When the warm morning sunlight bathed the Village Hidden in the Leaves— the Joint Chunin Exams officially began.
Held every few years, it was the grandest celebration in the entire ninja world. Countless merchants, nobles, traders, and shinobi all gathered here. These groups were, the ones with the deepest pockets.
Thinking about it now, it was easy to understand why future Chunin Exams would span over a whole month— it was simply to prolong the event and keep tourists spending money in the village.
Money—everywhere you looked, it was all about money! The amount of revenue brought by these visitors was astronomical; no hidden village could afford to miss such an opportunity.
Take Honda Taka, for instance. He'd made a killing lately—so much that Shien and Yamanaka Koji were both green with envy. They risked their lives taking missions, yet still earned less than a fraction of what he made selling goods on the street. But who could they complain to? In this world, ninjas were truly weak when it came to making money.
One by one, ninja teams began to gather for the exams.
Meanwhile, Shien stepped out from the Uchiha Compound. His fiancée hadn't left the compound once during this period— since word spread that her eyesight was recovering, Root surely wouldn't be happy to see this Uchiha prodigy back to full strength. So, she had to remain cautious.
Aside from covert guards, Uchiha Shizuka herself stayed close to provide protection. The use of the Regeneration Serum had been postponed until after the exams— so Shien wouldn't be distracted.
"Shien!"
Not far away, Honda Taka waved energetically, with Yamanaka Koji standing beside him. The three of them were classmates, but Honda's team was basically a slacker squad— which gave him time to run a stall and cheer on his friends.
"You're actually early today!" Shien teased. This fatty was usually as lazy as he was; seeing him up so soon was a miracle.
"Hehe…" Honda laughed awkwardly, scratching his cheek before asking a bit sheepishly,
"Shien, do you still have any of that healing potion left?"
Ah, so that's what he was after.
Healing Potion. By now, it was hardly a secret.
Though not as effective as medical ninjutsu, the key difference was portability— you couldn't carry a medic-nin around all the time, but a potion? Absolutely. It was expensive, yes, but you could bring it anywhere, and it had become a hot commodity.
Back when teams were assigned, Shien had given Honda a few bottles, so he knew Shien had a way to get them. Of course, he assumed Shien's "connection" was through his fiancée— never once imagining Shien was the one producing it.
Due to the slow growth of seaweed, the key ingredient, Shien could only make about a hundred diluted bottles per week. Out of those, the Main Branch took eighty, the Clan gave fifty to the Village, and the Village released only twenty for official distribution.
Talk about corruption.
Shien had long realized that in this world, anything valuable would never reach the common shinobi— it would already be carved up by those in power. If not for Shien's generosity, Honda Taka would never have gotten any.
"Use it sparingly—it's not going to help you lose weight," Shien said, tossing him a small vial.
He didn't bother asking questions. If Honda was actually asking, he must've needed it badly. And since his fiancée's status as an Uchiha "princess" made it believable, no one would question where he got the potion.
Ah, having such a fiancée really made life easier—she took the blame for everything.
"Here!" Honda handed him a scroll in return. It listed various material prices.
Shien couldn't rely solely on the Uchiha to gather ingredients, so he handled some of the procurement himself—and the fatty often helped.
"Good luck!" Honda waved and hurried off— today was too good a business opportunity to waste. He'd even filed an official mission request for his team—to
"run a stall." That way, he could earn mission points and money at the same time.
Genius move. Not that he was the only one; plenty of clans used similar tricks.
As for Shien and Yamanaka Koji, they headed toward the examination site. Kakashi had already gone ahead.
Written test, elimination rounds, one-on-one battles— the Chunin Exams always followed this pattern, no different from the future ones.
The first round was held at the Ninja Academy. Since it was just a written exam, they didn't need much space.
"Man, there are so many people!" Shien muttered, squeezing through the crowd. If not for the ninja setting, he'd have thought he'd wandered into a shopping district back on Blue Star.
"It's the Joint Chunin Exams—they only happen once every few years. Of course it's crowded!" Yamanaka Koji replied, his eyes sharp with determination. For him, this was a chance to restore the honor of the Yamanaka Clan.
The Joint Chunin Exams were a stage for the entire ninja world. Any ninja with ambition would give it their all.
Shien didn't need to look to know what his friend was thinking. He said nothing—this was Kōji's choice, and all he could do was lend a hand when possible.
When they entered the academy, the bustling crowd gave way to rows of genin from various villages.
"It's the Leaf shinobi!"
"Tch, those stats are pathetic!"
"Wait, their teammate's Kakashi?"
Whispers filled the hall. Many held intel booklets containing photos and data on the competitors. Both Shien's and Kōji's stats had been "adjusted downward" by Honda, so it wasn't surprising they were seen as dead weight.
To most, Team Three was simply "Kakashi and his two tagalongs."
Shien, as a transmigrator, couldn't care less. Only those born in this world took "honor" so seriously— enough to die for it.
Beside him, though, Yamanaka Koji's eyes flickered with frustration.
"Let's go," Shien said softly, patting his shoulder before heading toward the main building.
The moment he stepped inside, he felt something off. Genjutsu!
His hands flashed through seals. "Release!"
It was a simple genjutsu dispelling technique— and instantly, the scene changed. Where the hallway had seemed empty before, dozens of genin now stood, watching them with mocking smiles.
But when they saw Shien break the illusion, disappointment flashed across their faces.
Dispelling genjutsu wasn't hard; the real challenge was noticing it in the first place. And that, Shien excelled at.
Mental strength— the most basic advantage of a transmigrator. The stronger the spirit, the greater the resistance to illusions.
He also spotted Kakashi leaning casually against the wall ahead, watching them from the corner of his eye. Clearly, he'd been waiting in case they got caught.
"Hmph." With a proud snort, Kakashi turned and strode toward the classroom. The other examinees parted like the sea before him, his cool demeanor practically radiating prestige.
Shien and Kōji followed, taking their seats according to the roster.
Ding! Ding!
The bell rang— marking the start of the first round of the Chunin Exams: the Written Test.
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