"Sino Aburame!"
"Rock Lee!"
"The other candidates who reached the finals but did not advance will also be listed as key development targets…"
"Sakura Haruno! Hyuga Neji!"
"Alright, announce the results."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
The official announcement quickly spread throughout Konohagakure like wildfire.
Before long, the entire village knew the outcome of the Chunin Exams.
Kakashi Hatake personally gathered Team 7 together to deliver the news.
He stood in front of them, his visible eye curved into a crescent.
"Congratulations to all three of you," he said warmly.
"You've all been promoted to Chunin."
For a brief second, Naruto Uzumaki stood frozen.
Then—
"Hooray!!!"
He leaped into the air, fists raised high, his voice echoing down the street.
Hinata Hyuga's cheeks flushed bright red, but she couldn't suppress her delighted smile.
"This is wonderful…"
Even Sasuke Uchiha allowed the corners of his lips to lift slightly.
"Hmph. That's only natural."
Kakashi chuckled softly.
"Regardless of what comes next, this is a tremendous achievement. All three members of Team 7 passing together… that's no small feat."
Naruto immediately grinned mischievously.
"Kakashi-sensei! You have to throw us a celebration!"
Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "Hmm? Is that really necessary?"
"Of course it is!"
Kakashi sighed dramatically, though amusement lingered in his tone.
"Alright, alright. That makes sense. So what would you like to eat?"
Without hesitation, Naruto shouted, "Ichiraku Ramen, of course!"
Kakashi's shoulders drooped slightly. "Naruto… don't you ever have any new ideas?"
"Are you treating us or not?!"
"Yes, yes, I'm treating you."
"Yahoo!"
Naruto's persistence left Kakashi no room to escape. Soon, he was leading the three newly promoted Chunin toward Ichiraku Ramen.
Celebrations Across the Village
Team 10 headed to a yakiniku restaurant to celebrate Shikamaru Nara's promotion.
Kurenai Yuhi brought Team 8 to a dango shop to celebrate Shino Aburame.
As for Team Guy, their celebration would have to wait.
Rock Lee had successfully been promoted to Chunin. However, during his match against Neji Hyuga, he had pushed himself too far, even opening the Fifth Gate of the Eight Gates Formation.
Although he hadn't encountered Gaara this time—and therefore avoided catastrophic injury—he still needed time to recover.
Still, Lee was satisfied.
Defeating Neji had fulfilled a long-standing promise.
It was a vow he had once made to Naruto.
And now, like Naruto happily slurping down ramen, Lee felt his dream had been realized.
The System's Reward
As Naruto eagerly devoured his noodles, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
[Congratulations to the Host for successfully completing the mission: All three members of Team 7 have been promoted to Chunin rank!]
Naruto's chopsticks froze mid-air.
[Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random system reward.]
[Would you like to open it immediately?]
Naruto's heart pounded.
This mission hadn't depended solely on his own strength—it required Sasuke and Hinata to succeed as well. There had been risk involved.
And now, the reward.
"Open!" Naruto shouted internally without hesitation.
[Please select one of the following categories: Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Nin-Taijutsu, Sealing Technique, etc.]
Naruto blinked.
"I can choose the category?"
He immediately began analyzing his current abilities.
"I've already learned plenty of Ninjutsu—Shadow Clone Technique, various Wind Release techniques…"
"Taijutsu isn't bad either. What I lack isn't technique—it's raw physical strength."
"As for Genjutsu… yeah, that's definitely not my specialty."
He grimaced.
"Forcing myself to train Genjutsu would probably be inefficient."
He continued thinking.
"Sealing Techniques are powerful, but I haven't even fully mastered the Diamond Sealing Chains yet. Learning too many at once would just slow me down. Besides, the Perverted Sage said that the Diamond Sealing Chains are one of the Uzumaki Clan's strongest sealing techniques."
Naruto nodded decisively.
"I choose Nin-Taijutsu."
This decision aligned perfectly with one of his long-term goals.
He wanted to create something revolutionary—
Wind Release Chakra Mode.
A technique that fused chakra nature transformation directly into close combat.
Before that, mastering advanced Nin-Taijutsu would undoubtedly expand his creativity and combat potential.
Currently, his Wind Release techniques like Wind Style: Hurricane Palm, Wind Style: Gale Fist, and Wind Body Flicker felt somewhat similar to Nin-Taijutsu…
But they weren't true Nin-Taijutsu.
