At the door of Tsunade's house, Hanekawa stood watching the light snow fall, his mind drifting.
He'd been thinking about the Chunin Exam rules Asuma had mentioned last week. They were similar to the ones from the original timeline—the ones Naruto had faced—but with one key difference. The second stage had changed. Instead of hunting for heaven and earth scrolls in the Death Forest, candidates now had to traverse it as quickly as possible.
A race, essentially.
Interesting, he thought. Wonder what the catch is.
"Hanekawa!"
He turned to see Kurenai sprinting toward him, her ponytail bouncing with each stride. She'd taken to wearing it that way since he'd suggested it—more energetic than the loose hair she'd had before. She looked happier this way.
"Cold?" he asked as she skidded to a stop, her cheeks flushed.
"Not cold," she said, shaking her head.
Hanekawa extended his hand. Chakra flowed from his palm, warm and gentle—a simple application of his Fire Style control. The C-Rank entry "Five Elements Chunin" made this effortless.
Kurenai felt the warmth on her cheek and froze. Her heartbeat quickened, her face flushing deeper. She was about to say something when footsteps approached.
She quickly stepped back, creating distance.
"Hanekawa, good morning!" Might Guy's enthusiastic voice boomed across the street. Behind him came Kakashi, Obito, and Rin.
"Morning," Hanekawa replied, nodding at the group.
"We just met on the road," Rin explained.
"Met by chance!" Obito added quickly, throwing a wink that made Guy pause mid-sentence.
"Red, why is your face so red?" Rin asked with concern.
"I ran here," Kurenai said hastily, fanning herself. "That's all."
"The Chunin Exams start soon," Hanekawa interjected smoothly. "We should head over."
Crisis averted.
"YES!" Guy clenched his fists. "I can already feel my youth burning!"
Hanekawa gave Kakashi a sympathetic look. The fact that he'd tolerated Guy this long was genuinely impressive.
Kakashi remained silent, which said everything.
---
The first stage of the Chunin Exam was a written test, held at the Ninja Academy. As they walked, Asuma asked, "Which exam room are you in?"
"First examination room," Rin replied.
"Great!" Obito grinned. "Rin, let's sit together!"
"You'll be disqualified if caught cheating," Kakashi said flatly.
"I won't cheat!" Obito protested.
"Actually, you can cheat," Hanekawa said casually.
Everyone stopped and stared at him.
"The written test evaluates both knowledge and your ability to cheat without getting caught," he explained. "Get caught, though, and you're retaking it next year."
Obito's Sharingan flickered with interest. Copy the answers before the person next to me finishes writing them. Perfect.
"How do you cheat?" Guy asked, scratching his head.
"You don't," Kakashi suggested. "Answer honestly."
Guy's chances of cheating undetected were approximately zero.
"What's that white-haired guy doing?" Kurenai pointed at a figure perched on the academy wall, peering through a window.
"Is he... peeping?" Asuma's face turned red. "How shameless!"
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. That silhouette...
Hanekawa recognized him immediately. Jiraiya.
"You bastard!" Asuma jumped up, grabbed the man's hair, and yanked him down.
"Let me go! You pervert!"
"Pervert?" The white-haired man appeared behind Asuma in a flash, lifting him effortlessly. "I am Jiraiya, the Toad Sage of Myoboku Mountain!"
Asuma's face went pale. Oh no.
"I held you when you were a child," Jiraiya said, setting him down.
Asuma pouted. No amount of legendary status could excuse being a pervert.
"Lord Jiraiya," Kakashi and the others greeted respectfully.
"Uncle Jiraiya," Hanekawa added, using the more familiar form.
"Where's your teacher?" Jiraiya asked, studying Hanekawa.
"Home."
"Not at the casino?" Jiraiya looked genuinely shocked.
"What are you doing here?" Hanekawa changed the subject.
"Peeping!" Asuma said indignantly.
"Don't be ridiculous, kid!" Jiraiya glared at him. "I'm observing the exam candidates' strength."
"You're an examiner?" Hanekawa raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly!" Jiraiya said proudly. "I'm proctoring your second exam."
Asuma's smile became pained. I've already offended the examiner and the exam hasn't even started.
"Boy," Jiraiya patted Asuma's shoulder, "I'll keep an eye on you for the old man."
Asuma's expression suggested he'd rather die.
"Now go take your written test," Jiraiya said, jumping back onto the wall. "See you this afternoon."
---
The Chunin Exam had fifty-four Genin participants this year, divided into two examination rooms. Hanekawa's group headed straight to the first-floor classroom.
The room was already filling with candidates. Conversations died down when they entered.
"How annoying," Asuma muttered. "Everyone knows Hanekawa, but nobody mentions the Hokage's son."
"Of course they know Hanekawa!" Kurenai said proudly, crossing her arms. "He's the strongest!"
"He's famous from Konoha Hospital," Shizune added thoughtfully. "I hear about his work there all the time."
"Just luck," Hanekawa said with a slight smile.
"When I beat you, I'll be more famous!" Asuma declared.
"No way!" Guy shouted. "Hanekawa's opponent is me! This is the promise of our youth!"
What promise? Hanekawa's eye twitched.
"I'll be the winner!" Obito clenched his fists. "You'll understand Uchiha power!"
"Quiet!" A rotund young man entered, silencing the room. An Akimichi clan member. "I'm Akimichi Doto, your examiner. The only rule: no cheating. Get caught, you're disqualified."
Minato's old teammate, Hanekawa remembered.
"Begin," Doto announced.
Hanekawa looked at the test paper. Significantly harder than academy material, but manageable. He picked up his pen and started writing.
Around him, others employed various strategies—some answered honestly, others cheated with varying degrees of subtlety.
When the two hours ended, Doto collected the papers.
Then a figure crashed through the window.
"Listen up! I am the invincible white-haired toad sage, the handsome man who can silence crying children—Master Jiraiya!"
The classroom fell silent.
Jiraiya stood in the center of the room, grinning widely, completely unaware of how ridiculous he looked.
Here we go, Hanekawa thought, suppressing a smile. The real exam begins.