Inside the high observation tower—
As the noble lords and wealthy merchants watched the two teams of prodigies clash on the screen, their excitement reached a fever pitch. Ordinary people like them rarely had the chance to witness a battle of this level.
At the same time, watching such duels also gave them a glimpse of the potential strength of each great ninja village's next generation. That was why the Joint Chunin Exams had never lacked an audience.
In a world as barren of entertainment as the ninja world, there was simply nothing more thrilling to watch than this. Sure, the Great Ninja Wars were even more spectacular— but no one sane would ever go watch those. That wasn't seeking excitement—that was seeking death.
Of course, the high-ranking officials from the three great ninja villages watched with a far more serious expression. These young genin represented their villages' future. If the opportunity arose, they wouldn't hesitate to use underhanded means. But for now, the higher-ups balanced each other too tightly—if anyone dared make a move, a war could erupt on the spot.
That was also why the Kage themselves had to be present— to protect the village's future. A ninja could die in battle, but not in a conspiracy.
Well… that only applied to the major villages. Small villages and lone participants were another matter entirely.
"Shien, Kakashi, Kōji—come on, give it your all!"
Behind the Hokage's seat, Minato Namikaze—serving as the mood booster—cheered silently for his three students.
The Forest of Death!
The battle raged fiercely. Not only was Maki's team covered in wounds, but Team Three was in equally bad shape.
It wasn't that they were fighting recklessly— rather, ambushers kept appearing mid-fight.
Both Maki and Kakashi were natural-born geniuses, which made them prime targets for hunters. As for their teammates—they were simply unlucky enough to be caught in the crossfire.
And retreat was not an option. If they backed down now, they'd have no way to explain it later.
In truth— the Chunin Exams of the future were nothing but a form of "entertainment event." This, right here, was the true Joint Chunin Exams— the prelude to war.
When no great war was raging, this was the only stage where a village could display its strength to the world.
Clang! Clang!
Weapons clashed in rapid succession as both sides exchanged blows in close combat. This—this was the true form of ninja battle.
Those so-called flashy duels where ninjas hurled large-scale techniques nonstop were mostly nonsense. Even jonin didn't have enough chakra to spam ninjutsu like that. And the higher the level of a technique, the greater its cost.
Every jutsu cast in a real fight was precious beyond measure.
If even jonin had to conserve chakra, genin even more so— most couldn't afford to use jutsu at all. Even among these "elite" examinees, none could sustain all-out ninjutsu bombardment.
Even Shien was conserving his chakra. Once chakra ran dry, a ninja became no more than an ordinary person.
Thus, they fought with chakra-imbued melee techniques— the most correct, efficient way to fight.
Gwaaah!
Suddenly, flames erupted around Taiyi, the great toad in the sky. His aura flared dramatically. Shien had decided to end this war of attrition.
If he dragged this out any longer, not only would victory slip away—his own life would be in danger. The surrounding forest crawled with hunters.
"You bastard, you're spacing out?!"
The kunoichi from Maki's team puffed up her cheeks in fury. She had thought she could easily crush this supposedly "unremarkable" opponent. But he'd turned out far stronger than her intel suggested— and that summoning beast of his was downright terrifying. Even he himself wasn't as weak as the reports made him out to be.
"Don't you feel like… we're in danger now?" Shien dodged another slash and spoke calmly.
Their exchange might have looked balanced, but it was really two "rookies pecking at each other"— a draw born from mutual limitations.
"Danger?"
She paused, extending her senses—and froze. They were surrounded.
One by one, silhouettes emerged from the forest, forming a tightening ring around both their teams. Dozens of them— easily more than a tenth of all the remaining examinees.
Terrifying.
Ordinary candidates might dream of defeating prodigies to make a name for themselves, but they wouldn't kill them. At least, not on purpose.
If a genius from a great village died at another great village's hands, that was still "acceptable." But if a small village ninja killed one… let's just say the "consequences" would arrive at their doorstep the moment they left the forest.
So— a crowd like this could only mean one thing: hunters.
And as for who sent them? Any of the Five Great Villages could have. Perhaps even Konoha itself. If so, those assassins certainly wouldn't reveal their identity—they'd simply act as hunters.
"Taiyi, use Sunset!"
Seeing that the Sand kunoichi had realized the danger and halted her attacks, Shien shouted his order.
Gwaaaah!!
The toad's entire body blazed like the sun itself, plummeting from the sky. The air burned. The plants withered.
Everyone froze, stunned by the suicidal intensity of the attack.
"You're insane!"
The Sand kunoichi cursed and retreated toward Maki's side.
And then—Taiyi struck the ground.
BOOM!
The earth-shattering explosion engulfed the area in flames. The sheer power of that single blow— it rivaled an S-Rank Forbidden Technique.
Of course, there were drawbacks— the preparation time and buildup were far too conspicuous. But with that level of destructive force— who cared about drawbacks?
From this moment on, everyone watching understood— Taiyi's power was monstrous.
Inside the Observation Tower.
"What in the—?!"
"That summoning beast is that strong?!"
"The power alone… it's comparable to an S-Rank technique!"
The high-ranking officials of every village were shaken to the core. Many immediately began requesting information on Taiyi.
Especially the Uchiha— their breathing grew heavy just imagining themselves commanding such a beast.
Too bad Shien wasn't there to correct them. If he were, he'd have told them they were dreaming.
Taiyi was his summoning beast— not a clan creature like the Uchiha's ninja cats.
Back in the Forest of Death—
The explosion faded, leaving the battlefield shrouded in thick smoke.
Smoke bombs.
Of course Shien wasn't planning to force his way through a crowd of hunters. With dozens of them out there, a "glorious breakout" was impossible.
Taiyi's final strike before being dispelled had two purposes— to wreak havoc, and to cover Shien's next move.
"Go!"
He slung the red scroll—their proof of participation—onto his back, signaled his teammates, and led the charge.
Even the black bear had perished in the blast— its scroll now theirs by right.
Kakashi glanced at Shien. For all his laziness and habit of dodging responsibility, the guy really was fit to be a leader.
The three of them formed their practiced triangular assault formation— Kakashi in front as the spearhead, Shien and Kōji covering the flanks.
A formation perfect for handling anything.
Shadows flickered in the mist—
Shh!
Kakashi flashed forward with Body Flicker Technique, and before the enemy even reacted, his kunai pierced their throat.
He avoided the heart deliberately— a dying ninja could still signal their comrades. Classic assassination logic— taught directly by Minato Namikaze himself, along with countless advanced combat drills.
With a pathfinder like Kakashi, Team Three advanced smoothly.
Not without surprises, though—
Shh! Shh!
Shien and Yamanaka Koji both hurled shuriken behind them.
"Wait—!"
A familiar female voice called out. Three figures emerged from the haze.
It was Maki's team.
Their intention was obvious— they were looking to hitch a ride.
Ninjas didn't care about "face." That was a privilege reserved for Kage-level elites. For them, survival came first.
Maki himself said nothing, his eyes locked on Kakashi, full of fighting spirit— but he didn't move. Arrogant as he was, he wasn't a fool. They were still in danger. The priority was escape, not victory.
Shien didn't mind the company— the more allies, the more potential shields. He actually welcomed the arrangement.
Together, the two teams fought their way out of the encirclement.
But just as they emerged from the smoke— both groups suddenly froze.
Because something unexpected was waiting ahead.
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