A/N: This chapter covers some heavier emotional themes. Please take care of yourself while reading, and don't hesitate to step away if you need to.
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Two of the three genin team leaders were staring at me with open hostility, which only made me grin wider and annoy them further. The kekkei genkai user spoke first, his voice sharp with barely restrained anger. "That stunt you pulled out there almost cost me my promotion."
I tilted my head, mockery clear in the gesture. "Are you really that weak?"
His anger flared instantly, and with it his chakra. The air around him dropped in temperature, cold spreading fast as his eyes sharpened into something dangerous enough to cut. I didn't back away. I stood and took a step toward him instead, my own chakra rising in response. "Looks like I need to teach you strategy."
Something grated on my nerves, and I wasn't entirely sure what it was. Maybe I'd just woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Wouldn't be the first time.
Before it could go any further, the Hidden Cloud team leader stepped between us. Lightning crackled over her hands as she gripped her custom sword, her presence forcing space into existence. "If you start a fight here, all of us might get dragged into it," she said calmly. "And that means disqualification. So calm down. Both of you."
That was when Arashi appeared, clicking her tongue in disappointment. "Shame. I was hoping for some excitement." Her eyes flicked toward the kekkei genkai user, cold and sharp. "You can fight if you want, but you will be disqualified. And as a bonus, I will personally put you into the ground."
The last part was delivered casually, but the message was clear. She had not forgotten that he had killed three of her village's genin.
Sena moved to my side and spoke quietly. "Calm down. The next stage will give you plenty of chances for that."
Arashi nodded, clearly pleased. "Indeed." She raised her voice so everyone could hear. "The final stage of the Chunin Exams is a battle tournament. In the first stage, we examined your knowledge and instincts. In the second stage, we tested your overall skills, coordination, and teamwork. The third stage is about individual strength."
She flexed her arm as she spoke, muscle tightening as her chakra ignited with something that felt dangerously close to excitement. The air seemed to vibrate around her. "While the first two stages will contribute to your overall score and promotion chances, what a real shinobi should ultimately be judged on, in my opinion, is strength."
She waved her hand, ordering the chunin under her command to begin checking the storage seals of the remaining contenders. Others were sent outside to process the teams who had survived but failed the second stage.
They looked especially irritated while checking the kekkei genkai user, which was understandable, but they were professional enough not to make an issue of it. Once the inspection was complete and no puppet was found, Arashi's annoyance was obvious. She took a slow breath to steady herself before speaking again.
"Four teams made it to the final stage," Arashi announced, her voice carrying easily across the outpost. "That means twelve contenders. A tournament will be held one week from now at the Chunin Exam Arena, where your capabilities will be observed by shinobi and civilians alike."
She paused, letting that sink in, then continued with a slow, deliberate smile. "The first round will consist of six one on one matches. The winners advance. Simple."
Her eyes gleamed as she went on. "The six who remain will fight again, leaving only three."
A few of the genin shifted.
Arashi's smile widened. "The final stage will not be a simple one on one. The three who make it that far will enter the arena together." Her eyes gleamed. "The last one standing wins."
Silence followed.
She looked pleased at the reactions. "Real battles are not clean. You do not get the luxury of focusing on a single enemy while the world politely waits its turn. Awareness, restraint, timing, and the ability to survive chaos matter just as much as raw power."
Her gaze swept over the contenders, lingering on a few of them longer than the others. Then she smiled again, sharp and unapologetic. "But the one who walks out of that arena will be the strongest, and I very much look forward to watching it." Her lips curled further, satisfaction seeping into her voice as her chakra stirred faintly in response to her own words. "The victor will receive a special gift from our Kazekage personally, along with their promotion. This format was designed specifically to weed out the weak, leaving only those worthy of standing at the end."
She deliberately glanced at the two cowering genin behind the kekkei genkai user as she said it. He didn't even react, as if they barely existed.
She waved her hand, ordering the chunin under her command to finish checking the storage seals of the remaining contenders. Others were sent outside to process the teams who had survived but failed the second stage.
After that, Arashi directed each team to separate, older buildings within the oasis to rest while carts arrived. We barely made it inside before collapsing into exhausted sleep. The next thing I knew, Hidden Sand shinobi were waking us at dawn, informing us that our transport back to the village was waiting outside.
When we arrived, we found Shisui standing in front of the cart, concern written plainly across his face. The moment he spotted us, his expression sharpened. His Sharingan activated, and he scanned us from a distance with practiced precision. A second later, his eyes returned to normal, and his shoulders visibly relaxed as a smile spread across his face.
