On the day of the Chunin Exams finals, the sky over Konoha was a deep, clear blue, like a freshly washed curtain.
Sunlight filtered through the lush branches, casting dappled shadows on the bustling streets.
The entire village was immersed in a festive carnival atmosphere, with crowds surging toward the massive circular arena at the center.
"Sora-sensei! Sora-sensei! Hurry up! We're gonna be late!"
Downstairs from the apartment building, Uzumaki Naruto was shouting at the top of his lungs, jumping up and down like a monkey with its tail on fire.
Karin stood to the side with her arms crossed, her face full of helplessness. But when she glanced up at a certain window on the upper floor, there was a familiar indulgence in her eyes.
The door slid open slowly.
Sora Akashi yawned as he stepped out, his flaxen hair a wild mess, eyes still heavy with sleep.
He was still wearing loose pajamas, looking completely half-awake.
"What's with all the noise, Naruto?" Sora rubbed his eyes, voice mumbled. "The finals don't start until nine in the morning. It's only seven now—are you in that much of a hurry to reincarnate?"
"But! But! This is the finals! I have to be the first one there so everyone can see how cool Uzumaki Naruto looks!" Naruto clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with fiery determination.
"Yeah, yeah, you're the coolest." Sora waved dismissively and turned back inside to change.
Fifteen minutes later, when he emerged in fresh casual clothes and headed toward the arena with two energetic kids in tow, Uchiha Sasuke was already waiting at the intersection.
The black-haired boy stood with hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall, expression cold—as if the roaring crowd around him had nothing to do with him.
Seeing Sora saunter over slowly, he merely lifted an eyelid without speaking.
"Yo, Sasuke—so early?" Sora greeted with a grin.
Sasuke gave a light snort through his nose—his version of a response.
This past month, he had pushed himself almost to the breaking point.
The cutting power and speed of Chidori Current had grown increasingly refined in his hands, and the insight of his Sharingan had steadily improved through intense sparring.
He was burning with impatience to test the results of his training against that monster from Sunagakure.
Inside the arena, it was already packed to the rafters.
Dignitaries, wealthy merchants, and nobles from various countries, along with Konoha's villagers, filled the stands to bursting.
Up in the high VIP seats, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was chatting and laughing with the man beside him—the one wearing the "Kazekage" cloak.
Sora led his three kids to the contestant waiting area. His gaze casually swept over that so-called "Kazekage" without lingering.
"Tsk, dark circles under your eyes, looks like you've been overindulging in too much sex, your body's been completely drained." Sora muttered to the students beside him. "You all need to take this as a warning, understand?"
Naruto nodded vaguely, half-understanding.
Karin's cheeks flushed slightly as she quietly spat in disgust.
Only Sasuke, with his pitch-black eyes, gave that supposed "Kazekage" a deep, lingering look—as if sensing something.
"Alright, first match: Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyūga Neji." Sora patted Naruto's shoulder. The laziness vanished from his face, replaced by a serious teacherly demeanor.
"Naruto."
"Here!"
"Remember what I told you: when your opponent can see through every surface, what do you do?"
Naruto grinned wide, showing all his teeth, and gave a thumbs-up.
"Then drown his eyes in so much overwhelming truth that he can't even imagine it!"
"Go get 'em."
Naruto took a deep breath and strode into the center of the arena under the gaze of thousands.
In the stands, the genius of the Hyūga clan, Hyūga Neji, had been waiting for some time. Dressed in flowing white, expression arrogant, his pure white eyes were filled with disdain for this "dead-last."
The battle was about to begin.
Neji's Gentle Fist was fast, precise, and ruthless.
Each palm strike accurately sealed Naruto's movements, targeting the points around his body.
Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
When Neji finished the final palm with flowing grace, Naruto's body had gone rigid. He collapsed heavily to the ground.
"It's over." Neji withdrew his stance, speaking in a tone of final judgment. "A dead-last like you cannot defy fate."
The stands erupted in uproar.
Konoha's villagers let out disappointed sighs.
"So this is... the power of a genius?"
"That Nine-Tails kid really couldn't do it after all."
In the contestant waiting area, Karin nervously clenched her fists.
Sasuke's brows furrowed tightly.
Only Sora Akashi remained leaning against the wall, arms crossed, face expressionless.
On his system panel, a line of data quietly appeared.
[Record Successful: Hyūga Style Taijutsu · Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms]
"All show and no substance," Sora thought inwardly. "So complicated, channeling chakra into someone else's body. With that kind of effort, just rub a Rasengan in his face and be done with it."
Just when everyone thought the outcome was decided, a heart-palpitating surge of crimson-red chakra suddenly erupted from Naruto's fallen body!
He shot up from the ground in an instant. His blue eyes were replaced by wild, beast-like pupils.
"Fate...?"
Naruto's voice turned hoarse and low, carrying a ferocity that didn't belong to him.
"Stop... talking to yourself like that, you bastard!"
"Multi Shadow Clone Technique!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hundreds of Uzumaki Narutos instantly flooded the entire arena!
Every shadow clone was wreathed in ominous crimson-red chakra. The overwhelming pressure silenced the whole stadium.
For the first time, cracks appeared in the arrogance on Hyūga Neji's face.
His Byakugan could see chakra flow, could perceive every detail.
But now, his vision was filled with hundreds of identical, surging chakra sources!
Too many!
In an instant, the sheer volume of information overwhelmed his brain's processing limit!
This was the tactic Sora had taught Naruto.
Since you can see everything clearly, I'll give you so much that you can't see anything at all!
In the brief moment Neji froze from information overload, the real Naruto erupted from the ground beneath his feet like a phantom!
A powerful, heavy uppercut smashed solidly into Neji's chin!
The outcome was decided.
The arena fell into dead silence at first, then exploded into thunderous cheers!
"He won! That dead-last actually won!"
"So awesome! That's our Konoha ninja!"
In the VIP seats, the Third Hokage exhaled a relieved puff of smoke.
Beside him, the "Kazekage's" golden snake pupils gleamed with unprecedented greed and interest.
"Truly... a perfect rough gem..."
Sora stepped forward under the gaze of the entire audience. Like a proud father, he roughly ruffled Naruto's golden, messy hair.
"Not bad, you idiot."
Naruto grinned foolishly, basking in his hero's treatment.
"Next match!" The chief examiner, Genma Shiranui, cleared his throat and announced, "From Sunagakure, Gaara—versus—from Konohagakure, Uchiha Sasuke!"