The moment Yurui finished speaking, countless eyes turned toward them inside the not-so-large waiting room. Most of those gazes were filled with schadenfreude.
Heh. Backwater nobodies running into the domineering Cloud Village? Now this would be interesting.
Facing the three tall, fierce-looking genin approaching them, Kansuke felt a flicker of instinctive fear.
What do we do? Kumogakure is a major nation's village. They must be strong… Losing a fight is one thing, but embarrassing the village would be unforgivable.
Wind stared at Yurui, his handsome face unreadable.
Kumogakure…
Though his childhood memories had faded, he still remembered the cold looks and exclusion he and Flower endured because of their father's identity.
Just seeing that headband made his stomach twist again.
I don't like arguing.
But if it comes to blows… I wouldn't mind teaching them a lesson.
His hand quietly drifted toward his waist. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked to the true pillar of their trio—
His younger sister. Darkshade's princess.
Uchiha Snow.
Snow had already taken the center seat. Arms crossed, eyebrow raised, she looked at Yurui.
"You say the seats are yours. But we're already sitting here. What should we do about that?"
"!"
Yurui frowned.
He had assumed a bunch of nameless genin from a no-name village would back off with a single threat.
They actually dared to push back?
He hesitated. Under the new Chūnin Exam rules, any pre-exam brawl meant immediate disqualification for whoever struck first.
Snow's eyes drifted to the bull-shaped pendant at Yurui's neck.
A spark flashed in her mind.
"If I'm not mistaken, that's the Eight-Tails, isn't it?"
"Not many in Kumogakure are qualified to wear that. So… you're Killer B's disciple? A candidate for the next Eight-Tails jinchūriki?"
That did it.
Yurui's face darkened instantly.
You little brat—who do you think you are, casually speaking Lord Gyūki and Master Killer B's names?!
At first it was just a seat. I could've let it slide.
But now—
"I gave you face, didn't I?!" he roared, throwing a punch.
Snow's lips curved faintly.
Father was right. Cloud shinobi are hot-headed. Light a match and they explode.
Now we're the ones acting in self-defense.
Her crossed arms were about to move—
"Crack!"
A hand shot in from the side and caught Yurui's wrist.
Its owner glared at him with bright blue eyes.
"Hey! They were sitting here first! Why are you picking a fight?!"
"Hah?" Yurui blew a bubble with his gum, eyes slanting sideways. "And where did you come from, Pineapple Head?"
"Pineapple Head?! My name's Boruto! I can't stand people bullying others just because they're stronger!"
The room went tense.
Troy leaned closer and whispered, "Yurui, forget it. We're not in the right here. If this gets reported…"
Yurui swallowed his irritation. He'd already regretted his outburst.
If he got disqualified before the exam even began, he'd become a laughingstock.
"Tch!"
He shook Boruto's hand off and pulled back.
Pointing at them one by one, he said,
"You, you, you three—and you too. I'll remember all of you. If we meet in the exam, I'll deal with you personally."
With that, he left with Tarui and Troy.
Boruto rubbed his sore wrist and asked Snow, "You guys okay?"
Boruto… I've heard Father mention that name. The Seventh Hokage's son?
Snow kept her arms crossed, lifting her chin slightly.
"We're fine. But your hand probably isn't."
Boruto grinned. "It's nothing. It'll be fine soon."
Snow tilted her head.
"Not your hand. Your wrist. Since you came in, you've been clutching it several times. You were already injured, weren't you?"
"!"
Boruto stiffened and instinctively tightened his grip around the metal plate hidden under his sleeve.
Snow lowered her gaze slightly, a faint smile appearing.
"Thanks. For just now."
When she looked up again—
Boruto had already walked away.
Strange guy. Sometimes bold as brass, sometimes awkward as anything…
Sarada teased him as he returned.
"What? Saved the damsel, but she didn't appreciate it?"
"It's not about appreciation! I just hate seeing strong people pick on the weak!"
Mitsuki smiled gently.
"Boruto-kun~ you've made yourself a powerful rival. Yurui's actually very strong. He already has chūnin-level strength, they say. He delayed the exam a year to train under his master. He's Cloud's seeded candidate this time."
"Seed or not," Boruto scoffed confidently. "They're no match for me."
With over a hundred jutsu stored inside his scientific ninja tool, he was brimming with confidence.
Unaware of that detail, Sarada pushed up her glasses and smiled approvingly.
"That's the spirit. Keep it up."
The loudspeaker summoned everyone for the first exam.
The minor incident quickly faded as contestants streamed toward the testing grounds.
One boy didn't move immediately.
Instead, he leapt to the rooftop and stared after Snow's retreating figure.
He wore a Sand Village headband, red face markings vivid against his skin.
Shinki.
Adopted son of the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara.
Like the Third Kazekage, he wielded Magnet Release: Iron Sand. Sand's seeded candidate—and Gaara's chosen successor.
In another timeline, Shinki would corner Boruto in the finals. Only by firing Purple Lightning through a scientific ninja tool did Boruto win.
That was how strong Shinki was.
Yodo joined him on the rooftop.
"Shinki, are you interested in those three?"
"Shouldn't you be?" Shinki replied quietly.
"The three from Darkshade. Especially that girl."
"She casually mentioned Killer B's name—the jinchūriki who once stood alongside my father."
"And she did it deliberately. To provoke him into striking first."
"That level of awareness, composure, and boldness… it doesn't belong to a nobody from some nameless village."
Araya frowned. "You're overthinking."
"Perhaps."
Shinki's gaze remained sharp.
"But we should watch the Darkshade trio closely. They may become the biggest obstacle to Sand's victory."
First Exam
Sai was the proctor.
Contestants had to choose between X and O positions. Choose wrong, and they'd sink into black mud below.
In truth, both X and O would collapse.
The real test was resolve—refusing to give up.
Those meant to pass, passed.
Boruto nearly fell through, saved at the last second by Sarada and Mitsuki.
Afterwards, the Darkshade trio commented quietly.
Kansuke scratched his head. "This… wasn't what I expected."
Snow nodded. "You mean the examiner's logic?"
Wind added, "I didn't expect so many to fall at once. This had little to do with 'not giving up,' really. Even our academy trainees back home could pass this. Feels almost childish."
(For the record—Wind might be taciturn around outsiders, but among his own? He talks plenty.)
Second Exam — Flag Capture
"Well, well~ what a coincidence."
On the rooftop, Yurui grinned as he saw the Darkshade trio standing at the other end of the flag.
"Country bumpkins. This time, no one's coming to save you."
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