Chapter 65:
"The second stage of the Chūnin Exams is a scroll capture mission. While defending your own scroll, you must also steal scrolls from others. Teams that possess two or more scrolls and make it to the central tower to hand them over to me will pass the exam."
"You should understand this clearly—the second stage is a team battle. That means at least half the teams will be eliminated in this round."
"Now, let the exam begin!"
As the words fell, Tenten's figure vanished instantly.
Although Tenten had shown up during the first stage of the exam, she was merely assisting at the time. In reality, Sai was the main examiner for the first round, and Tenten was the official examiner for the second.
This time, the exam wasn't held in the Forest of Death. Instead, it took place in an abandoned, uninhabited town on the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village—one of the areas destroyed during Pain's assault on Konoha, which had been left neglected due to post-war financial strains.
In this era of peace, it would be inappropriate to conduct the second stage of the Chūnin Exams in the perilous Forest of Death. Moreover, with all its dangers, the television crew wouldn't have been able to provide a proper broadcast.
"…This is going to be a pain. Looks like things are about to erupt into chaos," Shikadai muttered as he scanned the surroundings.
The stillness before a storm hung thick in the air.
"Everyone just got their scrolls from Aunt Tenten, so we all know who has one. Once we split up, it'll be hard to find anyone carrying a scroll again," said the blond-haired boy, Inojin.
"As long as one of us makes it to the central tower with a scroll, the entire team passes. I'll draw attention by leaving with the scroll—you two just focus on staying safe."
With that, Shuyu stuffed the scroll into his pocket and vanished in a blur.
"Wait… are we being treated like dead weight by Shuyu?" Sumire Kakei murmured to her teammates.
"Damn it, don't underestimate us! I'll make him regret saying that and apologize!" said Wasabi Izuno with fiery determination.
"…I think… maybe we should just do what Shuyu suggested," Namida Suzumeno whispered timidly.
"We're supposed to take the Chūnin Exams together. If we rely entirely on Shuyu to get us through, how will we feel proud of ourselves?" Wasabi said emphatically.
Namida and Sumire Kakei exchanged glances and then nodded in agreement.
"Mmh. Those three students of yours are finally showing some awareness as shinobi. A true ninja shouldn't always depend on their teammates."
At the Konoha stadium, Hiashi Hyuga, leaning on his cane, nodded as he watched the three girls on the big screen.
"Of course. After all, they're my students."
...
"Finally found suitable prey…"
Hidden in the shadows of the ruined town, Shuyu watched three figures approaching.
They weren't particularly strong or troublesome opponents, and since they were clustered together, he could claim their scrolls in one go.
The targets were triplets from the Hidden Mist Village—three blue-haired "Smurfs."
Suddenly, a shadow clone of Shuyu burst from the corner.
"Enemy attack!" shouted the eldest of the Mist triplets.
"Watch out for an ambush!" warned the second.
"He's separated from his teammates!" observed the third.
The three launched a coordinated sword assault on the clone, which dispersed into a puff of smoke.
"Damn, it was a shadow clone!"
All three exclaimed with alarm.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
While the clone drew their attention, Shuyu had used Body Flicker to get behind them from the rooftop.
A stream of water shaped like a dragon's head spewed from Shuyu's mouth. Though weakened, it was enough to scatter the three Mist ninjas.
"What the—?! He can already perform a B-rank jutsu at his age?" The eldest Mist triplet was floored, quite literally, when a shadow suddenly loomed over him. A hand holding a shuriken was now pressed to his throat.
With his other hand, Shuyu flung two shuriken that collided mid-air, altering their trajectory and landing precisely beside the two others who were struggling to rise.
"Don't move—or next time, they'll hit your heads."
The blade at the eldest Mist triplet's throat made a shallow cut, drawing a thin line of blood.
Watching him tremble, Shuyu continued, "Hand over your scrolls."
"Th-The scroll… it's in my jacket pocket…"
Shuyu smiled. His eyes suddenly revealed the three-tomoe Sharingan.
Once the eldest triplet fell under the genjutsu, dazed and unresisting, Shuyu reached in and retrieved the scroll.
"He's just under a genjutsu. He'll be fine in a moment—no need to worry."
After giving this simple explanation, Shuyu vanished in a blur.
At the central tower, Shuyu encountered a team from the Hidden Sand Village.
"Shuyu. Uchiha Shuyu. I'm really looking forward to facing you in the third round," said Shinki. As someone adopted by Kazekage Gaara, Shinki was clearly no ordinary genin—he possessed the Magnet Release bloodline limit.
Although the format of the Chūnin Exams had changed, the core remained the same: the first round tested a ninja's will; the second, teamwork; the third, individual ability. Every exam revolved around these three themes.
"A genius from the Uchiha Clan, no doubt. Not only has he mastered a B-rank jutsu at this age, but his proficiency with Uchiha-style shuriken techniques is impressive. Most importantly, his combat instincts are razor sharp—he didn't let his guard down even after securing the scroll."
Hiashi Hyuga offered a brief evaluation. Shuyu's one-against-three battle, broadcast live on TV, had certainly drawn gasps from the crowd at the stadium.
"After graduating from the academy, Shuyu's been personally trained by Sasuke."
Hearing her daughter say that, Hiashi felt that Shuyu's performance made perfect sense—after all, Sasuke was one of the two strongest shinobi in the world today.
...
"Wonder how Boruto's exam is going…"
In the Hokage's office, Naruto had lost all focus on his paperwork. Though he didn't say it aloud, he was clearly concerned about Boruto.
Having lost his parents at a young age—and never knowing who they were—Naruto had no idea how to properly care for a child. He simply remembered how much he'd longed for new clothes and good food as a kid.
And so, Naruto mistakenly assumed that such things were the best way for a parent to show love.
"Hey, Naruto. Boruto passed the second stage of the exam."
After knocking, Shikamaru smiled as he looked at Naruto pretending to type on the keyboard—even though it was clear he wasn't actually doing anything productive.
"Is that so…"
Naruto replied without lifting his head.
As the village leader, Naruto had countless responsibilities and no time to personally cheer his son on.
"Well, I'll be going then."
Shikamaru turned to leave.
"Wait—you came all the way here just to tell me that?"
Naruto looked up, surprised. He had assumed Shikamaru brought news about S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Ōtsutsuki.
"This kind of thing matters."
"Passing the Chūnin Exams shows Boruto's real strength. Aren't you going to praise him?"
As a fellow father, Shikamaru understood how Naruto felt.
After Shikamaru left, Naruto couldn't help but smile proudly to himself, alone in the Hokage's office.
"That's my son all right—just as awesome as I was back in the day."
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