"Shigure, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, Aburame Shino, Hyūga Hinata, Gaara of the Sand, Temari!
Congratulations on passing the preliminaries. I hope you can perform even better in the finals tomorrow!"
With that, Gekkō Hayate announced the names of those who advanced.
Around the arena, the genin who failed in the preliminaries let out helpless sighs.
There were simply too many monsters in this year's Chūnin Exams.
From Sunagakure, Gaara and Temari both displayed overwhelming strength.
Gaara in particular shocked everyone by defeating Hyūga Neji, the genius of the Hyūga clan.
Even against Hinata's Gentle Fist secret techniques—Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms and Kaiten—Gaara's sand easily held firm.
But aside from Gaara's terrifying performance, the battles that left the deepest impression were Shigure's. His matches against Kankurō and Rock Lee ended with his overwhelming power leaving no doubt in anyone's mind. Even though his opponents were strong, Shigure's dominance burned itself into everyone's memory.
His companions, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, also revealed frightening potential.
In Sasuke's second fight, his body had not yet fully recovered, yet he still faced a powerful enemy head-on. Although his chakra control was unstable, he suddenly activated his Sharingan—and to everyone's surprise, it had evolved into the two-tomoe Sharingan.
Shigure couldn't help but wonder: Was this triggered by the Curse Mark? Or did Sasuke awaken it some other time?
Regardless, Sasuke's growth only made the other genin more cautious of him.
Naruto, on the other hand, stunned the audience by unleashing two wind-style techniques: Wind Release: Shuriken and Wind Release: Wind Blade.
Even Shikamaru couldn't hide his shock.
"When the hell did that knucklehead Naruto learn wind-style ninjutsu?"
It was clear—new monsters were being born before everyone's eyes.
Watching from the side, Kakashi narrowed his gaze at the remaining competitors. Team 7 alone was now being whispered about as the "Three Monsters of Konoha."
Meanwhile, the clash between Shikamaru and Shino also drew attention. Shikamaru's razor-sharp intellect matched against Shino's relentless insect techniques made for a battle that was both unpredictable and nearly impossible to defend against.
When the preliminaries ended, Shigure immediately rushed to the hospital.
The battle between Ino and Sakura had been so fierce that both were badly injured.
Pushing open the ward door, Shigure called out, "Ino, are you alright?"
On the bed, Ino stirred and managed a faint smile. "I'm fine, really."
Shigure's gaze shifted to Sakura resting in the bed beside her. He sighed.
"There was no need for you two to fight like that…"
He didn't fully understand the complicated bond between the two girls, but he respected the determination with which they fought.
Ino pouted, her frustration bubbling up now that Shigure was here.
"It's Sakura's fault! She knew she wasn't a match for me, yet she still went all-out. Because of that, I didn't even make it past the preliminaries!"
Her grievance spilled out, but Shigure only smiled gently. Taking her hand, he said softly, "Let me heal you."
Ino blinked in surprise. She knew Shigure had learned medical ninjutsu, but her injuries weren't too serious. A night of rest and some bandages would normally be enough—after all, shinobi recover quickly.
"There's no need, Shigure-kun. It's nothing serious—"
But Shigure only held her hand firmer.
"It's always better to heal sooner."
Without weaving hand seals, he raised his palm. A stream of water-like chakra flowed forth, washing over Ino's wounds. Before her eyes, her cuts and bruises closed at astonishing speed.
"Wow… what an incredible medical ninjutsu!" Ino gasped.
"What kind of jutsu is this, Shigure-kun?"
Shigure gave a small smile.
"It's a healing technique I developed myself."
Ino's eyes lit up, stars shimmering within them. She looked at him with newfound admiration, her earlier complaints already forgotten.
He's strong, handsome, and so confident.
It's just… amazing.
After Shigure finished healing Ino, he turned toward Sakura.
At that moment, Sakura was already awake. In fact, she had stirred the instant he entered the ward. She had wanted to argue with Ino again, but the moment she heard Shigure's gentle voice, her heart tightened. Something about the way he spoke to Ino felt different.
As a girl, Sakura understood immediately.
Those two… could it be…?
"Sakura, let me treat your wounds too," Shigure said softly as he approached her bed.
Her body trembled slightly. She didn't know how to react.
"Do you plan to keep pretending you're asleep?"
Sakura froze.
Ino looked confused. "Pretending? You mean Sakura's been awake this whole time?"
Shigure gave her a small nod. "She's been awake since I walked in."
Flustered, Sakura sat up a little and forced a laugh. "I just… didn't want to disturb you two."
Ino blushed faintly, but Shigure's expression stayed calm. "Alright, then. Let me heal you as well."
He activated his technique again. A cool stream of chakra flowed from his palm, washing over Sakura's injuries. Before her eyes, her wounds closed rapidly, leaving almost no trace behind.
"Amazing… this isn't the Mystical Palm Technique," Sakura murmured, wide-eyed.
Shigure shook his head lightly. "This healing ninjutsu is something I developed myself—an improvement that combines water-style chakra control with the principles of the Mystical Palm Technique. It's more effective than the original."
"More effective…?" Sakura stared at her fully mended body. "This is far beyond just 'better'…"
Her heart pounded. Shigure's talent is terrifying. He's already a formidable combat-type shinobi, and yet he's mastered medical ninjutsu so easily—and even created something stronger!
Ino, still watching, muttered under her breath, "Looks like Boar really found a treasure this time…"
Shigure stood. "Alright. Since you're both fine now, I'll be heading off. The Chūnin Exam finals are tomorrow—I need to prepare."
He gave a polite nod to Ino before leaving the ward.
After he was gone, Sakura sat silently in thought. Her mind replayed the feeling of Shigure's healing chakra. If I could learn that technique… my medical ninjutsu would reach a whole new level.
She clenched her fists. I can't fall behind. I'll improve no matter what!
Meanwhile, Shigure made his way home. His thoughts were already on the next stage of training—perfecting his newly developed Ice Release: Ice and Snow Control Technique.
But as he walked the streets of Konoha, he quickly noticed the stares. People whispered to each other as he passed.
"Is that him? The one who used Ice Release in the preliminaries?"
"Yeah! He crushed his opponents instantly— even handled the Sand's puppet techniques without breaking a sweat!"
The gossip spread like wildfire. Word in Konoha always did.
Shigure ignored the murmurs and continued home.
But after he disappeared from sight, some villagers exchanged uneasy glances.
"Ice Release… isn't that supposed to be Kirigakure's kekkei genkai? What's it doing here in Konoha?"
"Exactly. Is Gekkō Shigure really one of us…?"
...
TN:
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