The events Habara had experienced over the past few days, the crisis looming over Konoha's future—these matters were largely irrelevant to the average shinobi. From their perspective, the most significant event in Konoha during this period was the ongoing Chunin Exam. For the sake of the new State Lord's prestige, both tangible and intangible, this joint Chunin Exam had to be executed flawlessly.
However, even with the most meticulous organization and strictest work ethic, large-scale events involving foreign participants inevitably encounter slip-ups and errors, both seen and unseen. It's unavoidable; systems or procedures composed of many individuals are inherently unstable.
For something like the joint Chunin Exam, the only question was whether the problems would be major or minor; the option of having no problems simply didn't exist.
With multiple factions vying for position, the situation was already chaotic enough, not to mention there were always individuals who particularly enjoyed stirring up trouble… Naturally, this wasn't referring to Habara as the troublemaker, but rather the fact that every generation of ninja inevitably includes some overly energetic youths.
Just the morning after Habara and the others had driven the Zetsu out of the city, while the lingering scent of aloe vera hadn't even fully dissipated, several youngsters began to rendezvous.
The criminal gang consisted of four members: the fundamentally restless Uzumaki Naruto; Hyuga Neji, eager to test his own skills; the perpetually silent Uchiha Sasuke; and Aburame Shino, whose current achievements couldn't compare to his father's, and likely wouldn't even by the time he reached his grave.
Naruto, Neji, and Shino hanging out together was normal; their elders belonged to the same organization. Uchiha Sasuke's presence, however, was somewhat surprising. But there was no need to over-interpret the affairs of children; Naruto likely respected Sasuke's strength, which explained his inclusion.
As for how Sasuke viewed Naruto, 'couldn't stand the sight of him' probably still summed it up best. This time, it wasn't because they represented different types of orphans, but due to the disparity in their status. Sasuke hailed from the defeated Uchiha clan, whereas Naruto was the son of the previous Hokage. A fallen phoenix is less regarded than a common chicken, while the other was a rising star.
Objectively speaking, no matter how bravely a person performs on the battlefield or how many heroic deeds they accomplish, once they begin to govern, mistakes inevitably occur. Or rather, a leader willing to actually do things will definitely make mistakes continuously. The accumulation of these errors eventually causes them to lose their former luster… That's the principle, anyway. However, the Fourth Hokage died at the peak of his brilliance. At that time, he hadn't fully taken over power from the Third Hokage, essentially serving as a "Hokage-in-training." Even if he had faults, they were considered the Third's faults.
The radiance belonging to a hero, the regret surrounding a premature death—all these legacies were bequeathed to Naruto.
More importantly, although the Fourth Hokage had passed away, the power held by Kushina Uzumaki wasn't expired authority; it was power currently in effect. She was a high-ranking member of Konoha's leadership, a trusted pillar of support for the new Hokage.
Naruto's situation proved a universal truth: a mother's love is best. A child with a mother is treated like a precious treasure. Under the current circumstances, who would dare view Naruto as the fox demon? If anyone dared spread such petty rumors, needless to say, the Torture and Interrogation Department would get straight to work—a living person goes in, and they come out in a small box.
In summary, Naruto's circumstances were drastically different. From the standpoint of a marginalized Uchiha orphan, finding such a "young master" agreeable would be truly strange.
Although the phrasing is a bit awkward, the underlying principle remains largely the same: Naruto's current situation in Konoha closely resembled that of his son, Boruto, in the future. It's just that Naruto's behavior wasn't nearly as egregious as his son's would be.
These few children were furtively hiding inside a warehouse used for storing lumber, plotting their plan for a zero-distance viewing of the Chunin Exam.
"The upcoming exams are practical combat duels! This is a great chance to prove our strength! Nobody hesitate!" Children, after all, tend to enjoy the spotlight, especially a child like Naruto.
The kindergarten was on break during the Chunin Exams. By the time they returned to school, it would likely be time for the Fifth Hokage to begin systematically reforming the village's education system.
Since it was a holiday, they had to do something. For kids, climbing mountains to hunt birds or wading into rivers to catch fish were standard operations.