Kaen didn't wait. He sprinted straight toward him. "Sensei, sensei, we won," he blurted out. "We cleared the second stage without any injuries. It was like a real war." He kept talking without giving Shisui a chance to respond, words tumbling over each other in pure excitement. Shisui only nodded and laughed, clearly enjoying Kaen's energy and enthusiasm, especially the pride he carried from a clean victory.
Once we were seated and the cart began moving toward the Hidden Sand village, Kaen planted himself right next to his idol, his grin wide enough to split his face in two. Shisui turned to Sena. "How was it?"
"As expected," Sena replied calmly. "We dominated the teams we fought. We secured two medallions and reached the destination without injury."
We entered the cart while I stayed quiet. For some reason, a grim feeling settled in my gut, sharp and persistent. Something was wrong, or about to be. It felt like leaving the oven on at home, or that split second when you misstep at the top of the stairs. Nothing had happened yet, but the unease clung to me all the same. What scared me most was that I did not know why, and I was on the edge of panicking.
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Shisui POV
I was genuinely impressed by their performance. Noa and Kaen worked together seamlessly, their coordination sharp and instinctive, while Sena led the team with quiet efficiency and clear judgment. I don't think I need to guide them on tactics or plans anymore. What they need now is more experience. That realization settled warmly in my chest. Maybe I really was doing something right as a sensei. The thought brought an unguarded smile to my face.
Sena went into a detailed report of the exam, outlining each stage and encounter with her usual clarity, calmly recounting even her own mistakes without hesitation. Kaen jumped in from time to time, exaggerating certain moments or embellishing his own feats just a little, burning through his excitement with boundless energy and barely able to sit still as he relived every victory. Between the two of them, the cart was full of noise and motion, and I found myself tolerating Kaen's enthusiasm with surprising patience, amused rather than annoyed. Watching him, it was hard to miss how he seemed more relaxed, more himself, the longer he stayed away from home.
Noa stayed mostly silent. He only nodded when spoken to, his attention drifting back to the window. His gaze lingered on the horizon, fixed in the direction of Konoha, as if drawn there by something he could not explain. I was not sure Noa understood it himself.
When we arrived, Noa picked up his things without a word and headed straight for our flat. He didn't look back. I turned to Sena, surprised to see genuine concern on her face. "Do you know what's wrong with him?" I asked quietly.
She shook her head. "It's not something that happened during the exam," she said after a moment. "It feels more like instinct. Like something bad is coming. His instincts about things like that are unsettlingly accurate."
Kaen nodded reluctantly confirming her words.
The unease stayed with me. I considered the possibilities, my thoughts circling darker outcomes, even a potential bijuu issue. "Go rest," I said at last. "Don't unpack anything yet. I'll stay awake and keep watch. If it's nothing, then we lose nothing by being cautious."
They agreed, and we split off to our flats.
I knocked on Noa's door a short while later. There was no answer. A piece of paper hung on the door, written hastily.
"I need to rest and sleep. Please don't wake me."
I exhaled slowly and decided to leave him be, at least for now.
The night stretched on. I stayed awake, watching the starlit sky through the wide windows, the Hidden Sand village glowing softly beneath it. Everything looked peaceful. Then I heard it. A dull sound, something hitting the floor, coming from Noa's room.
I moved instantly.
One flicker carried me to his door. I knocked hard. No response. Instead, I heard something far worse. Ragged breathing. Choking. Panic. I kicked the door open, nearly tearing it from its hinges.
Noa was on the floor.
He was half sitting, half collapsed, his body curled inward. His face was red and soaked with tears, his chest hitching violently as he struggled to breathe. His hands clawed weakly at the floor as his body betrayed him, every attempt at a breath breaking into sobs. My first thought was poison. I dropped beside him, my Mangekyo Sharingan flaring to life as I ignored the strain and reached for him, checking instinctively, but there was nothing foreign in his system.
This was grief.
The sounds he made were raw and uncontrolled, enough to wake Kaen, who stumbled into the room and froze at the sight. I took Noa's shoulders gently, grounding him, forcing him to focus. "Noa," I said firmly, keeping my voice steady. "Breathe. Look at me. Tell me what's wrong."
He tried. Every time he did, the emotion crushed him harder. His breath caught, his body shaking violently. His eyes barely opened as he struggled to form words. Through broken sobs, barely audible, he finally managed it.
"I… think… Master… Shuzo… died."
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A/N: Some of you might wonder how Noa knew what happened without being informed. When Daiken died, he felt something shift inside him, a sudden sense of loss, something he is especially attuned to, but he didn't understand what it was back then. This time was different. He recognized that same feeling immediately. His sharp instincts and intuition filled in the rest as his mind caught up. I shifted the POV to better show Noa's condition from an outsider's perspective, so I couldn't explain that feeling directly in the chapter. I decided to clarify it here instead so I wouldn't interrupt the flow of the chapter.