"Chūnin Exam?"
Jack stared at the bulletin board, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks.
—With 6 years 358 days left on the rift countdown, Konoha brass wanted him in what amounted to a teenage promotion festival?Absurdly, the recommendation column bore three signatures:
"Hatake Kakashi" + "Hyūga Yakio" + "Dr. Miki (Medical R&D)"The system cracked a rare joke:
「Event Trigger: Chūnin Exam · Prelims
Reward: ①Promote to Chūnin = +50% stipend ②Exposure risk ↑ (foreign villages watching)」"Exposure risk?" Jack arched a brow. "You mean my golden threads, or the walking bomb in my chest?"
「Both.」I Recommendation: Gilding & Target PracticeSame day, Hokage Office.Kakashi waved Make-Out Paradise lazily. "Brass consensus—you need legal promotion. Special jōnin is covert; chūnin is overt. Once you've the vest, you can stroll under foreign eyes without them asking why a genin keeps sneaking into black sites.""Also," Yakio added, "the exam gathers rookies from every village—perfect hunting ground for 'Subject No. 03'. You can scout potentials openly.""Plus," Dr. Miki adjusted his glasses, "the living seal needs battle-stress testing. The prelim ring is ideal—don't worry, the compression-chamber pendant is in monitor mode, won't detonate."Jack sighed: "So I gild myself, become a target, and moonlight as a head-hunter.""Talent scout," Kakashi corrected.II Registration: Rift-Sensor Off the ChartsRegistration was at Konoha Arena. In the queue Jack spotted familiar faces:Suna's Kankurō (puppet on back)Ame's Shion (paper-chakra scent)Iwa's Akatsuchi (heavy-weight)Kiri's Ringo (Hiramekarei heir)—and someone who made his pupils shrink: the black-robed crack-mask man (Harmonizer β), now wearing a Kiri provisional vest, number B-07, name: ???System alert: 「High-danger target infiltrated exam Purpose unknown Advice: observe, avoid provocation」Jack gritted his teeth: "Same exam? Brilliant graduation party."At the desk an examiner handed him a crystal orb: "Channel chakra, fill it."Fist-sized sphere. Jack let only "normal" chakra leak—yet the orb filled instantly, a pale-gold spiral swirling inside.Examiner blinked: "Genin? This volume… near elite chūnin." —Recommendation added: "Excellent chakra control, direct prelim advocation."III Prelim Rules: Ring & Rift MonitorsFormat: 1-v-1 knockout. Win = main exam; lose = out. Foreign audience welcome.Crucially: each corner held "rift-monitor pillars" — real-time sensors. If non-native energy detected, black light flashes; contestant inspected immediately."For me," Jack smiled wryly, "it's tight-rope walking under referees."IV Round 1: Wind vs PaperOpponent: Ame's Shion (paper) Ring 4, windy—paper advantage.Start—she vaulted, paper shuriken storm. Jack clapped: "Wind Release: Breakthrough!" Gale shredded papers into white butterflies.Shion re-formed "paper-angel" wings, dived. Jack chakra-glided, slid under her shadow, flicked wrist— a hair-thin spiral needle of thread pierced wing seam, tapped her shoulder acupoint. Papers lost chakra, fell as normal sheets."I forfeit." She landed, gaze complex: "That strike… wasn't normal chakra." Jack smiled: "Wind variant." Monitor pillar stayed dark—thread frequency同源(homologous) to rifts, sensors misread as high-Yin chakra—within tolerance.Victory—yet warning: Shion's sharp senses; stronger foes = higher exposure risk.V Round 2: Fire vs LavaOpponent: Iwa's Akatsuchi (Lava) Arena temp +40°C. Lava bombs blanketed sky; wind useless, Jack first-used "Rift Weave·Local":1m micro-gate before him, swallowed lava → redirected skyward, firework display. Audience gasped "Space ninjutsu!" Pillar flashed yellow (borderline) but not black—space jutsu legal.Akatsuchi blown out by his own lava-rain, conceded. Jack's chest stabbed—compression pendant overheated; pocket-watch skipped 12h: 「6y 357d 18h」 —Two fights, one day of life evaporated.VI Round 3: Twin Swords vs Spiral MirrorDay 3, sixteen to eight. Opponent: Kiri's Ringo (Hiramekarei) Worse—high stands, black-robe β appeared, eyes locking through rifts.Gong— Ringo whirled twin blades, water shockwaves, field turned shallow lake. Wind limited, threads' conductivity dampened. Forced to edge, Jack risked:Rift Weave·Reflect: threads wove 2m "spiral mirror", refracted shockwave, Ringo blown out.Pillar finally BLACKED! Referee: "Halt! Contestant four, inspection!" ANBU encircled, probes aimed at chest—pendant auto-suppressed all波动, only wind residue detected. Five minutes, no alarm. Referee frowned: "…Misread, continue—winner, Jack!"Applause mixed with whispers: "Space ninjutsu?" "Wind variant?" "Who is he?"VII Promotion & Target: Eight NamesDusk, arena screen listed eight:Konoha·SakuraKonoha·SasukeKonoha·NarutoKonoha·Jack HarperSuna·KankurōIwa·Akatsuchi (revival)Kiri·Black-robe β (B-07)Ame·Shion (revival)Jack looked up—β mask gave a thumb-across-throat gesture—silent provocation.System: 「Prelims cleared Reward: ①Chūnin stipend +50% ②'Subject 03' candidate list updated (8)
Side-effect: foreign high-priority target, rift coverage +2%」Golden threads coiled under cuffs like snakes spotting prey.He drew a breath, turned from the stands. —Main exam yet to start; the real hunt had already opened.