"What's happening now are indeed practical combat exams," Neji interjected, "but the periphery of such venues definitely has barriers in place. Evading the barrier itself is impossible… How should we bypass the ninja guarding the outer perimeter and legitimately enter the barrier under their noses?"
Neji's mind was actually quite clear. He knew their actions definitely couldn't be hidden from the highest echelons, primarily because eyes within the village were constantly watching Naruto. Neji never expected to evade that level of scrutiny; he merely hoped their minor mischief would receive tacit approval. Therefore, they only needed to consider how to fool the on-site guards.
"The method to get into the venue… hehe," Naruto revealed a confident grin. "Relax, I've already obtained a special pass. Absolutely no one will dare stop us."
Saying this, Naruto rummaged through his ninja tool pouch and pulled out a pass.
The others crowded forward, realizing it wasn't a paper document, and then…
Holy sh*t!
Upon clearly seeing the object in Naruto's hand, even the habitually silent Sasuke and Shino couldn't help but let out internal exclamations of shock. They were considerably startled, simultaneously taking a step backward.
What Naruto had produced wasn't a paper pass, but… the Senju Clan Honorary Medal.
It was the second-highest medal within Konoha's entire merit system, surpassed only by the first-rank Hokage Honorary Medal. However, considering the current Fifth Hokage was a direct descendant of the orthodox Senju lineage, the difficulty of obtaining the Senju Clan Medal was likely even higher than that of the top-tier medal. It was, in substantive terms, the most valued, precious, and rare medal… Tsunade could bestow the Hokage Medal upon deserving ninja, but she would absolutely not easily approve a ninja receiving the Senju Clan Medal, because she saw the glory of the Senju clan, the glory of the First Hokage, reflected in its name.
Tsunade also had her emotional biases; or rather, Tsunade herself was a deeply emotional person. So, in her view, what kind of ninja, having performed what kind of meritorious deeds, could possibly be worthy of the Senju name?
The answer was: almost none.
Judging by Tsunade's standards, even Habara probably wouldn't qualify for this medal.
Predictably, during Tsunade's tenure as Hokage, the awarding of the first-rank medal and the other two second-rank medals might not decrease, but the Senju Clan medal could potentially become a discontinued edition.
And as this honor system gradually became more widespread and increasingly recognized among the ninja, even a child of Neji's age could identify it.
"Could it be… fake?" Shino finally uttered his first sentence.
"How could it be! This I smoothly… I borrowed it," Naruto flatly denied. Even he knew the consequences of forging such a medal; suffice it to say, they were far more severe than those for 'smoothly leading away a sheep' (petty theft).
Neji, meanwhile, quietly shot Naruto a look usually reserved for a dead man walking. Truly worthy of you, he thought. No, it had to be you. Casually achieving something I wouldn't even dare to imagine.
He hoped Naruto could bear the consequences of stealing the medal himself.
"We just need to use the Transformation Technique to become someone who has the medal," Naruto elaborated, already having a specific plan for its use. "Then you guys transform into my subordinates, and we can just swagger right into the exam site."
Carrying such a medal would indeed allow them to bypass ninja inspection and "drive straight in." Naruto's plan was surprisingly logical, except… what did he mean by 'transform into someone who has the medal'? In Konoha, the most famous person holding this particular medal… wasn't it Habara? This was like performing the butterfly stroke back and forth across the Sanzu River. It seemed Naruto truly intended to bear the consequences himself.
"Any other problems?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke shook his head. Neji stated with absolute certainty, "No problems left."
Naruto had already put half his life on the betting table with such a gamble; how could Neji still have any problems? He would accompany this gentleman in risking life and limb—besides, it was Naruto's life being risked. Everyone should just relax and place their bets.
Only Shino remained relatively rational, perhaps related to his comparatively weaker standing when it came to competing based on fathers' influence. In any case, facing Naruto's eager gaze, he didn't speak.
The nature of this matter was still quite serious. Shino was contemplating whether he should sell Naruto out.
Then, he heard Naruto's "demon whisper": "Originally, I wanted to ask Torune, but he's a bit unsuitable…"
"Let's move out."
Shino instantly made his decision.
Schemes, the narrator seemed to sigh. Such schemes at such a young age.