
(T/N: Enjoy!)
<><><><><><>
The Land of Rice Fields, Otogakure, the Village Hidden in the Sound.
In a secret, unknown base, a long-haired woman with pale skin and an alluringly beautiful yet sinister appearance was recording something.
"Experiment Subject No. 156. Test failed."
She wrote this sentence in her logbook.
In front of her, inside a container filled with an unknown liquid, a small, curled-up child had clearly lost all signs of life.
If one were to look to the left and right, they would see hundreds of similar containers lining the walls.
Inside each one, without exception, was a young child, silently suspended in the solution. And among them, more than half had already passed away.
If anyone from the outside world were to witness this scene, their hair would surely stand on end, and they would scream in terror.
Just then, the door to the base opened, and a woman with fiery red hair walked in.
"Lord Orochimaru, we have just received an intelligence report from Konoha." As she spoke, she handed a scroll to the long-haired woman.
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, the long-haired woman—or rather, Orochimaru, who had completed his Reanimation Jutsu—turns his head. His mouth then opened wide.
Swoosh!!
A meter-long tongue shot out from his mouth, snatching the scroll from the red-haired woman's hand. He then retracted his tongue and took the scroll from it.
Across from him, the red-haired woman showed no reaction to this bizarre scene, as if it were a common occurrence.
After opening the scroll, Orochimaru used a secret seal to undo the lock and read the contents of the report.
"The old man is planning to hold the Chunin Exams jointly with the Sand Village?"
A sinister smile played on his lips as he licked them, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "It seems an opportunity... has just presented itself."
.....
On the back hills of Konoha.
After learning the details of the earlier fight between Sasuke and Rock Lee, Kakashi said with a look of astonishment, "To think that powering up can increase one's strength by so much!"
Rock Lee was the student of his good friend, Might Guy. He had often heard Guy boast about how similar this student was to him and how hard he worked.
Guy had even claimed that Lee was already skilled enough to participate in the Chunin Exams and achieve excellent results.
But this ninja, who possessed the strength of a Chunin, had only managed a draw with Sasuke?
Could it be that Sasuke, after powering up, also possessed Chunin-level strength?
He looked at the devastated battlefield where they had fought and, after a silent mental calculation, realised that this conclusion was very likely correct.
At this thought, he couldn't help but recall the news he had just received: the Chunin Selection Exams would officially be held in one month!
'In that case, should I let Sasuke and the others... No, not yet.' The idea of having them participate in the exams had occurred to him, but he quickly dismissed it.
Currently, only Sasuke has reached the level of a Chunin; Naruto and Sakura have not yet.
The Chunin Exams required the participation of an entire squad. If a teammate's skills were not up to par, entering rashly would only endanger the whole team.
However, the registration period hadn't started yet. Could Naruto and Sakura reach Chunin-level strength before then?
'Ah, well. I'll tell them. It should give them some extra motivation for their training.'
Kakashi rubbed his forehead and looked at the three young genin. "I have some news for you."
The three of them, who had been discussing training methods with Rock Lee, looked over. "What news, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, puzzled.
"Well, Naruto, you've always wanted to become Hokage, right? This news might help you take another step toward that goal," Kakashi said, a slight smile forming under his mask as he deliberately kept them in suspense.
"What? Are you serious, Kakashi-sensei?" Hearing this, Naruto leapt up from where he was sitting, rushed over to Kakashi, and said with an urgent expression, "What is it? Tell me quick, Kakashi-sensei!"
Seeing Naruto's eagerness, Kakashi decided not to tease him any longer. He cleared his throat and said, "Ahem, the news is that the Chunin Selection Exams will be held in one month."
"The Chunin Selection Exams?"
"That's right. If you pass the exams, you'll be promoted from a genin to a chunin, which means you'll be one step closer to becoming Hokage. So, what do you say? Do you want to participate?" Kakashi deliberately emphasised the word "Hokage."
"Yes! Of course, I do!" Hearing that he could get closer to his goal, Naruto agreed without a second thought.
"You idiot, Naruto. Do you even have the skills of a Chunin right now?" Just then, Sasuke, who had also heard the news, ruthlessly poured cold water on his enthusiasm.
"Aaargh! What did you say, stupid Sasuke?" Naruto yelled, enraged.
"Sasuke is right, you know. On your team, only Sasuke has currently reached the level required to participate in the Chunin Exams. You and Sakura are still a bit behind," Kakashi said with a smile.
"Kakashi-sensei, I'm strong too, you know! Once I master powering up, I'll definitely be stronger than Sasuke!" Naruto retorted, his face full of defiance at being dismissed by his teacher as well.
"You're right, Naruto," Kakashi said, his smile widening. "There's still some time before registration opens. If you and Sakura can reach the level of a Chunin before then, I will recommend you for the Chunin Exams."
"I'll definitely do it!!" Hearing the condition his teacher had set, Naruto raised his fist to the sky and swore an oath. "And Sakura, you can do it too, right?"
"Huh? Me? I..." Sakura, who hadn't expected to be called out by Naruto, stammered for a moment.
But when she saw the passionate fire in Naruto's eyes as he chased his dream, she quickly raised her hand and said with determination, "I'll do it too!!"
Just as they were continuing their discussion about the Chunin Exams, a peculiar sound suddenly echoed among them.
Grumble, grumble, grumble~~
Everyone turned to look.
Goku, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, scratched his head and said with an embarrassed laugh, "Ahaha~ I'm getting a little hungry."
Everyone looked up at the sky and realised it was already noon—time for lunch.
"In that case, how about I treat everyone to barbecue?" Kakashi suggested, looking at the group.
"Alright!!" Hearing there was barbecue to be had, Naruto cheered enthusiastically.
"Um... in that case, I won't disturb you," Rock Lee said, timidly raising his hand.
"What are you talking about, thick-eyebrows? You're coming with us!" Naruto slung an arm around his shoulder and invited him along.
"Lee, when I said everyone, that includes you," Kakashi added.
"Yeah, yeah, you should come too, Lee," Sakura chimed in.
Although Sasuke didn't speak, he looked at Lee and gave a slight nod.
Under everyone's insistent invitations, Rock Lee finally agreed.
Just as they were about to set off, Lee told them to wait a moment. He then ran into the woods and retrieved two items from behind a tree.
"What are those?" Naruto asked, walking over curiously. He saw that Lee was holding two strips of fabric with the character for "Guts" (根性) inscribed on them.
"These are the training weights I wear on my body every day. I only took them off just now for my match with Sasuke," Lee explained as he strapped the iron bands to his legs.
"Training weights?" Naruto was curious and reached out to pick one up for a closer look.
"Hiss! It's so heavy!" He had tried to lift it with one hand but found it extremely difficult.
He quickly used his other hand to help, and only then was he able to lift it with relative ease.
"You wear these every day?" he asked in disbelief after feeling the weight of the object.
He realised that this single item was almost as heavy as the rock he used for his own weight training every day. And Lee wore two of them!
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
If you want to support me, join my patr**on. Have 20 advanced Chapters for you guys.
patr**n.com/saitamablast > OP:SJ NOVEL TIER