Chapter 128 – The Chūnin Exams
The cicadas of summer were already echoing throughout Konoha. Though it was still morning, the blazing sun hung high in the sky, pouring down its boundless enthusiasm.
On the road leading to Training Ground Seven, Taichi was still lost in thought, reviewing the flaws he had noticed during his recent training.
How could he make the flames cling more steadily to the blade?
How could he further improve his sealing techniques?
How could he fully integrate seal-less Fire Release into his combat style?
The more he thought about it, the brighter his eyes became. He clenched his fist slightly, feeling a deep sense of anticipation for what lay ahead.
Not long after he arrived at the training ground, Yōhei and Saori showed up one after the other.
Yōhei was as energetic as ever. The moment he saw Taichi, he broke into a wide grin.
"Taichi, you bastard—did you sneak in extra training again? I swear you feel way stronger than before!"
Saori stood quietly to the side, smiling but saying nothing. Recently, the two of them had often discussed sealing techniques together, and the barrier around Taichi's private training ground owed no small part to her help.
Taichi smiled at the two of them and was about to respond when familiar footsteps sounded from afar.
Captain Yamaguchi strode toward them, several documents held firmly in his hand.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said as he stopped in front of them, his gaze sweeping over the three. His expression was unusually serious.
He handed a document to each of them and spoke solemnly,
"These are the Chūnin Exam applications. As your team leader, I've officially recommended all three of you to participate in this year's Chūnin Exams."
"The Chūnin Exams?!"
Yōhei snatched the form, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "I've finally been waiting for this day! With my strength, staying a genin is just a waste!"
Saori accepted her form and carefully read through it, murmuring softly,
"July 1st… That's only seven days away."
Taichi looked down at the paper in his hands, his heartbeat quickening ever so slightly.
Finally.
Finally, this day had arrived.
He'd had more than enough of that damn system evaluation.
"Proud of being a genin."
"Eternal genin."
All of it could go straight to hell.
Very soon, Matsushita Taichi would be a chūnin.
As for whether he could pass?
That question had never even crossed his mind. If he still needed to worry about that, then all the strength he'd built up would have been for nothing.
Watching the three of them react so differently, Captain Yamaguchi felt a deep sense of satisfaction. This was the most worry-free graduating team he'd ever led.
Not only were they strong, but more importantly, they were self-disciplined. Whether it was training or missions, he rarely needed to intervene.
Sometimes, he even wondered whether he was still needed as their jōnin leader at all.
But appreciation aside, there were still things that needed to be said—especially with Yōhei in the team. He was far too impulsive, and without a reminder, Yamaguchi genuinely worried he might fail the Chūnin Exams for reasons unrelated to strength.
"I know all of your abilities," the captain said calmly. "But the Chūnin Exams aren't just about combat power. They test teamwork, judgment, and leadership."
His eyes settled on Yōhei.
"Especially you, Yōhei."
"…Huh?"
Yōhei froze, utterly confused as to why the spotlight had suddenly landed on him. He glanced left and right at Taichi and Saori, only to find both of them looking at him as well.
A wave of defeat washed over him instantly.
"…Alright. I'll be careful," Yōhei muttered, lowering his head as if the world had suddenly turned gray.
Captain Yamaguchi chuckled lightly.
"Good. For the next seven days, we won't be taking any missions. Prepare yourselves properly and get ready for the Chūnin Exams."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
The three voices answered in unison.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, seven days had passed.
July 1st, Konoha Year 45.
Taichi, Yōhei, and Saori met up and entered the examination hall together. There was no illusion-based screening like in the original stories—just a straightforward written exam.
The three of them took their seats and waited calmly.
At exactly nine o'clock, the exam officially began.
There were no flashy tricks, no deliberate cheating tests, no stealing answers under pressure—just a solid, honest written examination.
The content was extremely comprehensive: from basic ninja fundamentals to the essential knowledge required of a chūnin; from the Will of Fire to teamwork and coordination. One word summed it up perfectly—thorough.
Taichi skimmed through the questions once and immediately felt at ease.
This level of difficulty was nothing more than child's play for Team Eight.
Not to mention himself—even Yōhei, despite how unreliable he usually seemed, had graduated near the top of his class back then. He'd been a model student once upon a time.
Sure enough, after Taichi focused and settled into the test, it took barely over half an hour before the three of them submitted their papers—almost at the same time.
At that point, nearly half of the allotted time still remained.
The sight left the other examinees staring in shock. Taichi even noticed one poor soul dropping his pen onto the floor without realizing it.
Once outside the classroom, the three exchanged smiles and raised their hands in a celebratory high-five. After nearly two years together, they knew each other's abilities inside and out—there was no reason to worry.
"Tomorrow's the team combat assessment," Yōhei said excitedly. "How about we do some training this afternoon?"
Taichi and Saori both nodded in agreement, and the three headed straight for the training grounds.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting mottled shadows across the forest floor as the cicadas buzzed relentlessly.
The moment they arrived, Yōhei couldn't wait. He leapt onto a large boulder, planted his hands on his hips, and laughed.
"So how are we training today? Shadow clones again?"
"Of course," Taichi replied with a grin. "Same as always. My clone plus you two versus me plus your two clones."
They didn't really have a choice. Their jōnin leader was often away on village-assigned missions, leaving Team Eight without a proper sparring partner. This improvised method had become their solution.
Painful, exhausting—but incredibly effective.
The three formed shadow clones and arranged themselves.
On one side, Taichi's main body took the lead, with two shadow clones providing support.
On the other, Yōhei and Saori stood at the front, backed up by Taichi's shadow clone.
As they faced each other, the atmosphere grew tense.
A single leaf drifted between the two teams.
