The Konoha Martial Arts Hall was usually reserved for major events — the Chūnin Exam finals, or official village exhibitions. Most of the time, it sat empty and quiet.
But not today.
Today, the stands were packed with senior shinobi — veterans and elite ninja with no active missions, all drawn here by the same rumor:
A ten-year-old Academy student had taken down an entire Cloud Ninja team.
And not just any team — a Kumogakure squad with a Jōnin leader.
They wanted to see what kind of child could possibly pull that off.
Every gaze in the hall locked onto the three small figures standing in the center of the arena.
"They're making such a big deal over three kids?""I heard one of them, that Hiroki Sawada, wiped out a whole Kumo squad by himself. Sounds fake to me.""Yeah, impossible. They say even a Jōnin died. Total exaggeration.""Tch. A kid who hasn't even graduated yet? The Third Hokage must be overhyping this."
The air was filled with murmurs — disbelief, curiosity, and judgment pressing down like invisible weight over Hiroki and his two teammates.
High above, on the viewing platform, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat calmly, pipe in hand. Smoke drifted lazily around him as he watched the scene unfold.
In the shadows beside him, Danzo Shimura stood with his arms crossed, his sharp eyes glinting.
"Hiruzen," he said coldly, "you're making too much of this. It's just an exam. There's no need for half the village to come and watch."
"Danzo," the Hokage replied, exhaling a thin stream of smoke, "he's a hero who saved his comrades. A hero belongs in the light. The village needs to see hope — and new heroes who can carry that hope forward."
Danzo's eyes narrowed. Hope? he sneered inwardly.
This wasn't about hope. It was another test.
With so many witnesses, the boy's abilities would be exposed to every intelligence division in Konoha. If Hiruzen was parading him like this, it meant only one thing — Hiroki Sawada would never belong to Root.
"Hope," Danzo muttered under his breath. "All I see are three potential threats. Especially that Sawada kid. His abilities need to be contained."
Hiruzen didn't answer. His gaze shifted toward the arena, where another figure stood out among the crowd.
Tsunade leaned on the railing, arms crossed and expression grim.
"Honestly," she muttered under her breath, "the old man's too soft-hearted. Throwing a child who doesn't even understand what's happening straight into the spotlight…"
She clenched her jaw. Tsunade already knew Kushina would soon become the new Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails — her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, had told her personally. The thought left her with a complicated mix of emotions… and a trace of bitterness.
Once Kushina inherited the Nine-Tails, Mito's life would end.
As for Hiroki Sawada, Tsunade couldn't take the rumors seriously.A ten-year-old taking down a Jōnin squad? Ridiculous.
And yet… here they were, making a grand show of it.
She sighed and glanced across the field at another boy — the blond-haired child standing tall despite the pressure.
"Jiraiya's brats, huh?" she thought, her lips curling slightly. "Figures. That idiot actually hand-picked his students. Unbelievable."
Still, curiosity flickered in her eyes. Whatever Hiruzen saw in these three… she wanted to see it too.
Then, without warning, the chatter in the hall died down.
A loud bang! erupted in the center of the arena, followed by a puff of white smoke.
When it cleared, a tall man stood before the three students, striking a confident pose.
"Alright, brats! Are you ready for personal instruction from the legendary wandering sage — future best-selling author of the shinobi world — Jiraiya-sama?"
He had long white hair, a forehead protector with the kanji for oil, and two red lines running from his eyes down his cheeks. His grin was broad, almost goofy — but his eyes were sharp, assessing every detail.
Jiraiya.
Tsunade's expression darkened instantly.
"That idiot," she hissed. "He's the examiner? What the hell is the old man thinking?!"
Even if Jiraiya had chosen these kids as his disciples, this was overkill.And worse — if they passed, everyone would assume it was favoritism.It was a setup no matter how you looked at it.
Still, all eyes were now on him.
Jiraiya stood proudly, hands on his hips, and jingled two small bells between his fingers. The crisp sound echoed through the hall.
"Alright, kids, you've probably heard of this one — the bell test," he said. "Out of the three of you, only two can pass. The one who fails will head back to the Academy."
He let the words hang for a moment, scanning their faces — his eyes lingering slightly on Minato.
"However," he added, smiling again, "since you were personally chosen by the Third Hokage to graduate early, none of you will actually be sent back even if you fail. That's the good news."
"So your mission's simple — work together, and get any one of these bells from me. Do that, and you pass."
His smile widened, turning playful. "If you fail… well, don't worry. It's just a test. But if you perform too poorly, I'll have to assign a little punishment game."
Hiroki stiffened instinctively.
Something about that grin made his skin crawl.
Oh no… that doesn't sound good at all.Knowing this guy, I'm either getting eaten by a giant toad or dunked in mud.
Jiraiya stretched casually, then crouched slightly, his playful grin fading.
"Alright then," he said quietly. "Let's begin."
No countdown. No warning.
The moment the words left his mouth, a crushing wave of killing intent exploded from him — a suffocating pressure that slammed into the three students like a physical force.
Kushina's legs buckled. Her face went pale as her body trembled, barely able to stay standing.
Minato gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his back, his fingers shaking as he struggled to hold a kunai.
This wasn't an assessment.
This was murderous intent.
Hiroki's breath hitched. He could barely move under the pressure. The air itself felt heavy, choking him.
This isn't chakra alone… it's mixed with something else…
Then it hit him — an illusion hidden within the killing intent.
Hiroki closed his eyes and focused inward. In his mind, his Task Manager interface opened instantly:
Process
|UsageStatusfear.exe 75% Running|
|killing_illusion_error_report.log 15% Running|
"Got you," he muttered.
He mentally selected both and ended the processes.
The illusion shattered. The pressure vanished from his mind.
His eyes snapped open, calm and steady once again.
He looked at his teammates — both struggling just to stay on their feet — and spoke evenly:
"Minato. Kushina."
His voice was clear, unwavering.
"Do whatever it takes… to let me touch him."