What Is Nin-Taijutsu?
In truth, the Ninja World had no universally accepted definition of Nin-Taijutsu.
Pure Taijutsu, in theory, did not require chakra consumption.
It relied on physical energy.
However, exceptions existed.
The Eight Gates Formation removed the body's chakra limiters to unleash overwhelming power. That undeniably involved chakra.
Tsunade's monstrous strength relied on precise chakra control to amplify impact force.
But were those considered Nin-Taijutsu?
Not exactly.
The key difference lay in nature transformation.
The Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode was a classic example of true Nin-Taijutsu.
After activating Lightning Release chakra, he enhanced his physical strikes—techniques like Lightning Release: Lariat and Lightning Release: Tiger Bomb.
That was Taijutsu empowered by elemental transformation.
Unlike the Eight Gates, which merely unleashed raw chakra, the Raikage's methods infused elemental nature directly into combat.
Similarly, certain legendary sword techniques infused elemental chakra into blade strikes.
In short—
Nin-Taijutsu lacked a strict definition.
Broadly speaking, many chakra-enhanced physical techniques could qualify.
Narrowly defined, however, true Nin-Taijutsu required chakra nature transformation integrated into Taijutsu.
That was the path Naruto wanted.
The Reward Revealed
The system responded instantly.
[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining Nin-Taijutsu: Wind Release – Vacuum Blade!]
Naruto nearly dropped his bowl.
[This Nin-Taijutsu activates Wind Release chakra within both the user and their weapon. The wind chakra forms a connection between the wielder and the blade, allowing them to act as one.]
[It enables devastating close combat capable of slicing through nearly anything. It can also release sharp Wind Blade sword energy at mid-range. Furthermore, it enhances defensive capability by deflecting enemy attacks.]
[An exceptionally comprehensive and powerful Nin-Taijutsu.]
Naruto's eyes sparkled.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!"
"That sounds incredible!"
He imagined himself wielding a sword wrapped in cutting wind chakra, slicing through enemy defenses effortlessly.
"It can attack and defend… close-range destruction and long-range wind blades…"
"So cool!"
He nodded seriously.
"Looks like I'll need a good sword."
But that could wait.
Right now—
He had a more important mission.
Bankrupt Kakashi.
Ramen Rampage
"Hinata! Sasuke! Eat more!"
"Kakashi-sensei is super stingy! He rarely treats us, so we need to make it worth it!"
Kakashi blinked. "When have I ever been stingy?"
Naruto grinned wickedly.
"How many times have you treated us before?"
Kakashi paused.
"…Actually, now that you mention it…"
"Exactly! Iruka-sensei used to treat me to ramen all the time!"
"And the Perverted Sage—well, forget about him!"
Kakashi chuckled awkwardly. "When you put it that way…"
Naruto leaned forward.
"Kakashi-sensei, you've completed so many missions. You must have earned tons of rewards!"
"You're single. You don't buy fancy clothes. You don't seem to have hobbies besides reading questionable adult novels…"
"So you must have saved up a fortune, right?"
Kakashi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I haven't counted carefully… but I suppose I do have quite a bit."
Naruto slammed his chopsticks down triumphantly.
"Then let's eat more!"
"Uncle Ichiraku! Another bowl!"
"Coming right up!"
Kakashi sighed.
Still—
Seeing all three of them promoted together filled him with pride.
Konoha had suffered greatly in recent events.
The village needed hope.
It needed young pillars of strength.
And here they were.
When the time came to pay the bill, Kakashi blinked in disbelief.
He had eaten only two bowls.
Naruto had devoured eleven.
But that wasn't the shocking part.
Hinata…
Had eaten seventeen bowls.
Kakashi stared at her in stunned silence.
"H-Hinata… even if Naruto encouraged you… isn't that a bit excessive?"
Hinata froze, her face turning crimson.
"I-I'm sorry! I just… I was very happy…"
Naruto burst into laughter.
"See? Even Hinata agrees! Celebration means eating!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes but didn't comment.
Kakashi sighed dramatically as he handed over the money.
His wallet felt significantly lighter.
But his heart—
Strangely enough—
Felt full.
Team 7 had grown stronger.
They had taken their first real step forward.
And Naruto…
As he happily slurped down his twelfth bowl…
Was already thinking about wind blades slicing through the battlefield.
The future Hokage's path had just become sharper.
Much sharper.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)