The moment it touched the ground, Yōhei launched the first attack.
With a flick of his right hand, three shuriken flew out. His left hand followed immediately with another three. The six blades crossed paths midair, sealing off Taichi's escape routes.
Behind him, Saori casually threw out a lightning net to further restrict Taichi's movement, followed by a barrage of lightning orbs hurled without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Taichi's shadow clone raised its hand and unleashed Phoenix Flower Jutsu, fireballs raining down like artillery over the battlefield.
Facing this full-coverage assault, Taichi didn't hesitate. He sprinted forward while forming seals at lightning speed.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
A violent gale erupted from his mouth, razor-sharp wind blades hidden within it.
The gusts scattered the shuriken, blew away the fireballs, and shredded the lightning attacks.
Blade in hand, Taichi burst through the chaos and clashed head-on with Yōhei, whose Sharingan was already spinning. One relied on refined swordsmanship; the other on unparalleled perception. Their exchange was fierce and evenly matched.
Behind them, the shadow clones joined the fray.
"Yōhei's" clone, Sharingan blazing, circled around to ambush the real Yōhei, looking far more excited about beating the original than winning the fight itself.
"Saori's" clone continuously fired lightning techniques from afar, harassing both Taichi's clone and Saori herself.
The battle surged back and forth. Overall, Taichi's side held the advantage, though he deliberately controlled the pace to maximize training effectiveness.
Once both sides' shadow clones exhausted their chakra, the sparring match came to an end.
As the clones vanished and memories flooded back, the doubled fatigue hit instantly. Yōhei and Saori collapsed onto a boulder, gasping for air.
The method worked—but it was brutal. At their current condition, they could manage only two or three rounds per day before risking mental exhaustion.
---
The second day of the Chūnin Exams was the team assessment, held inside the Forest of Death.
Led by Captain Yamaguchi, Team Eight arrived at the central tower. Twenty teams had already gathered—every one of them having passed the first round.
Aside from Team Eight, most were veteran genin squads. Yōhei greeted people left and right, earning his reputation as "the most sociable Uchiha." Even Taichi and Saori ended up meeting plenty of new faces.
"Hmph. No dignity at all for an Uchiha."
A cold voice cut through the chatter.
The three turned to see a stoic young man, only a year or two older than Yōhei, dressed in the same clan attire—a textbook Uchiha.
"Shōtai? You're here for the Chūnin Exams too?" Yōhei greeted him cheerfully, completely ignoring the jab.
Uchiha Shōtai quickly surrendered to Yōhei's relentless friendliness, his icy expression melting into a helpless smile.
Taichi and Saori stood beside Yōhei, casually chatting with Shōtai's teammates.
Soon, everyone was assembled, and the assessment began.
As teams took turns fighting, it became increasingly clear—at least to Team Eight—that most matches were… underwhelming.
Some teams barely scraped chūnin-level ability. Even the stronger ones would only serve as warm-ups for Team Eight.
Watching match after match, Yōhei leaned in and whispered,
"Are we… too strong? I don't think anyone here can beat us."
Taichi looked at him like he'd just met him for the first time.
"Do you seriously not realize how strong you are? Or do you just not understand what a three-tomoe Sharingan actually means?"
"In your clan, anyone with three tomoe is already a jōnin. You're probably the only one still labeled a genin."
Yōhei froze, stunned.
Being constantly compared to Taichi—and now even Saori thanks to her sealing techniques—had completely skewed his self-assessment.
In reality, every member of Team Eight was already a genuine elite among genin.
---
Match Seven. Team Eight was called up.
"Matsushita Taichi, Uchiha Yōhei, Furukawa Saori."
"Hijikata Ryōki, Kobayashi Yasuhiro, Suzuki Ryōto."
The two teams faced each other from over ten meters apart. The proctor raised a hand—and dropped it.
"Begin!"
Both sides moved instantly—but the difference in level was immediately obvious.
Taichi charged forward, deflecting incoming kunai with his blade without losing momentum.
Yōhei activated his Sharingan and flanked from the side, hurling kunai in rapid succession. The blades collided midair, altering trajectories and striking new targets.
Saori stayed behind, hands flashing through seals as lightning orbs and nets flooded the battlefield.
The opposing team barely managed an opening volley before being overwhelmed.
Lightning struck first. Even when it missed, the explosions sent arcs of electricity across the ground.
One unlucky ninja—Kobayashi Yasuhiro—was caught mid-dodge and froze on the spot.
Taichi appeared instantly, flipping his blade and striking with the back edge at the neck.
Kobayashi dropped unconscious without a sound.
The remaining two charged in rage, thinking Taichi had killed their teammate.
That mistake cost them everything.
Yōhei's kunai found their marks. Taichi and Yōhei closed in simultaneously—and ended the fight.
Thirty seconds. That was all it took.
The spectators erupted in shock.
When the proctor finally woke Kobayashi, everyone realized he was actually the least injured—the others had taken far worse hits.
"Taichi… you were right," Yōhei said gleefully. "We really are ridiculous."
Nearby, Uchiha Shōtai stared in disbelief.
That wasn't a fight. It was absolute domination.
Ten team battles later, the results were announced.
Ten winning teams (30 people), plus ten outstanding individuals from the losing side—40 contestants advanced to the individual matches the next day.
After dismissal, Taichi parted ways with Yōhei and Saori and headed straight for the hospital.
Since New Year's, he'd been officially registered there. Whenever free, he helped out—training his medical ninjutsu and checking on Nono-U—killing two birds with one stone.
After months of work, Taichi now even had his own office.
He wasn't assigned to any department, but wherever help was needed, he fit right in. Combined with his exceptional medical skill, it earned him a unique and respected position within Konoha Hospital.